Boeing Wing Rib Workstation

The goal of this project is to develop a workstation that will facilitate all assembly of secondary components for a "generic" lower wing rib. Further considerations are laid out below and center around a movable workstation/tool system. The station will have modular options to eliminate redundant rib tools, and dynamic traits that will ease handling and assembly operations.

Background
Boeing is currently in the process of constructing a new airplane, the 777X. With a new design come new challenges. One in particular is the manufacturing and handling of the parts. The ribs in particular cannot be handled in the same way they have been with regards to preparing them for installation. Boeing has given us the task of constructing a tool/workstation that can accomplish this.

Deliverables

 * Concept sketches/CAD models and developed ideas of suitable frames to house the different size ribs.
 * Scale model prototype of a "generic" tool.
 * Proposition of scalability/customizability of the "generic" tool.
 * Suggestion of necessary workstation features and appropriate positioning of those feautures.
 * Features include: tool balancers, lighting, and air hose and power outlets.

Generic Rib
We will be constructing a scaled down mock up rib. The purpose behind this mock up rib is to use it for testing the workstation. Particularly, we will be using it to obtain a better understating of what capabilities are necessary in our workstation in order to hold and operate on the rib. The rib will be made using MasterCAM. It will have many of the challenging and important features found within the actual ribs. However, they will be more simplistic on the mock up. Essentially the mock up will only be similar to the actual ribs but it will still be a great reference object for constructing and testing the workstation.