The total delivered system includes 110 axes of servo controlled motion and 16 DVT smart camera`s as part of this vision guided alignment system. DSC began the design of this vision alignment system in September 2001. Lockheed assembled the first aircraft on it in June 2002. The system consists of three “skates” at each of 4 stations. The skates support the three fuselage sections – the forward built in Marietta, the mid built in Fort Worth, and the aft built by Boeing in Seattle. The alignment requires very high precision in six degrees of freedom across 4 large surfaces on two separate bodies simultaneously. Measurement accuracy is 0.0002 inches with the vision system, and the moves are set to make 0.001 inch sets manually, but can make moves down to 0.0002 inches in automatic mode. This system significantly reduced the span time and personnel required to align and mate the fuselage and improved the quality of the mate over the original manual align & mate system that was built for the development phase. This program had numerous milestone objectives through the development and build phases , all of which were met on time and on budget by DSC. The system came on-line and built the first ship, one ship ahead of Lockheed’s need-date.

In 2002, DSC began work on the F-22 Mid-Fuselage align & mate system in Fort Worth, Texas. This system performs a similar function to the full-body mate in Marietta, but the pieces are smaller and the assembly line is not mobile; it is in a fixed position. Space availability in critical locations prevented the same use of vision that we used on the main assembly line, so lasers are used to make position measurements. Lockheed Martin purchased this system in late 2002, and two systems were brought on-line, on schedule and on budget, in 2003. Lockheed reports that this system has reduced span time and labor costs and improved quality in excess of their most optimistic expectations.

The “Wing Mill” began operations in June 2001. It is a mobile milling machine that creates the attachment surface between the “center wing” that runs through the fuselage and the left and right wings. First, an operator makes 28 measurements with a digital depth gage that ports data into a Palm computer. Software written by DSC for the Palm then calculates the most optimum surface thickness and plane based on how the tolerances have accumulated to the wing root. The 4 corners are cut to create this plane, and the Wing Mill then creates that plane across the full wing. The Wing Mill is a mobile milling machine designed specifically for this application. It has an inner floating frame that easily moves with the fingertips with no more than a pound of force, in 6 degrees of freedom. It attaches to the corners of the wing in a few seconds and takes less than four minutes to cut the wing. In late 2002 Lockheed had DSC design and integrate an inspection system that uses a laser to verify the surface quality. Initially the system was only designed to work on the center wing. In mid-2004 DSC completed upgrades requested by Lockheed to add the ability to also cut the left and right wings.

This system came online in 2004 a full 2 ships ahead of schedule and has reduced the span time and labor involved with drilling about 5,800 holes per ship. This is two 5-axis CNC drilling machines built by Applied International Motion in Lavern, California. The software that converts the CATIA vector and position data and merges it with a fastener database and a process control spec database was developed and written by DSC. A 3-D graphical user interface helps the programmer readily identify programming errors. The system also has a runtime component that automatically adjust the positioning of the drill head to the actual position of the assembly jig in real time. This software package can take virtually any 3-D data file and convert it to become the motion profile program for an articulated arm or gantry style positioning system. Adhesive application machines, drilling, part placement, etc. can benefit from being able to take a complex data set and merge it with other data that provides instructions based on a particular position and/or vector.

This system lifts and rolls the F-22 Center Fuselage section, and is used to transport it from Lockheed Martin`s main assembly plant to the paint hangar about a half mile away.

This system is similar to the Roll-Over Dolly, but it is fixed to the floor of the F-22 main assembly line. It is used to wash the fuselage with de-ionized water after the three primary sub-assemblies are mated.

This is a fully automated drilling machine that drills approximately 15,000 holes on 4 different jigs per ship. It drills the holes in the forward and aft Wing Beam, left and right. The system was designed to use the existing tooling jigs which minimized the interuption to production and reduced the overall cost to about one fifth.

DSC is currently designing and building a system to assist technicians at Lockheed Martin to place the new stonger, pylons on the lower surface of the C-5 wing. The complete system will consist of four similar - but not identical machines. Each machine uses six servo`s to generate motion in 6-degrees of freedom to align the pylon mounting lugs. Three Cognex cameras make the measurements which are analyzed by the computer to control motion.

