The Airbus A380 flagship aircraft flies seemingly effortlessly through the air, but to move the giant plane on the ground during construction, flexible, powerful, heavy-duty mobile platforms are needed. Thanks to its Mecanum wheels, a KUKA omniMove transports aircraft components weighing up to 90 tonnes around the production hangar in Hamburg with millimetre precision, even in confined spaces.
The employees at the Airbus production plant in Hamburg move enormous A380 fuselage sections weighing 90 tonnes and measuring 15 metres in length around a building the size of a football stadium. This is made possible by the KUKA omniMove mobile transport platform, a transport vehicle for heavy loads that is equipped with omnidirectional Mecanum wheels, which can rotate the 90-tonne payload from a standing start.
This wheel design ensures unrestricted manoeuvrability. In the building where the A380 is manufactured, Airbus has been operating two of these mobile transport platforms for a year to achieve the desired manufacturing cycle for the fuselage sections as they move along the production line. The platforms can be coupled together to transport large parts.
With a variety of workstations and the large 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. Its unrestricted freedom of movement derives from its omnidirectional Mecanum wheels. These wheels move in every direction and operate with the utmost precision, even at a maximum payload of up to 90 tonnes.
Their versatility stems from their distinctive design. A Mecanum wheel consists of several individual rollers, each aligned at 45 degrees relative to the axle. This gives the KUKA omniMove fascinating mobility, enabling Airbus to make optimal and efficient use of the space available in the production hangar.
Simple handling, speedy and safe
The requirements for transport platforms at Airbus have always been high. The KUKA omniMove meets these requirements very well. It is easy to operate, quick to learn and particularly easy to steer. Furthermore, the batteries are very powerful: the KUKA omniMove operates tirelessly for 48 hours without recharging. The ease of handling, flexibility and precision of the KUKA omniMove have greatly impressed the team at Airbus that operates the platforms.
“We currently have eleven production plants in Europe, and our supply chain spans the globe,” says Dr. Kai Brüggemann, Airbus plant manager in Hamburg. Many different aircraft types, at various stages of assembly and testing, pass through the Hamburg production facility, which is the size of a town and extends down to the River Elbe in Finkenwerder.
Parts are moved in and out of the production systems around the clock. Logistics and the transport of parts at the different stages of assembly have thus become a major part of the manufacturing process. The use of the KUKA omniMove platforms is therefore seen as merely the start of production automation at Airbus.
The success of Airbus is based on innovation and the implementation of state-of-the-art technologies in production. “We also look for suitable solutions in other branches of industry, particularly the automotive sector.” Dr Brüggemann is convinced that his company can adopt many solutions from the automotive industry at Airbus production plants: “Here in Hamburg, we have a production line that is in constant motion, and that is unique in aerospace technology.”
As early as the start of next year, Airbus will be implementing a fully automated production line for a new aircraft model. KUKA is a partner of the consortium that is supplying this new solution for the future. “It is time for automated robotic processes to make their way into the aerospace sector. We shall be closing this gap between ourselves and the automotive industry relatively quickly,” forecasts Dr. Brüggemann.
