FACC Engineering

Customers provide the What, FACC delivers the How:
The primary task of FACC's engineering department is to develop the best turnkey solutions for components and assemblies of large aircraft. These solutions ideally combine innovative with long-standing approaches. The main focus of these efforts is to ensure safety and airworthiness. The DFMA (design for manufacture and assembly) and DTC (design to cost) methods constitute essential development parameters and guarantee the technologically and economically viable implementation of FACC's creative engineering solutions.

Starting point: The customer's product requirements.
Based on them, FACC's engineering team, in close cooperation with the customer, develops product ideas, design drafts and compatible manufacturing concepts that excel in terms their function, structural weight, and also costing and scheduling. After all, in the aerospace industry, "time to market" and ease of testing and maintenance are crucial factors. And this is exactly what FACC's engineering solutions deliver.

Comprehensive range of services – from concepts to certifications:
FACC elaborates and provides all activities along the engineering value chain, from component conception to their detailed development, the design and production of tools and fixtures, the latest manufacturing technologies and quality engineering tests, and to comprehensive certification tests. Additionally, FACC, together with selected supply chain partners, also offers extended upstream activities to its OEM customers. For example, FACC handles certification procedures with aviation authorities and also delivers product support work packages.

Design & analysis: Based on the mentioned product requirements, FACC's engineers, in cooperation with their customers, elaborate the technical specifications. Together with the customers and at their sites, FACC's specialists prepare technical concepts in the so-called joint definition phases. In several design quality gates, the design is specified down to the smallest detail. Based on comprehensive strength analyses, FACC's stress engineers assure the static strength and fatigue requirements of the relevant aircraft components. The Design Office translates these development activities into engineering documents (drawings and parts lists) for their use in production.

Material & process engineering: Material and process engineers optimize materials and processes with a view to achieving the highest process reliability and quality. They are involved in development projects and provide support for the ongoing series production.In addition, these experts provide advice to other FACC departments in matters of process engineering. They also deliver support for internal and external process audits.

Manufacturing engineering: During the manufacturing stage, the Manufacturing Engineering unit is in charge of the practical implementation of the product concept and the design documentation derived from it. In the case of new developments, the experts help turn the drafts into commercially manufacturable products. The Manufacturing Engineering unit, a team of specialists for the technical implementation of a product group, is available to all internal and external customers during the product manufacturing process: as a contact-partner, a problem-solver, and as a communicator.

Tool design: The Tool Design unit develops special-purpose fixtures, production tools, and machining programs required for the manufacturing process. The result is CAD drawings and CAM programs used to numerically control the manufacturing machinery.

Each main manufacturing step is carried out by a specific tool or fixture adapted to the component. The three main production steps for composite components covered in tool design are:

• lay up and curing of the component
• milling and drilling of the component
• positioning several components referenced to each other and fastening them in order to assemble a complete aircraft component

Forming a link between product development and manufacturing, the Tool Design unit is to a significant extent responsible for the cost-efficient production of components in line with the relevant requirements.

Q-Engineering: This subunit of the Quality Management function monitors entirely new and previously launched products from a quality perspective. At the beginning of a project, interfaces, communication workflows, and formalities are defined together with the customer. As the project progresses, the Quality Engineering unit defines and monitors the conformity of the developed products with their design documentation and conducts first article inspections. In addition, the team, in close cooperation with in-house departments and the final customer, coordinates and is in charge of any process improvements and corrective actions.

Testing: Structural tests are indispensable for the development and certification of components. They verify the stress engineering methods used for the strength analysis in order to ensure the efficient and safe use in subsequent in-flight operations.

The test engineers analyze and test complete fiber composite aircraft structures, subsystems, and individual components for fatigue and static strength. In this connection, impacts (e.g. bird strike), temperature, and humidity are taken in consideration, as are manufacturing defects or delaminations. Based on the test concepts, suitable test equipment and systems are developed.

The preparation of the measuring equipment for the test station and the final analysis of the measuring results complete the core expertise "Component and certification tests" and include support documentation. These documents are provided to customers and aviation authorities (FAA, EASA).

Integrated logistics support: The ILS unit is in charge of integrating and assuring the logistics activities throughout the life cycle of an aircraft such that the logistical products (technical publications, maintenance task analyses) are provided effectively and efficiently.

The ILS, and the logistics support analyses (LSA/RAMS) in particular, decisively influence the availability and life cycle costs of an aircraft and its components. Therefore, the ILS contributes significantly to a product's success in the market. FACC's integrated logistics support begins with the concept phase and ends only with the decommissioning of the aircraft and/or its components.

Engineering services: Within FACC, the Engineering Services unit is in charge of the large number of software tools used and the computer-assisted processes in the engineering environment. In addition, services such as data transfer, document storage, document distribution, material master creation, and the creation of standard components (3D models) are provided. The support for software tools covers all steps from procurement, installation, training, and updating to individual user support. The engineering processes are defined in cooperation with the Engineering unit, mapped in SAP PLM, trained, and supported.

Development and manufacturing projects include the following range of service tasks:

• support of the bidding stage
• assessment and implementation of the customer requirements in the FACC system
• negotiations about PLM&CAX items with customers and suppliers
• elaboration of the process landscape for data management in the project (CAD methods, data transfer methods, SAP structures)
• training of project participants in tools and processes
• implementation of PLM&CAX items in the project in SAP PLM (EC, Q-Checker, Catia Environments, SAP adaptations, portal ...)
• data transfer
• filing and distribution of documents