Aerospace Manufacturing MSc

To introduce you to the core factors of managing operations and the concept of flow in operations.

• An introduction to manufacturing organisations and functions.

• The theory of operations, flow in manufacturing and what enables/inhibits it.

• Order winners, Order qualifiers, and competitive priorities.

• Key Performance Indicators in manufacturing.

• Product/Process matrix, facility layouts, production strategies, product families.

• Customer Demand and capacity planning, and standardization.

• Process flow diagrams, and value stream maps.

• S&OP, Master Production Scheduling, BOM, and scheduling rules.

• Push vs Pull production.

• Information systems; MRP, MPRll, ERP, and Kanban systems.

• Maintenance management strategies.

• Dimensions of Quality, Quality management frameworks, and the cost of quality.

• Roles of inventory; inventory management systems and measures.

• Lean Manufacturing.

• Class discussion of cases, exercises, and videos to support this syllabus.

On successful completion of this module you will be able to:

1. Discuss the importance of the operations functions of an organisation and how operations performance can impact the success of the whole organisation.

2. Assess production and capacity management strategies that can be deployed to meet customer demand for products and services.

3. Assess the importance of inventory, maintenance, and quality management systems in achieving high levels of operational performance.

4. Determine the role of information in planning, control, and scheduling, including the role of IT systems.

5. Critique the different attributes of the Lean Production System and how they apply to contemporary operational contexts.

To develop your understanding of complex manufacturing systems engineering through the application of different modelling and simulation tools, techniques and methodologies with a view to analyse and (re)design manufacturing systems that maximise efficiency, productivity and competitiveness.​​

• Introduction to modelling: taxonomy, overview of methods and techniques.

• Design of manufacturing layouts.

• Manufacturing layout Manufacturing Systems modelling using discrete-event simulation, Systems dynamics and Agent-based simulation techniques and methodologies.

• Case study Analysis of manufacturing systems using simulation.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

1. ​​​Differentiate the applicability of different modelling approaches applicable in manufacturing businesses.

2. Assess how production layout and system design influence manufacturing system performance.

3. ​Design a graphical simulation model using an industry-leading discrete-event simulation tool to feed to the experimental testing procedure.

4. ​Appraise the effectiveness of manufacturing layout configurations.

5. ​Evaluate the potential benefits and limitations of using AI in the early design of manufacturing systems and integrating AI methods into various design scenarios.

The aim of this module is to provide you with a holistic understanding of sustainable manufacturing, materials and processes in the context of aerospace manufacturing. Provide an understanding of the standards the regulations as well as the design criteria for manufacturing parts, components and structures of airframes and engines.

Introduce the key skills required to address multi-faceted problems of aerospace manufacturing processes and operations.

• Overview of Aerospace Manufacturing business, state of the art and future trends.

• Design Requirements for airframes and aero-engines.

• Standards and Regulations in aerospace industry.

• Aerospace Materials and Manufacturing Processes.

• Sustainable and Digital Manufacturing concepts and tools.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

1. Appraise standards and regulations governing aerospace manufacturing processes, materials and business.

2. Evaluate design requirements for manufacturing of airframes and aero-engines.

3. Select and compare different materials and processes for sustainable aerospace manufacturing operations.

4. Analyse and implement sustainable manufacturing concepts and digital manufacturing tools in aerospace manufacturing industry.

To introduce you to the wider issues surrounding the management and optimisation of supply chains.

• Supply chain concepts

• Supply chain strategy

• Relationship management

• Supplier Selection and Evaluation

• Supplier Sustainability

• Supply chain Planning

• Design & Operating SC

• Outsourcing Product Design and Manufacturing

On successful completion of this module you will be able to:

1. Evaluate issues surrounding the development of the right supply chain strategy for the business / product groups.

2. Create strategies for managing the information flows in a supply network in order to reduce the bullwhip effect and the challenges of accurate demand and forecast planning.

3. Evaluate the challenges with improving performance of supply networks and gain familiarity with the application of a variety of supply chain tools to help in the re-design of the SC.

4. Apply criteria in the sourcing, evaluation and validation of suitable providers of parts, design and manufacturing services for the supply of a complex engineered product.

5. Critically evaluate the impact of digital data and intelligent agents (AI) in Supply Chain 4.0.

To develop your understanding of aircraft assembly methods and techniques that are effective and efficient and at the same time meet quality and safety requirements.

• Joining techniques: bolts, rivets.
• Assembly jigs and fixtures.
• Aircraft assembly layouts and processes.
• Automated fastening machines.
• Sealants and adhesives.
• Automation in aircraft assembly.
• Application of metrology.
• Quality processes.
• Certification and validation.
• Technology introduction.

To provide you with an understanding of the principles behind some of the most recent developments in the processing of high value added components. There is a strong emphasis on high efficiency and reduced cost in the manufacture of high volume and/or high value added parts using the latest technology based around advanced fabrication, machining processes and additive techniques. The module will cover the physical principles, operating characteristics and practical aspects related to these key technologies.

• Metal cutting processes and practice.
• Abrasive machining processes and practice
• Non-conventional machining including photochemical machining and associated metal removal and addition processes.
• Micro machining and micro moulding.
• Machine tool components and machine-materials interactions, metrology.

