Aerospace 4.0 – Why We Need It?

The concept of a 4.0 is not new. Industry 4.0 has been around for a while, and Aerospace 4.0 is part of the next industrial revolution. It is about creating the digital enterprise, and as such, it will play a critical role in the industry’s transformation.

The question is how essential Aerospace 4.0 will be and how it will help the sector evolve. Aircraft 4.0 is a concept that applies to all of the new digital technologies. This enters the electronics manufacturing industry to the aerospace industry. Big Data, 3D printing, mobile, edge computing, augmented reality, machine learning, and the Internet of Things are among the latest technologies.

Before this, aerospace businesses struggled to provide data from all value chain elements, including in-service data, to the product’s design, maintenance, and production processes autonomously and in real-time. Product life cycle data is available in real-time, and it is adaptive and optimized thanks to today’s digital technologies.

To compete in the global market, aerospace companies must keep current. To do so, they must create faster, cheaper, and better products. The only way to make that happen is to use the new digital tools that Aerospace 4.0 has to offer.

Companies may avoid past issues. It shifts to a more effective method of working that meets deadlines and satisfies consumers by embracing this digital approach. Aerospace 4.0’s tools will enable organizations to decrease costs, enhance quality, reduce inventory, increase work rate, reduce waste, shorten time to market, and expand the chance to offer new products.

✈️ Cutting down the iterations

The decrease of design iterations for new product development is one area where digital technologies can greatly influence. The design team can better inform on the ideal design approach. Considering the real-time data offered by all aspects of the value chain.

Design revisions may be pricey. This is especially true in the aerospace industry. The endeavor to qualify the product on actual airframes takes up a lot of time and money when launching a new product. Additional design changes are difficult to make once this qualification procedure has begun, as they may result in a costly requalification process. This is why the design team’s design iterations must be accurate. Building in knowledge from a solid information repository about how previous goods performed in the field provides priceless insight. This gives the design team the ability to confirm that the design submitted for qualifying is the correct design.

✈️ Data analytics are key

The production line is another area where digital technologies can significantly impact. Data analytics can help in this situation. Previously, the aerospace manufacturing process entail moving products from the production line, piece by piece, and then undergoing extensive testing once they were fully assembled. It results in major inefficiencies since if the product did not function properly at this point. It would have to be reworked or re-produced, and re-tested. All of this takes time money and causes major delays.

Manufacturers now get a real-time view of each step of the process thanks to the introduction of the modern production line technology. This reduces downtime and allows for real-time input and testing at each level of the manufacturing process. Testing takes place during each part of the production process rather than at the end. No time or resources are waste due to ongoing visibility into the production state.

Data analytics, which allows data to give back to a control system, helps. This allows for more precise and timely decision-making. The technology provides value to the production line process. It’s easier and less expensive to deal with a problem early on rather than later when it’s far more expensive to fix.

✈️ Time can be costly

In the near term, investing in digital technology may be costly. However, because the technology aids aircraft producers in avoiding difficulties like testing errors and waste time, which leads to higher prices, these digital technologies will be cost-effective in the long run. Today, as these technologies advance, we see a decrease in the amount of money required and an increase in adoption rates.

Designers and manufacturers will use these technologies to produce fresh insights and new ways of bringing ideas to market as they adopt and adapt to them. While operational efficiencies can realize, Aerospace 4.0 is changing how products are create, from digital factories that leverage real-time analytics for continuous decision making to blockchain technology that allows for complete “nuts to completed aircraft” supply chain transparency.

Aerospace 4.0, in the end, affects not just the operations side of the business but also the user experience. From enabling and improving the capabilities of a ‘connected aircraft,’ which allows for customized entertainment options for passengers from take-off to landing, to the ability for the crew to have real-time data analytics to ensure continued safety throughout the flight, the ability to connect data and platforms will allow for experiences and dependability previously unimagined in the aerospace industry.

✈️ The challenges ahead

That isn’t to argue that adopting Aerospace 4.0 won’t be difficult. Companies will have to change the way they work and train their employees. As Aerospace 4.0 takes hold, more companies will need to consider how they will re-skill present personnel whose responsibilities will alter as new technologies are implemented. This should not dissuade businesses from adopting the digital technologies that Aerospace 4.0 will offer, as the future workforce will expect to work in a company that uses cutting-edge technology. As a result, digital change must be embraced to recruit the greatest people.

Aerospace 4.0 is going to revolutionize the industry. Manufacturing operations will aid by new digital technologies, saving time and money. They will assist in the development of innovative new items. Enterprises in the aerospace industry must accept and utilize digital technology to remain relevant and competitive in other areas. Aerospace 4.0 is no longer a wish: it was a requirement in 2019.