Airbus Implements Sci-Fi Factory Vision
Smart drillers already in use, ergonomics a major concern.

Airbus is progressively implementing its vision of a factory of the future, with some science-fiction-like pieces of equipment already in use. While automation is being increasingly employed, “We are not in automotive, so we cannot put automation in every case, automation has to work alongside workers,” COO Tom Williams pointed out, alluding to the lower production rates typical in the aerospace industry.

In use for a few months on the A350 XWB production line, electronic drillers have proved invaluable. For example, such a tool can sense materials and vary rotation speed through a stack of different metal or composite layers. It can collect dust, shavings and oil. It can even warn of a worn-out head.