USAF Manufacturing Technology Highlights, Fall 2000. CAI Processes Reduce Weight, Cost, and Assembly Time of Composite Airframe Structures

摘要

An Air Force Research Laboratory Materials and Manufacturing Directorate project has achieved breakthrough reductions in the cost, schedule and weight of composite airframe manufacturing. Developed as part of the 'Composites Affordability Initiative' (CAI), these revolutionary design and manufacturing processes used in a demonstration of a forward center fuselage structure reduced the number of parts by 75 percent, and reduced the number of fasteners by 90 percent. The resulting cost avoidance is estimated to be as high as $ 1.2 million per unit. The project also reduced tooling by 50 percent and flow time by 75 percent.