Analysis of the development of US Defense high end manufacturing equipment
Release time：2017-11-14 | Publisher：admin | Browse times：13155
Manufacturing industry has become the focus of global economic competition, national defense high-end manufacturing equipment ushered in a period of rapid development opportunitiesAfter the economic crisis, the strategic significance of the real economy once again highlighted, the United States and other developed countries in the world have implemented to revive the manufacturing industry as the core of the "re industrialization" strategy, aimed at the high-end manufacturing field, seeking to build new competitive advantage. Defense high-end manufacturing equipment as a weapon equipment development foundation and pillar production, and strategic resources of national defense industry indispensable, has become a key point in developed countries the defense industry for technical advantages, the quality and quantity is an important indicator to measure the comprehensive competitiveness of the defense industry.With the integration of the new generation of information technology and manufacturing industry, the high-end manufacturing equipment of national defense is developing towards the direction of intelligenceThe United States and Europe and other countries to increase the intelligent manufacturing related to innovation, to promote the 3D printing, mobile Internet, cloud computing, big data and other emerging technologies to achieve new breakthroughs, and committed to the development of cyber physical system (CPS) based on the intelligent manufacturing equipment, active layout smart factory, promote intellectual production, intelligent transformation leading manufacturing mode the. To take the initiative in the new round of industrial revolution, the United States issued a "industrial Internet strategy" in 2013, its core is to realize intelligent machines, advanced analysis and the organic integration, to promote the development of intelligent manufacturing has become the key direction and future of the American manufacturing industry.Top planning of the US government and vigorously support the development of national defense manufacturing technology and equipmentIn 2011, the U.S. government issued "the United States" to ensure the leading position of advanced manufacturing, put forward focusing on the development of a new generation of robots, innovative energy saving manufacturing process; from 2012 to 2014, promulgated "manufacturing Promotion Act", "advanced manufacturing partnership", "Department of defense manufacturing technology (ManTech)", "the revitalization of strategic planning the United States manufacturing and innovation act", focusing on modularization, increasing material manufacturing, green manufacturing and sustainable development of national high-end manufacturing equipment. In 2012, the U.S. government launched the "national manufacturing innovation network" plan, plans to invest $1 billion, more than $1 billion and attract social funds, set up more than 15 manufacturing innovation agency, as of April 2016 has been set up 8, of which 6 by the Department of defense is responsible, it has important significance for promoting the national high-end manufacturing technology and equipment innovation and development.The United States anti high-end manufacturing equipment is increasingly showing the development trend of green extreme, intelligent, composite, modular, and manufacturing process has been gradually from "to reduce material manufacturing" to "change the direction of material manufacturing and manufacturing environment has changed from" the earth "manufacturing" to expand the space of manufacturing ".In order to meet the needs of a new generation of heavy and super large-scale weapon equipment development needs, the United States attaches great importance to the extreme manufacturing equipment development, built on behalf of the world's highest level of friction stir welding equipment, giant robot manufacturing equipment, forging equipment etc..
To support the "space launch system (SLS) construction of heavy rocket, 2014 NASA and Boeing and Issa, jointly built the world's largest friction stir welding equipment" vertical integration center". The equipment is 51.8 meters high, 23.8 meters wide, integrated the function of detecting nondestructive weld quality, can support the SLS first level (8.46 meters in diameter, about 61 meters high) integrated welding body structure is extremely typical manufacturing and green manufacturing; 2016, NASA will use the "vertical integration center" to complete the first stage of SLS welding the integration of 2018 SLS laid the foundation of the first flight.
In 2015, NASA developed the world's largest robot composite fiber placement system, the arm length of 6.4 meters, installed in the 12.2 meter long track, mechanical arm head into 16 beams of carbon fiber once, can in a plurality of directions of precise motion to realize fine placement, SLS will build a diameter more than 8 meters of the world's largest composite liquid hydrogen tank.
In addition, the United States has invested $100 million in the 50 thousand ton giant forging equipment, forging the world's largest integral Aluminum Alloy chariot built vehicle; linear friction welding machine is the largest in the world, the welding surface area of up to 10000 mm, breaking the record of 100 tons forging welding load.
