Fiducial Mark Creation Using Manufacturing Compounds

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Solution Overview

Problem

Aircraft manufacturing faces challenges with fiducial marks, as they often become obscured by fillers or coatings, are not designed to account for tolerance buildup, add extra steps, require specialized materials, and necessitate multiple fixtures, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that use a tool to create fiducial marks on aircraft components by positioning a compound at a reference location and moving it to a second location with a predetermined spatial relationship, allowing for precise placement after accounting for tolerance buildup and subsequent processes, using a controller and sensing tools to ensure accuracy and compliance with regulatory standards.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If mechanical fixtures are used to hold components and align tools, then positioning accuracy is improved, but device complexity and cost increase due to multiple specialized fixtures

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepositioning accuracyVSAvoidnumber of fixtures

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses fiducial marks as simplified copies or representations of reference features. Instead of complex mechanical fixtures, the system creates mark patterns that encode positioning information, allowing machine vision systems to determine tool locations without physical alignment fixtures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces mechanical fixtures with a vision-based system. Fiducial marks are detected by machine vision systems to establish coordinate systems and guide tool positioning, eliminating the need for physical mechanical alignment fixtures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Manufacturing precision

If fiducial marks are added at the piece-part stage, then mark placement precision is improved, but manufacturing time increases due to additional steps

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemark placement precisionVSAvoidmanufacturing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The fiducial marks are created during the piece-part manufacturing process itself, using the same manufacturing tool and compound application process. This preliminary action integrates mark creation into the manufacturing flow rather than adding a separate post-processing step

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent combines the fiducial mark creation with the existing compound application process. The same tool that applies compounds to the component also creates the fiducial marks, merging two operations into one and eliminating additional manufacturing steps

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If specialized compounds are used for fiducial marks to withstand process steps like annealing, then mark durability is improved, but material cost and selection complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemark durabilityVSAvoidmaterial selection complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses the same compound material for both the functional coating and the fiducial marks. This homogeneity ensures that the marks are inherently durable since they are made from the same process-approved material, eliminating the need for specialized mark materials

Inventive Principle:

Principle #33Homogeneity

Solution Approach 2:

The compound serves multiple functions: it provides the functional coating required for the component and simultaneously creates the fiducial marks. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate specialized mark materials while ensuring regulatory and process compliance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Ease of manufacture

If fiducial marks are created using existing manufacturing tools and compounds, then ease of manufacture is improved, but measurement precision may be affected by tool positioning accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocess integrationVSAvoidmark location accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses machine vision systems to detect the fiducial marks and provide feedback for coordinate system establishment. This feedback mechanism compensates for any positioning variations and ensures accurate mark location measurement

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The fiducial marks are created at precisely defined locations using the existing tool positioning system. By establishing marks at known locations during manufacturing, the system creates reference points that enable subsequent high-precision measurements and compensations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10197987B2Use of manufacturing compounds to create fiducial marks

Publication Date: 2019.02.05 THE BOEING CO

AI summary

A robotic tool is positioned relative to a feature of a component during a manufacturing process. The tool may be used to perform a manufacturing operation on the component. The tool is also be used to dispose a fiducial mark with a known registration to the feature, even if the feature is subsequently obscured. The position of tools for subsequent manufacturing operations are then set relative to the fiducial mark.