CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
24 May 2004
Implementation Investments
Dassault Aviation and Dassault Systemes Make Industry History-Falcon 7X Jet Becomes First Aircraft Entirely Developed on Virtual Platform
Just one year after implementing a revolutionary virtual product development platform-the "Virtual Plateau"-based on Dassault Systemes (http://www.3ds.com ) Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Solutions, Dassault Aviation has halved the time required to assemble its new Falcon 7X business jet.
The Falcon 7X becomes the first aircraft in industry history to be entirely developed in a virtual environment, from design to manufacturing to maintenance. The single, integrated PLM environment, based on Dassault Systemes' CATIA, ENOVIA, and DELMIA Solutions, enables Dassault Aviation and its 27 partners in seven countries to work on a common, collaborative, 3D virtual platform. In addition, SMARTEAM was used to manage and track airplane systems.
Every one of the jet's 30,000 parts was designed with CATIA. Through ENOVIA, more than 1,000 engineers manage, exchange, and work in real-time on up-to-date designs, including interface data for partner-designed sections. With DELMIA and its human modeling modules, specialists analyze and optimize the design of the Falcon 7X for crucially important aircraft maintenance and repair procedures.
The dramatic gains in assembly time and part quality stem from the precision attainable on the virtual platform. The digital mockup of the Falcon 7X is so accurate that fittings, supports, and tubing developed virtually fit perfectly when the aircraft parts are assembled in the physical world. Not only has the need for traditional assembly tools dropped dramatically, but Dassault Aviation will also not produce a physical prototype of the Falcon 7X. The first jet, scheduled for delivery in March 2005, will immediately be used for certification.
"We made a big gamble when we said we were going with ENOVIA," said Jean-Claude Hironde, deputy senior vice-president, Research, Design and Engineering, Dassault Aviation. "Initially, we had to convince our partners of the benefits of a virtual platform, of sharing data, and working in context. But today, with data updated overnight, as opposed to the former two-month modification cycle, there simply is no comparison."
"The virtual platform has fundamentally changed the way we view building airplanes," said Jacques Pellas, CIO, Dassault Aviation. "Adopting PLM means improving the circulation of information in a company, redefining its processes, and reorganizing company structures. We are just at the beginning of a new industrial revolution."
"By becoming the first aerospace manufacturer to implement a "virtual plateau", Dassault Aviation has proven once again to be a pioneer in the industry," said Philippe Forestier, executive vice-president, Dassault Systemes. "All users of this virtual plateau-from suppliers to Dassault Aviation's own engineers-are establishing new frontiers in aircraft development and demonstrating the value of the PLM business transformation."
In the past sixty years, Dassault Aviation has delivered more than 7,500 civil and military aircraft to 75 countries, logging some 20 million hours in flight to date. This vast experience has allowed Dassault Aviation to build up considerable expertise in the design, development, production, sales and support military aircraft (for example, Rafale, Mirage, and Atlantic), Falcon Business Jets and Multi-Role Falcon. Dassault Aviation is one of the largest Military Aircraft European Exporters and is the World Leader for Top End Business Jets. Additional information about Dassault Aviation is available at http://www.dassault-aviation.com
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