Electroimpact developed a new advanced positioning system to replace antiquated equipment on Bombardier’s Global 5000/6000 final assembly line. The system supports the wings and positions them relative to the fuselage using precise manipulators in conjunction with state-of-the-art controls. Formerly, the process was a guess and check procedure in which the operator would manually move the wing until all reference points were within tolerance. With each move affecting all reference points, the process was iterative and time consuming.

While the verification process is still manual, the new system allows the operator to “lock-in” a reference point once it is within tolerance. Subsequent moves rotate about the “locked-in” position(s) and isolate them from the movements. This allows the operators to focus in on a single point and greatly reduces the time required to position a wing. In addition, the new system uses Siemens SIMATIC Mobile Panel technology to give the operator freedom of movement within the work center while maintaining a user-friendly and informative human machine interface (HMI).