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The Electroimpact Automatic Fan Cowl Riveter exhibits new and unique design features and automated process capabilities that address and overcome three primary technical challenges. The first challenge is satisfying the customer-driven requirement to access the entire fastening area of the fan cowl doors. This necessitates a unique machine design which is capable of fitting ‘inside’ a fan cowl door radius. The second challenge is determining drill geometry and drill process parameters which can produce consistent and high-quality countersunk holes in varying mixed-metal stack-up combinations consisting of aluminum, titanium, and stainless steel. The third challenge is providing the capability of fully automatic wet installation of hollow-ended titanium rivets.

Manually changing stringer-side tooling on an automatic fastening machine is time consuming and can be susceptible to human error. Stringer-side tools can also be physically difficult to manage because of their weight, negatively impacting the experience and safety of the machine operator. A solution to these problems has recently been developed by Electroimpact for use with its new Fuselage Skin Splice Fastening Machine. The Automatic Tool Changer makes use of a mechanically passive gripper system capable of securely holding and maneuvering twelve tools weighing 40 pounds each inside of a space-saving enclosure. The Automatic Tool Changer is mounted directly to the stringer side fastening head, meaning the machine is capable of changing tools relatively quickly while maintaining its position on the aircraft panel with no machine operator involvement.