Patent ID: 9725190
Date: 2017-08-08
CPC Classifications: B64F

Claim:
1. A method for assembling an aircraft engine nacelle inlet lip having a lipskin, a forward bulkhead, an outer barrel, an inner barrel, an aft attachment ring, one or more chord members, an aft bulkhead and an inner angle member, the method comprising: with a controller of an automated workstation, automatically positioning an articulated assembly fixture docking station of the automated workstation in at least two predetermined joining positions, where the articulated docking station is positioned in two degrees of freedom; and effecting, with the controller, an ordered assembly of at least a forward bulkhead joint, a forward bulkhead to lipskin joint, a chord member to lipskin joint, an inner barrel to lipskin joint, an aft bulkhead to lipskin joint and an outer barrel to lipskin joint through an interface between an automated assembly tool and at least one of a plurality of assembly fixtures interchangeably mounted on the articulated assembly fixture docking station in the at least two predetermined joining positions, wherein each of the assembly fixtures corresponds to an assembly step of the aircraft engine nacelle inlet lip and at least one of the assembly fixtures is a common fixture that is common to more than one assembly step of the aircraft engine nacelle inlet lip.