Weight on a helicopter translates directly into mission compromise. Every excess gram on an armament mount subtracts from ammunition capacity, sensor payload, or operational range. The swing-arm assembly in this case study had to endure punishing conditions: vertical G-loads during aggressive maneuvering, lateral shock from weapon recoil, and thousands of fatigue cycles in corrosive field environments. The original part, a machined steel block, met all functional requirements but carried mass that physics did not demand.

The client faced a familiar constraint matrix. Casting would require expensive tooling and weeks of lead time. Machining from billet meant material waste and geometry limited to what cutters could reach. Titanium offered weight savings but at significant cost premium. Without a way to rapidly test these trade-offs, the path of least resistance was to accept the existing design.

This case study follows how the engineering team used Cognitive Design to break that pattern and compress a 12-week engineering cycle down to 2 weeks. Starting from the legacy geometry, they defined preservation zones for pivot interfaces and locking mechanisms, then launched parallel topology studies across machining, casting, and additive pathways. Material comparisons between Ti-6Al-4V and Stainless Steel ran concurrently, with manufacturability rules embedded from the first optimization pass.

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Results Achieved

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32% mass reduction

‍The optimized Stainless Steel swing arm achieved a 30% reduction in mass compared to the original design, dropping from 2.45 kg to 1.71 kg while maintaining torsional rigidity within 2% of specification and reducing peak stress by 8%.

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83% faster engineering

By integrating simulation, topology optimization, and manufacturability analysis into a single workflow, the team compressed engineering lead time from 12 weeks to 2 weeks. Parallel evaluation of material candidates and manufacturing pathways replaced the sequential CAD/FEA/manufacturing review cycles that typically stretch concept-to-production timelines.

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Tooling eliminated

‍The organic, self-supporting topology removed the need for casting dies or complex fixturing, enabling rapid production of flight-ready components without capital-intensive tooling investments.

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