Bowes Meets Critical Deadlines on Airbus A380 Cabin Interior Design

By Susan Smith

Probably the toughest part of developing cabin interiors for the Airbus A380 is meeting strict deadlines. Long-time Delcam customer Bowes Design and Development has been able to meet those deadlines and more by using Delcam CAD/CAM software for the past 15 years. 

While Airbus A380 is one of the company’s more high-profile projects, the other half of their business is comprised of a number of processes in many industries, including automotive and marine. Processes include direct machining, reaction injection molding, vacuum casting, resin transfer molding, thermoforming, and carbon fibre-reinforced plastics molding and hand lay-up.

With the Airbus A380 project, Bowes was charged with first developing a concept interior; and secondly, manufacturing replica cabin linings for climate-control testing.

A team of design consultants spearheaded the interior project, which encompassed the development of the complete cabin, including the seating, lighting, and a bar. To complete the work in 20 weeks to meet the deadline, the cabin design was divided into a number of sections using Delcam software to manufacture, check, and finish before it was shipped off to Toulouse for assembly.

Staying on schedule was a challenge with this project, with cabin linings that were to delivered to the Airbus engineering division in Hamburg within 16 weeks. Engineering prototypes are expected to perform under real-life conditions and withstand the full range of environmental conditions they would be exposed to in the cabin. Temperature and humidity testing resulted in a replica cabin that met and exceeded customer expectations.

Some of the aircraft interiors developed by Bowes with Delcam software

Bowes’ offering of services address the needs of clients that come in with a CAD model that must be turned into a physical prototype. Meeting the challenges presented by these customers, Bowes maintains 13 CNC machines, six of which are five-axis for fast accurate turn around. They use PowerSHAPE modeling software from Delcam to design all the different types of tooling required from CAD models. PowerINSPECT software is used for all inspection done on a portable FARO inspection arm and coordinate measuring machine. Among the machines used are a CMS router that is 4.8 x 2.4 x 1.2 meters, plus a DMG DMU 100 for machining aluminum injection molds for short-run production.

For more information, visit Delcam.