Terminally Guided Robots and Robotic Applications in Confined Spaces

Variation Reduction Solutions, Inc. (VRSI) has created a partnership with Comau Pico to address the Air Force’s stated desire to increase the use of robotics in aerospace manufacturing. Standard articulating arm robots are not currently in widespread use due to their inability to hold aerospace manufacturing tolerances. The current industry trend to create perfect robots through the use of correction modeling and software can be expensive while resulting in complex systems with no in-process positional verification. The robot arm that can fit in and reach through the confined space will likely have deflection under gravity and drilling loads. Additionally, many commercial guidance packages can’t meet the accuracy requirements or won’t fit the confined space application. To address these issues and meet the aggressive Phase 1 timeline and production schedule for the F-35, VRSI proposes a method to utilize off-the-shelf robots and existing metrology industry hardware in an innovative solution that provides the required accuracy, process control, validation, and robustness. Together with our partner Comau Pico, we offer a comprehensive metrology-based system solution for inlet duct robotic drilling with a technology approach that will meet the process requirements and enable the broader use of robots in aerospace manufacturing.