GKN leads project to automate aircraft wing assembly
GKN Aerospace is leading a project that could cut the time it takes to assemble aircraft structures by 30%.
The UK firm believes that by introducing next generation automation techniques, aircraft parts such as wing structures could be manufactured at a much quicker rate than is currently possible and to a much higher standard.
Richard Oldfield, GKN's technical director, said: "As an industry, we must step up production rates to meet future demand whilst ensuring the structures we design and build meet ever more demanding aircraft performance requirements.
"This STeM project is enabling GKN and our partners to evolve and assess a number of promising assembly technologies and processes that could give us the performance, tolerances, affordability and integrity we will need in the coming decades."
Among the novel processes being progressed through the STeM initiative are: lightweight fixturing, reconfigurable tooling, automated part positioning, assisted deposition of sealant, metrology assisted robotics, lightweight drilling heads, lightweight fastening heads for single sided fasteners, automated scanning for accurate countersink drilling and automated fastener inspection.
An advanced winglet has also been created in collaboration with the advanced manufacturing research centre (AMRC) at Sheffield University and NIKON Metrology.
