Designed Experiments and Statistical Process Control for Automatic Fastener Installations

The use of automated fastening, in assembly areas on aerodynamic surfaces, has recently experienced the need for improved uniformity in rivet protrusion. This has mainly come about from the increasing requests by our customers for unpainted aircraft over the past few years. Unpainted skins require the highest skin quality parameters. Boeing Commercial Airplane Group in Wichita set out to make the application of Designed Experiments to discover the critical factors affecting the automatic rivet installation process of CE rivets. Once this was completed, a Statistical Process Control method was developed to monitor and control the critical factors affecting rivet protrusion. This paper presents the development of the Designed Experiment and the Statistical Process Control (SPC) method that includes the interface with rivet vendors. This study centers strongly on the blending of operator experience with the application of basic statistical techniques.