More than a decade ago, Northrop Grumman adopted production technology from the auto industry and unveiled an automated assembly line to mass-produce fuselages for the F-35 jet fighter.
EVERETT, WA—Boeing’s 777X Composite Wing Center here marks a significant step toward a future in which much of an aircraft assembly plant’s work is done by automated machines and robots.
Airbus is investing in automation to tackle huge backlogs for its commercial jetliners. Bernard Duprieu, head of manufacturing technologies research at the Airbus Centre of Competence, Industrial Strategy and System, tells ASSEMBLY about the company’s FuturAssy automation strategy.
MOBILE, AL—Broetje Automation, a supplier of automated machinery for aircraft assembly, has opened a facility here to support Airbus’ new assembly plant.
SEATTLE—Boeing has been granted a patent for a fully automated assembly system for making airplane fuselages. The system consists of six assembly cells, a feeder line, and a robot holding area.
PALMDALE, CA—Assemblers at Northrop Grumman Corp.’s plant here recently started to use an optical projection system to build the center fuselage of the F-35 Lighting II fighter jet. The facility was the recipient of ASSEMBLY’s 2013 Assembly Plant of the Year award.
SEATTLE—Boeing and the University of Washington are taking their collaboration to greater heights with a new campus research center where doctoral engineering students, UW professors and Boeing engineers will work side by side on projects focused on automating aircraft assembly processes.
EVERETT, WA—Kuka Aerospace plans to open a new 29,000-square-foot facility here adjacent to Boeing’s assembly plant. The facility will employ 75 people when fully operational.
