Automation is part of every aspect of our lives. From pay-at-the-pump to self-checkout at grocery stores, retailers and manufacturers are taking full advantage of the automation revolution. For a variety of reasons, the aerospace industry has been slow to adopt automation. However, that is rapidly changing. We’re seeing the future of aviation automation take shape in manufacturing facilities nationwide, and it will lead to enhanced safety.
There is a difference between forging a tool cast out of plastic materials and assembling a fuselage. That’s one reason aviation hasn’t been an early adopter of automation. Size has been a deterrent as have system complexity, unique aircraft components — like composite materials — and the relatively low number of aircraft that are produced annually. While it makes sense to automate a manufacturing line that produces hundreds or thousands of copies of a product on a daily basis, the benefits of establishing an automated system to manufacture an aircraft haven’t been as clear.
While automation during the assembly of an aircraft may not be common, companies that produce automation solutions for aircraft production are taking full advantage of technology to increase productivity, quality and safety. That, in turn, will help strengthen the overall quality and safety of the aircraft.
Neff Power’s expertise is in providing automation products and solutions. For example, it has been able to provide the correct tooling to be positioned safely above the wing of an aircraft to ensure the right alignment is in place to complete a precise paint job on the fuselage. This not only helps get the job done quickly and to exact customer specifications but it also eliminates the risks associated with sending a person into an inherently dangerous working environment.
Other aerospace suppliers employ automation such as using robotic arms to drill precise holes in a fraction of the time it would take an assembly line worker and without the risk of human error. Repetition of a task sometimes leads to complacency, which is a growing safety hazard in manufacturing. Automation can help alleviate those risks, protecting workers, increasing quality and producing the safest parts for aircraft. It also allows for the humans involved in the system to do what we do best: monitor and solve problems as they arise or predict and prevent them from happening.
Automation doesn’t mean a decrease in workers. On the contrary, there is a great need for more skilled workers to design, operate and maintain the machines on the manufacturing floor. This is also another opportunity for safety. Companies host workforce training to demo new robotic products and machines and teach technicians to operate robotic applications.
Automation will be a force multiplier in the years for aerospace innovation, quality and safety.
