Automated Fastening

The E7000 riveting machine is Electroimpact’s solution for fastening of pre-tacked aircraft panels. The E7000 was designed from the beginning with the goals of achieving industry-leading speed and reliability. A highly rigid machine structure enables operation at high feed rates. Systems are customizable, and are presently in production manufacturing a wide variety of parts, including both commercial and military fuselage panels (metallic and composite), wing structure, and cargo doors. Both Fanuc and Siemens controllers are available.

Features that are unique to the E7000 include:

• Fanuc Force functionality. Provides the ultimate level of control over the rivet upset process on systems utilizing a Fanuc controller. Enables precise force control during every stage of rivet forming.
• Self-clearing fastener injectors, eliminating fastener jams. Even in cases such as reverse-fed or double-fed fasteners, jams can be cleared automatically and without operator intervention. White Paper
• Air gap panel protection. Prevents damage to the aircraft part in the event of a tipped or sideways fastener, or in any other situation which prevents a fastener from being inserted correctly into the hole. Superior panel protection for all fastener types, including interference-fit bolts.
• Magnetic lower tool interface. The lower riveting or bolting anvil is connected to the machine through an electromagnetic base, enabling controlled separation at low force in the event of a crash. In practice, this system prevents virtually all damage to aircraft components during machine crashes. White Paper
• Lower tool automatic tool changer. Riveting and bolting anvils can be changed quickly and automatically. White Paper
• Optional self-loading capability. Parts are brought into the machine cell on a floor-based transport, and positioned in a designated staging area. The machine itself then lifts the part from the transport. Well-suited for smaller parts and situations where reliance on an overhead crane is undesirable.

Additional options include lockbolt collar swaging, nut running, high-curvature panel fastening capability.

• Fastest riveting machine, capable of installing 20 rivets per minute
• High-load ball screw 51kip electric rivet upset
• Patented "Bomb Bay Door" injector is self clearing eliminating virtually all jam ups
• Patented "Air Gap" panel protection system
• Rivet length verification laser array Keyence IG-28
• Rivet flushness laser micrometer Keyence LK-H157
• D-frame provides the most efficient use of factory floor space requiring 45% less width
• Flexible Part Holding can hold a multitude of different parts

• Process head accessible on four sides from operator platform
• Fanuc 30I-B control with Fanuc Force Function for programmable rivet upset allowing increased repeatability
• Lower ram Zimmer RBPS3000 rod lock rated 8000 lbs for rapid bolt insertion
• ATC Drill Changer
• ATC Upper Anvil and ATC Injector Changer is servo ball screw driven with up to ten positions
• ATC Lower Anvil Changer
• Download Full Overview (PPTX, 74mb)

E6000 Gantry Wing Panel Riveter

Wing panel fastening machine designed with a focus on speed and reduced weight. The E6000 is a Low-Voltage Electromagnetic Riveting (LVER) machine. The machine installs slug rivets at a rate of 16 per minute in a drill-upset-shave cycle. It is being built for a customer in Xi’an, China where it will fasten wing panels for the ARJ21 regional jet. The machine is built to accommodate slightly larger wing panels, in the size range of A320 and 737. Its configuration can be scaled to other panel sizes.

E5000 Full Barrel Fastening System

An automated machine has been designed with true offset fastening to join shear-tie/frame assemblies to the fuselage of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The machine can access fasteners located close to structural components that are very deep. This is accomplished by offsetting the fastening axis from the axis of the head for true offset fastening. The head can be positioned next to the structural component and the offset fastening tooling 'reaches' out to the fastener location.

E4000 Wing Panel Travelling Yoke

The patented E4000 is a vertical yoke rivet/bolt machine for wing panel assembly. In the E4000 the yoke moves in five axes. Due to the use of electromagnetic riveting (EMR) the yoke can install rivets into rigid fixture assemblies. This allows the yoke to run over the panel build and install all of the rivets and lock bolts. Splice fasteners are also installed. Hence all tack fasteners are eliminated.

E3000 Vertical Spar Riveting Machine

The E3000 was developed for Boeing and Electroimpact's line of Automatic Spar Assembly Tools.