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Novator's patented orbital drilling technology is now well known for its ability to drill holes with high quality and finish in a single operation. By using orbital drilling, the need to disassemble the parts in order to remove the burrs is eliminated. A fully implemented orbital drilling process makes it possible to reduce the drilling time by 50%. Dry drilling makes coolant obsolete and reduces environmental hazards. To exploit the advantages of orbital drilling, Airbus started a project with Novator a few years ago in order to develop a Portable Orbital Drilling Unit to be used in the final assembly lines in Toulouse and Hamburg. This lightweight, portable system, called Twinspin PX3, is a CNC controlled unit allowing for a continuous radial offset adjustment of the cutting tool. Based on this innovative process, it makes it possible to produce not only cylindrical holes but also conical holes or more complex shaped holes.

This paper describes the development and application of new self-removable temporary fasteners for orbital junction. These low size temporary fasteners made of aluminum are easily automatically destructible by drilling and have been deployed into our automatic robot on final assembly line. The major benefit of these new temporary fasteners is then the possibility to be integrated into an automatic assembly process. The R&D team of the Final Assembly Line unit at Airbus - Toulouse, has conducted this project in cooperation with LISI Aerospace.