MBDA Missile Systems Selects VISTAGY's FiberSIM® Software as Part of Company's Global Improvement Plan

Premier defense firm anticipates FiberSIM composites engineering software will enable it to reduce composite product development cycle by 20%.

VISTAGY, Inc., a leading provider of industry-specific engineering software and services, today announced that MBDA, a world leader in missiles and missile systems, has purchased FiberSIM® software to develop composite components for missile subsystems, missile airframes, and launch canisters. The purchase is connected with the MBDA Global Improvement Plan, which is an internal initiative designed to streamline the process of working across different areas of the company, including enhancing collaboration and improving product development methodologies.

The purchase of FiberSIM was specifically aimed at enhancing collaboration between design, analysis, and manufacturing so the firm can shorten the development cycle of composite parts by enabling faster and more accurate iterations across disciplines. MBDA expects that FiberSIM will enable it to reduce the number of iterations in a product development cycle by up to 30 percent.

The typical missile composite subsystem can take up to three years to develop and industrialize. MBDA is anticipating that FiberSIM will enable them to reduce the development time by about three to six months, a critical saving in an era of demanding product delivery deadlines.

FiberSIM will be used for detailed design as well as to define flat patterns. One of the primary reasons FiberSIM was chosen was because it is the only composite tool that is integrated into the Creo Elements/Pro (formerly Pro/E) from PTC. Another factor was its seamless integration with MSC.Software Laminate Modeler.

“As the Global Improvement Plan indicates, we’re strongly focused on enhancing how efficiently we work across disciplines,” said Etienne Rauscher, head of Mechanical Technologies for MBDA. “FiberSIM fits right into this concept because it provides a unified environment for design, analysis, and manufacturing to work in so it streamlines our entire design-to-manufacturing process for composites.”

“We’re pleased to have the opportunity to work with one of the premier aerospace and defense firms in the world,” said John O’Connor, director of product and market strategy for VISTAGY. “FiberSIM is well-suited to help MBDA meet its goal of enhancing collaboration among key disciplines so it can deliver optimal quality composite parts on time and on budget. We look forward to working with them to meet that objective.”