BOEING AND ROLLS-ROYCE DEPLOY STEP!

Boeing and Rolls-Royce Aerospace Group agreed on December 20, 1995, to use ISO 10303 (STEP) to exchange product data in support of the digital pre-assembly process. Commercial STEP translators from Dassault Systemes, Computervision, and Theorem Solutions are being used to exchange 3-D solids, product structure (assembly trees), and configuration management data using STEP Application Protocol 203 from Boeing's CATIA system to Rolls-Royce's Computervision CADDS5 and Optegra (Product Data Management) systems. The initial use is to exchange bracket installation and systems installations (ducting, wiring and tubing) for the Boeing 777/Trent 800 project. As the STEP product matures, additional part categories will be exchanged. In addition, data from Rolls-Royce will be sent to Boeing via STEP in the near future.

This effort began as AEROSTEP, a PDES, Inc. pilot project that included not only Boeing and Rolls-Royce, but also GE Aircraft Engines and Pratt & Whitney. Earlier this year, AEROSTEP grew into a production implementation planning activity called PowerSTEP. The AEROSTEP/PowerSTEP effort is aimed at the digital pre-assembly (developed between Boeing and each of the engine suppliers for a given aircraft), which is used to understand, verify and negotiate the interface/fit/clearance that exists between the engines, engine build parts, and components. Since the designs are developing concurrently, it is necessary to maintain up-to-date models of the designs. The geometry of the digital pre-assembly is very complex and the resolution of proposed design changes can be an extremely difficult, three-dimensional geometry problem. STEP Application Protocol 203 is used to describe and exchange the digital pre-assembly data.

Walt W. Braithwaite, Vice President Information Systems Boeing Commercial Airplane Group and a member of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Assessment Panel for Manufacturing Engineering, said, "Much effort has gone into the development of this standard. It is now time for industry users to begin taking advantage of the benefits that companies working together can achieve through its deployment."

PDES, Inc. is a joint industry/government consortium specifically formed to accelerate the development and implementation of STEP. PDES, Inc. consists of 25 major industrial companies and government agencies who represent more than $600 billion in annual revenue. Frank Rafchiek, Director of Research and Technology at Boeing Defense and Space Group and a member of the PDES, Inc. Board of Directors, said, "With this production use of STEP, Boeing and PDES, Inc. are proving that STEP technology is real and here today. I am very pleased that our AEROSTEP/PowerSTEP team has worked together to make it happen."

PDES, Inc./Boeing Contact: David Briggs
phone: (206) 237-3524 fax: (206) 237-3428 e-mail: briggs@atc.boeing.com