Case Study: Premium AEROTEC achieves precise robot-guided stringer positioning with Hexagon Leica Absolute Tracker

Premium AEROTEC - Customer Case Study

Premium AEROTEC, an aerostructure supplier for Airbus, faced a challenge in automating the assembly of the A350 aircraft. They needed to precisely position long carbon fibre stringers on the fuselage with a tolerance of +/- 1 mm, but standard industrial robots were not accurate enough for the task. The customer required a solution that could correct the robots in real-time without relying on the time-consuming and uneconomical "teaching" process.

Hexagon provided the solution with its Leica Absolute Tracker laser tracking system. The system was used to monitor the 6D position of the robot heads in real-time and immediately correct any deviations, enabling the robots to achieve the required high precision. This automated process eliminated manual positioning, which was critical for meeting future production goals. While initial correction cycles took 20 seconds, they were expected to be optimized to just a few seconds, paving the way for a more flexible and efficient automated assembly line.

Premium AEROTEC

Tim Lewerenz

Responsible for the Project