D-Frame Riveter

The E7000 is a gantry-style, D-Frame fuselage riveting machine designed to meet the requirements of Turkish Aerospace Industries for a high-speed CNC machine capable of fastening high-curvature panels. Processes include drilling and installation of rivets and interference-fit bolts with sealant, automatic resynching, and automatic flushness measurement.

Unlike traditional part positioners, the E7000 positioner uses two fully servo-driven independent positioner towers. This allows the part to be held in a minimalist support structure for maximum fastening access to areas of high curvature. The E7000 fastens panel edges of 120° fuselage sections, and up to 150° is possible. A conventional part positioner is also available.

An open process head design and a cantilevered fixed platform allow easy maintenance access. A man lift or ladder is not required to reach the head, and all sides of the head may be reached safely and comfortably. This concept provides a significant improvement in maintenance accessibility as compared the standard for gantry or c-frame-style machines. The machine is also equipped with a lowering platform for quick access to the head while in production and away from the fixed platform.

The E7000 utilizes an array of newly designed, patent-pending fastener injectors that are capable of automatically recovering from virtually all fastener jams, including those caused by multiple or backwards-fed fasteners. Integrated length checking and tipped fastener checks are performed. The E7000 also includes automatic tool changing for cutters and upper anvils, and a sealant inserter capable of sealing multiple hole diameters with a single nozzle. These features make it possible to operate with little manual intervention on the upper head. In fact, no access to the upper head is necessary to switch between fastener types and diameters.

The E7000 comes in two configurations. The baseline configuration has a max part positioner width of 3.5 meters and the extra-large configuration has a max part positioner width of 5.5 meters. Both the baseline and extra-large configurations have a length that is built to order to accommodate a wide variety of parts.