Abstract

The Future Automated Aerospace Assembly phase 1 technology Demonstrator (FA3D) was commissioned at the University of Nottingham and used to demonstrate concepts from the EPSRC Evolvable Assembly Systems project in specific industrial use cases. A number of lessons were learned from the specification, procurement, commissioning, and use of the cell. These lessons have been applied to the specification of Phase 2 of the Future Automated Aerospace Assembly Demonstrator (FA3D2) — currently in development — that will translate the Evolvable Assembly Systems research to a higher technology readiness level and address the challenges of scalable and transformable manufacturing systems. The FA3D2 will act as a showcase national experimental testbed and technology demonstrator in digital- and informatics-enabled aerospace manufacturing technologies, and the project itself will generate knowledge, skills, and experience in the delivery of such systems for academia and industry. After summarising the Evolvable Assembly Systems project, this paper presents details of the technologies demonstrated through the FA3D, and how this experience has been used to develop a novel approach to specifying the FA3D2.

Highlights

  • Many manufacturing industries, for example automotive, aerospace, pharmaceutical, food, and others, rely on the assembly of final products in high-labour-cost areas such as the UK

  • In order to address this need, the Engineering and Physical Skills Research Council (EPSRC) Evolvable Assembly Systems (EAS) project was proposed in order to develop a new approach towards the development of future assembly systems that are able to continuously evolve in response to changes in product requirements and demand (Ratchev, 2012)

  • These led to the Future Automated Aerospace Assembly Demonstrator (FA3D), a pair of large industrially representative production cells focussed on robotic assembly and inspection of aerospace

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Summary

INTRODUCTION

For example automotive, aerospace, pharmaceutical, food, and others, rely on the assembly of final products in high-labour-cost areas such as the UK. In order to address this need, the EPSRC Evolvable Assembly Systems (EAS) project was proposed in order to develop a new approach towards the development of future assembly systems that are able to continuously evolve in response to changes in product requirements and demand (Ratchev, 2012). Any such system should be able to take advantage of new technologies in order to enable extremely short set-up or changeover times, as well as supporting low-cost maintenance, reconfiguration, and expansion. The framework builds on the concepts of digital twins and digital threads

See the following for a selection
Aims and Industrial Challenges
Results and Technologies
Outcomes
LESSONS LEARNED
Technical Specification
Project Management
Procurement
People and Skills
Project Aims and Approach
PROGRESS, NEXT STEPS, AND CONCLUSIONS
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