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Clean Sheet Design
With the exception of the autoclave and craneage, every element of
the creep forming facility for the Airbus A380 top wing skins has been project
managed and designed by one company; consultant engineers M G Bennett and
Associates in partnership with Airbus UK.
With a reputation as providers of innovative solutions across a
wide range of engineering projects, this is the first time the company has
operated in the aerospace field.
Far from being a disadvantage, this factor was in effect the key
to success. By starting with a 'clean sheet' and examining the basic
requirements of the facility, Bennetts has not been constrained by trying to
scale up conventional creep forming facilities and tooling, instead taking a new
route and avoiding many potential problems in the process.
As with any good engineering solution, the end result has a
simplicity about it that belies the innovations below the surface; innovations
that have not only improved key elements of the creep forming and materials
handling process, but also innovations that allowed the project to be completed
on budget and to a very tight time schedule. |