​To provide a detailed awareness of current and emerging manufacturing technology for high performance composite components and structures and an understanding of materials selection and the design process for effective parts manufacturing.

• Background to thermosetting and thermoplastic polymer matrix composites.
• Practical demonstrations – lab work.
• Overview of established manufacturing processes, developing processes, automation and machining.
• Introduction to emerging process developments; automation, textile preforming, through thickness reinforcement.
• Design for manufacture, assembly techniques and manufacturing cost.
• Case studies from aerospace, automotive, motorsport, marine and energy sectors.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

1. 1. Compare manufacturing processes employed for thermosetting resin composites and thermoplastic resin composites.
2. 2. Propose appropriate manufacturing techniques for a given composite structure/ application and identify current areas of technology development for composites processing.
3. 3. Differentiate between handling and use of prepregs and a range of fibre forms and resins for manufacture of high performance composite structures.
4. 4. Apply the design process for high performance composite structures and appraise the influence on design to the manufacturing process.
5. 5. Evaluate performance-cost balance implications of materials and process choice.

To provide an understanding of why materials and structures fail and how failure conditions can be predicted in metallic and non-metallic components and structures.

• Definition of failure, complexities in defining failures at different levels and scenarios.

• Overview of failure in mechanical and electrical components, systems and assets.

• Failure of materials and structures including Atomic insight of damage in materials, stress concentration, critical energy release rate, Griffiths approach, stress intensity and fracture toughness standards and tutorials.

• Fatigue in structures and machine components, Paris Law, Crack propagation and useful life estimation.

• Asset Failures, system and sub-system interdependencies, fault and usage management systems, Economic vs. Severity matrix for decision making.

• Failure analysis techniques and Tutorials : FMEA, FMECA, FTA, RCFA.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

1. Appraise engineered asset failures and its complexities in defining at different levels and scenarios.

2. Explain the principles of Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) in structures and demonstrate their application to cracks in brittle, ductile and fibre composites through calculation of static failure conditions.

3. Apply fracture mechanics to failure of cracked structures under cyclic loads and evaluate and predict service lives of structures.

4. Assess system and sub-system interdependencies to decide asset failure.

5. Evaluate asset failures by using failure analysis techniques.

To develop your skills to analyse and manage the direction of a business, to design and develop manufacturing strategy to deliver competitive advantage and plan effective deployment of a strategy.

• Competitive manufacturing strategy concepts.
• Benchmarking of manufacturing system performance.
• Manufacturing strategy in business success.
• Strategy formation and formulation, leading on to system design.
• Structured strategy formulation and system design methodologies.
• Approaches to strategy formulation in differing business contexts.
• Realisation of new strategies/system designs, including approaches to implementation.
• Case study on design of competitive manufacturing strategy.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

1. Distinguish manufacturing strategy from corporate strategy.

2. Demonstrate manufacturing strategy formulation.

3. Apply a structured methodology to create a competitive manufacturing strategy.

4. Assess the impact of a proposed manufacturing strategy on business performance.

The aim of this module is to cover the fundamental physics of heat-source - material interaction in additive manufacturing, to then introduce various AM techniques (selective laser melting, electron beam melting, wire arc AM, blown powder). The mechanisms of the individual techniques will be explored to include the benefits, challenges, limitations and suitability of each process. Practical examples will be used throughout to enable selection of a suitable process for a particular application.

• Fundamentals of arc processing.

• Fundamental of laser/beam processing.

• Different established AM processes.

• Metal AM processes.

• AM process selection.

• Net and near net shape manufacture.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:
1. Describe various heat sources and their interaction with different feedstocks.
2. Compare the different AM processes and describe machine architectures.
3. Evaluate the different AM processes for a specific application.
4. Appraise the benefits, challenges and limitations associated with the use of AM techniques.

To develop your skills to a rigorous and logical application of tools and techniques for the design and control operational systems.

• Six Sigma, Process capability, common and special cause variability, control charts, acceptance sampling.

• Lean Manufacturing elements such as Value Stream Mapping and Waste identification.

• Analysis of systems to produce simple models. IDEF0 and IDEF3 and their application. Business process fundamentals and the process review. Improvement procedures, modelling methods and process models. Performance measurement. Responding to and improving reliability.

The aim of this module is to provide you with a description of the physical principles, operating characteristics and practical applications of a variety of welding processes to enable selection of a suitable process for a particular application.

• - Physics of arc and GTAW/TIG welding.
• - Plasma arc welding.
• - Metal transfer in consumable electrode processes.
• - Metal Inert Gas (MIG) / Metal Active Gas (MAG).
• - Manual metal arc welding.
• - Flux cored arc welding.
• - Submerged arc welding.
• - Electron beam welding.
• - Power source design and principles.
• - Thermal cutting and other edge preparation processes.
• - Brazing.
• - Preheating and post weld heating/treatment.

1. 1. Appraise a variety of arc and non-arc welding, cutting and associated processes.
2. 2. Select and compare different processes for a particular application.
3. 3. Diagnose faults in these processes and its impact on the welded structure.
4. 4. Evaluate the safety issues associated with each process and propose appropriate control measures.