as windows and skylights, and also materials
employed.
“The variables were things like changes to
the footprint, changes to the height and
moving the production stations around a bit.
Every single layout had a number of
constraints, so every layout we were
considering t all of the desired production
stations in the footprint of the site, you know,
met all of the building code needs etc. But in
addition, the layouts all had different scores
for things like production, which we broke down
into three categories of logistics ow, paint
ow and assembly ow. And then, at the same
time, we were measuring such things as
daylight and material sustainability, with every
option having a score for those, too. We were
also measuring things like employee work
conditions and customer experience.”
6
AEROSPACE SUPPLEMENT
FACILITY DESIGN NOVELTY
A vertical tail plane
component that is
benefi ting from the
generative design
treatment plus 3D
printing
February 2020 www.machinery.co.uk @MachineryTweets
The parameters for employee work
conditions included such things as natural
ventilation, the amount of daylight, whether
they had a view outdoors, out of a window or to
some kind of green space, the travel distance
between workstations and other places such
as break rooms and restrooms. Customer
experience parameters were similar.
Continues Benjamin: “In each case, we
were taking complex goals, something that we
could all very quickly decide was important. But
then part of the design process was to gure
out how to measure them, how to break it
down into numbers and measurable
components. In some cases, we knew that we
weren’t able to factor in quite everything, but in
most cases we agreed it was a good rough
measurement.”
He highlights that, while Autodesk has been
involved in similar projects for factory
optimisation projects, this is the most
comprehensive. There are something like 11
different goals, bounded by constraints that for
building codes, for example, run to “dozens”,
with “hundreds of measurements for the 11
goals”.
The generative design and optimisation
phase took six to eight weeks, using Revit
(architecture/building information modelling),
Dynamo (a programming environment for
building information modelling) and Re nery
(generative design for construction) software
packages. Custom modules were written and
employed. This initial project has not been
faster than the traditional approach, due to the
requirement to discuss and work with multiple
Airbus units, but without that, the process
would be faster, Schaefer believes.
The building design is currently being
analysed against German DGNB sustainable
building parameters, as it is mandatory for
Airbus to reduce its greenhouse gas
emissions. This means that ne details such
as window locations are being further
considered, as are construction materials,
including wood and carbon-neutral concrete.
In relaying some tangible and
understandable bene ts of the new approach
and resulting design, Benjamin says that, an
average daylight value of 500 to 750 lux was
achieved through the courtyard and skylights,
compared to an average of around 50 to 100
lux in the existing building. There is additional
green space for a roof deck and a shorter span
of the building for some of the options, which
meant there was less structure plus better
cross ventilation – span is 35 m instead of
70 m. All of ce workers have views of the river
and are located within 100 m of the river,
compared to 10% in other designs. And all
workers have views to green space, compared
to more like 10 to 25%.
Building of the 9,000 m2 facility will
commence this summer, with completion and
operation slated for 2021. It will be home to
around 30 employees and 20 units/month will
be produced.
FIT
V E R S AT I LIT Y
+ LO N G E V IT Y
+ I N T E G RIT Y
= P R O D U C T I V IT Y
the RIGHT MACHINE
for the RIGHT JOB
Wherever you and your parts fit, you can count
on Mitsui Seiki to provide you with just what
you need. We’re not for everyone, but we are for
those who understand that reliable precision
with responsive support is the most sensible,
economical decision you can make when
choosing a machine tool technology partner.
Kyal Machine Tools Limited | The Settling Rooms | Springfield Street
MARKET HARBOROUGH | Leicestershire | LE16 8BD
Tel No. 01858 467182 | simon@kyalmachinetools.co.uk
MITSUI SEIKI
563 Commerce Street | Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
Tel: (201) 337-1300 |Fax: (201) 337-3680 | www. mitsuiseiki.com
What is generative design?
Generative design is a design exploration process. Designers or engineers input design goals
into the software, along with parameters such as performance or spatial requirements,
materials, manufacturing methods and cost constraints. The software explores all the possible
permutations of a solution, quickly generating design alternatives. It tests and learns from
each iteration as to what works and what doesn’t (video: https://is.gd/lutilo).
/www.machinery.co.uk
/mitsuiseiki.com
/lutilo)
link