Laser trackers used in F-35 fuselage build

Edited by the Manufacturingtalk editorial team Aug 17, 2005

Leica Laser Trackers used for inspection and measurement in tool-build and manufacturing of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's Centre Fuselage

The Metrology Division of Leica Geosystems has announced that it has delivered seven LTD800 laser trackers to Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems (El Segundo, California,USA).

The laser trackers are Leica's top-of-the-line, portable coordinate measurement systems (PCMMs) used for industrial measurement and inspection applications.

Leica Laser Trackers will be first utilised for real-time quality assurance in the tool-build phase of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (F-35) program, then transitioned into manufacturing production applications.

Northrop Grumman will use the laser trackers to measure and monitor the fuselage structure, map critical interface joint data, and provide as-built data for assemblies.

The precision measurement capabilities of the LTD800 enables manufacturers to validate designs, build-and-inspect, confirm close tolerance work, perform alignments and part mating, and capture 3D coordinate data on-the-fly.

For more than two decades, the Leica Metrology Division has developed Laser Trackers, Theodolites, and other leading edge measurement equipment and software that set metrology standards in aerospace, automotive, and general engineering industries.

The F-35 is a multi-role stealth fighter designed to meet the unique needs of the U.S.

Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, and the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.

Northrop Grumman is partnered with prime contractor Lockheed Martin (Fort Worth, TX) to bring the F-35 to fruition.

The company will design and integrate the aircraft's centre fuselage and weapons bay.

Northrop Grumman is also the prime contractor for the Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), which surveys large geographic areas with pinpoint accuracy and provides the US Air Force with near-real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance imagery.

The company utilizes two Leica LTD500 laser trackers to gather composite 3D coordinate data and to monitor tool building for the production of the Global Hawk.

Leica Geosystems offers a comprehensive metrology product line ranging from entry- level Theodolite systems, to the traditional LTD600 build-and-inspect tracker, to the state-of-the-art LTD800/700 trackers working with Leica's innovative Local Positioning Technology (LPT) - the wireless, armless T-Probe and high-speed T-Scan.