Robotics & Automation for the Aerospace Industry

FANUC offers a wide variety of aerospace manufacturing solutions for standardised processes commonly found in the industry. These range from dedicated robots equipped with advanced vision and motion control systems to dedicated solutions for assembling, welding, handling, machining, inspecting or painting. Often these solutions are ideally suited to performing repetitive tasks that demand high levels of throughput and which might pose a health risk to humans. In every case, FANUC has a solution to improve your cycle time and increase throughput.

Robots are essential for arc welding as they can do what humans cannot: operate in hazardous environments and work around the clock without breaks. Robots can do more than just arc weld, they also assemble aircraft parts and perform other tasks in aerospace production lines. Automation is an important part of this industry as it improves efficiency and quality control.  

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state joining process that has been developed over the past four decades. The process works by moving a rotating cylindrical tool along the components that require joining. The rotation of the tool creates a shearing force that stirs and presses both parts together. In effect, the tool performs a 'dance' on the parts, allowing for increased control over material flow during welding. FSW is becoming popular as the method of choice for joining materials such as aluminium and magnesium alloys, where other processes would take too long or generate too much heat to work effectively.

The airframe parts that make up typical aircraft are some of the biggest components in the world of manufacturing. Handling these parts manually requires the use of many employees. In contrast, the use of high-payload, heavy-duty robots ensures large structure parts are handled effectively, correctly and safely, without fatigue.  

Accuracy in drilling and riveting is crucial for all aerospace manufacturers. FANUC products ensure precision across all production processes for aircraft bodies and large structures. By implementing FANUC products and solutions you can improve accuracy and reduce your final manufacturing costs  

The cutting of airframe parts, typically made of sheet metal, is a demanding operation. The sheet panels that comprise a standard body or wing structure, for example, are complex in profile. However, FANUC special series of robots ensure high precision and optimal path accuracy.

Many aircraft parts, such as those used in landing gear and engines, require deburring, grinding, or polishing after machining. These large, complex components are challenging to process manually, making robots an ideal solution. Vision-enabled robots with force sensor capabilities handle these tasks with precision and efficiency, significantly speeding up the process. With high stiffness and speed, robots ensure consistent, high-quality results while reducing time and labor demands.

Automating the paint process can provide significant weight and cost reduction for manufacturers in the aerospace sector. The right deposition of paint on the right position on the component (with minimum over-spray) will lead to significant reductions in both manufacturing costs and throughput time.  

The size of many large structure parts for aircraft means there are certain challenges when it comes to quality inspection. Performing this task manually entails the lifting and manipulation of large, heavy components, which is where the payload and handling capabilities of a robot can pay real dividends. In support of component handling, vision-enabled robots will be able to perform actual inspection routines, often based on machine learning algorithms.

A growing number of metal parts previously made by machining are now 3D printed. This new technology allows for lighter and stronger shapes, while saving on material and manufacturing costs. Robot-driven additive manufacturing processes are enhancing these possibilities. Another type of additive manufacturing is laser overlay welding, which entails applying an extra layer to a metal base material using a welding procedure. The objective is to deliver higher resistance to abrasion, erosion, cavitation and corrosion. Automating the laser overlay welding process enhances repeatability and cost efficiencies.