US 11,926,435 B2
Indexing for airframes undergoing pulsed-line assembly
Daniel R. Smith, Woodinville, WA (US); Darrell D. Jones, Mill Creek, WA (US); and Frederick M. Swanstrom, Normandy Park, WA (US)
Assigned to The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed by The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed on Nov. 10, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/454,263.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/115,059, filed on Nov. 18, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0153434 A1, May 19, 2022
Int. Cl. B64F 5/10 (2017.01); B23P 21/00 (2006.01)
CPC B64F 5/10 (2017.01) [B23P 21/004 (2013.01); B23P 2700/01 (2013.01)] 48 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for assembling a structure the method comprising:
micro pulsing a structure along a track in a process direction by less than a length of the structure;
indexing the structure to work stations by mating indexing features in a manufacturing excess of the structure to complementary indexing features at the work stations, wherein each indexing feature is capable of physically coupling with each complementary indexing feature;
working on the structure at the work stations while the structure is indexed to the work stations; and
iteratively repeating the micro pulsing and indexing and working upon the structure.