US 11,724,346 B2
Moving line assembly of airframes
Darrell D. Jones, Mill Creek, WA (US); Daniel R. Smith, Woodinville, WA (US); Jeremy Evan Justice, Mill Creek, WA (US); Riley HansonSmith, Bothell, WA (US); Eric M. Reid, Kenmore, WA (US); and Parisa Nazaran, Lynnwood, 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. 17/454,270.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/115,040, filed on Nov. 18, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0152757 A1, May 19, 2022
Int. Cl. B23P 21/00 (2006.01); B64F 5/10 (2017.01); B64F 5/50 (2017.01); B64C 1/06 (2006.01)
CPC B23P 21/004 (2013.01) [B64F 5/10 (2017.01); B64F 5/50 (2017.01); B23P 2700/01 (2013.01); B64C 1/068 (2013.01); B64C 1/069 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
10. A method for assembling a fuselage, the method comprising:
advancing a uniform cross-section upper half barrel section of fuselage and a corresponding, inverted uniform cross-section lower half barrel section of fuselage in a process direction along a first assembly line at a first takt time;
advancing a non-uniform cross-section upper half barrel section of fuselage and a corresponding, inverted non-uniform cross-section lower half barrel section of fuselage in the process direction along a second assembly line at a second takt time;
rotating the uniform cross-section lower half barrel section and the non-uniform cross-section lower half barrel section to a keel down orientation;
attaching the upper half barrel sections to the corresponding lower half barrel sections to form two full barrel sections, one full barrel section having a uniform cross-section and one full barrel section having a non-uniform cross-section; and
attaching the two full barrel sections together to form a portion of fuselage.