National Institute of Aviation Technologies (NIAT)

The National Institute of Aviation Technologies (NIAT) is a legal successor of the Russia's first scientific organization for studying of work for the purpose of increase in its performance – Institute of the work created according to the solution of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions (AUCCTU) on September 16, 1920.

In May, 1921 according to the decision of Presidium of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions based on the Institute of work and Institute of experimental studying of live work which began to work the Central Institute of Work (CIW) was created. A.K. Gastev was the founder and the first head of TsITa.

On August 24, 1921 Council of Work and Defense made the decision on recognition of TsITa by the central scientific institution of the Republic, "… developing, showing and propagandizing the principles of scientific job management and integrating activity of all other organizations of the Republic studying work". At that time even in the most developed capitalist countries there was no scientific organization similar to TsITu.

Studying of labor acceptances and technology, scientific job management, improvement of production organization and training, first of all for mechanical engineering though CIT implemented results of the researches in all major industries of the national economy was the main tasks of TsITa. On educational base of institute from 1921 to 1936 more than 500 thousand skilled workers were trained. At institute on the self-supporting beginnings the Ustanovka joint-stock company implementing more than at 400 enterprises of the country (in Moscow and on the periphery) the finished developments operated. All newly created plants – the Moscow plant "Kalibr", Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works, the 1st GPP, Stalingrad tractor and many other plants used services TsITa.

TsITa was subordinate several plants at which technology equipment was produced (including the first building block machines), designed by Institute designers. On October 21, 1931 the decision of the Government for improvement and development of communications with the enterprises of the industry and also for the purpose of the fastest promotion of scientific achievements in practice of CIT it was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Soviet of the National Economy of the country, and in the late thirties – it is reorganized into one of the first industry institutes. In 1936. The national commissariat of the heavy industry transferred CIT to structure of the aviation industry. Till 1939 CIT carried out works, generally at the plants of aircraft construction, and in 1939 – also at the aviamotor and modular plants.

Except solving of tasks on rational job management and productions, Institute started development of the new technologies focused on application in the aviation industry and also began to create the special and specialized equipment (for the klepki, procurement works, machining, assembly).

Before the Great Patriotic War of CIT, saving scientific orientation, it was several times renamed and carried the name Orgaviaprom, and on April 28, 1944 received the name: Research institute of aviation technologies and production organization (NIAT). Now NIAT which was the public scientific institution is reorganized into Open joint stock company National Institute of aviation technologies (JSC NIAT).

All years of work NIATA its scientific activity developed in the following main directions:

• development of scientific and methodical fundamentals of technology and the organization of aviation production, including development of new technology processes, standards of work, materials and equipment; development of progressive forms of production organization and the systems of application of a computer in production and also development of the principles of automation and mechanization of production;

• scientific technological support of creation of new airplanes, helicopters and units, including working off of technological effectiveness of products, development of directive technology processes and technology researches for mastering of new materials;

• project development of all types of special and specialized technology equipment (for procurement productions, dimensional processing of parts, assembly using detachable and permanent connections and also for tests, diagnostics and control) with delivery of prototypes of the equipment;

• improvement and increase in efficiency of serial production of airplanes, helicopters and units for them, including development and implementation of comprehensive plans of increase in technological level of the serial plants, determination of the nomenclature of the equipment supplied by domestic machine-tool construction and other industries of the national economy and also which is purchased abroad.

Working in the listed directions, NIAT turned into the leading industry Institute of Technology and gained wide recognition in scientific community and among practicians of domestic engineering industry. At the same time the structure of Institute was constantly improved. For the solution of new tasks in it new divisions in the new directions of development of technologies were created; the staff of Institute in number quickly grew. For increase in efficiency of scientific activity and strengthening of ties with the serial plants in the main regional centers of the aviation industry eight NIAT branches – Kuibyshev, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Ural in Ufa, Omsk, Voronezh, Irkutsk and Ukrainian in Kiev were organized; besides, on a row the plants, remote from the center of the country, basic laboratories and departments of Institute were created (in the cities of Tashkent, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Kharkiv, Tbilisi and others). Except implementation of developments of leading research institute, all branches specialized in the important scientific directions which are corresponding to specifics of work of the plants of the region and having a certain all-industry orientation.

