FAAW

We help aerospace engineering teams turn complex designs into manufacturable and certifiable components.

We focus on:
-design for manufacturability
-reducing production complexity and cost
-structural engineering and optimization
-certification support

23/07/2026

The Best Decision Was the One We Didn't Make.
During one development project, we considered a design change that looked like a clear improvement.
On paper, it offered better performance.
The calculations supported it.
It was technically sound.
Before moving forward, we stopped and looked beyond the component itself.
The change would have affected:
manufacturing complexity
assembly sequence
tooling
future maintenance
The benefit was real.
So were the consequences.
After several discussions, we decided not to implement the change.
Not because it wouldn't work.
Because the overall project wouldn't become better.
That decision stayed with us.
It reminded us that engineering isn't about making every possible improvement.
It's about understanding which improvements create value for the whole system.
Today, before approving a design change, we ask one question:
Does this improve the product, or only one parameter?
Sometimes the most valuable engineering decision is knowing when not to optimise.

17/07/2026

The CFD Looked Perfect. Manufacturing Disagreed.

During the development of a wing, the aerodynamic analysis looked promising.

The airflow was exactly where we wanted it.

Then manufacturing reviewed the geometry.

One detail changed the discussion.

The trailing edge was simply too thin to manufacture reliably.

The design wasn't wrong.

The airflow wasn't wrong.

The geometry had reached a point where manufacturing became part of the engineering decision.

Since then, we've stopped treating manufacturability as a final check.

Today, manufacturing joins the conversation much earlier—while aerodynamic concepts are still evolving.

One thing this project changed for us:

The best aerodynamic solution is only valuable if it can be manufactured consistently.

08/07/2026

The Material Cost Less. The Part Didn't.

We were comparing two material options for the same aircraft component.

One was clearly cheaper.

At first, the decision looked obvious.

Then the rest of the project caught up.

The alternative material required longer machining.

Different tooling.

Additional surface treatment.

Longer lead times.

More inspection effort.

The purchase price was lower.

The total manufacturing cost wasn't.

What stayed with us wasn't which material we finally selected.

It was how easy it is to optimise one parameter while making the whole process more expensive.

Since then, we've started asking a different question much earlier:

What will this decision cost once manufacturing, procurement and quality become part of the conversation?

Engineering decisions rarely end with the drawing.

That's where the rest of the project begins.

16/06/2026

The Design Worked. The Supply Chain Didn't.

The design met all technical requirements.
Performance targets were achieved.
The analysis looked correct.
Then manufacturing and procurement joined the discussion.

New questions appeared:
• Is the material available?
• Can this geometry be produced efficiently?
• Are these tolerances necessary?
• What will this cost to manufacture?

Nothing was wrong with the design.
It was simply being evaluated from a different perspective.
What surprised us is how often projects assume that technical feasibility automatically means practical feasibility.

It doesn't.

One thing we've learned is that a good design must satisfy more than engineering requirements.

It must also survive contact with manufacturing, procurement, suppliers, lead times, and budgets.

The question we now ask much earlier is:
Can this be built repeatedly, sourced reliably, and produced at a reasonable cost?

10/06/2026

The Assembly Team Knew. Engineering Didn't.

Every part met the drawing.
Assembly was still difficult.
The issue wasn't visible in CAD.

It appeared only when someone had to put everything together.
The assembly team adapted.
The product was delivered.
The issue remained.

What surprised us was that nobody considered it a design problem.
Assembly simply worked around it.

One thing we've learned:
If assembly repeatedly adapts to the design, the design may need to adapt to assembly.

05/06/2026

The Issue Was Solved. The Drawing Never Changed.

A problem appeared during manufacturing.

The team found a workaround.

The part was produced.

The project moved on.

Problem solved.

Or so it seemed.

A few years later, the same issue appeared again.

Why?

Because the solution remained in someone's head.

Not in the drawing.

Not in the documentation.

Not in the system.

One thing we've learned is that some of the most valuable engineering improvements happen after design is finished.

The question we now ask is simple:

Should this remain a workaround, or should it become part of the design?

The answer often determines whether the organisation learns or simply copes.

02/06/2026

The drawing existed. The part did not.
A customer needed a replacement part.
The challenge was not manufacturing.
The challenge was understanding the original intent.

The available documentation was:
• decades old
• incomplete in places
• created for a different production environment

Before anything could be manufactured, assumptions had to be verified.
Dimensions had to be interpreted.
Missing information had to be reconstructed.
Sometimes engineering starts long before design.
It starts with understanding what already exists.

28/05/2026

Some engineering designs look straightforward in CAD.

The geometry appears clean.
Interfaces seem manageable.
The system looks ready for production.
Then manufacturing starts asking questions.

We often see complexity introduced through:
• geometry that increases machining time
• tolerances tighter than necessary
• assembly sequences sensitive to small deviations
• features difficult to inspect consistently

Individually, these decisions may seem minor.

Later, they affect:
• repeatability
• lead times
• manufacturing stability
• validation effort

In many projects, complexity is not created by one major issue.
It develops gradually through local decisions that appear manageable in isolation.

The earlier these interactions become visible, the easier the project remains to control.

Where do you see complexity appearing most often in your projects — design phase or manufacturing phase?

(Full article is in the first comment.)

25/05/2026

Two designs can achieve the same aerodynamic performance.
But they may create completely different certification consequences.

Early in development, this difference is often invisible.
Later, it becomes critical.

We frequently see situations where:
• a small design decision expands validation scope
• additional interfaces require new evidence paths
• local modifications affect already verified areas
• documentation complexity grows faster than the design itself

The performance target may remain unchanged.
The certification burden does not.

System explanation:
Engineering optimization and certification optimization are not always aligned.

Engineering implication:
The technically efficient solution is not automatically the most sustainable one across the full lifecycle.

FAAW perspective:
System-level engineering decisions should be evaluated not only by performance, but by downstream validation impact.

20/05/2026

A good grip is one you stop thinking about.

When we were developing the shape, we kept returning to the same questions:
- does the hand settle without adjusting
- can you reach the switches without shifting your hold
- does the texture stay secure after an hour of flying

The geometry went through more iterations than expected. Small changes in curve radius changed how it felt completely.

The switches are where your thumb naturally lands.
The texture is there where the hand actually presses.

Nothing on it is accidental.

More about our grips: faaw.cz/produkty/grips

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Zábřeh

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http://www.faaw.cz/

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