This paper presents an innovative, compact, autonomous and accurate solution for swaging aeronautical LGP collars on robots. Its rigid structure allows the application of clamping force that enables one-way assembly of aeronautical structures. Equipped with an advanced vision system combined with a multi-degree of freedom swaging nose, it is able to compensate robot absolute inaccuracy while the robot is clamped (2 mm positioning error between the two robots can therefore be compensated automatically).
This concept used in a face to face configuration of two robots, has the advantage of not requiring perfect alignment of the 2 robots between them; only the drilling external robot must be precisely positioned in relative with the parts to assemble.
With a form factor of 400×200×200 mm3 this innovative end-tool offers a great compacity that allows it to easily access to difficult internal areas such as cockpits interiors. The embarked vision system used to guide the swaging unit towards its working position is doubled in order to achieve swaging operations near wall borders located at any side of it.
The tool possesses its own control unit which is responsible of most of the swaging process parameters and operations. Based on standard control command devices, it can be easily adapted to any kind of robots or gantry structures with very low modifications (software and hardware) and a minimum of communication between the end-effector and the machine control commands.
A pilot unit is currently in phase of evaluation at Aerolia in its Factory of Meaulte (FRANCE).
