UEC Saturn

UEC-Saturn is part of the United Engine Corporation (UEC) and is the parent enterprise of the Engines for Civil Aviation division, the UEC business unit.

Information technology at UEC-Saturn

2024: Introduction of machine vision to detect defects in the production of aircraft motors

The United Engine Corporation (UEC) is introducing machine vision to detect defects in the production of aircraft motors. The press service of Rostec (UEC is part of this state corporation) announced this on January 23, 2024.

The robotic complex was put into operation at the Rybinsk enterprise "UEC-Saturn." The solution includes a platform based on artificial intelligence "Point of Control" and two robotic control posts for the supply of blades, which inspect the surfaces of parts with machine vision cameras and mark them.

UEC implements machine vision to detect defects in production

The platform using machine vision will receive and process images of small defects in polished blades, which are difficult to determine for the human eye. Artificial intelligence will recognize defects based on the analysis of various types of images. As stated in Rostec, thanks to this project, the process of preliminary quality control of parts has been automated and the throughput capacity of the site has been doubly increased.

According to the director of digital transformation at UEC-Saturn Evgenia Alekseeva, the introduction of an AI system in the production of aircraft engines in Rybinsk provided an opportunity to analyze and adjust production processes thanks to the data collected. After the launch of the platform, the throughput of control areas will significantly increase, which will have a favorable effect on the implementation of a large-scale production program, Alekseev said.

Rostec adds that the AI project to identify the smallest defects in the blades of gas turbine engines is being implemented within the framework of the federal project "Artificial Intelligence" of the national program "Digital Economy of Russia." The costs of introducing the technology by January 23, 2024 were not disclosed.^[1]

2022: Use of the "test site"

The Rybinsk enterprise UEC-Saturn (part of), using the Digital United Engine Corporation Rostec Type Test Site, is developing an environment for the development and introduction of new technological solutions. As of November 2022, nine were implemented on service projects industrial internet of things, virtual reality tools, neural network technologies and. This was artificial intelligence announced on November 17, 2022 by the UEC company.

At its site, UEC-Saturn is testing solutions in the main areas of end-to-end digital technologies for industrial applications. Through joint projects, individual and group digital competencies of employees are developed.

At our Test Site, we are "digitally coordinating" technologies and specialists - new, previously unused solutions and knowledge carriers that these technologies should implement. Undoubtedly, the effectiveness of interaction is achieved when technologies and personnel support the development of each other, "said Evgeny Alekseev, Information Technology Director of UEC-Saturn PJSC.

The company implements business process optimization projects using RPA software robot technologies, machine vision for product quality control and development of BI tools for analysis. Several works at once are related to the creation of training modules in virtual reality (VR). One of the projects using VR technology simulates the working space of the landfill. Today, a special room has the necessary computing power, infrastructure, equipment.

Together with the experts of the enterprise, projects are conducted by senior students of specialized universities. The basis of the landfill was the "Laboratories of Digital Technologies," created by UEC-Saturn with the Rybinsk Aviation Technical and Yaroslavl Technical Universities.

A key factor in the assessment at the start of 2020, we determine not only the number of digital products being introduced into production, but also new specialists involved in digitalization. Career guidance work made it possible to choose applicants for participation in projects. In two years, dozens of people passed through the landfill school. Of these, more than half joined the staff of the enterprise, "said Alexander Sorokin, head of the digital transformation department of UEC-Saturn PJSC.

UEC-Saturn is aimed at attracting young specialists with cross-functional competencies - with a deep understanding of their field, as well as knowledge and experience in related fields. The ability to solve tasks on a turnkey basis, systemic thinking and the desire for self-education, and an understanding of the opportunities and risks associated with the use of new technologies are valued.

