Mª Dolores Vázquez Navarro, Manufacturing Technology Specialist at Boeing Research & Technology-Europe.
"The introduction of new technologies has always been aimed at improving the efficiency of our aircraft throughout the life of the product.
Boeing Research & Technology-Europe was the first research centre created by Boeing outside the United States in 2002. Why was it decided to locate it in Spain?
Spain has historically had a lot of activity in the aeronautics field, which means that there was already an established industrial fabric and, more importantly for Boeing, an ecosystem of research centres with proven expertise in this sector. The centre also takes advantage of the excellent level of Spanish engineers, and its location offers an interesting opportunity for experts of other nationalities. From the beginning we have had an international workforce, and today Boeing Research & Technology-Europe has expanded its presence in Europe with offices in Munich and Sheffield, and with the Madrid office as the European headquarters.
Among other areas, this technology centre develops projects on composite materials, clean energy, systems integration, manufacturing processes and technologies. Where are new technologies and manufacturing processes in aviation heading?
New technologies and manufacturing processes are directed towards improving the efficiency of these, something that is framed in what is now known as Industry 4.0, i.e.: a complete digitalisation of the production process; the use of systems engineering and tools that accelerate programme execution and reduce development costs; increased process automation; the development of advanced material processing methods and manufacturing technologies that enable vertical integration, as well as the improvement of the materials used to increase the rate of production and the reduction of manufacturing costs, weight and waste.
As a European example, the new Boeing Sheffield factory in the UK, with its fully digital infrastructure and state-of-the-art machinery, is set to become a benchmark in advanced manufacturing. The factory was designed (in collaboration with Boeing Research & Technology-Europe) to be the company's Industry 4.0 model and is designed to achieve production rates as high as those of the automotive industry. The factory will produce more than 100 different components of the flap actuation systems from raw materials sourced in the UK, drawing on the region's manufacturing expertise.
Composite materials, 3D printing, biomimetics and self-healing materials are already part of the aviation of the future. What does the "way of flying" of the next decades hold for us?
The introduction of new technologies has always been aimed at improving the efficiency of our aircraft throughout the life of the product: from the manufacturing process, through the operation of the aircraft once delivered, to its decommissioning. In the coming decades, our products will reduce their environmental impact by reducing weight - and therefore emissions - and, for example, by reducing the number of parts used, which when replaced will produce less waste. Furthermore, advances in communications between aircraft and ground services will allow for more efficient and safer navigation. Pilots can now have real-time weather information, for example, allowing them to react more quickly to adverse situations. Digital transformation, access to data and the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques will lead to a new generation of ad-hoc solutions for airlines that will allow them to plan, execute, analyse and optimise their operations while reducing costs and emissions.
What other areas of research is BR&T-Europe currently working on?
BR&T-Europe works in model-based systems engineering, optimising the steps prior to the system design phase. We also support the development of new materials and manufacturing processes with metallic and composite materials and, finally, we work on projects focused on improving the efficiency of air transport, whether in manned or unmanned aircraft.
BR&T-Europe collaborates with more than 47 universities, 20 research centres, 5 airlines and more than 216 other members of the aerospace industry from 25 countries. What projects or avenues of research are you currently developing with the Spanish aerospace industry?
Our main project in Spain deals with traffic management and safety for shared airspace. The name of the project is "Galician SkyWay" and it was awarded by the Xunta de Galicia to BR&T-E under the pre-commercial public procurement formula. The main objective of this project is the development of technological solutions that enable advances in the operational and safety challenges for the deployment of unmanned systems in shared airspace.
Is Spanish industry leading the way in Europe with this unmanned aircraft deployment project?
Both Spanish industry and institutions are playing a very active role in the definition and introduction of the UTM ("Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management") concept, which is being implemented in Europe and which will allow the safe coexistence of manned and unmanned aircraft. We believe that Spanish industry has a very significant role to play in this field in which important projects have been carried out in recent years, both for the design and manufacture of the systems necessary to implement this UTM solution, and to test its usefulness and potential use, with very satisfactory results. The use of these unmanned aircraft in an integrated and controlled context such as that proposed by the UTM concept has enormous benefits for civil society, such as search and rescue of people, surveillance, infrastructure control, research, etc. Undoubtedly, we can say that Spain has a relevant and fundamental role in the application of this type of technology in the European context.
