Aerospace manufacturers climb into a wilder blue yonder in Paris.

At the recent Paris Air Show, there was talk of the new Airbus A380 "super plane." There was talk of million-dollar and billion-dollar deals being cut. But, most of all, there was a lot of talk about shops being put back to work.

Aerospace manufacturing was the driver behind the Delcam Aerospace Technology Summit held June 12-14 at Chateau de Montvillargenne, just outside of Paris. Set against the dynamic backdrop of the 46th Paris Air Show, the technology summit was attended by more than 40 international journalists and representatives of manufacturers. They learned how Delcam and its business partners, Mitsubishi Carbide (cutting tools), Huron (machine tools), Renishaw (inspection and measurement), and Siemens (CNC controls) are meeting the challenges posed by demanding aerospace manufacturing processes.

How much older than the family automobile does an airplane have to be before its retired from service? Delcam executives cited an aging global fleet and said that during the next 20 years, 40 percent of the current flying fleet will be retired, requiring replacement with about 20,000 commercial aircraft valued at $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion.

Figures like those make a solid case for supporting aerospace manufacturing and were borne out by business activities at Le Bourget Airport, site of the huge aerospace show.

Getting down to business

Part trade show, part aircraft showcase, and all business, the Paris Air Show was a must for nearly 2,000 industry players, from the A.E. Petsche Co. to ZukunftsAgentur Brandenburg GmbH. A kaleidoscope of military uniforms symbolized the international flavor of the show in which 46 countries were represented.

Massive exhibition halls were packed with vendors from all over the world who were out to sell their aerospace-related goods and services. Outdoors, the sounds of Also Sprach Zarathustra (the theme from "2001: A Space Odyssey") set the stage for brave new worlds of aircraft. The diverse offerings included civil and commercial, military, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and spacecraft. Notable among the more than 200 aircraft on view were the Airbus A380, Falcon 7X, Boeing 777-240LR, Boeing 767-300 tanker, Aermacchi M346, and the European Galileo space project.

Rainy weather couldn't prevent a record-breaking crowd from visiting the air show, although showers may have dampened the spirits of some attendees. After the week-long show, at least Airbus and Boeing should have been ecstatic. The aerospace giants signed orders totaling $30 billion. Now the two corporations will begin fulfilling their orders by putting manufacturers back to work.

Just as industry archrivals Boeing and Airbus continue to duke it out on the airfields and in the boardrooms, Delcam set its sights on overtaking former industry leader PTC. Delcam managing director Hugh Humphreys led the assault. "We expect to be very close to PTC's level of CAM sales this year," says Humphreys. "We would then only need to achieve modest further growth to overtake the company in 2006.

"With our increased investment in product development, together with the addition of the FeatureCAM team in Salt Lake City, we now employ close to 100 developers," adds Humphreys. "This increased number will ensure that both our software ranges continue to be the leaders in their respective areas." Humphreys emphasized that Delcam sales were up significantly resulting from the production machining of complex shapes, such as those found in the aerospace, underscoring the theme of the summit. "This successful diversification strategy will enable us to continue to expand our market share in the CAM business," says Humphreys.

Applying knowledge

Delcam staffers gave presentations on how the company's CAM products can be used effectively to machine parts for the aerospace market. For example, aerospace machining is used to create aerostructures, blades and blisks, and engine and fuel systems. Delcam software can be used to optimize machining strategies such as mass material removal, flat area machining, thin wall machining, swarf machining, and flange machining.

Delcam director Clive Martell added that FeatureCAM software products enable users to work smarter not harder. Automatic feature recognition (AFR) is key to the success of the FeatureCAM line, which was acquired earlier this year and has become Delcam USA. FeatureCAM products allow easy creation or modification of imported solid models, easy programming of production milling, and 5-axis positioning with increased accuracy and high precision. The US-based FeatureCAM product family serves commercial clients, such as Boeing, NASA, and Lockheed Martin, as well as numerous USAF customers, ranging from Aberdeen Proving Grounds to the Wyoming Air National Guard. Delcam pie, www.rsleads.com/508tp-216