Vacuum-Backed Rivet Bucking Tool for Precise Vehicle Fastener Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for drilling holes and installing fasteners in aerospace or vehicle structures either result in high costs and complexity or are prone to errors due to manual processes, while automated solutions are expensive and require extensive training.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising smart drill plates, drill guns, and fastener insertion guns with machine-readable elements and electronic controls ensures accurate drilling and fastener installation by providing precise information on drill bit size, fastener type, and installation parameters, reducing errors and training time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If highly automated machines are used to drill holes and install fasteners, then manufacturing precision and reliability are improved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
A drill guide plate serves as an intermediary device between the operator and the drilling operation. The plate includes pre-configured openings that precisely position drill bits and fasteners, eliminating the need for complex automated positioning systems while maintaining high manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The drill guide plate is pre-configured with openings, slots, and features before use. This preliminary preparation of the guide plate eliminates the need for complex real-time control systems during operation, reducing device complexity while ensuring consistent precision across multiple drilling operations.
2Device complexity
If manual drilling and fastener installation are performed, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision and reliability deteriorate due to human error
Solution Approach 1:
The drill guide plate acts as a physical intermediary that guides manual drilling operations. The pre-configured openings and slots provide tactile and visual guidance to operators, ensuring consistent hole positioning and fastener alignment without requiring complex automated systems or extensive training.
Solution Approach 2:
Complex electronic control systems and automated positioning mechanisms are replaced with a simple mechanical drill guide plate. The plate's physical structure alone provides the necessary guidance and positioning, eliminating the need for sensors, motors, and control software while maintaining high precision.
3Productivity
If sophisticated automated systems are implemented, then productivity increases, but loss of time for training operators and maintaining equipment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drill guide plate is designed to be self-explanatory and self-guiding. Operators can quickly understand how to use the plate by observing its physical features and openings, eliminating the need for extensive training programs. The plate itself provides the instructions through its design, allowing operators to become productive immediately.
Solution Approach 2:
The drill guide plate is a simple, inexpensive tool that can be easily replaced if needed. Its low cost and simplicity mean that even if multiple plates are used simultaneously to increase productivity, the investment remains minimal and maintenance time is negligible compared to sophisticated automated systems.
Data Source
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AI summary
A device for installing a plurality of fasteners in a plurality of holes to secure together first and second components of a vehicle structure, the device comprising: a body comprising a shape which matches a contour of a surface of the vehicle structure; one or more vacuum connections associated with the body and configured to connect to a vacuum source to create a pressure differential between the body and the interior surface of the vehicle structure to secure the body to the surface of the vehicle structure; a backing plate associated with the body and positioned proximate to the plurality of holes in the vehicle structure when the device is in use, and configured to provide a mass against which the plurality of fasteners are struck from an opposite side of the vehicle structure to deform and thereby secure the plurality of fasteners in the plurality of holes; and a plurality of springs positioned behind the backing plate and configured to bias the backing plate toward the interior surface of the vehicle structure proximate to the plurality of holes, and further configured to absorb at least a portion of an impact of striking the plurality of fasteners and to maintain the backing plate seated against the plurality of fasteners during repeated strikes by a tool located on the opposite side of the vehicle structure. The invention also relates to a method of using a rivet bucking tool to install a plurality of rivets.