ST Engineering is embracing automation to meet rising demand for today’s high-rate single-aisle programmes and boost production capacity Director, Product Engineering
With over 50 years in the aerospace sector, ST Engineering is now positioning itself to meet increasing demand for the next generation of single-aisle aircraft. Ben Parrington, Director, Product Engineering spoke to Aerospace Global News at Farnborough International Airshowto explain how the business is currently proceeding through “demonstrator phases supporting multiple OEMs”.
As a specialist in nacelles and aero structures, ST Engineering is helping to validate the technologies that “demonstrate the fuel efficiency gains and improvements engine manufacturers and airframers are looking for,” said Parrington. That includes contributing structures for blended-wing-body concepts, as well as supporting emerging propulsion systems where acoustic attenuation and weight-efficient design are integral to engine performance.
But innovation for the next 20 to30 years mustn’t come at the expense of the present. As a major supplier on high-rate single-aisle programs today, he added that, “reliability of delivery remains a core commitment.”
Looking ahead, he pointed to three priorities shaping the development of propulsion and structures: fuel efficiency, product durability, and production capacity. Designing a product that meets these criteria and can be delivered at scale, said Parrington, relies on an integrated team.
“From the design phase through to production, we’ve really focused on ensuring that integration across the team. This ensures that key decisions, such as selecting the right material system, will enable a high production rate once the programme reaches the manufacturing phase. By making the right decisions up front, we can deliver a high-quality product while achieving the production efficiency needed at scale.”
Automation has been central to that agility and given ST Engineering the advantage in its ability to meet demand for high production rates.
“Over the past decade, we’ve built automation into our production facilities, using our current single-aisle programme as a proving ground for automated processes that help us pair high output with consistent quality.”
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Air TransportFarnborough International AirshowManufacturingSingle-aisle aircraftST Engineering
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