This year's Design Engineering Technical Committee highlights show examples of how the face of design engineering has changed and how corporations are using them to stay competitive in today's rapidly changing design engineering field. Seasoned engineers are sharing their experience with junior engineers who are more likely to learn and use these new tools. This process is never ending. To keep current an engineer must keep up with the ever changing design tools. Software is developing so fast that what is learned at the university level is obsolete by the time the student arrives in industry.

Cost, like weight, is a parameter that must be considered in the design process. Coleman Aerospace Company saves millions of dollars using deactivated government furnished equipment (GFE). Its continuing success has come from taking GFE components and putting today's technology in them. Coleman has designed their Theater Missile Defense targets to be modular and can be easily configured to meet the needs of their customers. These designs are completed by using today's CAD technology for design, analysis and testing. Successful use of the IPT has proven designs can go from concept to mission success in a highly compressed time frame. Northrop Grumman is designing and fabricating the structures for the Kistler K-1 Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV). Launch weight versus cost is considered a performance parameter in the RLV. To decrease weight Gr/Ep structures are being used in a percentage of the RLV.

The 737/757 Program of the Boeing Company has recently completed the design of the 757-300 derivative aircraft. First roll out was in May (1998). This program was successful in utilizing an IPT environment, along with Hardware Variability Control (HVC) concepts to streamline manufacturing of the longer fuselage and higher gross weight aircraft. Other elements of the improved design/manufacturing process include: Digital Mock-up (using EPIC and CATIA) and Determinant Assembly - furthering the use of Accurate Fuselage Assembly (AFA) techniques. These produced a Keel Beam that is now nearly shimless and fuselage section 44 side panels are now determinate assembly - built without major tooling.

Honeywell Satellite Systems Operation in Glendale, AZ has successfully developed a high performance isolation system using an IPT approach. Using extensive inputs from both customer and fabrication subcontractors HSSO has designed, fabricated, tested and delivered the system in less than 11 months. The isolation system has shown unsurpassed passive performance of 15% damping at isolator resonance (1 to 3 Hz) and 40 dB/decade roll off after resonance.

Knowledge Based Engineering is fast becoming a valuable resource to the design engineer. It can be used as a lessons learned database, hold all the expertise of a design engineer that retired five years ago or a massive source of information pertaining to a specific technology. JPL Engineering and Science Directorate brings together science, technology and engineering to create programs that support planetary exploration, space science and earth science. Six centers of excellence have been established to focus on technical leadership, technical expertise, technology development and program development. These six centers of excellence formed: 1. Center for Space Microelectronics Technology, 2. Interferometry Center of Excellence, 3. In-situ Exploration and Sample Return Center, 4. Center for Integrating Space Microsystems, 5. Center for Space Missions Architecture and Design and 6. Center for Space Communications and Navigation systems. A Design Engineering Hub has been established to commonly support all spacecraft engineering design activities.

The common tools the design engineer is using spreads across the spectrum of products in today's world. The products are different, yet the path to get there is quite similar.