Aircraft Subassembly Zones With Fractional Pulse Assembly

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional aircraft manufacturing methods are inefficient due to the need for large structures to be manufactured as subassemblies at remote locations, leading to time-consuming and costly shipping and synchronization issues, which delay final assembly.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a system with multiple manufacturing zones located in the same geographic region, where aircraft subassemblies are manufactured in parallel and assembled using fractional pulse assembly lines, allowing for simultaneous arrival and efficient assembly of components, reducing production time and costs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If aircraft subassemblies are manufactured at geographically remote locations, then manufacturing capacity is distributed, but shipping time and synchronization complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing capacityVSAvoidshipping time

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The manufacturing system is segmented into multiple geographically distributed zones, each capable of independently manufacturing aircraft subassemblies. This segmentation allows parallel production while maintaining manageable logistics through standardized subassembly modules that can be efficiently transported and synchronized at the final assembly location.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Productivity

If multiple subassemblies are manufactured at different remote locations, then production parallelism increases, but synchronization difficulty and assembly delays increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduction parallelismVSAvoidsynchronization complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Subassemblies are manufactured in advance at distributed locations and staged for transport before final assembly is required. This preliminary action allows parallel production to proceed independently while ensuring components are ready for synchronized convergence, reducing assembly delays through proactive preparation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of manufacture

If conventional assembly lines are used, then manufacturing process is simple, but production rate is low and resource efficiency is poor

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocess simplicityVSAvoidproduction rate

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The assembly line operates using periodic pulsing where subassemblies are incrementally advanced through discrete stages rather than continuous movement. This periodic action optimizes resource utilization by synchronizing manufacturing operations with transport cycles, increasing production rate while maintaining process manageability through rhythmic, predictable operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS12091196B2Systems and methods for manufacturing aircraft

Publication Date: 2024.09.17 THE BOEING CO

AI summary

An aircraft manufacturing system for repetitively manufacturing aircraft comprises a first manufacturing zone configured to repetitively manufacture first aircraft subassemblies, a second manufacturing zone configured to repetitively manufacture second aircraft subassemblies, and a third manufacturing zone configured to receive the first aircraft subassemblies from the first manufacturing zone, to receive the second aircraft subassemblies from the second manufacturing zone, and to repetitively assemble the first aircraft subassemblies and the second aircraft subassemblies into the aircraft.