Portable Industrial Robot For Aircraft Assembly Developed

These prizes are given in the forth European Manufacturing Strategies summit, which will be held in Düsseldorf (Germany) between the 6th and 9th October, date in which will be know the award winner.

The machine, created by the technological Basque centre, denominated Roptalmu, consists of a lightweight and portable robot for drilling holes in the manufacturing stage of long aeronautic components such as wing-like spars. This machine will compete in the awards with creations of relevant companies such as SAP, Bombardier, HP, Rockwell o Procter & Gamble, in the Innovation category, which will be sponsored by Microsoft.

The main robot innovation from Fatronik-Tecnalia is based on its mobility, which allows that the component of the plane in which the robot is working could remain tied to its workholder, with only the robot manoeuvring. As this is a mobile robot, avoid the transport of huge pieces and workholder inside the manufacturing floor, a fact which grants a great advantage in front of heavy, fixed conventional machine tool.

The system Developed by the Industrial Systems Unit of Fatronik-Tecnalia is formed by an automatic moving platform and a three-axes drilling robot. Once the platform is positioned close the part to drill, the drilling robot is attached to the part's tooling and can automatically crawl along it. The developed system is flexible and autonomous enough to adapt to a large variety of aircraft components. The robot is able of drilling typical material used in aeronautics such as aluminium, titanium and carbon fibre.

Apart from the technical characteristics, the jury from the Strategic Manufacturing Awards has taken into account that the robot improves notably its productivity while reducing time and costs. Normally, the huge aeronautical pieces have hundred or thousands holes which are needed for its assembly, and traditionally are made manually or with semiautomatic tools. With Fatronik-Tecnalia´s robot is manage to do it automatically and also improves the working and safety conditions of the aeronautical employees.

In the business summit from the last years European Manufacturig Strategies the Technological Centre of Fatronik-Tecnalia was represented by the speaker participation of the Scientific Politic Director, Rikardo Bueno, who before 500 relevant attendees such as BMW and Airbus, presented Manufuture, the European technological platform about the manufacturing future technologies.

The Strategic Manufacturing Awards belong to the European Manufacturig Strategies, to the one assists managers from the most prestigious international companies. In this years conference will take part in the production managers from ones of the most important companies of the world in different sectors such as Bombardier, Microsoft, Rockwell, Coca-Cola, Fujifilm, Avon Cosmetics, Henkel, Kraft, Michelin or Nestlé, among others.

SOURCE: Industrial Systems