Published 5/4/2017

Airbus, Dassault Systèmes Hold Dual Grand Openings at Wichita State University

The two companies kicked off their respective residencies on WSU’s campus with facilities intended to collaborate with students and faculty in education and industry research.

Edited by: MMS Editorial Team

One of the grand openings was to launch the Airbus Americas Wichita Engineering Center, which has moved to Wichita State University's Innovation Campus. Photo courtesy of Racepoint Global.

A presentation within Dassault Systèmes’ 3DExperience Center, which also opened within WSU's Innovation Campus. The center is a partnership between Dassault and WSU's National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR). Photo courtesy of Racepoint Global.

Grand opening events for Airbus’ and Dassault Systèmes’ new sites at Wichita State University (WSU; Wichita Kansas) were held Thursday, April 27, 2017, commemorating the corporations’ official residency on Wichita State’s Innovation Campus development.

WSU President John Bardo says, “This is the beginning of a new era at Wichita State University, an opportunity for students to work alongside experienced professionals, gaining knowledge about the tools and processes used by industry. We see these partnerships as a model for future partnerships in areas such as business, education, health professions, arts and sciences.”

As WSU Innovation Campus partners, Airbus Engineering and Dassault Systèmes have access to campus support infrastructure, including research labs, meeting facilities, education/training opportunities and collaboration with faculty, staff, students and business entities on campus.

These advantages are said to have been key to the decision to move the Airbus Americas Wichita Engineering Center to WSU’s Innovation Campus in early 2017. The company’s two-story, 90,000-square-foot building houses 300 employees working on all Airbus commercial aircraft products, including significant design work on the next-generation A350 XWB. Airbus also collaborates with Wichita State to take full advantage of the university's applied learning model, which engages students in real-world engineering projects, helps develop critical engineering skills and provides students with experience (while also boosting Airbus' competitiveness).

Dassault Systèmes, known for its 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock Up and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, will engage the technology and staff in the new 3DExperience Center to advance the use of new technologies such as additive manufacturing that the company says will shape the future of the manufacturing industry.

The 3DExperience Center, a partnership between WSU’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) and Dassault, first announced in 2015, is intended to bring together students, researchers and industry, using the company’s 3DExperience platform and industry solution experiences to enable 3D advanced product development, virtual simulation and next-generation manufacturing.

“Our partnership with Wichita State University is a model for how public institutions and businesses can work together for the advancement of new technologies,” says Michel Tellier, vice president of aerospace and defense industry with Dassault.

Key capabilities of the center include engineered new materials development, multi-scale simulation and optimization, Multi-Robotic Advanced Manufacturing (MRAM), and on-demand certification, the company says. The collaboration is devoted to accelerating virtual product development, manufacturing and technology innovation with both aviation and non-aviation companies on projects large or small, whether developing manufacturing or product development strategies, implementing new technology or solving a specific challenge.