Airbus has inaugurated a highly automated fuselage assembly line at its A320 factory in Hamburg, Germany. The new line features a digital data acquisition system, 20 robots, automated guided vehicles, and automated positioning by laser measurement.
At the start of the line, eight robots drill and countersink 1,100 to 2,400 holes per longitudinal joint. In the next step, 12 robots, each operating on seven axes, combine the center and aft fuselage sections with the tail to form one major component. The robots drill, countersink, seal and insert 3,000 rivets per orbital joint.