Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE Technology used inside and outside the new Heathrow Terminal 2

Terminal 2, the new passenger terminal at Heathrow Airport opens to the public on 4 June. It features one of Europe's longest permanent sculptures, the 78 m Slipstream, by Royal Academician, Richard Wilson. It was made using the same Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE Technology that is instrumental to the design, development and production of the Boeing and Airbus aircraft that will carry many of the 20m passengers per year served by Heathrow's new Terminal 2.

Supported between 2 passenger walkways on 4 slim columns 18 m apart, the sculpture weighing around 77 tonnes represents flight. It contains 30,000 unique parts and uses more than 300,000 rivets. Each part was digitally modelled using 3DEXPERIENCE Technology. This ensured that the artist's design intent was retained during Slipstream's development. The use of this software meant that engineering issues, such as structural integrity, exact fit, alignment and centre of gravity were fully understood and resolved digitally before the physical form, comprising 23 separate sections, was made, delivered and installed.

Aerospace manufacturers use the same Dassault Systèmes 3D simulation software to define, communicate, collaborate and predict how their designs will perform. This means that, like Slipstream, they can be optimised before they are built for the best possible outcome.

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