Can You See the SA in Airbus? No, because it's integral.
Metrology is now part of every industrial project, and embedded metrology is the emerging standard. Embedded metrology has become an essential tool for manufacturing. French-based G²Métric is fully involved in the development and integration of measurement solutions for Metrology Assisted Assembly and does significant work with aerospace manufacturer Airbus. Can You See the SA in Airbus? No, because it's integral.
Metrology is now part of every industrial project, and embedded metrology is the emerging standard. Embedded metrology has become an essential tool for manufacturing. French-based G²Métric is fully involved in the development and integration of measurement solutions for Metrology Assisted Assembly and does significant work with aerospace manufacturer Airbus.
G²Métric has been using SpatialAnalyzer® (SA) for years, and Nicolas Prost, a technical engineer from G²Métric said SA was chosen due to the many different capabilities it has. “SA is a very powerful software, I would say that it’s the most versatile on the market right now. Whatever you want to do, you can do it. As a service company, SA works for us because we need to answer many different cases and SA provides us these solutions,” Prost said.
Relying on metrology to guide assembly processes began on the Airbus 380 program but has since spread to other Airbus programs such as the A340, A320, and A400M. But the new Airbus 350 project is significantly different. It is notable that this aircraft is one of the first projects for Airbus where embedded metrology was assumed from the beginning of the project.
The goal of this A350 project is to harmonize the solution so all Airbus facilities in Europe (France, Germany, United Kingdom, and Spain) follow the same process and do not deploy uniquely developed software for each new integration process. Prost explained that a group of Airbus experts designate the required metrology systems and software to be used on the project, and also all the data management architecture. SA has been approved in the list of software to be embedded within such applications.
He said that every A350 part is followed by its measurement characteristic, meaning that every subassembly is measured and results are stored for the next step. All measurement phases need to be automated for the next step, thus driving the assembly by measurement. Assembly of every part is based on the measured “as built” value, not on the nominal. This allows simulation of the assembly to identify in advance if there will be issue, and then drive the tooling and actuators based on feedback from the measurement system.
G²Métric provides the full solution to perform all tasks in an industrial environment under automation that drives a tool’s movement based on automated instrument measurements. SA is embedded in programs using the software development kit to initiate Measurement Plans automation functions. This SDK helps perform calculations on the surface and defining the proper reference frame. It’s also used during the development to justify all the processes and provide essential understanding of measurement uncertainty. The assembly of large components can be more effectively performed with the assistance of leading edge metrology instruments and SA, according to Prost.
“We do really think that both of our companies can help each other to grow; NRK as a great software solution provider and G²Métric as a leader in metrology integration in Europe,” said Prost. G²Métric has been building a partnership with NRK since 2003, first as a user, then a reseller, and now as an integrator.
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