Automating a manufacturing process often comes with substantial
investment or sustained operational costs of complex subsystems.
But, by reducing complexity and using technologically mature
components, it is possible to develop viable scaled and robust
automated solutions.
For the past several years, aerospace manufacturers have
endeavored to automate manufacturing processes as much as possible
for both production efficiencies and competitive advantage.
Automating processes like drilling, fastening, sealing, painting,
and composite material production have reaped a wide range of
benefits; from improving quality and productivity to lowering
worker ergonomic risks. The results have improved supply chains
from small component manufacturers all the way up to airframe
assemblers. That said, automation can be very expensive, and
difficult to introduce when a product is anywhere beyond the
beginning of its life cycle. In this Solution Notes, engineers
address those two challenges with a mix of off-the-shelf systems
and specially developed SCADA for a low-cost automatic system that
can accurately drill aluminum stacks.