The authority and value NIATA promoted increase of a role of technology in the general progress of the aircraft equipment, in mechanical engineering. At Institute outstanding specialists in the field of aviation technology - Doctors of Engineering V.V. Shvets, V.A. Leshchenko, A.V. Petrov, A.N. Gromova, V.I. Zavyalova, S.V. Rumyantsev, B.E. Chelishchev, V.P. Grigoriev worked.

In different years the Institute was headed by the largest organizers of science and production A.K. Gastev, P.G. Schedrovitsky, Doctors of Engineering V.V. Boytsov, S.M. Leshchenko, the corresponding member of Academy of Sciences of the USSR P.N. Belyanin, the corresponding member of RAS O.S. Sirotkin.

History NIATA which developed and grew together with the country can be separated into 8 stages: the first – from 1920 to 1936, the second – from 1937 to 1940, the third – from 1941 to 1945, the fourth – from 1946 to 1955, the fifth – from 1956 to 1970, the sixth – 1971 for 1990, the seventh – from 1990 to 1999, the eighth – since 2000 till present.

1920 – 1936.

At the first stage of aircraft industry it was characteristic, generally small-lot production with dominance of manual mednitsko-tin-smitheries and woodworking works. At the end of a stage production of metal airplanes was developed. At this time NIAT rendered technical assistance to the separate plants by forces of special crews on mastering of technology processes and development of the equipment and also created new processes of a shaping of parts of the sheet and profiles on the rolled falling hammers and the raskroyny equipment. In the same time the manual pneumotool was developed for the klepki of constructions from the sheet.

1937 – 1940.

At the second stage small-lot production still prevailed, but passed to the mechanized methods of work and actively mastered a lofted and sample production method of airplanes. During this period of CIT unrolled works on mechanization of labor-intensive processes, reduction of terms of mastering of production of new products of aviation equipment, developed new technology processes and technology equipment and also performed standardization of the cutting tool and equipment.

1941 – 1945.

The third stage in the history of Institute came together with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. For the benefit of defense of the country of NIAT will organize field repair of aviation equipment and at the same time helps to arrange large-lot production of airplanes and motors at the enterprises evacuated far inland, develops and implements flow line production on all aircraft factories therefore aircraft industry could deliver to the front up to 40,000 airplanes a year. During this period in NIATE technology processes were developed and the equipment for a single press klepka, group cutting of sheets, machinings on building block machines, weldings is created. During all war teams of specialists of institute constantly worked at the plants, helping many enterprises for mastering of technologies, the organizations of line and pipeline production and to many other questions.

1946 - 1955.

At a quarter stage collective NIATA concentrated the efforts on the solution of the major problem of development and deployment of technology of serial production of reactive airplanes and engines. At this time the problem of casting and processing of hot strength alloys, shapings of large-size parts from the sheet and profiles was solved, new types of the specialized equipment, including semi-automatic with the monitoring drive are created. In 1948 at Institute the postgraduate study and the Academic council will be organized.

1956 for 1970.

At the fifth stage NIAT participated in mastering of serial production of supersonic aircraft, including mastering of production of all-welded constructions with broad mechanization and industrial automation. At this time all production technologies of airplanes with a wing of the changing geometry were developed, methods and means of processing of nodes and parts of monolithic construction are developed, mastered electrochemical processing of hot strength alloys, roller, spot and pulse automatic welding of large-size parts in the protective environment is mastered, the technique of design of the specialized equipment and equipment from the normalized elements is created, during the same period the gamma of CNC machines is created and implemented.

1971 - 1990.