The use of modern sensing, network, automatic control, artificial intelligence and other technologies to achieve intelligent manufacturing equipment, has become an important direction of development of the U.S. manufacturing industry in twenty-first Century and the main symbol of the new industrial revolution.Manufacturing innovation institutions, DARPA, NASA and other institutions have become the source of innovation and development of the U.S. national defense intelligent manufacturing equipmentAs a leading innovation in intelligent manufacturing equipment and technology development, accelerate the transformation of intelligent defense industry, the United States plans to build intelligent manufacturing innovation mechanism, and led the formation through the Department of defense "American" manufacturing innovation mechanism, digital manufacturing and design innovation mechanism, vigorously promote intelligent machines, augmented reality, development of wearable computing, cyber physical system, advanced manufacturing equipment and other materials by intelligent manufacturing equipment related projects. In 2016, the U.S. Department of defense proposed that manufacturing innovation agencies will focus on advanced machine tools and control systems, auxiliary and flexible robots and other fields. In early 2010, DARPA started the adaptive vehicle manufacturing project, aims to advance research of intelligent manufacturing equipment and technology, design and implementation of intelligent production in large complex systems, the results of the results and making innovation institutions combined transformation applied to the development of weapons and equipment. In addition, NASA also proposed the development of intelligent integrated manufacturing and cyber physical system in 2015, and promoting sustainable manufacturing.Robot manufacturing equipment, intelligent machines, materials manufacturing equipment have become the development trend of the U.S. Defense high-end intelligent manufacturing equipmentThe United States has made significant breakthroughs in robotic materials manufacturing equipment, composite manufacturing equipment and automated assembly equipment. In November 2015, the United States Arevo laboratory announced to build the world's first robot materials manufacturing equipment. The equipment integrates the German ABB commercial robotic company 6 axis robot system, FDM 3D printing technology, the end effector of hardware and integrated software suite, which can realize high performance aerospace manufacturing automation, carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite parts, built in the range of 1000 cubic millimeters to 8 cubic meters; NASA built in 2015, the world's largest robot composite fiber placement system is not only the extreme manufacturing equipment is typical, typical robot manufacturing equipment; in 2014, Boeing fuselage automatic assembly equipment through technical verification stand ", has been used in the Boeing 777 aircraft assembly. In addition, Boeing will advanced cyber situational awareness, physical systems such as the introduction of technology of aircraft assembly line, construction of intelligent assembly line, and applied to the Boeing 737 and Boeing 787 aircraft in development and production; the United States Navy metal processing center to carry out a number of surface warship reinforcement of automated equipment manufacturing equipment it can save a lot of ships, reinforcing the construction cost.Process compounding and function compounding have become the important development direction of high efficiency manufacturing equipment to improve efficiency and save cost. The United States through the process complex, process complex, modular design, etc., to build up and decrease material manufacturing equipment, "friction welding preparation library" and other composite national defense high-end manufacturing equipment. In May 2015, "made in America" Innovation Agency announced that the modular design scheme based on the first built with composite manufacturing equipment or metal machining and laser engineering net shaping material increase manufacturing capacity, indicates that the manufacturing enterprises and the production workshop can upgrade to lower cost and higher efficiency of the existing CNC machine, the the same machine at the same time with the increasing material manufacturing and material manufacturing process of double reduction ability, thus improving the production capacity and cost benefit. In 2016, NASA will be based on friction stir welding for SLS "built the first level, there are 5 sets of equipment for welding of tube type structure, circular head, connecting hoop structure parts manufacturing system of storage tank and its components, the" vertical integration center "to complete the integration of various large parts of the assembly. In the future, the combination of robot and conventional manufacturing equipment, intelligent machine interconnection based on cyber physical system will be a new trend of complex development.In order to meet the future in space according to the needs of manufacturing parts, and assembly automation integration requirements, NASA, DARPA and other government agencies joint space manufacturing company, Lara space systems, Northrop Grumman, singularity University, industrial and academic power, working on the development of the space 3D printing equipment manufacturing equipment manufacturing and integration of space robot. At present, the development of space manufacturing equipment has made breakthroughs in some areas.Space 3D printing manufacturing equipment development has achieved periodic resultsIn 2011, NASA authorized space manufacturing company to develop zero gravity 3D printer research. In 2014, the first test of the company developed the zero gravity 3D printer was sent to the international space station; in February 2015, completed the first round of the