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Gallery: Airbus opens fourth Hamburg A320 family FAL

June 15, 2018
Credit: Airbus

Airbus replaced fixed jigs with mobile tooling platforms (MTPs), on which aircraft sections and wings are placed. There are three pairs of MTPs for fuselage sections and two pairs for wings. Following the joining of the forward and rear fuselage sections at what is still called station 41, the two MTPs are laser-guided to jointly move in precision to avoid stress on the airframe. Station 40 is used to mate the wings to the fuselage.

Credit: Airbus

Another view of the mobile tooling platforms (MTPs).

Credit: Airbus

Holes for the circumferential joint between the fuselage sections are now drilled by two robots, which employees named “Luise” and “Renate.” 

Credit: Airbus

A higher degree of automation and robotics is used. Manual labor is much reduced in the process. About 80% of the 2,800 holes are to be drilled by the robots. This process takes about 17 to 18 hours. The aircraft stays in each station for two days – moving from one station to another takes two hours.

Credit: Kurt Hofmann

One of many Airbus A320neos that have not been delivered to the customer because of delayed deliveries from engine suppliers.

Credit: Kurt Hofmann

An A350-1000 test aircraft and an A320, both without engines at Finkenwerder.

Credit: Kurt Hofmann

Airbus A320 program head Klaus Roewe speaks at the press conference. He said up to 10 A320s could be built per month in the new production line from 2019 onward.

Credit: Kurt Hofmann

The layout of the new A320 production line at Hamburg Finkenwerder. Airbus believes it has now defined the blueprint for future new product lines and technologies it can back feed into its legacy system.

Credit: Kurt Hofmann

Airbus workers joined the official opening ceremony.

Credit: Kurt Hofmann

A walk through the new production line for Airbus A320 family aircraft.

Credit: Kurt Hofmann

Air Asia A320. The engines for the aircraft will be installed at this station.

Credit: Kurt Hofmann

Frank Rocksien, head of the fourth A320 assembly line, explains project details.

Credit: Kurt Hofmann

One of the two robots, named "Luise."

Credit: Kurt Hofmann

"Luise." These kind of robotics will play an important role in digitalization and more automation across Airbus’ production system in the future.

Credit: Kurt Hofmann

From left: Airbus Commercial head-Germany Klaus Richter; Airbus A320 family program head Klaus Roewe; Hamburg senator of economy Frank Horch; Airbus Commercial president Guillaume Faury; and Airbus A320 family FAL head Olaf Lawrenz.

Credit: Kurt Hofmann

Under construction, an Airbus A321 for Vietnam-based VietJet. 

Credit: Kurt Hofmann

The TV screen demonstrates how aircraft parts can be shifted around from one station to the next. To date, six aircraft have been completed at the new production line, with a seventh to leave the new line imminently.

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Airbus has inaugurated the fourth Hamburg A320 family production line. Making use of digital technologies and a more flexible industrial set-up, the state-of-the-art line is a key enabler for ramping up the single-aisle program to 60 aircraft per month by mid-2019.

ATW correspondent Kurt Hofmann was on-site at the Airbus factory in Hamburg Finkenwerder

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