2019

PJSC "UEC-Saturn" uses CAD/CAM/CAE products, is one of the leaders in digital twins, digital design, in production. Contracts have been concluded with pre-design partners in the field of scheduling of main production. We are launching a pilot project to implement a MES system for shop floor control and inter-shop management. This pilot will last the whole of 2019 in workshop No. 34, and with a positive result, we will move on to workshop management based on an objective data collection system. The creation of a workable prototype of an integrated system in workshop No. 34 will make it basic for automation of control in all mechanical and assembly workshops.^[2]

Source: gazeta-rybinsk.ru

The plan is to move away from FOXPRO applications (there are about 700 of them), disable this segment in 2022 with the transfer to the current data management platform. The existing digital platform allows solving most of the current problems, but in terms of performance it no longer meets the realities, being designed for paper document management technologies and centralized data processing by computer operators, single large systems, for rather simplified dos-application interfaces that were discontinued by manufacturers ten to fifteen years ago.

Since February 2019, we are launching an updated corporate portal on the modern MS SharePoint platform. The functionality of publishing tools, the possibilities for distributing content, the mechanisms of focused communications and training of the new portal are significantly increased compared to the current one.

One of the pilots concerns testing the functionality of an office robot to increase the performance of IT services, the super task is that the robot must perform up to 50 percent of the provided service operations.

In 2018, a number of steps were taken to find mechanisms for bringing modern technology closer to the level of workers. The process of mobilizing information systems is an obvious production request. A number of pilot projects are being launched that should make this technology available. Ideally, an employee is given a tablet PC on which he sees both a shift task and technology, compiles reports. You can quickly receive feedback and make management decisions, which will allow the company to significantly increase efficiency and efficiency.

One of the important projects, joint with the HR Directorate, is related to the training management system, competencies and skills. In the near future, an LMS system is being tested, using which all users of the computer network, without interruption from production at their workplaces, will be able to independently take familiarization courses, or re-view certain materials in which they have lost their competencies. Such training mechanisms reduce the cost of staff development, increase training opportunities for more workers, without increasing the load of the training center.

History

2017: RVC and UEC-Saturn will accelerate projects for Factories of the Future

RVC and UEC-Saturn in July announced the launch of a permanent accelerator for startups of the first Russian high-tech landfill. A landfill for the development of advanced production solutions is being created by UEC-Saturn as part of the implementation of NTI. It will become the first platform in Russia where ideas and developments will be tested, which in the future will allow Russian enterprises to switch to a new concept of production organization - "Factories of the Future." Search, expertise and training of startups will be carried out on the basis of the GenerationS accelerator conducted by RVC.

The concept of the first Russian test site based on UEC-Saturn was developed as part of the Technet roadmap of the National Technology Initiative. It is planned that in the next three years about 20 technologies will be brought to industrial use on it.

The first 15 projects for acceleration were selected in 2016 by UEC-Saturn together with RVC, the Institute of Advanced Production Technologies of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and CompMechlab. In 2017, some of these projects are launched at the enterprise as pilot. The management of the corporation has set the task of creating a permanent accelerator at the landfill in conjunction with the GenerationS organized by RVC.

The selection of solutions for testing will be carried out within the framework of the TechNet GenerationS track. You can apply until October 15 by filling out a questionnaire on the accelerator website. Project selection areas: digital design and modeling, additive technologies, industrial Internet, sensorics, robotics, CNC technologies. Each application will undergo a multi-stage examination, up to 20 project teams will be selected for the accelerator.

"With the test site, we will try to remove another barrier so that project teams can access production and experience technology. We plan to do this in the next 2-3 years in the production system of the new industrial structure, - said Dmitry Ivanov, director of innovative development at UEC-Saturn. - This year, within the framework of the TechNet GenerationS track, according to the results of the acceleration program, companies will have the opportunity to finalize their technology to industrial use within six months in order to implement it. This is the next step in removing barriers so the startup can enter a major manufacturing site. "

In the future, UEC-Saturn plans to consider options for buying technological solutions that will be tested and finalized at the test site. The company is also working on possible mechanisms for acquiring shares in decision-making companies through the specialized funds of the Rostec state corporation.

"UEC-Saturn has already gone a long way construction in open innovation, we have been cooperating for the third year as part of the GenerationS accelerator. To implement the Technet roadmap, NTI on the basis of UEC-Saturn developed the concept of the first Russian test site Smart Factory. Today, UEC-Saturn is implementing initiatives that will be useful to Russian companies in introducing innovations in complex production systems, "said Mikhail Antonov, Deputy General Director - Director for Innovation Infrastructure Development at RVC.

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