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A frame-clip riveting end effector has been developed for installing 3.97mm (5/32) and 4.6mm (3/16) universal head aluminum rivets. The end effector can be mounted on the end of a robot arm. The end effector provides 35.6 kNt (8000 lbs) of rivet upset. Rivets can be installed fifteen millimeters from the IML. The clearance allowed to rivet centerline is 150 millimeters. The riveting process features a unique style of rivet fingers for the universal head rivet. These fingers allow the rivet to be brought in with the ram. This differentiates from some styles of frame-clip end effectors in which the rivet is blown into the hole. The paper shows the technical components of the end effector in sequence: the pneumatic clamp, rivet insert and upset. The end effector will be used for riveting shear ties to frames on the IML of fuselage panels.

New EMR technologies have been developed in response to customer demand for better process control and reliability. In hand riveting of large panels visual contact between operators is blocked. A reliable means was required to insure that guns could only discharge when properly deployed upon opposing ends of the rivet. A second problem is to satisfy the demand for improved process control in EMR operation. These goals were achieved by implementing a fully digital control scheme for the EMR operation. These new technologies are covered in this paper.

A new style of all electric riveting machine has been developed with saddle hoppers that does not require a track between the hoppers and the fingers. This enables feeding square rivets without difficulty. The upper ram has a bent knee which allows the rivet fingers to be brought up to the hopper and rotated 30 degrees rather than the rivet sliding down a track, which minimizes jamming that occurs with some fasteners in the track, and increases reliability. A mixture of fasteners can be loaded side by side in the hoppers, increasing flexibility. The rivet feeding is accomplished by bringing the rivet fingers to the hopper. The machine uses a power drawbar to change out different rivet fingers. A small industrial robot is incorporated into the machine to complete different sized coupons and also complete small assemblies. In larger machines larger robots or CNC positioners can be used to scale up the use of the machine.

With typically over 2.3 million parts, attached with over 3 million fasteners, it may be surprising to learn that approximately two out of every three fasteners on a twin aisle aircraft are fastened by hand. In addition the fasteners are often installed in locations designed for strength and not necessarily ergonomics. These facts lead to vast opportunities to automate this tedious and repetitive task. The solution outlined in this paper utilizes the latest machine vision and robotics techniques to solve these unique challenges. Stereo machine vision techniques find the fastener on the interior of an aerospace structure and calculate the 6DOF (Degrees of Freedom) location in less than 500ms. Once the fastener is located, sealed, and inspected for bead width and gaps, a nut or collar is then installed. Force feedback capabilities of a collaborative robot are used to prevent part damage and ensure the nut or collar are properly located on the fastener.