$44 million, robotic coatings facility for F-22 production

Citation

(2002), "$44 million, robotic coatings facility for F-22 production", Industrial Robot, Vol. 29 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2002.04929fab.004

$44 million, robotic coatings facility for F-22 production

$44 million, robotic coatings facility for F-22 production

Keywords: Aerospace

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. has opened the first phase of a new state-of-the- art, $44 million coatings facility here that incorporates the latest robotics technology to improve coating of the aircraft’s subassemblies. The subassembly coatings facility is part of the F-22 program’s new streamlined aircraft final assembly process.

This new coatings facility is part of a $44 million capital investment by the program at the company’s Marietta facility. Phase one of the building consists of one bay with two 53-foot-by-38-foot-by-20-foot high paint booths, each equipped with two automotive industry-type paint robots. An F-22 mid- or aft-fuselage, pair of wings or pair of horizontal stabilizers can be coated in just a few days in each of the new booths.

Eventually, eight new coatings booths will be installed to coat the major sub-assemblies of the F-22. Sensitive to both temperature and humidity, the robotic paint booths will be maintained at conditions that create environments that are more like laboratory clean rooms than a typical painting facility.

After initial coating, the subassemblies will move to the final assembly area where they will be mated to the airframe. The fully assembled raptor then moves to building L-64 where the aircraft’s final low-observable, or stealth, exterior coatings are applied by another, larger pair of paint robots.

For information on Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., visit: http://www.Imaeronautics.com