4 ms·

Volume manufacturing goes hard huh? I'm not an aerospace engineer so obviously this could be full of inconel widgets machined to abusurd tolerances, but it look

Volume manufacturing goes hard huh? I'm not an aerospace engineer so obviously this could be full of inconel widgets machined to abusurd tolerances, but it looks like a $70 car part. I assume that it's just so expensive because you're amortizing development and probably a very heavy regulatory burden over hundreds of parts rather than hundreds of thousands.

kube-system 2y ago
Anyone with significant experience working on cars can tell you some of the problems you get with parts that don't get the scrutiny of parts in the aerospace industry: * Where did this thing come from and what can I expect from its performance? -- is it new? used? new old stock that has been sitting on a shelf? remanufactured? * Is this even manufactured to the correct spec? The manufacturer claims this coil pack meets OEM spec, but it doesn't work...? * Wait, why isn't this bolt going in? The hole isn't threaded? * Hold up, this part doesn't fit at all. * These parts don't look factory.... how do I fix this? * This part broke after one week? The last thing I want on my airplane is something that was handed over the counter at Autozone.
0_____0 2y ago
I think you're exactly right. It makes me wonder what the actual development, testing and manufacturing costs for it were. Clearly there was some tooling made, see the castings. Also makes me wonder if we'll start to see some laser-sintered components start to appear in low-volume production. Something like a plenum is an annoying thing to build without going to a casting, unless you 3D print it. With SLS in the mix I wonder where the unit break-even cost is, and whether it would change the testing/material certification chain significantly.
dogma1138 2y ago
The external appearance can be quite deceiving if there are no critical features or surfaces it won’t be finished beyond its original cast or forged finish. The inside will be precision machined to exact tolerances and the part will be validated extensively. Even with all the memes and jokes the safety considerations for commercial passenger flight are insane.

kube-system 2y ago

Anyone with significant experience working on cars can tell you some of the problems you get with parts that don't get the scrutiny of parts in the aerospace industry: * Where did this thing come from and what can I expect from its performance? -- is it new? used? new old stock that has been sitting on a shelf? remanufactured? * Is this even manufactured to the correct spec? The manufacturer claims this coil pack meets OEM spec, but it doesn't work...? * Wait, why isn't this bolt going in? The hole isn't threaded? * Hold up, this part doesn't fit at all. * These parts don't look factory.... how do I fix this? * This part broke after one week? The last thing I want on my airplane is something that was handed over the counter at Autozone.

0_____0 2y ago

I think you're exactly right. It makes me wonder what the actual development, testing and manufacturing costs for it were. Clearly there was some tooling made, see the castings. Also makes me wonder if we'll start to see some laser-sintered components start to appear in low-volume production. Something like a plenum is an annoying thing to build without going to a casting, unless you 3D print it. With SLS in the mix I wonder where the unit break-even cost is, and whether it would change the testing/material certification chain significantly.

dogma1138 2y ago

The external appearance can be quite deceiving if there are no critical features or surfaces it won’t be finished beyond its original cast or forged finish. The inside will be precision machined to exact tolerances and the part will be validated extensively. Even with all the memes and jokes the safety considerations for commercial passenger flight are insane.