Model-based assembly process planning for flexible aircraft cabin architectures

Abstract The configuration and equipment of an aircraft cabin has a significant impact on the passenger’s flight experience. To meet the needs of passengers and improve the flight experience, airlines repeatedly demand customised adaptations to the cabin design. The implementation of these changes requires a high degree of flexibility in production and can lead to difficulties in setting up a fixed final assembly line. In addition, unforeseen events and changes in the OEMs’ supply chain require a rapid response in aircraft production to be able to deliver on time. Digitalisation in product development and production planning makes it possible to overcome these challenges and makes an important contribution to flexibility, time and cost efficiency. This paper presents a digital approach to modelling and flexible planning of assembly processes of the cabin. To this end, aircraft design data is automatically linked to the assembly system to react quickly to design changes in the assembly planning process. The integration is realised in a system architecture model depicted with the systems modelling language (SysML). The architecture model follows the formal process description defined in VDI3682. A planning algorithm then uses the production architecture parameters to optimise the assembly processes, e.g. in terms of time. The approach presented is demonstrated using the example of scheduling the pre-assembly processes of the "crown module". The latter includes all structural and functional components above the window panels, such as overhead bins, electrics and air conditioning. The results show how changes in aircraft and cabin design or in the production plant and resources can be flexibly evaluated. This allows conceptual changes to be evaluated and traded before the cabin design is frozen and transferred to real production. These advantages contribute to the time and cost optimisation of aircraft production. This work thus makes a valuable contribution to the further development of digital solutions in aircraft production.