A Flexible Fixture for Aircraft Wing Assembly Based on a Parallel Kinematic Machine (Exechon)

The parallel kinematics machine (PKM) Exechon is proposed to be used in a flexible fixture for aircraft wing assembly. The capability analysis and tests are required to investigate the suitability of the proposed fixturing solution. The research concern in this paper will be the static stiffness analysis of the Exechon device, which is a very important element of flexible fixturing solution for aircraft wing assembly using PKM. This paper will detail the experimental tests of the Exechon machine's stiffness to understand its stiffness characters and to provide validation data for Finite Element Analysis (FEA) work in developing analysis models of the Exechon device with representative stiffness characters. The preliminary FEA work in solid models and beam models with parametric modeling function will be included. Then the overall analyze loop and system deployment will be discussed with the proposed research framework of a flexible fixture based on Exechon technology for aircraft wing assembly.