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Automated assembly of components and parts has been largely applied in aerospace industry due to several advantages such as low cost, high flexibility, reduction of floor space and high repeatability of process. The work described herein is part of the activities being carried at the Aircraft Structure Assembly Automation Laboratory (ASAA Lab). An outcome of a partnership between the Aeronautics Institute of Technology (ITA) and the Brazilian aerospace sector, the ASAA Lab is developing an automated process for the assembly of aircraft fuselages. This process [1] is constituted of two main steps: the leveling and alignment of the fuselage barrels and the drilling and riveting procedures that join the barrels together. This paper is related to the first step, a method and a system for positioning and aligning aircraft parts one in relation to each other during the structural assembly using robots with articulated arms as positioning means assisted by large volume measurement systems.

This work presents the EFIP project (Efetuador de Furação e Inserção de Prendedores, Portuguese for “Effector of Drilling and Fasteners Inserter”), a robot end-effector design for implementing an automatic riveting process used in manufacturing aircraft fuselage components. The EFIP is mounted in an industrial anthropomorphic robot, with a seven-meter (7m) linear unit able to range over the entire side of an aircraft fuselage section. The end-effector has several modules that allows for a one-step-drilling process, including a special drill with chamfer; automatic rivet delivery; automatic rivet insertion; sealant applicator for each rivet; perpendicular drilling correction mechanism; clamp force control loop, and means for visual inspection. Each module can work independently or in integration with others, controlled by a graphical interface in a remote station.