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With more than 10 000 aircrafts in their order backlog Aircraft manufacturers focus on automated assembly is of critical importance for the future of efficient production assembly. Moreover to obtain maximum benefit from automation, it is necessary to achieve not only an automated assembly cell, but also a real breakthrough in fastener technology. The optimum solution, known as “One Side Assembly”, performs the whole assembly sequence from one side of the structure using an accurate robot arm equipped with a multifunction end effector and high performance fasteners. This configuration provides an efficient and flexible automated installation process, superior to current solutions which are typically, large scale, capital intensive systems, which still require operators to complete or control the fastener installation. The search for a technological breakthrough in this domain has been targeted for more than 15 years by many aircraft manufacturers.

With air traffic demand constantly increasing and several years of aircraft production in their backlog, major aircraft manufacturers are now shifting their focus toward improving assembly process efficiency. One of the most promising solutions, known as “One Side Assembly”, aims to perform the whole assembly sequence from one side of the structure (drilling, temporary fastener installation and removal, blind fastener installation, assembly control) and with a high level of integrated automation. A one-sided, or blind fastener that is capable of matching the performance of current two-sided structural fasteners while meeting volume and cost objectives can be a major driver for assembly process efficiency improvements. To achieve a blind fastener assembly capable of both fully automated and manual installations while providing robust cycle times and assembly cost reductions is full of challenges.