Automated assembly of fuselage skin panels

Purpose - This paper aims to describe the development and testing of a system for the automated assembly of aircraft fuselage panels. Design/methodology/approach - The system described in this paper uses a low-cost industrial robot and laser stripe sensor to assemble stringers on to a fuselage panel prior to riveting. The method uses a combination of measurement and best fit placement algorithms to optimally locate parts relative to existing features. Findings - The paper demonstrates that with a combination of metrology and mathematical processing standard industrial robots can be used to assemble aero-structure subassemblies. The paper also demonstrates that the system can work within the tolerances required within the aerospace industry. Originality/value - The paper introduces techniques for compensating for the inherent distortion that occurs in airframe components during manufacture. This is an enabling technology that will significantly increase the number of possible applications for industrial robots in the assembly of aero-structures.