KUKA 's flexible robotic solution for wing manufacture

KUKA, the automation specialist, has developed a flexible robotic solution for a variety of drilling and fastening tasks on the upper and lower wing covers of a lateral wing box demonstration unit, being built at the Airbus facility in Filton.

KUKA's collaboration with Airbus is part of the Advanced Low Cost Aircraft Structures (ALCAS) project, a €100 million EC-backed research scheme that aims to identify new composite manufacturing and assembly strategies.

One of the project's main objectives is to improve efficiency by using a horizontal wing build philosophy, instead of the conventional vertical manual method, a time-consuming and labour-intensive process.

An assembly system has been developed that utilises KUKA's 18 tonne payload OmniMove, a mobile positioning device that provides an alternative to using a crane for manoeuvring the carbon fibre wing covers into the jig.

The OmniMove is also used to position a pair of platform-mounted KUKA robots for drilling holes in the lower wing cover, with an identical pair of robots installed on a high-level gantry for the upper wing.

Two of the robots have adaptive guidance devices for monitoring the accuracy of the drill head position, while the other two robots drill holes from 6 mm to 22 mm diameter through material thicknesses up to 110 mm.

The wing box is due to be delivered to Toulouse this summer to undergo a series of rigorous structural tests. The results will then be evaluated by Airbus to determine if the robotic technology is suitable for use in aircraft manufacture.

The ALCAS project will also feed into the Next Generation Composite Wing (NGCW) programme, a multi-million pound research project headed by Airbus and involving 16 other companies including KUKA.

KUKA will be demonstrating its latest automation solutions at the Farnborough International Air Show, 19-25 July.

Author
Michael Richards

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