DSC designed and built a propulsion and thrust vectoring system for a `fly-by-wire` flight control system. The system was integrated onto 4 engines that will be attached to an airship (blimp). Each aircraft engine has four servo`s attached to control prop-pitch, throttle, mixture, and thrust vector.

DSC designed and built this helium valve that can be controlled electrically or manually. It is used on a high altitude airship.

This is a handheld device that measures the depth of holes and sends the data back to a computer. It is usually used in conjunction with DSC`s 3D projection system, however it can be used with other systems as well. It comes in a wired or wireless version. Accuracy is 0.001 inch. It plugs into an RS-232 port on the computer. The operator makes one single squeeze of the hand to pull the gripper tight and the system automatically triggers when the hole depth is determined.

This system translates a Catia or other 3D model to provide 3D surface data. The DSC software then projects the 3D data onto the 3D part. Detailed assembly instructions can be projected directly onto work peice. Hole specific grip lengths can be measured and later displayed using the DSC Grip Gun, which aids fastener installation. Wire harnesses, bracket and small component mounting, and fastener installation are among the uses presently being employed.

DSC designs and builds wind tunnel models. The adjacent picture is not a wind tunnel model, but we do not have any pictures we can publish here.

This machine inspects 5 different types of fuel injector caps. The operator selects which style cap will be running and the system automatically runs the software for all the tests that specific part number needs. The system is typically looking at the dimensional measurements and imperfections of the OD and ID (outside and inside diameters)

This is a robotic adhesive dispenser that creates bond lines for a Daimler (formerly Freightliner) truck roof. The system was purchased and is operated by a first-tier supplier Molded Fiber Glass of North Carolina. This is a 6-axis robot that includes 3 linear axes designed and built by DSC and axes 4-6 from a Kuka KR16. The controller is a standard Kuka controller.

This system uses three Kuka KR60-HA`s to drill the front, back, and inside of a roof for a Daimler (formerly Freightliner) truck. The system has automatic clamping and other features for very rapid load and unload on the jig. Eight hole diameters are made without any tool changes.

This system uses a single Cognex camera to identify a wheel and then control its passage down a conveyer so that it will be pushed into the correct deburring machine.

This system uses a single Cognex camera to identify a wheel and determine the orientation of its valve stem hole. This data is passed to a balancing machine so that proper compensations may be made during testing.

DSC has been working with American MagLev to develop the automated train controls for this futuristic transportation system.

Each month DSC supplies one of the world`s leading water jet machine manufacturers with their control panels, linear actuation system, and motors.

This system is used to clean conveyers used in various food industries. The steam head positioner was designed and built by DSC exclusively for Amerivap, and attaches to their steam generator.

The “Wing Mill” began operations in June 2001. It is a mobile milling machine that creates the attachment surface between the “center wing” that runs through the fuselage and the left and right wings. First, an operator makes 28 measurements with a digital depth gage that ports data into a Palm computer. Software written by DSC for the Palm then calculates the most optimum surface thickness and plane based on how the tolerances have accumulated to the wing root. The 4 corners are cut to create this plane, and the Wing Mill then creates that plane across the full wing. The Wing Mill is a mobile milling machine designed specifically for this application. It has an inner floating frame that easily moves with the fingertips with no more than a pound of force, in 6 degrees of freedom. It attaches to the corners of the wing in a few seconds and takes less than three minutes to cut the wing. In late 2002 Lockheed had DSC design and integrate an inspection system that uses a laser to verify the surface quality. Initially the system was only designed to work on the center wing. In mid-2004 DSC completed upgrades requested by Lockheed to add the ability to also cut the left and right wings.

The Bulk Storage Unit (BSU) is a large component of Lockheed Martin’s Tray Management System (TMS). DSC designed the motion control system for Computer Aided Systems, Inc (CASI) and then continued to develop the system when the program was taken over by Lockheed. A total of 51 systems were delivered to 15 distribution centers for the US Postal Service, and to two distribution centers in Australia. These system began operations in 1999 and the last system was delivered in early 2001.

This is a simple machine that sorts blood test filters. It became operational in 2002. The system operates adjacent to an injection molding machine and maintains the separation of filters based on the cavity from which they were made. There are two magazines which each contain 8 cartridges that each hold about 100 filters. Mechanical interlocks in the system ensure that it is impossible to confuse which mold cavity filled which cartridge even when they are not in the magazine. This is a quality assurance system.