Aircraft production - intelligent automation at every phase
Fuselage sections of future aircraft are versatile regarding aspects like building principles, materials or system integration. However, their production will be highly automated to meet upcoming manufacturing demands regarding time, cost, quality and flexibility.
As part of a variety of research projects in the frame of LuFo, supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, FFT together with its partners is developing production systems for both metal and CFRP fuselage sections that range from handling of stringers over precise position of large components such as doppler sheets or window frames up to innovative joining of full-scale fuselage sections.
Thereby, in the context of an industrial utilization, the technologies can be integrated either into existing (brownfield) or entirely new production lines (greenfield). The projects can benefit from FFT’s diverse product portfolio related to tolerance measurement and optimization (BestFit, VisionView), lightweight grippers and structures (FibreTec3D, CarbonGripper), component transport (iGV) or digital process monitoring (FFTrace) as well as from FFT’s experience of more than 50 years in the design and development of intelligent production systems.
Flexible stringer perform handling
In the DHiiP project FFT moved flexible CFRP preforms and tool cores into a consolidation tool for producing stringers using an RTM process. The pick-up and handling of multi-part metallic cores and textile preforms led to specific requirements for the process automation, which could be met by a combination of vacuum, clamping and magnetic grippers. The deformability of the flexible semi-finished products created handling challenges in terms of placement accuracy, which could also be overcome by the gripper mechanism. In addition, a digital product twin was developed and integrated into the system control to provide data from upstream and to downstream processes.
Automated component integration
A new construction method for aluminum fuselage segments was investigated within the project ATON, which focused on automated deposition of adhesive-bonded doublers, window frames and stringers. First, the adhesive film was applied to the components. Following that, they were automatically placed on the fuselage skin. The adhesive application was implemented by the project partner Fraunhofer whereas FFT was responsible for the overall plant engineering, technology integration and system control including simulation and functional testing.
Two cooperating industrial robots were used for the automated, tolerance-compliant stringer handling in a full-scale demonstration near an industrial environment. By integrating FFT’s optical measuring system BestFit into FFT’s Carbon Gripper, it was possible to implement active tolerance compensation and meet the challenging process requirements. A third robot on a linear axis took care of the handling of the doublers and window frame.
In the follow-up project GREATER the technologies are currently further developed for spherical components and analyzed by the project partner Airbus Aerostructure within their R&D facilities, since they enable significant mass reductions and a high degree of automation.
Section assembly and system installation
A system for section assembly including system installation was developed in the SeMoSys project. The focus here was on a reduced assembly time and a higher degree of automation by shifting preparation activities outside the station and automating the transport using FFT’s iGV, while avoiding overhead crane operations. FFT was responsible for the entire concept, design and realization of the system. Presentation frames built from FFT’s lightweight FibreTec3D profiles, laser tracker shimmed contour blocks and a load optimized steel frame resulted in a high positioning accuracy. Arbitrary positioning of the longitudinal joints allows ergonomic working and optimal robot usage whereas replacing contour blocks enables easy adaptation to different shell geometries.
The tolerance concept was jointly developed with Fraunhofer IFAM, which performed all measurements. The partners Fraunhofer and PFW Hutchison set up system installations like pipe moduls. Thinking out of the box resulted in an innovative assembly station, which enables novel assembly processes and technologies with parallel system installation.
