Is Automated Aircraft Assembly A Realistic Concept?

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The aircraft industry as a whole has consistently led the way in developing high tech solutions to increase overall production and decrease the time needed for production. The latest example can be found by looking at the widespread use of composite materials in aircraft construction. While high strength, low weight composites have been around for many years, it has taken this long to perfect the formula for use in aircraft construction. Since an aircraft is built to such tight tolerances, designers must be absolutely certain that their materials will work in every possible situation. Many people have often questioned why automation has not been utilized more widely within the aircraft manufacturing industry and there are a few logical answers. The main argument that is most logical is that if the automotive industry can figure out how to utilize robotic machinery for assembling cars & trucks, why can’t the aircraft industry do the same. While this may seem like a good comparison on the surface, when you dig a little deeper you see why this is not such a great example. Another likely factor in the whole automation argument is that the companies will face the backlash from workers whose jobs are replaced by robots and other machinery. When you put all of these factors together it becomes a little more clear as to why we have not seen more widespread automation throughout the aircraft manufacturing sector.

One of the biggest challenges of trying to integrate robotic automation systems into the aircraft manufacturing process is the sheer size of the components. When it comes to automotive assembly the biggest component is only several feet long and weighs less than 1,000 pounds. This is compared to full size aircraft which are assembled in sections weighing several tons and spanning distances similar to the length of your home. Not only does the sheer size of the component parts pose a potential problem but the fact remains that aircraft need to adhere to extremely tight tolerances in order to maintain absolutely perfect handling and performance characteristics. While these are certainly a unique set of challenges, they are not insurmountable, just a big project to undertake. It would seem likely that one of the major aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing or Airbus would have developed a solution to increase the automation in factories, but up to this point there have been no sweeping changes in this regard. However, a team of developers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials has put a significant amount of time and effort into developing a system to revolutionize the aircraft manufacturing industry.

Their newly developed system would replace the traditional assembly cell system, which requires extensive renovation and retooling of factory space when switching manufacturing from one model to another. The idea that Fraunhofer has put forth is dubbed as a flexible assembly line model that relies upon robotic grippers attached to a single arm. While this type of system would need to be reconfigured when switching from one model to another, it would take far less time than traditional methods. This system does have some similarities to what is found on automobile assembly lines but this is a truly unique solution catered to the challenges of aircraft manufacturing. They plan to demonstrate some of the capabilities of this system at the upcoming Composites Europe Trade Fair being held in Stuttgart, Germany from September 27-29. It would likely take a great deal of additional testing and research before any manufacturer where to introduce this system into their factories. However, it would not be a great surprise if this system started to see use in the assembly of new aircraft within a few years.