Lockheed Martin Celebrates Manufacturing Day with Facilities Tour
To celebrate Manufacturing Day, Lockheed Martin Space Systems invited community leaders from Leadership Jefferson Country to come and tour its facility. During the tour, the leaders were able to listen to Dennis Little, Vice President of Production, as he spoke about revolutionizing manufacturing.
It was during his presentation that he introduced attendees to Space Systems’ newest digital manufacturing technologies, which form a digital environment known as a “digital tapestry.”
“Our Digital Tapestry of production brings digital design to every stage of the production process for a fluid product development cycle,” said Little. “From 3D virtual pathfinding simulations to 3D printing, we are using innovative digital technology to streamline the manufacturing process for lower cycle times and reduced costs for our customers.”
As Little mentioned, 3D printing is one of the technologies that Space Systems Company is utilizing. They use the technology to print out titanium satellite parts to reduce both material waste and cost. While they’re only using it to print out satellite parts at the moment, Little noted that printing entire satellites is a possibility for the future.
Another technology that the company is implementing is called the Collaborative Human Immersive Laboratory (CHIL).
The system is an advanced virtual reality and simulation lab that allows Space Systems to manufacture items, such as satellites, launch vehicles, and space systems, in a manner that is cheaper and safer. It allows the company to create an item virtually before they actually manufacture a physical version.
“Virtual pathfinding and 3D printing are just two of the innovations we are implementing at Space Systems Company to digitalize the production process,” said Little. “From conceptualization to realization, we continue to look for new opportunities to improve the production cycle with advanced technology. In this industry, we have to continuously lean forward to new technologies to stay affordable, efficient and reliable for our customers.”
