AEROSPACE SUPPLEMENT
FACILITY DESIGN NOVELTY
A graphic of the new Hamburg Airbus
facility, as conceived through the
application of Autodesk’s generative
design technology
4 February 2020 www.machinery.co.uk @MachineryTweets
Innovative Performance
The E Series Concept
Combines conventional, manual
data input and CNC versatility
within one machine and control
system
E30/E40/E50/E60/E70
Apprentice, vocational training
• Machining of
simple/complex components
E90/110/120/150/175
Oil and gas industries
• Robust design for precision
and stablility
• Multiple tooling turret options
• Large spindle bores upto
580 mm diameter
• Automated cycles fast and
simple communication
between man and machine
Kyal Machine Tools Limited.
Foundry Road, Stamford,
The Settling Rooms, Springfield Street.
Lincs. PE9 2PP
Tel: 01780 765965
Fax: 01780 765877
MARKET HARBOROUGH
Leicestershire LE16 8BD
Tel No. 01858 467182
e-mail: offi ce@kyalmachinetools.co.uk
e-mail: simon@kyalmachinetools.co.uk
facility, optimising the work ows for Airbus
employees who are drilling, bolting and
assembling wings for the A350 aircraft,”
Schaefer explains, adding that this was the
rst such Airbus use of generative design.
But an ongoing project builds on that and is
employing the generative approach to the
design of a new assembly facility in Hamburg,
which should see construction this year, plus
the process route layout within. Says Schaefer:
“Generative design is being used to nd the
best layout and also to meet sustainability
goals and provide the best employee
conditions.
“In this new building, we will paint the metal
engine cover nacelle. Additionally, we will
also have some assembly procedures around
the engines where we assemble pipes and so
on. Suppliers deliver the parts to us, which we
paint and/or assemble, with the nacelle as
well as the engine presented to the customer
for acceptance, followed by shipping to the
nal assembly line of A320 aircraft. For this,
we are designing a new building, working very
closely with teams of architects, classical
architects, to get this building completed. This
is a completely new approach for them the
architects, but we are getting new results and
seeing some major bene ts.
“We are using the Broughton project
experience to pitch the use of generative
design for the new building to management.
The processes are pretty much the same, but
the details are different. We usually start with
a spreadsheet that describes components that
go into a building, of ce spaces and so on, but
we are incorporating all things that have to be
assembled, maintained, painted and so on.
And when we combine both, we have to set up
a unique process for the new building. So, the
general process for applying generative
design is the same, but the details are always
different.”
The central theme in all the Airbus/
Autodesk generative design projects is
sustainability, says David Benjamin, founding
principal of The Living, an Autodesk Studio that
is working on the new building project and
which was also involved in previous projects,
the bionic partition being one of them. “The
bionic partition was about creating a strong,
lightweight partition, which translates to lower
fuel consumption and lower carbon emissions.
For the new building, generative design is
helping to create a structure with things like
natural ventilation, great daylight and the use
of renewable materials. Within that there’s the
super-ef cient production layout that we’re
talking about, plus great employee work
conditions. And this all translates into lower
energy consumption and lower carbon
emissions as well. We’ve been excited to be
able to apply new software technologies to get
this bottom-line outcome.”
A typical application of generative design
has previously employed multiple models,
Benjamin states, but this latest project
employed a single one, albeit more complex
than would be required for a single component.
Generative design was, he explains, used to
alter the shape of the building, building entry,
room or bay arrangements and openings, such
The so-called bionic partition, a structural part
created through generative design combined
with metal 3D printing
/www.machinery.co.uk
link