Co-Bot Integration For High-Volume Manufacturing of Aerospace Components

Over the years, American manufacturing has been offshored due to the competitive labor conditions in other countries. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of the international supply chain, highlighting the importance of reshoring manufacturing and industry. However, reshoring alone cannot solve the underlying issues that caused offshoring in the first place, such as shortages of skilled labor and extensive regulation. To address these issues, the implementation and scaling of automation and Industry 4.0 technologies are necessary. The aerospace industry is a prime example of the need for skilled labor. Abiding by rigorous specifications and achieving the tight tolerances required by aerospace specifications is a highly specialized skill that requires experience and training. The shortage of skilled labor puts those working in aerospace at a disadvantage, often leading to long strenuous work hours to meet demand. To address this, a collaboration with two ASU manufacturing student research teams aided the development of two co-bot solutions that can work alongside technicians and operators to reduce downtime, increase efficiency, and free up human operators to focus on more complex tasks. While many automated solutions are available on the market, co-bots are not often used to their full capability. The proposed solutions demonstrate the possibilities of implementing co-bots in the aerospace industry by using them in machine tending and blending processes for aerospace parts. In traditional manufacturing processes, human operators are still responsible for performing repetitive and often mundane tasks, such as loading and removing workpieces from a CNC workstation and starting a CNC machine for repetitive parts. The current blending process requires a technician to manually sand damaged areas for Depot, Repair, and Overhaul (DRO), which is time-consuming and strenuous. By using a co-bot for this process, the technician's workload is significantly reduced, decreasing lead times and increasing quality control. Inspiration for this thesis came from observing the demands of companies like SpaceX, which require mass manufacturing of rocket engines to meet testing and launch schedules. The SpaceX Raptor engine is a complex, precise system that is aimed at being produced in high volume, which is a prime target for co-bot integration to help meet production targets. Implementing more co-bots into manufacturing has been shown to increase efficiency, reduce cost, and relieve stress on human operators. The integration of co-bots into the manufacturing process for the Raptor engine has the potential to improve efficiency and productivity, making high-volume manufacturing a possibility. Overall, the implementation of co-bots in the aerospace industry can offer a competitive advantage by increasing productivity and efficiency while reducing costs and relieving stress on human operators. This thesis provides proof of the possibilities of implementing co-bots in a versatile industry like aerospace and demonstrates the potential benefits of integrating co-bots into the manufacturing process for rocket engines like the Raptor. By doing so, the aerospace industry can move towards a more automated and efficient future, helping to address the challenges faced by American manufacturing today.