COVID-19 has brought the production lines of most major aerospace manufacturers to a standstill, Aviation Today reports. But that doesn’t mean that other developments and research have stopped as well. Experts continue to work on building the technology of the future. And in some ways, the future is already here.
Keep reading to learn some of the biggest trends in aerospace manufacturing that are making waves in 2020.
Hybrid and Electric Engines
While the worldwide pandemic has helped drive oil costs down, fuel continues to be one of the biggest expenses in operating aircraft. Besides the cost, fossil fuels used by the aerospace industry have a substantial environmental impact.
Driven by the desire to cut costs, become more environmentally friendly, and also to meet and follow new regulations and improve the performance of aircraft, one emerging trend is the development of hybrid and fully electric engines.
One big focus among hybrid and electric engine manufacturers is creating quieter engines. Thanks to the growing popularity of industrial drones, the importance of aeroacoustics have become more widely accepted.
While the electric engine trend may not be industry-wide just yet, a desire to boost engine performance and use less fuel certainly is.
Scheduled Maintenance Using Simulated Data
As airplanes become more complex, so does the maintenance required to keep them running. While routine maintenance is a priority, sudden problems and emergency repairs remain a constant and costly threat, especially to large airlines.
This next trend aims to help prevent them entirely.
Routine maintenance is used to replace or repair parts that wear out with regularity over time. But sometimes other parts break or undergo more stress than expected because of specific conditions or incidents. That’s where simulated data comes in.
Experts are using simulated data to better estimate when those surprise breaks or stress could occur. That way maintenance can be performed before the break happens, keeping aircraft in use and preventing delays or potentially dangerous situations in the air.
For instance, predicting when regular, essential parts like various types of o-rings should be replaced allows manufacturers to perform scheduled maintenance to keep airplanes in rotation without delays.
Another benefit of predicting how aircraft and parts will perform is cost savings. It’s much cheaper to maintain or replace individual parts than it is to deal with any additional damage that might occur if the part is allowed to break or wear. Airlines also save money when they avoid delays and lengthy maintenance.
The downside of this trend is that the more advanced aircraft technology becomes, the more advanced that simulated data must be as well. It’s difficult to continue predicting how new tech will perform in real-time, so this trend largely remains used for older aircraft models.
Consolidated Parts
Another drawback of advancing aerospace technology is complicated parts. More expensive individual pieces are costly to produce and install, which makes repairs and maintenance more complicated.
Manufacturers are tackling this issue by consolidating parts. This makes production faster and less expensive. It makes repairs easier because there are fewer individual parts to deal with. Additionally, when individual parts are combined and attached during production, it’s possible to make them more lightweight.
Keeping Up With the Latest Aerospace Manufacturing Trends
The aerospace industry is constantly evolving. Each new advancement usually spurs even more, as each sector of the industry works to keep up with the latest trends.