Aircraft Skin Manufacturing Solutions
Aircraft skinning is a key component of the aircraft structure, which directly affects flight safety, fuel efficiency and maintenance costs. We provide complete manufacturing solutions from aluminum alloy/titanium alloy sheets to complex curved skins, body wall panels, and wing skins.
Common Customer Challenges
- It is difficult to control the springback of large-size thin-walled parts after molding, and it is difficult to stabilize the dimensional accuracy.
- Complex surface skin processing deformation, surface quality and thickness uniformity fluctuation
- Aluminum alloy/titanium alloy materials have serious work hardening, short tool life, and low machining efficiency.
- Surface treatment (anodized/coating) requires extremely high adhesion and corrosion resistance
- Non-destructive testing (NDT) coverage rate requires 100%, and the testing standards are strict
- Complex material traceability and lot management, stringent airworthiness certification requirements
Manufacturing Solutions
Cylindrical/Conical Panels
- Program Points: Stretch forming → CNC machining → surface treatment → NDT inspection
- Key Process: Large curvature molding, thickness uniformity, surface quality; rivet hole position accuracy
Wing Skin Panels
- Program Points: Superplastic molding → finishing → surface strengthening → fatigue test
- Key Process: Complex surface molding, aerodynamic surface quality, structural strength; weight-saving design
Empennage Panels
- Program Points: Roll forming → CNC machining → surface treatment → dimensional inspection
- Key Process: Small curvature forming, dimensional stability, surface roughness; assembly accuracy
Door Panels
- Program Points: Stamping → Finishing → Sealing treatment → Function verification
- Key Process: Sealing surface accuracy, hinge mounting accuracy, weight control; functional testing
Aircraft Skin Manufacturing Process
Raw Materials And Incoming Materials Inspection
Process step description: Verify aluminum/titanium alloy grade, thickness, surface quality and heat treat condition; sample chemistry and mechanical properties. Equipment: Optical spectrometer, universal testing machine, CMM, ultrasonic thickness gauge, hardness tester, metallographic microscope.
Material Preparation And Cutting
Process step description: Cut sheet metal to required dimensions with minimal waste and proper edge quality for subsequent forming operations. Equipment: CNC cutting machine, laser cutter, waterjet cutter, shearing machine, edge deburring machine.
Forming And Shaping
Process step description: Form complex curved surfaces using stretch forming, superplastic forming or roll bending to achieve target geometry. Equipment: Stretch forming machine, superplastic forming press, roll bending machine, hydroforming press, forming dies.
Heat Treatment And Stress Relief
Process step description: Apply solution treatment, aging or stress relief to achieve target mechanical properties and dimensional stability. Equipment: Heat treatment furnace, aging furnace, stress relief furnace, temperature monitoring system, atmosphere control. Heat treatment furnace, aging furnace, stress relief furnace, temperature monitoring system, atmosphere control.
CNC Machining And Drilling
Process step description: Machine edges, drill rivet holes and create features with high precision and surface quality requirements. Equipment: 5-axis machining center, CNC drilling machine, edge trimming machine, countersinking machine, CMM.
Surface Treatment And Coating
Process step description: Apply anodizing, primer coating or specialized surface treatments for corrosion resistance and paint adhesion. Equipment: Anodizing line, coating booth, curing oven, surface preparation system, thickness gauge.
Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)
Process step description: Perform 100% NDT inspection including ultrasonic, eddy current and penetrant testing for defect detection. Equipment: Ultrasonic testing system, eddy current tester, penetrant testing kit, X-ray inspection system, NDT certification equipment.
Dimensional Inspection And Metrology
Process step description: Verify dimensional accuracy, surface profile and geometric tolerances using advanced metrology equipment. Equipment: CMM, laser tracker, 3D scanner, surface profilometer, coordinate measuring arm.
Final Inspection And Documentation
Process step description: Conduct final quality checks, generate inspection reports and prepare documentation for airworthiness certification. Equipment: Visual inspection station, documentation system, barcode printer, quality management software.
Packaging And Shipping
Process step description: Apply protective packaging and shipping preparation to prevent damage during transportation and storage. Equipment: Protective packaging system, shipping fixtures, environmental monitoring, handling equipment.
Data Traceability And Quality Control
- Process step description: Maintain complete traceability of materials, processes and inspections for airworthiness compliance and quality control.
- Equipment: MES, data acquisition system, quality management system, barcode/RFID system, document management.
Aircraft Skin Production Line
Production Line Layout And Configuration
- Overall Layout: U-shape layout to reduce material handling distance and improve production efficiency
- Section Division: Material Preparation Area → Forming Section → Processing Section → Surface Treatment Section → Inspection Section → Packaging Area
- Logistic Passage: Main Passage Width 4 meters, Auxiliary Passage 2.5 meters, to ensure the smooth passage of the AGVs and the personnel
- Logistic Passage: Buffer inventory is set up for 2-4 hours in between each section, to balance the production tempo.
Equipment Configuration And Automation
Equipment Configuration For Molding Section
- Stretch Forming Machine: 2 sets, maximum forming size 3m×2m, forming force 2000 tons
- Overmolding Machine: 1 Set For Complex Curved Titanium Alloy Skins
- Rolling Bending Machines: 3 units, different specifications adapt to different curvature requirements
- Automation: Automatic loading and unloading robot, automatic adjustment of forming parameters
Processing Section Equipment Configuration
- 5-Axis Machining Center: 4 units, workbench size 2m×1.5m, spindle speed 12000rpm
- CNC Drilling Machines: 6 sets, dedicated to rivet hole processing, drilling accuracy ± 0.05mm
- Edge Trimming Machine:2 units, automatically trimming the edge of skin
- Automation: Automatic tool change system, online detection and compensation
Surface Treatment Section Equipment Configuration
- Anodizing line: 1, processing capacity 2m×1.5m, processing time 2-4 hours
- Coating production line: 1 piece, automatic spraying, curing temperature 180°C
- Surface Preparation Systems: Automatic cleaning, degreasing and pickling
- Automation: Automated fixture system with automatic control of process parameters
Equipment Configuration for Inspection Section
- CMM: 2 sets, measuring range 2m×1.5m×1m, accuracy ±0.002mm
- Laser Tracker. 1 unit for large-size skin detection
- NDT testing equipment: Ultrasonic, eddy current, and penetration testing equipment
- Automation: Automatic loading and unloading, automatic recording of test results
Production Flow And Material Handling
- Material Flow: Raw materials → forming → processing → surface treatment → testing → packaging
- Information Flow: Order information → Process parameters → Quality data → Traceability information
- AGV System: 10 AGVs, automatic handling of skins and flow between various work sections
- Vision System: Machine vision inspection, automatic identification and localization
