Octans Aircraft Takes to the Skies with Siemens Software

Octans Aircraft, a Brazilian manufacturer of small aircraft, has adopted solutions from Siemens Digital Industries Software throughout its product development process. The company is producing its first aircraft model that will undergo the certification process, the 300A, with capacity for five seats. The company plans to achieve positive results by reducing the time and cost of its processes through the implentation of  technology from Siemens. 

In 2013, Milton Roberto Pereira, aviation enthusiast and entreprenuer from the financial market, acquired control of Inpaer, an experimental aircraft manufacturer. "We decided to move to small approved aviation. For this, we had to invest heavily in the professionalization and in the processes of governance of the company,“ says the engineer. That was how Octans Aircraft was born.

The investment of US$20 million were used to modernize the company's plant, located a few hours from São Paulo, to acquire new technological resources, and to professionalize the team. Among these changes included adding solutions from Siemens Digital Industries Software.

"In 2017, with the evolution of the 300A project to the detailing phase, the company needed tools to support the evolution, in addition to the development and validation of complex products, version management, revisions and also to link the product and documentation that supports your certification. We saw in Teamcenter the ideal platform to support the process of development and also certification of the products of Octans Aircraft," explains Leonardo de Pádua Andrade Filho, engineering manager.

In addition to the Teamcenter portfolio, Octans Aircraft also implemented NX software for computer-aided design and manufacturing, and solutions from the Simcenter portfolio including Femap software and Simcenter Testlab Structures Testing software. The investment in using Teamcenter was made with the objective of facilitating the control and traceability processes of the project.

"Certified products require strict configuration and traceability control, and Siemens‘ technology is crucial for these controls to be effective throughout the product lifecycle, helping enable customers and Octans more security, reliability and availability of their products," says Allan Peluzzi, business manager.

"In line with Octans' global strategy, Siemens‘ tools help enable the organization to establish branch offices and partnerships around the world, reducing the time and cost of new developments, validations and improvements to our products," Peluzzi adds. "Through agile development methodologies and using simultaneous engineering, in addition to the digital twin, we can reduce design and manufacturing time with simulations and studies still in the development phase."

As a result of their digitalization, Octans Aircraft has seen a 40% reduction in time in the new product development cycle and 100% integration and transparency between the development and process teams through the application of simultaneous engineering. Octans has also seen more clarity and agility in the distribution of tasks with use of workflows, standardization and process standardization based on good practices already experienced in the Aerospace segment; absolute control of versions and revisions, improvement in the interactions between CAD and Simulation teams; the construction of a digital twin capable of fully integrating system, structural, process and manufacturing developments.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.