Patent ID: 8950054
Filing Date: 2015-02-10
Classification: B21J,B23P,B25B,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of manufacturing a structure comprising: maintaining a plurality of different tooling components that are each associated with a different type of fastener, each tooling component of the plurality of different tooling components comprising a magnetically attractive base with front and rear surfaces, the base having a passageway through the base and through the front and rear surfaces where the passageway is configured for a predetermined assembly operation, each tooling component having a spacing protrusion, the spacing protrusion projecting a length from the base front surface to an engagement surface of the spacing protrusion, and each tooling component of the plurality of tooling components being attachable to a robotic assembly; determining a single assembly operation to be performed on the structure; determining a tooling component from the plurality of different tooling components that is operable to perform the assembly operation; attaching the tooling component to the robotic assembly; positioning a fastener associated with the tooling component in a hole in the structure; activating the robotic assembly to position the tooling component against one side of the structure aligning the passageway through the base with the fastener positioned in the hole in the structure and engaging the spacing protrusion engagement surface against the one side of the structure spacing the base front surface a clearance dimension from the one side of the structure that is larger than a length an installed fastener projects from the one side of the structure, thereby enabling the base front surface to pass over a previously installed fastener when moving the tooling component to a next fastener location; and, activating an electromagnet positioned on a second side of the structure, opposite the first side to attract the magnetic base toward the electromagnet and thereby clamp the magnetic base of the tooling component and the electromagnet to opposite sides of the structure.