Case Study: Airbus streamlines A380 assembly with Hexagon laser tracking solutions

Airbus - Customer Case Study

Airbus faced a significant challenge in the assembly of its new A380 aircraft due to its unprecedented scale and complex oval, double-decker fuselage. The existing tools from previous models required extremely precise adjustment to ensure correct part positioning, and Airbus needed a new method to inspect the aircraft segments directly to avoid compounding tolerances. To solve this, they partnered with vendor Hexagon and selected its Leica Geosystems Laser Trackers to create a common, precise aircraft reference system.

Hexagon implemented a solution using four intertwined Leica Laser Trackers to establish a unified coordinate system for the assembly line. The vendor provided crucial support in software development and system integration, creating a simplified human-machine interface for assembly workers. The result was a technologically mature and dependable laser measurement process that successfully reduced cycle times. This solution was so effective that Airbus carried over the measurement methods to its A400M military project and planned to use them on the upcoming A350 program.

Airbus

Thierry FABRE

Airbus