Atherstone-based ANT Industries has developed an innovative manufacturing solution for a precision aero engine component, transforming its established production route and creating a significantly faster, more efficient and sustainable supply chain solution for aerospace customers.
The innovation centres on a retaining segment, a specialist aero engine component used within engine casing assemblies and manufactured to the exacting levels of precision, consistency and quality required by the aerospace industry.
ANT Industries identified an opportunity to rethink how the aero engine component was produced after examining the complete manufacturing journey, from its design for manufacture through to machining, production planning and material utilisation.
Established production routes could involve lead times of up to 90 weeks. By approaching the component from an engineering and manufacturing perspective, ANT Industries developed a new end-to-end production strategy capable of reducing that timeframe to approximately six to eight weeks.
Shaun Rowley, Managing Director of ANT Industries, said: “The breakthrough came from asking a very simple question: how can we apply our engineering knowledge to manufacture this aero engine component much more efficiently?
“We understood the requirements of the component and the aerospace standards it had to meet, so our team looked at every stage of its manufacturing journey and identified where we could engineer a smarter solution.”
Central to the project was an engineering review of the aero engine component itself, with ANT Industries applying design-for-manufacture principles to create a more efficient production route while maintaining the required integrity and quality of the finished part.
That work enabled the company to streamline elements of the manufacturing sequence and combine the revised approach with advanced CNC machining, automation and digital production planning.
Rather than viewing individual manufacturing operations separately, ANT Industries created an integrated production route designed around the component and the customer’s requirement.
Rowley said: “This was much more than finding a quicker machining cycle. We looked at the aero engine component, how it moved through manufacture and how our technology and engineering expertise could improve that complete process.
“That combination is where the innovation sits. It has enabled us to make a substantial improvement in the way this component can be supplied to the aerospace industry.”
The resulting lead-time improvement is particularly significant as aero engine manufacturers and their supply chains continue to focus on increasing production rates and improving component availability.
ANT Industries’ approach has taken a manufacturing lead time previously reaching up to 90 weeks and reduced it to approximately six to eight weeks.
For aerospace customers, that creates greater flexibility around procurement and production planning while providing a more responsive source for a specialist aero engine component.
The innovation has subsequently supported ANT Industries in securing further work in this component family, including opportunities previously fulfilled through established UK and overseas supply routes.
“The lead-time improvement changes what we can offer the customer,” Rowley added.
“We are combining the precision and quality expected in aerospace with a much more responsive manufacturing model. When customers are looking to strengthen the agility of their supply chains, that capability has real value.”
The innovation also extends into material and energy efficiency.
Through optimisation of the manufacturing route and more precise production techniques, ANT Industries has increased the effective utilisation of raw materials, while recyclable material generated through manufacture is returned into appropriate recycling streams.
Modern manufacturing technology and optimised production cycles also support greater energy efficiency, bringing productivity and sustainability together within the same manufacturing strategy.
Rowley said: “For us, manufacturing efficiency covers the entire journey of the aero engine component. It is about making intelligent use of our machinery, our materials and our engineering expertise to create a repeatable and highly capable production process.
“The result demonstrates how innovation at component level can deliver benefits much further through the aerospace supply chain.”
The project is now providing ANT Industries with a platform for further growth in the manufacture of these specialist aero engine components, while the engineering principles behind the programme have wider potential across other complex aerospace applications.
For Rowley, it also demonstrates the contribution specialist UK manufacturers can make by combining decades of engineering knowledge with continued investment in advanced manufacturing technology.
“This is the type of innovation we want ANT Industries to be known for,” he said.
“We have taken a specialist aero engine component, applied our engineering experience and challenged the established manufacturing approach to create something significantly faster and more efficient.
“It is innovation with a very practical purpose: helping our customers build stronger, more responsive aerospace supply chains while continuing to deliver the quality and precision that this industry demands.”