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News Release from: Leica Geosystems AG | Subject: LTD800
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 09 November 2005
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Automated Mate
Cell
Laser-guided Alignment of F-35 Fuselage and Wing Assembly Completed with Leica LTD800s.
The Metrology Division of Leica Geosystems announced today Advanced Integration Technology (AIT of Plano, TX) has successfully completed the first automated mate cell two weeks in advance for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (F-35-JSF) program from Lockheed Martin (Fort Worth, TX) Three Leica LTD800 laser trackers were instrumental in the laser-guided alignment used to automate and execute F-35 aircraft mating
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 9 Mar 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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AIT is an engineering and manufacturing company specializing in the design, fabrication, installation, and maintenance of fully integrated plant floor systems.
Leica Geosystems stands at the forefront of the metrology marketplace with more than 1,600 tracker systems installed worldwide in the toughest, most unforgiving industrial environments.
AIT was contracted by Lockheed Martin to construct a permanent assembly station used for laser-guided alignment and part mating of four F-35 modules.
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The system uses three Leica laser trackers and 16 servo control positioners to mate the forward to the centre fuselage, the wings to the centre fuselage, and aft to the wing/centre.
Jason McGahey, Project Manager for AIT, described the first automated mate cell for the JSF program as a team success for all involved -- from his AIT department to the IPT (Integrated Product Team) at Lockheed Martin to the industrial measurement specialists at Leica Geosystems, who supported the effort with training and consulting.
The JSF "metrology integration into assembly" approach delivered a reduction in cost and schedule time due to the flexibility of the process.
McGahey's AIT engineering team wrote a customised interface to integrate the Leica LTD800 with the servo driven jacks and the operator console to create the F-35-JSF Electronic Mate and Alignment System, or EMAS.
An operator can use the EMAS tool to automatically point the laser tracker and acquire data from targets residing in off-the-shelf nests that have been applied to each aircraft sub-assembly.
The laser tracker will acquire 3D coordinate target data until the large F-35 modules are adjusted to easily slide into position for connectivity and assembly.
The F-35-JSF EMAS was deemed a first-rate technical achievement as the first two aircraft components were loaded, maneuvered into nominal position, and the first hole was drilled for joining the components within 5 days of the completion of the surrounding working platform.
The EMAS program's cost reduction is due in part to almost no tooling and the related support expenses.
A shorter schedule was achieved because the process now relies on highly accurate automated measurements derived from the Leica laser trackers rather than less-than-precise manual tool alignment.
The direct measuring of components conforms to Lockheed Martin's digital thread foundation, which starts in the F-35 design phase and distributes its benefits throughout every process.
Three-dimensional solid models, the digital thread, serve as the master data for all processes from flight simulation to CNC machining to fabrication to the assembly and part mating of the final product.
Leica's state-of-the-art laser trackers are portable coordinate measuring machines (PCMMs) that deliver the fastest measurement cycle in the metrology industry for high point density (3000 points/ second) with a measurement distance up to 80 meters.
The trackers are used for a variety of manufacturing validation and inspection applications in the F-35-JSF program.
Before each JSF component is shipped to the mate station, an LTD800 is used to measure reference target values.
Interfacing features are also scanned for a virtual mate to predict shim thickness.
The precision measurement capabilities of the LTD800 enables manufacturers to validate designs, confirm close tolerance work, build-and-inspect, perform alignments and part mating, and capture 3D coordinate data on-the-fly.
Leica's innovative Local Positioning Technology (LPT) -- the wireless, armless T-Probe and the handheld T-Scan products -- integrate directly with the LTD800 to form a universal CMM.
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