Floor Drilling Gantry System

A new process for the drilling of floor panel fastener and fitting holes, plus the installation of fittings has been developed. The process integrates a Laser Tracker to check and align a floor grid assembly; a two spindle, CNC controlled, gantry drilling system to drill the floor grid assembly; a manual work area for the installation of the fittings and other manual work tasks; and a material handling system to move the floor grid assembly through the system. This system provides a cost reduction when compared to replacement cost of previously used equipment. It moves the drilling process out of the fuselage structure, reducing flow time and cleanup. This paper discusses the process requirements, design, and production results for this system.