Explaining Aerospace Engineering

Aerospace, a term that is commonly
misunderstood, is a combination of aeronautics (the science of
flight within the planet's atmosphere) and space flight (the
movement of a vehicle beyond the atmosphere). In other words,
aerospace, which primarily deal with

aerostructures
as well as space flight, embodies the full spectrum of
flight.

The aerospace industry as a whole manufactures the

aerospace structures
, components, and equipment for things that fly. No single
company builds a complete flight vehicle. A production program is
organized as a team of specialized manufacturers that each
contribute individual parts, components, systems and subsystems.
These eventually come together at the team leader's plant. Known as
the prime contractor or systems integrator, the team leader manages
all aspects and procedures of assembling hundreds of assemblies and
products into an end product - aircraft, missiles, or spacecraft.

Aerospace and

CNC manufacturing
demand a very broad range of skills and facilities. No
single company builds an entire flight system. Companies of

aerospace manufacturing
generally specialize in a major area like airframes and
structures, spacecraft, propulsion units, airborne systems, and
ground support systems.

Within each of these broad areas are scores of
sub-specialties. Production of a major flight vehicle -a commercial
jetliner, for example - could involve several thousand
subcontractors and suppliers organized in "tiers" with increased
pressure on first tier suppliers to bring design, investment, and
certification qualifications to the table.

The production group is led by a prime contractor, sometimes
known as a systems integrator, whose facility is the site for final
assembly, rollout, and delivery of the vehicle. Lower-tier
manufacturers deliver subassemblies to the plants of high-tier
producers where the assemblies are integrated with other assemblies
to become subsystems and then systems. Fully tested systems then
flow to the prime contractor's assembly line where they are
integrated into the flight vehicle under a carefully developed
manufacturing plan.

Major aerospace production programs, whether
government-sponsored or commercial, could involve several top-tier
principal subcontractors, including some from foreign nations.
Work-sharing offers many advantages: it broadens the pool of skills
and facilities and helps compress production time. Competition
among subcontractors provides the best in performance, quality, at
the lowest cost. When the partner is a foreign company, it offers
market access for the end product that might not otherwise be
available.

Fast-paced exchange of information between the supply base
and the prime contractor, high-speed delivery, and rigorous
processes to squeeze out unnecessary costs and wasteful processes
characterize today's manufacturing process. Known as lean
manufacturing, moving assembly lines, and accompanying lean
techniques have aided this effort tremendously over the past
several years. For more information on aerospace engineering,
please visit
www.arnoldeng.com to learn
more.