What you should know about…Final Assembly Lines

Up to 73 m long, 80 m wide and 25 m high. We are not talking about a building here. This is the size of an A380, which, in addition to the Boeing 747, is one of the largest passenger planes in the world. Can you imagine how these giants of the sky are assembled? The newest technologies and most sensitive instruments are combined with robust materials, several kilometers of cables and lines, modern and comfortable equipment, and much more. Airplane manufacturers require an enormous amount of space and therefore build large aircraft hangars to assemble these modern giants. But that is not the only issue. The boom in the aircraft industry – primarily for medium-haul aircraft – has created enormous time pressure.

 

How then can the fast, cost-effective manufacturing of aircraft be combined with the space requirements to meet the continuously increasing demand? The solution: Automation and so-called final assembly lines (FALs).

 

 

 

Development of FALs in the aircraft industry

Henry Ford continuously optimized work on the assembly line. Efficient work, time savings and reduced inventory costs for large and unwieldy parts are just some of the reasons why FALs make sense in the industry. This type of production is indispensable in the aircraft manufacturing industry, primarily due to the enormous amount of space required. The rapid development of air traffic adds to this equation. The demand for the A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX medium-haul aircraft, as well as for regional aircraft such as the Embraer E-Jet family, is enormous and continues to increase. As many aircraft as possible must be produced in the shortest time possible. Intelligent and sophisticated final assembly lines are one instrument that can make this possible. Without large investments in automation processes, aircraft manufacturers will soon no longer be able to meet the demand.


If you compare the development progress of the aircraft industry with that of the automobile industry you realize that the aircraft industry has fallen behind in the implementation of Industry 4.0. The aircraft industry also got started with automation well after the automobile industry. This is partially a result of the lower (but still enormous) production quantities. Automobile manufacturers such as VW, BMW and Audi produce significantly higher quantities, thus leading to a faster amortization of investments in automation.

HYDRO fuselage trolley: The A350 fuselage is towed from one assembly station to the next assembly station without its main landing gear.

Airbus introduced the FAL early

With the construction of the A300 (the first twin-engine wide-body aircraft in the world) Airbus had already placed its bet that standardized assembly line work would considerably simplify the construction process. It set up its first FAL in 1972. Both the A300 and the A310 could be assembled on this line. Today Airbus has eight assembly lines in different countries just for the construction of the A320.


On the assembly line for the latest Airbus model, the A350, the assembly of the fuselage and the assembly of the wings on the fuselage take place on a FAL in separate stations. To get from one station to the next, the fuselage must leave the first station and the hangar and be towed to a different hangar without its main landing gear. Suitable solutions are required here as well to transport the large components from A to B.

 

D0328 assembly line: A total of six assembly areas are located in assembly station number 1.

Dornier commits to final assembly lines early with the DO328 FAL

Aircraft manufacturer Dornier started using FALs in 1991. We assisted in the conceptual design and development of the FAL. The special features here included the completely automatic lifting system and working platforms, as well as the installation and handling equipment.

Engine installation using a COBRA system on the FAL for the Boeing 737.

BOEING uses the COBRA engine change system on the BOEING 737 FAL

The COBRA engine change system presents another example for efficient aircraft construction. The COBRA system is used, for instance, on the FAL for the construction of the Boeing 737. Air skates are used to easily and precisely position the COBRA system below the engine mounts. This provides time savings of up to 70% compared to using a bootstrap.

Assembly platform for the final production of the A400M: In addition to various devices for installing engines and landing gear, we have developed the Station 35 assembly platform for the A400M.

FALs also used in the manufacture of military aircraft

The manufacture of military aircraft also profits from efficient production methods. Although the demand for military aircraft is not as high as that for civilian aircraft, FALs can still be used here as well to reduce production costs and times. For instance, main landing gear trolleys (MLGTs) and nose landing gear trolleys (NLGTs) from HYDRO are used for the landing gear assembly process during the construction of the A400M, a transport plane from Airbus Defence & Space, and the production of the CASA CN-235/C-295

Special features of FALs

The FALs of the different aircraft manufacturers are not identical. Boeing and Dornier, for instance, use a moving line. The aircraft moves slowly during production. This type of aircraft assembly requires a lot of space. Airbus, on the other hand, struggles with space limitations in Europe. The aircraft manufacturer thus developed the idea of individual assembly areas within the assembly line.

 

 

Here you can find more information on our FAL and special engineering projects:

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