Laser trackers check Lightning fighter alignment

Leica Geosystems said that Advanced Integration Technology has purchased five Leica .800MC laser trackers for the Joint Strike Fighter programme from Lockheed Martin.

Leica Geosystems, a Hexagon Metrology company, has announced that Advanced Integration Technology (AIT of Plano, TX) has purchased five Leica .800MC laser trackers for the second and third Electronic Mate and Alignment Systems (EMAS) for the Joint Strike Fighter programme from Lockheed Martin (Fort Worth, TX).

The laser tracking systems were specially designed for AIT's use in laser-guided alignment to automate and execute F-35 aircraft mating.

AIT is an engineering and manufacturing company specializing in the design, fabrication, installation, and maintenance of fully integrated plant floor systems.

Leica Geosystems is a leading global supplier of high precision laser trackers and theodolites for the industrial metrology market.

Lockheed Martin has contracted AIT to construct assembly stations used for laser-guided alignment and part mating of the F-35 modules.

The EMAS system uses the Leica laser trackers and servo control positioners to mate the forward to the centre fuselage, the wings to the centre fuselage, and aft to the wing/centre.

The F-35 'metrology integration into assembly' yields a reduction in cost and schedule time due to the flexibility of the process.

This sophisticated part mating process uses a customised interface to integrate the Leica tracker with the servo driven jacks and the operator console to create the F-35 EMAS system.

The AIT engineering team will use the five new laser trackers on the second and third EMAS systems.

The EMAS tool can 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 first F-35-JSF EMAS using Leica laser trackers 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 five days of the completion of the surrounding working platform.

The EMAS programme's cost reduction is due in part to almost no tooling and the related support expenses.

A shorter assembly schedule is achieved because the process is based on highly accurate automated measurements derived from 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 laser trackers are portable coordinate measuring machines (PCMMs) that deliver an ultra-fast measurement cycle for high point density (3,000 points/s) and a measurement range reaching a full 40m (131ft) when used with a corner cube reflector.

The trackers are used for a variety of manufacturing validation and inspection applications in the F-35-JSF program.

Before each F-35 component is shipped to the mate station, an .800 is used to measure reference target values.

Interfacing features are also scanned for a virtual mate to predict shim thickness.

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