Working in collaboration with Airbus UK R&T, KUKA are responsible for the delivery and performance of the entire flexible automation system for the assembly of the ALCAS (Advanced Low Cost Aircraft Structures) lateral wing; to be assembled at Airbus’ Filton site in the UK.

The KUKA system is intended to demonstrate state-of-the-art, flexible automation functionality, in order to validate the capability for future aircraft manufacturing concepts.

KUKA’s solutions include gantry mounted robots for upper-cover drilling and rib-to-cover interface management; moveable robot platform for lower cover drilling; OmniMove unit for component and robot transport; and full systems-integration.

Technical Data

• Lateral Wing: 12 Rib Bays; Horizontal Assembly
• Material: CFC and Aluminium
• Key Outcomes: Develop Automated Assembly
• Solutions to Support Horizontal Assembly
• Demonstrator: Utilised as Part of the Next Generation Composite Wing (NGCW) Programme

Components

• Automation Systems Integration
• Prime-Contractor Responsibility
• Operator Control & Safety System
• Integration of High-Level Gantry with Robots
• Design and Provision of Robot-Platform
• Adaptation of KUKA OmniMove to Minimise Crane Usage
• KUKA’s ‘Fettling End-effector’ for Interface Management
• KUKA Multi-Functional Robot End-Effector for Drilling, Hole Inspection and Fastener Insertion
• Top-Cover Robot Automation for Fettling and Drilling
• Lower-Cover Robot Automation for Drilling
• Accuracy Controlled via “Adaptive Guidance”
• OmniMove for Lower-Cover Robot Platform, for Transporting Lower-Cover Frame,  for Final Wing Extraction, and for Manipulating the Exechon PKM.
• Orbital and Axial Drilling in One End-Effector
• Tool Management with Balluff Chips´
• Special Drill-Tooling Development for Hybrid Materials