Technologies For Factory Of The Future

Brian Brown, associate director of the CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing) Lab at Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), uses Dassault Systemes software and equipment from Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence to scan the wing of a commercial aircraft.

Jeff Fisher, manager of the Virtual Reality Center at NIAR, demonstrates the Dassault Systemes software that can display realistic 3-D virtual interiors and exteriors of aircraft structural models.

Bullen Ultrasonics uses a variety of advanced tools in the production of parts for multiple industries, such as this custom-made automated ultrasonic machine for manufacturing ceramic matrix composite components for the aerospace industry.

Robin Brown of Bullen Ultrasonics inspects glass products used for Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems pressure sensors for aerospace, automotive, industrial and medical customers.

In December, Airbus took delivery of an EBAM 110 electron beam additive-manufacturing machine from U.S. company Sciaky to 3-D-print titanium airframe structural components. The machine can produce parts up to 19 ft. long, depositing up to 20 lb. of metal an hour using an electron beam to melt wire.

Northrop Grumman’s integrated assembly line for F-35 center fuselages, in El Segundo, California, was inspired by automation systems used by U.S. motor vehicle manufacturers and was developed in partnership with industrial robotics specialist KUKA Systems North America.

Lockheed Martin is building a digital infrastructure across the company to support a vision of the factory of the future that stretches from design to manufacture and on into sustainment, with the goal of making weapon systems more affordable and enabling rapid technology insertion.

Under the European Futurassy research project, Airbus has looked at expanding automation of assembly using robots. Here, under the Collaborative Robots project theme, a two-arm humanoid robot is used to perform repetitive tasks, freeing up the skilled worker to focus on higher-value tasks.

An early step in Airbus’s factory of the future plan was the introduction of radio-frequency identification tags on components and tools to track and visualize production processes in real time. The technology was deployed initially on wing-assembly and final-assembly lines in France and the UK.