This paper describes the influences of manufacturing cost reduction on Australian aerospace advanced composites research and development. Cost reduction is seen to be one of the prime drivers, alongside new product and services evolution and market growth, for undertaking research. Some recent research and development work conducted at Hawker de Havilland on a leading-edge flap control serves as an illustration of the methods employed to evaluate article cost across different manufacturing processes. Production flow diagrams are used together with applicable cost, equations to estimate product cost, and a summary is given on cost comparisons.
Research and development expenditure and drivers in Australian manufacturing. Australian Industry Group, October 2002.
2.
BarlowD.HoweC.ClaytonG.BrouwerS.Preliminary study on cost optimisation of aircraft composite structures applicable to liquid moulding technologiesComposite Struct., 2002, 57, 53–57.
3.
RajuJ.A Conceptual Design and Cost Optimisation Methodology, 2003 (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics).
4.
GutowskiT. G.NeohE.PolgarK. C.Adaptive Framework for Estimating Fabrication Time of Advanced Composites Manufacturing Processes, October 1995 (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
5.
KumarJ.KendallE.Complexity based cost estimation model for composite aerospace structures. CRC-ACS CP 99004, Cooperative Research Centre for Advanced Composite Structures, February 1999.
