1/11/2012 12:02:00 AM
NEWS BRIEFS
Boeing Trimming 787 Fastener Numbers to Help Meet Weight Targets
As Boeing ramps up the 787 Dreamliner production from a current rate of 2.5 airplanes per month to 3.5 per month by April, and an eventual 5 units per month by the end of 2012, Boeing looks to “improve the 787 production system by incrementally reducing the amount of rework on each new 787 entering into production as well as reducing the 787′s weight,” writes Daniel Tsang of Aspire Aviation.
To trim weight — the first 787 prototype (ZA001) was 9.8 tons (21,500 lbs) overweight — Boeing reportedly plans to feature more composite contents on the 787’s wings and airframe structures.
“We will continue incorporating improvements into the production system – referred to as blockpoints. Each blockpoint will further reduce production costs and weight on the airplane,” Boeing spokesman Scott Lefeber said.
As Boeing ramps up the 787 Dreamliner production from a current rate of 2.5 airplanes per month to 3.5 per month by April, and an eventual 5 units per month by the end of 2012, Boeing looks to “improve the 787 production system by incrementally reducing the amount of rework on each new 787 entering into production as well as reducing the 787′s weight,” writes Daniel Tsang of Aspire Aviation.
To trim weight — the first 787 prototype (ZA001) was 9.8 tons (21,500 lbs) overweight — Boeing reportedly plans to feature more composite contents on the 787’s wings and airframe structures.
“We will continue incorporating improvements into the production system – referred to as blockpoints. Each blockpoint will further reduce production costs and weight on the airplane,” Boeing spokesman Scott Lefeber said.
The first 787-9 production example to be produced last November included significantly lighter parts such as Spirit AeroSystems’ one-piece cockpit window frame that will eliminate around 200 fasteners and reduce the cockpit structure’s weight by 100 lbs, according to a FlightGlobal report.
Boeing has completely redesigned the side-of-body structure, according to Aspire Aviation, eliminating the side-of-body modification, which “involves installing two titanium fittings, one on the upper and the other on the lower side of each 787 wing and held together by numerous fasteners.
“The elimination of the side-of-body modification on the 787-9, coupled with other redesigned parts, are meant to remove a considerable amount of additional fasteners caused by design changes that contributed to the aforementioned overweight issues, which enables Boeing to recover some of the ground lost on payload/range capabilities, including the higher than targeted engine specific fuel consumption (SFC),” Tsang writes. ©2012 GlobalFastenerNews.com
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