Northrop Grumman Recommends Siemens CNC Technologies for Use by Its F-35 Supply Chain
ATLANTA — Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. announced today that after extensive testing and evaluation, Northrop Grumman Corporation Aerospace Systems is strongly encouraging its supply chain to explore the use of Siemens Sinumerik 840D solution line CNC and Sinumerik Volumetric Compensation System (VCS) to achieve high-tolerance machined parts for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
”Siemens collaboration on the F-35 program began in early 2002 with a CNC technology symposium in Fort Worth attended by Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and BAe Systems,” said Tim Shafer, director, Siemens Aerospace Center of Competence. “Since that meeting, the program partners have applied the advanced features of the 840D to solve many of their complex machining challenges. Siemens is honored to receive recognition from Northrop Grumman for this latest advancement in CNC technology.”
To find the right equipment to produce these high-tolerance machined parts, Northrop Grumman and its technology partners invested in developing and testing advanced technologies that would enable a step-change in machine tool accuracy. Extensive on-machine testing and evaluation by Northrop Grumman has demonstrated that a quality machine tool appears to be made substantially more accurate by using the Siemens VCS feature of its Sinumerik 840D solution line CNC. Northrop Grumman’s testing revealed that a number of key machine tool attributes are necessary to achieve the required high-tolerance machined parts.
These include:
Robust machine design
Machine tool repeatability
Machine tool responsiveness
Environmental temperature stability
Stable machine foundation
The Sinumerik 840D sl CNC can provide real-time internal compensation for geometric and feedback errors of a five-axis machine tool. The 840D sl’s VCS solution corrects the tool center point and orientation that results in a substantial improvement in volumetric accuracy for fork-head style five-axis machines.
For more information about CNC solutions from Siemens, point your web browser to www.sea.siemens.com/machine.
About Siemens
Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. is one of Siemens’ operating companies in the U.S. Headquartered in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, Ga., Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. manufactures and markets one of the world’s broadest ranges of electrical and electronic products, systems and services to industrial and construction market customers. Its technologies range from circuit protection and energy management systems to process control, industrial software and totally integrated automation solutions. The company also has expertise in systems integration, technical services and turnkey industrial systems. For more information:
www.sea.siemens.com.
Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, and operates in the industry, energy and healthcare sectors. For more than 160 years, Siemens has built a reputation for leading-edge innovation and the quality of its products, services and solutions. With 420,000 employees in 190 countries, Siemens reported worldwide sales of $116.6 billion in fiscal 2008. With its U.S. corporate headquarters in New York City, Siemens in the USA reported sales of $22.4 billion and employs approximately 69,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico. For more information on Siemens in the United States, visit: