F35 cockpit verification#
F35 cockpit software#

“We also use Verisurf Reverse integrated CAD and solid modeler to produce surface models direct from our scanner.

F35 cockpit software#

“Verisurf software has truly raised our quality control levels with its unique set of application tools that speed up our tooling inspection,” said Robin Walton, quality manager for Hockley. The flexible combination of an open software platform and a variety of measurement device options allows Hockley to develop and/or maintain digital continuity, or the digital thread, throughout every job. Verisurf supports and runs virtually all digital measuring devices from contact probing to non-contact scanning, regardless of age, controller type or proprietary software, including CNC CMMs, arms, trackers, and all types of scanners.Verisurf software imports and exports intelligent CAD files and models seamlessly, can edit existing intelligent GD&T data, and can add new GD&T annotations as necessary.The software provides flexible measurement, reverse engineering (including Class A surfacing), inspection, tool building, and assembly guidance.

Verisurf software is model-based and built on a CAD platform, including 3D modeling.With the operative word being CAD-based, Verisurf was selected on four compelling points:

F35 cockpit verification#

Regardless of how a job comes to our shop, every finished tool includes a quality inspection report tied to a 3D CAD model.” Hockley Pattern & Tool is an example of a company dedicated to the art and science of making perfect tooling.įor Hockley to fulfill its promise of delivering a CAD model-based quality verification report with every finished tool, it relies on Verisurf software and compatible measurement devices from Verisurf Software Inc., Anaheim, Calif. But we are often asked to create tooling from an artifact, which can be an organic shape or prismatic part for which there are no CAD models or drawings available.

“Typically, we receive prismatic 3D CAD models that we use to design, build, and inspect finished tooling. “When it comes to designing and making tooling, it can be both a creative and highly technical process,” said Neil Williams, director of Hockley. If the layup tooling is not perfect, the foundation is flawed.Īt the heart of the UK tooling manufacturing industry for more than 25 years, Hockley Pattern & Tool supplies high quality tools domestically and internationally to major aerospace and automotive manufacturers and their supply chains. There are many hand-offs in the manufacturing and assembly of composite parts, which often include machining, coatings, finishing, and add-on components. Throughout this ongoing evolution, one thing remains constant: layup tooling is critical for both functionality and quality. These layup tools-and those who design, manufacture, and inspect them-are the unsung heroes behind the many parts and finished products that rely on high-strength, lightweight composites.Īs with most manufacturing applications, there is constant improvement in materials and processes that make the manufacturing of high-tech parts faster and cheaper with ever-improving quality. The complexity and precision of today’s composite parts rely heavily on the layup tools that make advanced forming possible. Form tooling and fixturing as a manufacturing concept has spanned the ages and today remains the foundation for many advanced parts, including the cockpit canopy for the most advanced aviation platform ever created-the F-35 fighter jet. This article is about how Hockley builds and verifies advanced tooling.

Hockley Pattern & Tool, Halesowen, England, is an example of a company dedicated to the art and science of making perfect tooling. A fitting example of practical precision tooling using advanced metrology Pilots never see the outside world through the canopy.