Lockheed Martin Installs DELMIA Simulation Software at New Joint Strike Fighter Facility

Auburn Hills, Mich., USA – January 6, 2005 - Delmia Corp., a Dassault Systèmes company (Nasdaq: DASTY: Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), today announced that Lockheed Martin and system integrator CTA, Inc., will use its IGRIP resource modelling and simulation software, which includes the UltraPaint option, for off-line programming of robotic paint systems at Lockheed Martin’s new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

The simulation tools will be used in paint applications and stealth coatings for a variety of F-35 JSF components, including the wing, aft fuselage, forward fuselage, horizontal tail, and vertical tail, as well as multiple small panels and doors. Lockheed Martin is deploying the solution with the goal of improving spray quality and accuracy and increasing profitability.

With IGRIP and UltraPaint, stop station, line tracking and rail tracking applications will be simulated so that accurate robot programs can be downloaded to the robot systems to ensure that paint application is balanced evenly. Users will have the ability to define groups of objects to check for collisions and ensure safe robot trajectories.

Users will also be able to program an entire simulation—including multiple robots, fixtures, and material handing devices—by using a simple graphical programming interface. Furthermore, by evaluating various robot movements and paint parameters digitally, programmers can search for the optimal results without costly prototypes.

“The coating material cannot be sprayed on too heavily due to weight constraints,” said Jason LeFever, applications engineer at Lockheed Martin. “It is crucial for the robots to spray the coating accurately and evenly across the various parts. By using IGRIP, we can now verify that all of the robot motions are correct offline before we implement our processes on the plant floor.”

“The opening of this new facility is the culmination of efforts that began for us back in 2002,” says Steve Milliren, DELMIA account executive. “As the project unfolds, we see our tools playing a key role in Lockheed Martin’s cost-containment goals. IGRIP and its UltraPaint option offer unprecedented reduction in man-hours and process engineering lead-time and minimizes costly prototypes and paint consumption.”

In other areas of JSF production, Lockheed Martin has deployed DELMIA solutions to identify potential problem conditions such as disassembly for inspections, rework, or maintenance. In addition, DELMIA software is also in use for advanced ergonomic analysis of worker performance and aircraft maintainability.

The F-35 is a supersonic, multi-role stealth aircraft. It is being developed in conjunction with Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems and several other companies, worldwide.