AUTORAMP | Omnifactory

CASE STUDIES

AUTORAMP

AUTOMATION OF WING ASSEMBLY FOR RATE AND RAMP

The AUTORAMP project focuses on introducing automated assembly technologies to help Airbus achieve targeted production levels for aircraft wings. By automating key processes such as positioning, drilling, bolting and sealing, the project seeks to improve both accuracy and production speed, reducing manual intervention and variability in large-scale assembly.

Through close collaboration between academia and industry, AUTORAMP developed a fully integrated automation system capable of supporting Airbus’s ramp-up to full production while enhancing quality and consistency.

Modern aircraft manufacturers face the dual challenge of increasing production rates while maintaining stringent quality and safety standards. Conventional wing assembly remains highly manual, involving complex, repetitive tasks that are both time-consuming and resource-intensive.

As demand for single-aisle aircraft continues to grow, automation offers a pathway to faster, more repeatable and cost-efficient production. AUTORAMP addresses this need by developing automated systems that can adapt to high-rate manufacturing environments and improve early product maturity, directly supporting reduced time to market.
The project’s core objective is to design, test and validate automated assembly technologies that deliver measurable gains in production efficiency and quality.

Key aims include:

Developing automation solutions for critical wing assembly processes such as positioning, drilling, bolting and sealing

Creating optimised design prototypes for automated tooling and process integration

Validating industrial demonstrators to assess automation performance and reliability

Supporting Airbus’s single-aisle wing programme with scalable automation solutions

Enabling early product maturity to improve time to market and cost-effectiveness

By implementing these objectives, AUTORAMP contributes to the transformation of traditional aircraft assembly into a digitally connected and automated production system.
The project delivered a robust framework for integrating automation technologies into wing assembly operations. Key technical achievements include:

Development of automated positioning s that improve precision and repeatability

Integration of robotic drilling and sealing applications within a controlled industrial environment

Establishment of a digital control architecture for process monitoring and feedback

Creation of validated industrial prototypes to demonstrate production readiness

The University of Nottingham and its research partners, including Cranfield University and the Manufacturing Technology Centre, have contributed advanced modelling, simulation and optimisation techniques to guide automation implementation.

AUTORAMP has demonstrated the potential to significantly reduce assembly time and improve quality control. By enabling more consistent and data-driven processes, the project supports Airbus’s strategy to scale production while maintaining exceptional manufacturing standards.
AUTORAMP strengthens the UK’s position in advanced aerospace manufacturing by developing automation solutions that can be applied across current and future aircraft programmes.

The project’s results contribute to:

Higher productivity through faster and more reliable assembly processes

Improved quality via consistent automated operations and reduced human error

Sustainability gains through lower rework rates and optimised material use

Industrial resilience by supporting flexible, scalable automation architectures

While primarily aimed at Airbus’s single-aisle aircraft, the technologies developed in AUTORAMP have clear potential for spillover into other aerospace and manufacturing programmes, accelerating wider automation adoption across the sector.