At the sixth stage NIAT performed the most high achievements. As always, the Institute worked, satisfying requirements of the aviation industry – its plants and experimental design bureau. However emergence and implementation of the largest ideas and problems of development of aircraft fall on this period. The solution of these new tasks demanded to pass from development of separate types of the equipment and technology to creation of complexes of new technologies and equipment. During this period complexes of titanic technologies were created and equipped (machinings, electron beam bonding, heat treatment and so forth) and unique installations are developed for welding - ELU-24/16, heat treatments – UVN-4500, etc.; complexes of new technologies and equipment of production of widebody airplanes, including unique machines for milling and a shaping of elements of the glider and also a complex of technologies of creation of the reusable Snow-storm spaceship, including creation of workshop for production of parts of a heat-shielding, for the first time working without documentation paper. A little before these complexes of technologies all technologies of welding of tselnostalny supersonic airplanes were developed. During the same period there were welded light alloys therefore specialists of Institute developed technologies and an automatic equipment for welding of constructions from aluminum-lithium and other light alloys and also the equipment for a shaping of parts for these constructions in the superplasticity mode. All this huge work demanded the big tension of a creative power of collective which successfully coped with the solution of difficult tasks in a short time.

Rapid development of aircraft in 70th and 80th stimulated development NIATA. These years broad mastering of ADP equipment for the solution of all production and scientific tasks – the period of electronization and informatization of Institute and the plants of the industry is necessary. For solving of tasks of automation of aviation production in NIATE the big laboratory body was constructed and equipped with the latest ADP equipment, the institute quickly was replenished with the young personnel – mathematicians, programmers, the electronic equipment specialists.

1990 - 1999.

The institute was on rise, but reorganization began at this time, production was quickly reduced, scientific tasks were repeatedly reduced – the seventh stage in the history of Institute began. Owing to a difficult economic situation and recession of production volumes science funding including Institute was sharply reduced. Many researches were stopped.

That not to exchange, the Institute had hard times and entered a new phase of the development.

2000 till present

This period is characterized by formation of a new course and the policy of the state aimed at the development of national economy on the basis of rise in technological level of key branches of the industry using modern technologies and the principles of public and private partnership. During this period federal target programs for development of aircraft and the state program "National technology base" of NTB are adopted. In preparation of technology sections of these programs active participation was accepted also by NIAT.

The basic principles and content of technologies of the 5th generation were created and on them the scientific directions are open and scientific laboratories are created.

In JSC NIAT one of the first in the Russian Federation 3D laboratory of virtual modeling of technologies and productions was created and formation of the subsystems of PLM connected with technology preparation of productions and exchange of "digital" productions of the future is begun.

During the same period the laboratory of additive technologies and laboratory of precision casting using additive technologies is created.

The special place in formation of perspective technologies was allocated to use of composite technologies.

In JSC NIAT the Center of composite technologies is created, including also the direction on nanocomposition materials. These new directions are united in the Center of the innovative technologies which research supervisor is the corresponding member of RAS O.S. Sirotkin.

Considering the sharp need for qualified personnel, for JSC NIAT the day postgraduate study and Dissertation Council on award of academic degrees PhD in Technological Sciences and the Dr.Sci.Tech. is open.

Scientific NIAT pay much attention to joint work with institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, National technology chamber, Federal scientific centers and the Universities of the country.

NIAT jointly prepares forecasts of development of technologies of fifth generation and creates the lists of technologies necessary for implementation of the 6th technology way. JSC NIAT actively participates in publishing, issues two magazines and every two years holds the international conference on advanced technologies.

The institute for progress in research activity was repeatedly awarded with diplomas of the Ministry of the aviation industry of the USSR, and in 1966 NIAT was awarded the order the Labour Red Banner. Many staff of Institute received government awards - awards and medals, became Winners Lenin and the State awards of the USSR and federal republics. Our specialists repeatedly got awards of Council of Ministers of the USSR and the Government of the Russian Federation.