Robotized assembly and inspection of composite fuselage panels: the LABOR project approach

Abstract

Abstract The aerospace manufacturing is looking at ways to change their production processes in order to improve costs, flexibility and efficiency. The LABOR project, acronym for Lean robotized AssemBly and cOntrol of composite aeRostructures, aims at introducing robotic solutions for the assembly line of fuselage panels adopting medium size robots equipped with smart tools, Human Robot collaboration approach and a distributed software architecture. The system consists of a jig that holds the panel to be assembled, two 6-axis robots mounted on moving platforms in order to reach the whole panel and real time measurements to perform the quality control of the assembled components. The cell automatically performs the referencing of the robot working area on the basis of the recognition of geometric features of the parts to be coupled (edges, holes, etc.) through the use of 3D smart inspection tools. After the ”one shot” drilling and countersinking operations, the hole is processed to guarantee a high standard of the process. Installation and sealing of the fastener complete the working cycle. Furthermore, an advanced multimodal perception system monitors the collaborative workspace in real time for safe human-robot collaboration (HRC) tasks. The project started in March 2018 as part of the European Clean Sky 2 research program. Three partners – LOCCIONI, UNICAMPANIA and UNISA – are developing the prototype cell in collaboration with LEONARDO S.P.A. that is the Topic Manager.