When does a robot replace a human to be later replaced by other humans? The answer is Boeing’s 777 production line.
Robots in aviation? No, we’re not talking about androids wearing pilot uniforms while flying airplanes. That’s not a reality…yet. What we’re referring to is robotic technology to help build aircraft. This is nothing new and is seen in many industries, such as automotive and domestic appliances. Large and small companies take advantage of automated assistance, but it may have some drawbacks. For example, Boeing has experimented with using these machines on some of its manufacturing lines for the last four years, but the aerospace giant is now opting to bring more humans back into the process.
A day in the life of an aerospace robot
So, what kind of work does a robot do on an aerospace production line? Fabrication of aircraft engines has been a typical role, but they are also used to perform drilling, painting, and other tasks on airframes.
Drilling holes into components is the most extensive use of robotics in the aerospace industry. Manual drilling can take several passes, while robots can do it in one. Robots drill the hole to its total diameter and depth, including the countersink, in a single pass. Boeing’s fuselage automated upright build (FAUB) was based on having robots working together to precisely drill holes and attach metal panels held upright to form the outer frame of the 777 and 777X jets. This technology was created by KUKA Systems, a company that has implemented similar levels of automation in the automotive industry.
Laying off robots
While robots have proven to do their work well, Boeing prefers a human touch. Although 777 and 777X jets have been the product of some automated work, the Chicago-based manufacturer wants to give the automated workers a layoff notice.
In 2019, the aerospace giant moved back to relying on trained mechanics to manually insert fasteners into holes drilled along the airplane’s circumference by an automated system called “flex tracks.” This process is not new to Boeing’s manufacturing and was refined on the 787 Dreamliner production line. Ironically, FAUB was designed to replace humans who had to insert 60,000 rivets into each plane with hand tools.
So, why replace robots with humans? After all, robots never complain or ask for a pay increase. While that’s true, the company appreciates human hands and eyes’ dexterity, creativity, and precision. In one word: teamwork. Robots working on the inside and outside of fuselage panels had difficulty moving in sync. This divergent dance caused ongoing production delays due to humans having to fix the machined mismatch, not to mention some jets rolling out with partly completed jobs.
And so, Boeing took the decision to remove the robots from this part of the production line, and bring back the humans instead, Still, the project wasn’t an entire failure, as Boeing Vice President Jason Clark told The Star in 2019,
“It was hard. It took years off my life. It was our first very deep dive into that type of technology; It’s taught us how to design for automation.”
Strategic use of robotics
While robotics have been phased-out for 777 and 777 airframe panels, robots will still play an important role in many other areas, such as wings and even the vehicles used to transport large structures within Boeing’s plant in Everett, Washington.
The company claims the 777X will be the world’s largest and most efficient twin-engine jet, which will deliver 10 % lower fuel use and emissions and 10 % lower operating costs than the competition. Another distinction will be its assembly team consisting of robots and humans, each competing for playing a role in Boeing’s future.
