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Wheels:
Airbus uses giant Mecanum-wheeled transporters

This Mecanum-wheeled KUKA transporter Is one of a pair that helps Airbus move and lift incredibly large and heavy plane parts at its Hamburg, Germany, plant.

 

 

Construction of the world's largest passenger airliner, the Airbus A380, in Hamburg, Germany, involves moving aircraft components measuring 15 m in length and weighing up to 90 tons. Luckily, the company has the help of the KUKA omniMove mobile transport platform (well, two of them), a transport vehicle for heavy loads that is equipped with 56 omnidirectional Mecanum wheels.

This Mecanum wheel design features eight non-driven rollers on each wheel that are mounted between two identical stable rims. The wheels do not have a steering mechanism; changes in direction are determined by the direction of rotation of the wheels relative to one another. The resulting maneuverability of the platform is comparable to the omnidirectional freedom of motion of a hovercraft.

For a year now, Airbus has been using two of these vehicles in the hangar in which the A380, a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner, is produced. This enables implementation of the desired cycle time for transportation of the fuselage sections and is key to making sure the parts are moved along the production line.

Robot platform maneuvers from a standing start
Due to the different work stations and the huge fuselage sections, space in the Airbus hangar is limited. The ability to turn from a standing start is the greatest advantage of the KUKA omniMove. The Mecanum wheels move in every direction and operate with the utmost precision even with a maximum payload. The mechanical coupling of the two transport vehicles, each with payload capability of 45 tons, makes it possible to transport heavy loads of a maximum 90 tons or components up to 30 m long.

The electric omniMove vehicle moves autonomously using a laser scanner to help it monitor its environment and avoid collisions. It is controlled wirelessly using a radio control unit and a joystick. Add-on features include optical tracking, positioning aids, and mechanical guide elements that allow it to achieve a positioning accuracy of up to ±1 mm.

The KUKA omniMove is especially impressive in regards to it simple handling, flexibility, and precision. It is easy to operate, quick to learn, and particularly easy to steer. Furthermore, the batteries are very powerful: The transport platform operates tirelessly for 48 hours without the need to recharge them.

Airbus has found so much utility in the systems that it recently ordered an extra one for its plant in Stade, Germany, to transport the upper shells of the wings for the A350 XWB (extra wide body) aircraft and the shell molds. This unit is 34 m long and 4 m wide -- and can transport up to 100 tons. Loads can be precisely lifted up to 2.5 m high. Using its camera systems, the vehicle is guided and positioned with millimeter precision.

New KUKA omniMove transporter for the Airbus plant in Stade.

 

 

Optional lift system
An optional Triple Lift lifting platform is also available from KUKA for its omniMove system and is in use for aircraft construction. It makes both translational and rotational motions in any direction, right from a standing start. It achieves a positioning accuracy of ±5 mm, which can be improved using the optionally available positioning aids. These optical or inductive guidance systems enable extremely precise maneuverability. The hydraulic telescopic arms move the platform into any working position and to a working height of up to 8 m with infinite adjustability. The work platform can be flexibly navigated by radio remote control from either the platform itself or next to it.

Source: KUKA

Published November 2016

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