VISTAGY, Inc., a leading provider of industry-specific engineering software and services, today announced that Airborne Composites has purchased FiberSIM(r) software to reduce lead times for new products by an anticipated 20 percent and for redesigned and scaled versions by more than 30 percent. The first program FiberSIM is being used on by Airborne Composites is for the design and tooling of the composite overhang panels for the empennage wing surfaces of the Gulfstream G650 business aircraft. The panels are a sandwich structure comprised of carbon fiber/epoxy skins and honeycomb core. Airborne Composites is subcontracting for Stork Fokker on the G650 program.

Airborne Composite's emphasis on precise product definition and its integrated design-and-build philosophy enables it to deliver cost-effective and reliable solutions. But the biggest challenge Airborne Composites faces with the G650 program is short lead times and the need to use concurrent engineering techniques to make rapid design changes during definition of tooling, plies and processes.

"FiberSIM provides us with a competitive advantage because it enables us to design and tool our composite parts accurately and quickly so we can meet the demanding deadlines that are so common in the industry these days," said Wiard Leenders, general manager of Airborne Composites. "FiberSIM is completely integrated into the Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire CAD system and allows for redefinition of the CAD part while defining the plies, which enables our engineers in analysis and design to work in parallel and deliver designs faster. The software simulates how fibers deform when draped over a complex curvature, giving us the information we need to accurately define plies on the first iteration.

"Furthermore, FiberSIM's export and documentation capabilities give us the ability to quickly create clear instructions and export flat patterns to laser projection and cutting software. Our products require accurate ply definition and layup so engineering can be done quickly. FiberSIM enables us to accomplish this by generating this data in a controlled and efficient manner."

"We're pleased to be working with one of the up-and-coming design-and-build companies in the aerospace industry to help them significantly reduce lead times on new products," said Scott Carlyle, vice president of worldwide sales for VISTAGY. "Our combined expertise and FiberSIM's proven ability to accelerate the composites engineering process will help Airborne Composites meet the delivery timeline of the Gulfstream G650 program."