Aerospace Manufacturing Embraces Robotics

Industrial robot The aerospace industry has long relied on labor-intensive, manual assembly processes that involve elevated platform and scaffolding work. Mobility is necessary to reach all parts of a large aircraft, but spaces are confined within individual structures. Production designs for long-term manufacturing programs have often been the norm for a decade or more. Traditionally, there has been little room for automation.

Now, with the help of robotics, that tradition is beginning to change. Modern robots offer the means to bring automation into new manufacturing processes for a new generation of programs. The potential cost savings and safety benefits are impressive.

Protecting an expert workforce

Assembly and inspection shift work can be complicated. Specific needs such as high tolerances, small production volumes, and a long life expectancy for the product prevent aerospace manufacturers from employing the level of automation that has become so prevalent in the automotive industry.

Furthermore, aerospace work demands a skilled workforce yet is physically taxing. As workers with valuable expertise age, the physical demands — lifting, twisting, and dealing with large, unwieldy parts — can put them at increased physical risk for repetitive stress or back injury.

Engineering.com notes that manufacturers are turning to robotics to improve efficiency and quality as well as to reduce the cost of complex assembly processes. Robots can also provide a solution for skilled labor shortages and improve ergonomics for production line workers, or even free them completely for “value-added” tasks.

Industrywide innovation

Large aerospace manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Pratt & Whitney are pursuing robotic research and development efforts to take advantage of these potential benefits. These industry giants are involved in the following notable projects:

The Airbus FUTURASSY project includes two areas of research: automated assembly processes and collaborative robots that work side by side with humans on the aeronautical assembly line.

Boeing is investing heavily in automation, testing its Fuselage Automated Upright Build technology for robotic rivet-drilling on 777 fuselages. This technology could be put into production as soon as this year.

Lockheed Martin is investing extensively in research and development of robotics systems, both for its own manufacturing and for clients.

Pratt & Whitney is using robots for traditional manual coating and deburring applications. The company is developing a new geared turbofan engine and using automation methods from the auto industry to help guarantee quality and productivity.

Delta Sigma’s robotics expertise

Delta Sigma Company (DSC) is playing a leading role in developing innovative robotics solutions for the aerospace industry. Our robotics ETO projects span the full spectrum of potential uses in the aerospace industry:

F-22 vertical stabilizer drilling machine — DSC developed software that converts CATIA vector and position data and merges it with a fastener database and process control-spec database. This software package can convert virtually any 3-D data file into the motion profile program for an articulated arm or gantry positioning system. Adhesive application machines, drilling, part placement, and other applications can benefit from the ability to merge a complex data set with other data that provides instructions based on a particular position or vector. This software system has reduced the span time and labor involved with drilling.

F-22 fuselage mate system — This vision-guided alignment system includes 110 axes of servo-controlled motion and 16 DVT smart cameras. The system consists of three skates supporting three fuselage sections at each of four stations. The alignment requires high precision in six degrees of freedom, simultaneously, across four large surfaces on two separate bodies. This system significantly reduced the span time and personnel required to align and mate the fuselage and improved the quality of the mate over the original manual align and mate system.

Robotic adhesive dispenser — This system creates bond lines for a Daimler (formerly Freightliner) truck roof. The system is a six-axis robot that includes three linear axes designed and built by DSC, as well as three axes from a Kuka KR16.

It’s clear that the aerospace industry is finally warming up to robotics and the efficiency, productivity, ergonomics, and cost savings benefits robotic automation brings to aerospace manufacturing processes. With the major aerospace players investing in robotics and companies like DSC enhancing their robotics capabilities, it’s only a matter of time before robots become commonplace in complex assembly operations.

[cta]To discuss how DSC can help you find or develop automation to make aerospace assembly operations better, faster, and cheaper, call DSC at (770) 575-5100 or email info@deltasigmacompany.com.[/cta]