Global Fastener News

FEATURE

MEDIA SPOTLIGHT: “Boeing is starting to implement robotic fastening of 777 fuselage panels, the beginnings of what will be a significant shift toward robotization of the upcoming 777X,” the Puget Sound Business Journal reports.

In September, Boeing workers began drilling and fastening some fuselages using the Fuselage Automated Upright Build (FAUB) system.

“The careful shift toward robotic assembly of 777 fuselages is a critical piece of Boeing’s move toward more automation as a way to cut costs, improve quality and reduce physical stress on workers,” writes Steve Wilhelm of the Journal.

The KUKA robots work in a 200,000 sq ft expansion to the primary assembly plant. 

Each fuselage requires about 50,000 fasteners.

“Once complete, those sections are being rolled through the plant to mesh into position on the 777 assembly line, replacing sections drilled and fastened in the more traditional hand-labor approach,” Wilhelm writes.