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The robotics of the industry is a great step forward. In aeronautics, robotics processes are indispensable in production. Because safety is essential in the industry, aircraft manufacturers are focused on achieving maximum precision. However, cost is an obstacle in determining priorities in the value chain.
The importance of robotics in aeronautics
For a very long time, aircraft manufacturing remained very manual. Today, for all manufacturing tasks, aeronautical robots and industrial automata are indispensable in this sector.
Robotics is used to increase the safety, productivity and value of human effort. Tools that provide integrated guidance, feedback and better handling can provide a competitive advantage in terms of cost savings, while providing a better working environment. In some cases, hazardous steps can be fully automated to reduce the hazard while maintaining production targets.
The challenges of robotics in the aerospace industry
In the aviation market, demand for aircraft is on the rise and will continue to be in the coming years. These new technologies do not allow for such rapid and cost-effective production to meet increased demand.
Although automation has progressed and only a small part of the assembly process is done manually, it is responsible for most of the losses observed during the manufacturing process. These losses can be small at the individual level but they are on a larger scale, generating considerable losses such as loss of equipment.
So precision is one of the first things that automation can do. In fact, by providing more efficient tools, a team’s productivity is positively impacted. Thanks to this, the manufacturing process is also more coherent, while improving production time, reducing waste and increasing the flexibility of the process.
As a result, staff will be able to devote more time and attention to quality. This helps to reduce the potential losses that may occur when poor tools result in unexpected errors.
Robotics at Airbus
Airbus, the aeronautical giant, presented its new fuselage structure assembly line, intended to accompany the ramp-up of the A320 family. “Increasing the use of robotics allows us to implement faster and more efficient manufacturing processes while continuing to focus on quality,” said Michael Schoellhorn, Airbus Director of Operations. “
A total of 20 robots will be present on the assembly line of the Hamburg site, where the A321LR are built. The machines will be combined with new logistics, an automatic positioning system by laser measurement and a digital data collection system. This set that will work without any human intervention.
The Airbus single aisle is expected to increase from 57 to 60 aircraft produced per month to 63 in 2021. An increase in production that promotes robotics, but also employment. Because the arrival of the machines did not replace the men and the Hamburg site recently hired more than a thousand people. Robots will not replace humans, but increasing the production of single aisles cannot be achieved without more robotics,’ explains Michael Schoellhorn.
Learn more about the evolution of the manufacturing process by clicking here.
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