Robot for 787 Center Bushing Installation

This presentation will discuss the center bushing installation machine for the 787-torque tube using the ABB robot. The machine design included ABB Robot Studio software, heater control, and the interface between robot and heater control including electrical schematics and safety circuits. This design improved work place safety by eliminating human interaction with hot material. The center bushings are typically installed by pre-heating the bushing and then manually inserting the bushing around the torque tube. Operators had to manually handle the pre-heated bushing prior to installation. They also needed to manually place the work-piece at awkward angles and install the center bushings on the work-pieces, which can inherently lead to errors and defects in workmanship. In addition, the manual process resulted in reworks and failures because of the manual steps involved in heating and maintaining the bushing at a fixed location on the work-piece. In other instances, there was variability in bushing installations as different operators had a tendency to locate the bushing about the work-piece differently. Operator fatigue was also an issue due to handling heavy pieces of machinery. These issues were successfully addressed in the new design of this machine. A patent has been applied for the center bushing installation machine; US patent No.: US11554502, Issue Date:: 2023-01-17.