A Novel Flexible Tool for Airplane Flap Assembly

Based on the analysis of digital, flexible assembly technology, a digital control and flexible tools is proposed for airplane flap assembly. The proposed tools have seven pillar-style positioners, which can move along x, y, z directions. The seven positioners control airplane flap pose during the assemble. Engineering application shows that the proposed tools can assemble different size airplane flaps on the basis of quality assurance, and the tools improve the assembly efficiency.