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Bleeding in engines is essential to mitigate the unmatched air massflow between low and High Pressure (HP) compressors at low speed settings, thus avoiding unstable operation due to surge and phenomena. However, by emerging the More Electric Aircraft (MEA) the engine is equipped with electrical machines on both high and Low Pressure (LP) spools which enables transfer of power electrically from one spool to another and hence provides the opportunity to operate engine core components closer to their optimum design point at off-design conditions. At lower power setting of the engine, HPC speed can be increased by taking power from LP shaft and feeding it to HP shaft which can lead to the removal of the bleeding system which in turn reduces weight and fuel consumption and help to overcome engine instability issues. Fuel consumption can be decreased by decreasing inconsistent thrust with the aircraft mission for flight and ground idle settings.

The Flexible Assembly Cell for Aeronautical Industry (FACAI) is described. The cell was developed in order to take advantage of the benefit of hard automation while retaining the flexibility of the manual assembly system it replaces. A description of both the generic equipment, selected to be non-specific to both the process and the assemblies intended to be built, is provided. In addition, all specific hardware, including end-effectors and fastener distribution systems are described, along with the rationale for their choice. The reasons for the modular design are explained. The means by which the flexibility goal was achieved are outlined. The demonstrated ability of the cell to install a wide range of fasteners (solid rivets, lockbolts, Hilocks) without the need for manual reconfiguration is detailed. The means by which both the quality and safety goals were attained are explained.

Avcorp Industries Inc. recognized the need to reduce assembly labor costs in order to stay competitive with global competition. After two years of research and investigation it was determined that a joint project with Dassault Aviation provided the most viable solution. The key elements of the technology developed by Dassault were its high flexibility and rapid payback of capital investment. This paper describes the system and the application. The structure’s design and robotic system design were performed in parallel. A number of design challenges had to be overcome. Many of these issues encountered were common to any automated assembly application. By covering these challenges Avcorp was able to introduce automated assembly at a level that had typically been previously attained exclusively by much larger enterprises. The robotic system consists of two anthropomorphic robots, which work both individually and in tandem.