Hexagon Expands Automated Quality Inspection System for Aerospace

Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division has introduced the automated Presto XL inspection cell, tailored to inspecting large aerospace components. Presto XL is the latest addition to Hexagon’s modular series of turn-key systems for use on manufacturing lines.  

The Presto XL version of the Presto inspection cell series focuses on the aerospace industry to help address market demands that are pushing global aircraft production to increase by 20% per year from now until 2027. According to Hexagon, Airbus A320 production alone is planned to ramp up from the 48 aircraft-per-month in 2023 to 75 aircraft-per-month by 2026. 

Hexagon estimates that quality represents up to 30% of the cost of manufacturing processes based on traditional methods involving handheld scanners, manual tools and visual inspection, which often introduce bottlenecks and inefficiencies. Purpose-built quality inspection systems support skilled quality professionals to automate and streamline processes, reducing the inspection time for large components such as aircraft side panels by up to 50% and eliminating part calibration and setup tasks that diminish the value of conventional robotic systems.  

Aziz Tahiri, vice president, global aerospace and defense at Hexagon, said, “We’ve taken our metrology and manufacturing expertise and built Presto from the bottom up to give experienced quality teams what they need to automate inspection processes in a single cell that can be deployed quickly to ramp up production and bring down the cost of quality.”  

Key features of Presto include:

• Hexagon’s blue line 3D laser scanning and absolute positioning technologies.
• The flexibility to adapt each cell to inspect different aircraft models and components, reprogrammable within hours by a single metrologist without robot programming knowledge.
• The ability to rapidly scan high volumes of large parts, including reflective surfaces in variable near-line lighting conditions, reliably and with short cycle times. 

The Presto system is available in a series of standardized, scalable units. It was initially designed to address the varying size requirements and inspection needs of mass-production automotive manufacturers. Now, the Presto XL employs two mobile trackers and two mobile scanners, expanding the series’ range into the aerospace industry to accommodate 3-6m long parts. It complements manual and CMM inspection processes and is suitable for inspecting at least 50% of major aerostructure components including fuselage panels, doors and wing ribs.

Original Article: https://www.automationworld.com/factory/sensors/news/55137179/hexagon-expands-automated-quality-inspection-system-for-aerospace