Crawler Robots for Drilling and Fastener Installation: An Innovative Breakthrough in Aerospace Automation

摘要

<div class="htmlview paragraph">Looking at ways to improve assembly techniques and cut lead times for serial and future programs, Airbus' research and technology team launched a project some years ago to evaluate greater automation of sub-components or final assembly lines.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The idea was to develop a new type of machine or ‘robot’ that could be attached to fuselage sections using suction cups, and walk along it while drilling and installing fasteners. A camera inside the robot takes a snapshot to work out its position on the part, so that it knows where to drill or install what. Once a fixed working area is complete, the robot moves itself into a new position and starts the process again until the whole surface is covered.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Three companies - Alema, MTorres and Serra - were approached to develop prototype robots along the same basic principles, although each was asked to follow a slightly different specification to test a range of options, such as weight, size and positioning. Each company developed a ‘crawler’ robot in conjunction with an Airbus team in Germany, France and Spain.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The prototypes were put through their paces together in a series of comparative tests, conducted in Toulouse in October 2007, which Airbus dubbed as the ‘crawler robot race’.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The goal of this paper is to describe this project starting by Airbus requirements and concluding by main results gained from the ‘crawler robot race’. In addition the 3 suppliers provide brief technical descriptions of the 3 prototype robots in order to explain the differences of each solution.</div>