Product Development How Rolls-Royce Benefits from a Digital Workflow and AI

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Siemens and Rolls-Royce demonstrate how unified collaboration from design to manufacturing can unlock entirely new potentials. The unified digital environment enables faster iterations, higher precision, and an optimized manufacturing process even for critical components.

At the Siemens booth at Hannover Messe 2025 and EMO 2025, the highlight was a Rolls-Royce engine. The engineers had optimized the lubrication and scavenge pump using Siemens software. But what made it special? The showcase demonstrated the capabilities of a cross-domain digital thread: the use of AI, simulation, and cloud-based collaboration from design to production not only improved the product itself but also reduced programming time.

But from the beginning: The engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce is undergoing a bold transformation, reshaping itself into a high-performing, competitive, resilient, and growing company. At the core of this development are digital technologies and AI, aimed at accelerating technical innovations, enhancing operational excellence, and unlocking new value. The impacts are already visible, such as in smarter engine designs or improved operations. However, there is still further potential. That is why Rolls-Royce is now collaborating with Siemens to explore how a reimagined production process can streamline development and improve the performance of one of its key components: the lubrication and scavenge pump.

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From the Digital Twin to the Flight-Ready Product

The lubrication and scavenge pump plays a crucial role as it generates and maintains hydraulic pressure to ensure the engine operates at maximum efficiency. It must function across a wide temperature range and withstand constant vibrations. At the same time, the pump must meet strict weight requirements and align with sustainability goals. To achieve this balance, a precisely coordinated process from design to manufacturing is essential for this critical aerospace engine component.

With traditional manufacturing methods, characterized by fragmented workflows, redundant efforts, and long lead times, it is often challenging to meet the precision, performance, and efficiency requirements necessary for next-generation aerospace components. Therefore, the design and production of the pump require an integrated, data-driven approach that seamlessly connects all phases from design concept to manufacturing.

Optimization of the Oil Pump for Flight Operation

The demonstrator at EMO showcased a conceptual Digital Thread, essentially a "digital red thread": it is based on a comprehensive digital twin, enabling seamless collaboration between design, development, manufacturing, and quality assurance. The end-to-end digital process behind it is supported by AI, simulation, and cloud-based manufacturing to make the component lighter, more robust, and more sustainable while ensuring safety and performance. And this is where Siemens software comes into play.

The process begins in Teamcenter, where all data, revisions, and approvals are managed at every stage to ensure the right information remains in the right hands, guaranteeing traceability and associativity.

In the CAD system NX, engineers can evaluate the model-based definition provided by Rolls-Royce before conducting further simulations. Using Simcenter Star-CCM+, the internal geometry is refined for optimal oil flow while simultaneously testing fatigue, stress, and durability under real operating conditions. These results feed directly into the topology optimization in NX, where an organic, lightweight structure is created that provides the necessary strength while also reducing material consumption.

Design Optimization for 3D Printing

After this design optimization, the component is prepared for additive manufacturing, optimizing print orientation, nesting, and support structures. The 3D printing simulation of the build process ensures that potential distortions are compensated. For post-processing after additive manufacturing, the component is subtractively finished using NX CAM. Here, the NX CAM Copilot, supported by Microsoft's AI solution, assists and accelerates CAM programming by suggesting optimal machining operations, tools, and parameters. This reduces programming time by up to 80 percent.

The process is validated through NC simulation and Run My Virtual Machine on a virtual Sinumerik One control to enable safe, collision-free machining. The component is then inspected automatically based on the model-based definition to ensure accuracy without manual setup.

By using a "single source of truth" throughout the entire process, a pump is created that is 25 percent lighter and 200 percent stiffer, with a safety factor of 9 compared to the original design – ready for performance and sustainability improvements in aerospace applications.