A method for assembly manufacturing including positioning a workpiece in an assembly position within an operational cell, positioning a fastening machine relative to the workpiece, wherein the fastening machine includes a robot frame comprising a throat, an assembly end effector coupled to the frame about the throat, and a plurality of linear actuators coupled to the frame, moving, by the plurality of linear actuators, the fastening machine about at least one of six degrees of freedom to receive at least a portion of the workpiece within the throat and position the assembly end effector relative to the workpiece, and performing, by the fastening machine, a fastening operation on the workpiece.

The disclosure relates to a processing installation for aircraft structural components having at least one processing station, wherein the processing station has a clamping frame which extends along a longitudinal station axis for receiving the aircraft structural component which is intended to be processed in each case and a processing unit, such as a riveting unit, for processing the aircraft structural component and wherein the clamping frame is articulated so as to be adjustable in terms of height and pivotable to two positioning towers which are arranged in a vertical tower plane. It is proposed that there be provided transversely relative to the tower plane a transverse offset of the clamping frame which enables an aircraft structural component to be loaded onto and/or unloaded from the clamping frame along the tower plane and at least one positioning tower to be passed laterally.

A manufacturing system for producing airplane structural components, including a drilling unit for producing bores in a material assembly made of at least two material plies for the purposes of inserting fastening elements and having a measuring unit for ascertaining geometry parameters for a previously produced bore. The measuring unit includes measuring electronics with an optical sensor element, a measuring optical unit and a measuring lance. The measuring unit produces an optical measurement beam that emerges from the measuring lance via the measuring optical unit and that is incident on a measurement point on the respective bore inner surface. A measurement movement between measuring lance and material assembly is provided in a measurement cycle and the measuring unit cyclically ascertains distance values to various measurement points at a scanning rate during the measurement movement and ascertains at least one geometry parameter for the respective bore from the distance values.

A method of connecting a first component and a second component with the aid of an auxiliary joining part, wherein the auxiliary joining part is formed from a pin and a plate. A position of intended fracture is present between the plate and the pin. The first component, the second component and the auxiliary joining part are brought into a stacked arrangement such that the plate contacts the first component and the pin projects away from the side of the plate remote from the first component. A force is exerted on the pin of the auxiliary joining part in the direction towards the stacked components which leads to a fracture at a position of intended fracture and the pin is used in order to pierce slugs from the stacked components. The end of the pin which is pressed through the second component, and/or a washer which is optionally provided there, is deformed in order to provide a form-locked connection to the second component or to a washer which is provided there. Furthermore, an auxiliary joining part is claimed.

The method includes the step of positioning the sheets in an at least partially overlapping relationship. The method continues with the step of inserting a rivet that has a height through an overlapping area of the sheets. The method proceeds with the step of, with the rivet at a temperature in the range of 15-30° Celsius, collapsing the rivet between a pair of ramming surfaces to shorten the rivet and partially expand the rivet outwardly to lock the rivet with the sheets. The entire method results in a very strong connection between the sheets and with a great durability at a low cost.

The invention relates to a riveting machine comprising a piercing tool (52), an upper sheet clamp (71), and a lower sheet clamp (21), mounted movable relative to each other in the direction of bringing said sheet clamps (71, 21) closer to each other, an upper riveting tool (51) and a lower riveting tool (29) for flaring a rivet disposed inside an orifice formed through the parts (8) to be riveted. The upper sheet clamp (71) has a passage opening (72) facing which the drilling tool (52) is adapted to be positioned to enable said drilling tool (52) to pierce an area of said parts (8) clamped between the upper sheet clamp (71) and the lower sheet clamp (21). The upper sheet clamp (71) and the lower sheet clamp (21) are mounted movable relative to each other along a direction transverse to the piercing axis. The invention also relates to a riveting method.

There is provided an automated rivet apparatus for installing a semi-tubular fastener rivet. The apparatus includes a numerical control (NC) drilling and riveting machine and a controller. The NC drilling and riveting machine includes a lower head having a lower pressure bushing, a lower drill spindle, and a lower anvil to apply an upset force to a tail portion of the semi-tubular fastener rivet. The NC drilling and riveting machine further includes an upper head having an upper pressure bushing, an upper drill spindle, and an upper anvil that holds the semi-tubular fastener rivet to insert the semi-tubular fastener rivet in a rivet-receiving hole. The lower drill spindle countersinks the rivet-receiving hole from a lower side of a workpiece. The controller directs movement of a nose of the lower anvil to apply the upset force and form a predetermined flare contour in the tail portion within a lower countersink.

A tool for installing a blind fastener including a core bolt and a core nut is provided. The tool includes a driving member, a collet driven by the driving member for engaging the core bolt, and an external sleeve for holding the core nut and preventing the core nut from rotating during installation of the blind fastener. The external sleeve is movable between a first position in which the external sleeve is driven by the collet to rotate with the collet and a second position in which the external sleeve is stationary despite rotating action of the collet.

A shank-fastener apparatus comprises a shank-fastener housing, a shank-fastener turret, an indexing-pin assembly, a drill, and a shank-fastener delivery assembly. The shank-fastener turret is supported by the shank-fastener housing and is selectively rotatable relative to the shank-fastener housing about a shank-fastener-turret rotation axis (A). The indexing-pin assembly is supported by the shank-fastener housing and is selectively movable relative to the shank-fastener housing between an indexing-pin-assembly extended position and an indexing-pin-assembly retracted position along an indexing-pin-assembly axis (B) that is parallel to the shank-fastener-turret rotation axis (A). The drill is supported by the shank-fastener turret and is selectively movable relative to the shank-fastener turret along a drill axis (C) that is parallel to the shank-fastener-turret rotation axis (A). The shank-fastener delivery assembly also supported by the shank-fastener turret.

A method and apparatus for positioning an end effector relative to a fuselage assembly. The end effector is positioned relative to an expected reference location for a reference point on the fuselage assembly using data from a first metrology system. After positioning the end effector relative to the expected reference location, an actual reference location for the reference point on the fuselage assembly is identified using data from a second metrology system. The end effector is positioned at an operation location based on the actual reference location identified.