Assembly in Action: Friction Stir Welding Replaces Rivets
Eclipse Aviation Corp. (Albuquerque, NM) is using MTS Systems Corp.’s (Eden Prairie, MN) Eclipse 500 friction stir welding system to assemble the lower cabin of the Eclipse 500, a six-person, twin-engine jet. The 33-foot plane features a 36-foot wingspan.
Eclipse Aviation awarded the contract to MTS Systems for its friction stir welding system. This is the first time this technology has been used to fabricate aircraft structures.