It Takes 60,000 Rivets and Two Robots to Build a Boeing 777 Fuselage

(upbeat electronic music)

[Narrator] If you think riding

in an airplane is exhausting,

try building one.

To keep those metal tubes

from disintegrating in midair,

Boeing employees install some 60,000 rivets

in each fuselage.

It's the kind of hard, repetitive work

that can injure your shoulders, back, and arms,

so Boeing brought in the robots.

This is the Fuselage Automated Upright Build,

also known as FAUB.

For the last year,

it's been working on Boeing 777 assembly line,

helping bolt together sections of fuselage.

The robots start by drilling thousands of holes

where those panels meet.

Then they work in pairs

to install the rivets that will lock them together.

One arm fires the rivet,

while its friendo on the other side of the panel

holds the bucking bar that forces the rivet into place.

They use laser vision systems

to make sure they're working in exactly the same spot.

Even better, these are free range robots.

They move around the assembly line

on autonomous guided vehicles.

After the human employees put the fuselage panels in place,

the robots waltz in and bolt everything together.

For Boeing, the benefits are clear,

faster, more efficient workers

that don't demand healthcare,

and ultimately, the ability to build more planes

for less money.

And you, dear flyer,

you can stop complaining already.

(upbeat electronic music)