Editorial Contact:
Jeff Grossman
Corporate Communications Manager
VISTAGY, Inc.
+1.781.250.6895
Quickstep Technologies Selects FiberSIM® Software to Manufacture Composite Parts for Newest Generation of Joint Strike Fighter
Sale continues VISTAGY’s long-term support for design and manufacture of JSF for companies such as Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman
WALTHAM, Mass., (USA), November 30, 2010 — VISTAGY, Inc., a leading provider of industry-specific engineering software and services, today announced the sale of FiberSIM® software to Quickstep Technologies Pty Ltd (Quickstep), a subsidiary of Quickstep Holdings Limited (Australian Stock Exchange - ASX Code: QHL), for use in manufacturing a variety of composite parts for the newest generation of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the F-35 Lightning II.
Quickstep recently signed a more than $700 million Memorandum of Understanding with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to build key components for the Joint Strike Fighter. Quickstep is using FiberSIM to manufacture the largest and most complex parts they have produced to date, including lower side skins, maintenance access panels, the F2 fuel tank cover, and the lower skin and in-board weapons bay doors. The software will be used to simulate material draping, define flat patterns, and generate data to drive its laser projection system.
Quickstep offers composite materials engineering, advanced composite manufacturing, and plant solutions for the manufacture of advanced composite components. The company was founded in 2001 to commercialize the unique ‘Quickstep Process,' an innovative fluid-based curing technology that significantly reduces the cost and time involved in the production of composites compared with conventional autoclave curing techniques.
The manual process that Quickstep Technologies used previously only worked for parts with simpler geometry. For the more complex parts—such as the ones for the JSF—a more sophisticated methodology was required to accurately define, manage, drape and output ply data.
“Working with composites is extremely time-consuming and tedious,” said Michael Kaeferboeck, manager of production engineering for Quickstep. “By adopting FiberSIM, we anticipate being able to automate non-value added tasks to achieve significant productivity gains, improve overall part quality and repeatability, and increase our throughput. VISTAGY is a pioneer in composites engineering for aerospace and that experience is reflected in FiberSIM’s capabilities.”
“We’re pleased to be working with one of the leading suppliers in the aerospace industry,” said Steve Peck, VISTAGY’s director of product and market strategy for aerostructures. “Delivering best possible composite parts on-time and on-budget is Quickstep’s primary goal, and we look forward to working with them to meet that objective.”
About Quickstep Holdings Limited (ASX: QHL)
Quickstep is an Australian-based company which is at the forefront of advanced materials manufacturing and technology transfer for the global aerospace and defense industries. The use of advanced composites is rapidly growing with carbon material usage planned to increase at an average rate of 20% per annum for the next 10 years, underwritten by the emergence of high-use carbon fiber commercial aircraft such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350. Light weighting of vehicles is the prime driver with commercial aircraft and military equipment leading the charge. Quickstep has significant capabilities and expertise in the production of aerospace-grade composite components using both conventional autoclave-based manufacturing and leading edge out-of-autoclave production technologies, including its proprietary Quickstep Process.
About VISTAGY, Inc.
VISTAGY, Inc. is a leading global provider of industry-specific engineering software and services that create rich product descriptions for better-informed decision making early in the design cycle. The company enhances commercial 3D CAD platforms by applying specialized process knowledge and domain expertise to create solutions that solve some of the world's most complex engineering problems. As a result, customers significantly increase their reuse of engineering data and ultimately reduce cost, improve quality, and cut time to market. VISTAGY is a strategic partner to hundreds of leading manufacturers in the aerospace, automotive, and wind energy industries, including Bombardier Aerospace, General Motors, and Sinomatech Wind Power Blade Co. The company is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA, www.vistagy.com.
VISTAGY…Engineer success.™
VISTAGY, the VISTAGY logo, FiberSIM, and Engineer Success are registered trademarks or trademarks of VISTAGY, Inc., in the United States and in other countries. All other companies and products referenced herein have trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
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