Bae Systems, Inc.

Graham Peter Coulier

Jonathan Michael Carberry

Alistair James Fletcher

A method of producing a component part () of an aircraft airframe (), the method comprising: providing a first digital model, the first digital model being a digital model of the component part (); producing an initial physical part using the first digital model; measuring a surface of the initial physical part; creating a second digital model using the measurements of the surface of the initial physical part, the second digital model being a digital model of the initial physical part; specifying one or more fastener holes () in the second digital model; and drilling one or more fastener holes () in the initial physical part using the second digital model with the one or more fastener holes specified therein, thereby producing the component part () of an aircraft airframe ().

Method and apparatus for producing component parts of aircraft airframes

An assembly method comprising: providing a digital model of an aircraft airframe (), the digital model comprising digital models of component parts () of the airframe (); providing the component parts (), each comprising one or more predrilled fastener holes; fixing a first component part () to a support structure (); fixing a second component part () to an end effector () of a robot arm (); using the airframe digital model, controlling the robot arm () to move the second component part () relative to the first component () as specified in the airframe digital model to cause one or more predrilled holes in the second component () part to align with one or more predrilled holes in the first component part (); and attaching the second component part () to the first component part () using fasteners through the aligned predrilled holes.

Growing community of inventors

Balderstone, United Kingdom

Graham Peter Coulier