Smart manufacturing for aerospace and defense – Part 2: Validate and finalize your manufacturing plan before launch to ensure flawless production
In aerospace manufacturing, the stakes are high and the margin for error is thin. Once your program reaches the production floor, addressing issues becomes costly, time-consuming and disruptive. That’s why it’s critical to validate your manufacturing plan early.
Leading aerospace and defense (A&D) teams are using smart manufacturing solutions to validate manufacturing plans virtually. This approach unites simulation, advanced technologies and digital twins to ensure your plan is complete, tested and optimized so execution runs smoothly from day one.
In Part 1 of this series, we covered how to create a model-based manufacturing plan.
Now, in Part 2, we’ll focus on taking that plan across the finish line by validating your manufacturing plan, ensuring it’s primed for flawless production and ready to deliver with confidence.
Use the digital twin to finalize facility and equipment readiness
Finalizing your plan starts with confirming that your facilities, equipment and tooling can deliver the product as designed. The digital twin lets you model, assess and refine every asset virtually:
- Digitalize and evaluate existing facilities, equipment and tooling
- Test how new designs fit within current resources
- Design jigs, fixtures and software controls in the virtual realm
This ensures your manufacturing environment is capable of meeting production goals before a single machine is powered on.
Integrate advanced manufacturing technologies into your plan
The finalization phase is the ideal time to incorporate innovations that improve performance without disrupting schedules. In a connected, virtual environment, you can introduce additive manufacturing, augmented reality, IoT, AI and robotics alongside legacy systems. You can validate compatibility between new and existing assets and train operators on new processes before they go live. This enables new technologies to be adopted quickly and confidently while protecting your launch timeline.
Simulate for performance, safety and efficiency
Your plan isn’t final until you’ve proven it under realistic conditions. Simulation allows you to test every scenario to optimize tooling layouts, production lines and workflows. You can identify ways to improve ergonomics and safety with virtual human modeling. Plus, you can validate advanced techniques and equipment before physical deployment.
Virtually commission your manufacturing plan for a smooth launch
Virtual commissioning is the last step in validating the manufacturing plan. By testing automation systems, controls and quality processes in the virtual realm, you can:
- Reduce engineering time and shop floor errors
- Prevent safety incidents and production waste
- Cut ramp-up time from design approval to full output
This approach ensures a launch that is predictable, safe and right the first time.
Validated manufacturing plans made possible with Siemens Xcelerator
Finalizing your manufacturing plan isn’t just a step in the process, it’s the bridge between design and flawless production. To achieve that level of readiness, every detail must be proven in advance, from tooling layouts and automation systems to quality processes and operator workflows.
With Siemens Xcelerator, aerospace teams can bring all these elements into a single connected environment. The platform unites the digital twin, quality management, simulation and virtual commissioning so you can test and refine processes before production begins.
Start smarter. Launch with confidence.
By virtually finalizing your plan, you move into production with certainty and no assumptions. You’ve tested, refined and optimized every step, giving your team the confidence to deliver complex aerospace products faster, safer and with uncompromising quality.
Up next: The final step in the aerospace and defense smart manufacturing series
In part 3 of this series, we’ll explore how to optimize products and processes across the full lifecycle, using real-time insights and continuous feedback to keep performance high long after launch.
