Robots to help assist in aircraft assembly line

Till date, aircraft have been put together in huge assembly cells. However, these facilities are expensive and time-consuming.

Fraunhofer researchers, according to a release, have come up with a flexible assembly-line concept that features robots, working in the same way they do in automotive production.

Aircraft parts are enormous. Individual fuselage segments alone can measure up to 10 metres or more. But they need to be fitted together with utmost precision. The maximum deviation from plan that aircraft manufacturers can tolerate is 0.2 millimeters—on components that weigh several tonnes. To position the giant parts accurately, manufacturers rely on massive production facilities called assembly cells.