Advanced Integration Technology > Automation & Integration > Positioning Systems > OverviewPositioning Systems
AIT has been building precision turnkey automated positioning systems for large aircraft assembly for decades, with more systems operational worldwide than any other company. In fact, the engineering staff at AIT has been involved with almost every large airframe automated control system in the aerospace industry.
Because of our experience manufacturing hundreds of positioning machines, AIT has been able to develop a standard design for many system elements. AIT can easily modify these designs to exactly match the unique requirements for each project. As a result, AIT provides the shortest lead time and most reliable systems in the industry.
In-House Manufacturing
To make systems more affordable and reduce lead time, AIT performs high-precision fabrication, machining, and assembly of automated tooling at our location in AIT Canada in Langley, BC. AIT’s years of fabrication and assembly experience plus uncompromising attention to detail ensure the success of both turnkey and individual-component projects.
Alignment & Positioning Systems Projects Sample List
COMAC C919 - Cell 3 Rear Fuselage Assembly - Shanghai, China
Automated system to measure and automatically position the three major sections of the rear fuselage using laser alignment technology.
COMAC C919 - Cell 4 Fuselage Assembly - Shanghai, China
Automated system to measure and automatically position the three major sections of the fuselage using laser alignment technology.
COMAC C919 - Cell 5 Final Assembly - Shanghai, China
Automated system to measure and automatically position the wings and HTP/tailcone to the fuselage using laser alignment technology.
Boeing 787 - Final Body Join Surge Line - Everett, WA
Integrated system with automated tooling to join forward fuselage, wings and aft fuselage to the midfuselage using automated assembly and positioning systems.
Boeing 787 - Final Body Join Second Line - Charleston, SC
Integrated system with automated tooling to join forward fuselage, wings and aft fuselage to the midfuselage using automated assembly and positioning systems.
Bombardier CSeries - Final Body Join - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Automated positioning systems for final assembly (fuselage join and wing join).
Bombardier CSeries - Forward Fuselage Assembly - Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada
Multi-product systems to build and assemble the forward fuselage.
Bombardier CSeries - Cockpit Assembly - Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada
Fixture, transport, and support tools for automated cockpit assembly.
Bombardier Learjet L85 - Final Assembly - Wichita, KS
Integrated system with automated tooling to join the empennage to the aft fuselage and the aft fuselage to the forward fuselage.
Bombardier Learjet L85 - Wing Joing - Wichita, KS
Integrated system with automated tooling to join the wings to the fuselage.
Hawker Beechcraft 4000 - Rate Mate - Wichita, KS
Automated system to measure and automatically position the three fuselage sections using laser alignment technology.
IAI G250 - Final Assembly - Tel Aviv, Israel
Automated system to join the fuselage sections and the wings to the fuselage.
Boeing 787 - Final Body Join - Everett, WA
Integrated system with automated tooling to join forward fuselage, wings and aft fuselage to the midfuselage using automated assembly and positioning systems.
Boeing 787 - Aft Integration & Join - Charleston, SC
Automated positioning system to join HSTAB to tailcone to aft fuselage (Section 47/48) using laser tracker guidance.
Boeing 787 - Mid-Body Joing - Charleston, SC
Automated positioning system to join Section 45/11 (center wing well and center wing box) mate to S43, S44, S46 (forward and center fuselage sections, 19’ diameter and 84’ long when joined).
EADS CASA Airbus A400M - Horizontal Tail Plane Integration
Two major automation stations for laser-controlled integration and final assembly of the HTP.
Lockheed Martin F-35 JSF - EMAS - U.S., Italy, Japan
Automated positioning systems to perform final mating of the JSF forward, center, and aft fuselage assemblies as well as the wing assembly, using laser guidance technology.
Bombardier Global Express & G5000 - Final Assembly - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Automated flexible positioning systems for the wing join and fuselage join operations.
Airbus A380 - Final Assembly - Getafe, Spain
Integrated system with automated tooling to join the empennage to the aft fuselage and the aft fuselage to the forward fuselage.
Fairchild Dornier 528, 728, 928 - Final Assembly - Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
Automated systems for fuselage center section assembly, fuselage final assembly, and wing join assembly.
CASA DO728 - Wing Join - San Pablo, Spain
Automated wing alignment and join tool with AIT-designed lasers and targets.
Bombardier BD-100/ Learjet Challenger 300 - Final Assembly – Wichita, KS
Automated fuselage join system with laser tracker to measure subassemblies and automated wing join fixture.
Boeing 747 - FAIT Fuselage Body Join - Everett, WA
Automated panel manipulation for Section 42 (2 cells in lower lobe assembly tools, 2 cells in major assembly tools) as well as for Section 46 (3 cells in lower lobe assembly tools, 3 cells in major assembly tools).
Boeing 737 - NG Final Body Join - Everett, WA
Automated positioning system used to measure and automatically position major fuselage components during final body join using laser alignment technology.
Boeing 737 - NG Wing-to-Body Join - Renton, WA
Automated system to measure and position the wings relative to the fuselage during the wing join process.
Boeing 767 - Wing Stub & Final Body Alignment Monitoring Systems
Laser measurement systems for use in both the Wing Stub and Final Body Join processes
Boeing 777 - Automated Alignment
Automated laser alignment system for final assembly, wing-body join, and major join tools.
McDonnell Douglas C17 - Automated Fuselage & Wing Alignment
First tools that used automated laser alignment technology for manufacturing: fuselage and wing alignment.