Siemens SINUMERIK ONE keeps NWI Aerostructures, a manufacturer of complex structural wing components, at the forefront of a rapidly changing industry. See how we support the expansion of this growing company into new markets.
With over 50 years of expertise, NWI supports leading OEMs producing commercial, business, and general aviation aircraft — and is growing rapidly. Revenue was up 36% from 2022 to 2023 and another 15% from 2023 to 2024.
NWI is now marketing its capabilities into military aerostructures, space launch vehicles, and ship building. Siemens is here to help them stay at the forefront of innovation.
NWI Aerostructures specializes in manufacturing some of the longest skins, stringers, and spars in the industry. State-of-the-art 5-axis machining technology allows the NWI team to produce large, monolithic, complex components.
Core competencies of this quiet powerhouse include:
The company has made strategic investments in advanced long-bed machining equipment to meet the demands of rising production rates and high-quality surface finishes, adding 10 additional spindles since 2021.
NWI continually evolves to best serve top-tier aerospace companies. “We’ve produced wing and empennage assemblies, and detail parts like skins, spars, and other components for the past 80 years. The precision, the surface finish, and the speed at which we produce them today is dramatically different than it was 20 years ago,” CNC programming manager Steve Freeman explains.
With continued growth in air travel, NWI Aerostructures has been receiving increased orders for more parts and needed to standardize its machining capabilities to capitalize on this opportunity. After exploring new equipment, the NWI team determined that retrofitted Cincinnati gantry machines, with SINUMERIK ONE CNC controls from Siemens, were the best option to meet the growing and evolving demands of their customers.
"We looked at new equipment," Pfeffer says, "But with the solid foundations of the machines we have a robust history of experience with, it’s more efficient and cost effective to refurbish them for the needs of today. We do the mechanical refurbishment work, adjust the alignment, and then add our tooling and chip collection systems. Our capital investment and lead time is about one-third of what new equipment would be.”
As the OEM of the NWI machines, Fives Machining Systems understands the fleet like no other company. It’s a major benefit to have Fives servicing the equipment on a regular basis and a huge check in the pro column to have the OEM refurbish these machines with the latest controls, drives, motors, and spindles. SINUMERIK ONE from Siemens is integral to this process.
Fives refurbished several machines at NWI, some with 30-plus years of successful service. Originally manufactured between 1985 and 1998, each machine has undergone a multi-stage refurbishing process. At the heart of each successful refresh, Fives relies on Siemens’ mastery of 5-axis CNC control with our SINUMERIK ONE system.
“Switching to SINUMERIK ONE can result in a 30% increase in productivity for 5-axis machining. For 3-axis machines, you can achieve 20% faster results,” says Robert Stiefel, head of Siemens Aerospace Vertical Market.
Once installed, the new control package is commissioned and tested to ensure it delivers the operational performance levels desired. Fives also provides specialized training needed to ensure its customers get the most out of their new equipment.
SINUMERIK ONE is based on a multi-core architecture with state-of-the-art micro-processors, delivering faster CNC cycle times. By working in combination with our S7-1500 PLC, the SINUMERIK ONE control delivers the best productivity and security in the industry. “In the case of NWI, the biggest technology change is the CNC. You get the biggest bang for your buck by focusing on retrofitting the electronic components,” Stiefel says.
Stiefel also emphasizes the time savings of a retrofit, which typically takes only 14 to 16 weeks
and limits downtime. “A new machine purchase might take between six months and two years,” he says. “With a retrofit focused on a new control system, not only do you save money, but you also save time, and you benefit from measurable productivity improvements.”
NWI employees find the digital-native SINUMERIK ONE control familiar. Its capabilities are similar to their previous tool, but light-years ahead in performance, achieving maximum machining speeds and improving path precision. “Every person who touches a Siemens SINUMERIK ONE is blown away by its processing speed,” says Jacob Benton, manufacturing engineer at NWI.
In addition to improving first part yield and productivity, retrofitting improves the user experience, capitalizing on the existing synergy between the machines and the skills of the team. “Staying with Siemens CNCs has helped us be consistent,” says Benton. “Standardization across the factory is very important for NWI. This decreases training requirements, improves flexibility, and standardizes maintenance and repair of parts.”
With its digital twin, SINUMERIK ONE provides a basis for future-oriented production with machine tools. “Using the digital twin, you get an exact example of how the program will run on the machine — even before making the first cut on the real machine,” says Robert Varney, Fives’ after-market engineering director.
Advanced SINUMERIK ONE cybersecurity features, designed to meet requirements for government contracts, are also important to NWI and its customers.
Upgrading still-viable equipment with the cutting-edge performance of SINUMERIK ONE is a model for all companies looking to maximize production. Siemens moves aerospace manufacturing forward in ways that are economical, duplicatable, and sustainable, and SINUMERIK ONE will ensure NWI stays atop their machining niche.
With the pioneering SINUMERIK ONE now powering its 10,000-rpm Cincinnati gantries, NWI will be even more efficient, helping the company increase its value to customers by focusing on innovation.