space 3D printing test; the end of March 2016, second space station 3D printer was sent to the international space station, and a first wrench in June print, into the history of mankind's first commercial space manufacturing equipment.Space robot integrated manufacturing equipment research and development to accelerateIn August 2015, D A R P A authorized Lara space systems research and manufacturing communications satellite in space robot equipment ("Dragonfly" project); December 2015, Lara empty system announced it has signed a contract with N A SA, DARPA will be based on "Dragonfly" projects, the development of robot assembly of aircraft and space structure manufacturing and in space technology ("critical point" project). The two project is devoted to the development of space robots integrated manufacturing equipment.The integrated system of space robot integrated manufacturing equipment and 3D printer manufacturing equipment has become the focus of developmentIn 2016, NASA has invested $20 million, authorized the space manufacturing company, Northrop Grumman and marine engineering space systems company, the implementation of the "multi function space robot precision manufacturing and assembly system (Archinaut) project, aimed at developing a mechanical arm is provided with a plurality of 3D printers, and installed on the international space station, the future can be used the Archinaut manipulator, dismantled parts available on orbit spacecraft in orbit or print parts, and assemble the new spacecraft. The space manufacturing company responsible for manufacturing Archinaut 3D printers, marine engineering space systems company responsible for the mechanical arm manufacturing printer, Northrop company responsible for providing support for system engineering, electronic control, software and test etc.. In addition, space manufacturing company said in February 2016 that it would be possible to realize the manufacture and assembly of communication satellite reflectors or other large structures on orbit within 5 years.The United States through the national level of the overall construction and development, as well as government, industry and academia collaborative innovation model, and vigorously promote the national high-end manufacturing development, supporting world-class weapon equipment development, accelerate the defense industry reform, enhance the international competitiveness of the manufacturing industry.Taking military equipment demand as the traction, constructing and developing from the national level as a wholeThe United States will defense high-end manufacturing equipment, especially major manufacturing facilities, as the core of national defense construction of strategic resources, and to demand the development of weapons and equipment for traction, the overall construction and development from the national level. By strengthening management, increasing government investment, give full play to the leading role of manufacturing innovation mechanism, DARPA, NASA and other institutions, promoting major defense high-end manufacturing equipment and weapon equipment development and the steady and coordinated development of weapons and equipment, security has always been at the leading level in the world.Adopting the synergetic development mode of combining government, industry, research, production and researchThe United States, based on the national large industrial base, focused on strength, adopted the joint research model of government, industry, University, research and development, and carried out the research and construction of major national defense high-end manufacturing equipment. For example, "or mixed material manufacturing equipment construction" project by the "made in USA" innovation institutions funded, the United States Optomec company led joint MachMotion company, TechSolve company, Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Army benet laboratory completed. In February 2016, the first national strategic plan for manufacturing innovation network planned by the United States pointed out that the power of government, industry, University, research and development should be applied to promote the development of advanced manufacturing technology and equipment, and accelerate the innovation of manufacturing throughout the country.Give full play to the innovative advantages of small enterprisesThe United States government through the "small business innovation research program", to encourage and help small enterprises with innovative ability to transform laboratory research results into products, and provide good conditions and mechanisms for innovation. For example, according to the plan, NASA annually determines the innovation project through project bidding and project evaluation. The government spending on these innovative projects is generally less than $1 million, but it can stimulate the potential of small enterprises. Space 3D printing and manufacturing equipment is jointly completed by NASA and small enterprises, and give full play to the space manufacturing company, 3D system company, layer system company and other innovative advantages of small enterprises.Focus on affordable and sustainable developmentIn the process of the development of national defense high-end manufacturing equipment, the United States has always paid attention to the economic, affordable, green and sustainable development of equipment manufacturing in meeting the needs and ensuring the performance. For example, in the development of the world's top stirring friction welding equipment, NASA and Boeing, pay attention to the application of modular design mode, the upgrading of manufacturing equipment has laid a good foundation; try to use and modify existing equipment and processes, in order to save costs; focus on scalability and sustainability, to meet the needs of the first three SLS configuration class structure; also used safe and green manufacturing process.
