The Primary research goal of AHEAD is to produce a new generation of machinery, production equipment and manufacturing systems for large aerostructures. This will be achieved through identification, development and integration of critical technologies which fit practical strategies for flexible fixturing, handling automation, machining and automated assembly of large aerostructures responding to major socio-economic challenges facing the European Union as explained below. These objectives will be achieved by the application of both technical and social research along the project.  

The project will primarily address aeronautic applications with their associated requirements and constraints. This is because the sector presents the most extreme and urgent requirements. To satisfy the range of applications and the level of flexibility/agility required, the technology and solutions developed must be scalable and adaptable. It is anticipated and intended that solutions will be readily transferable into other application areas with the similar needs. An almost immediate and evident area to which the transfer will be posible is the space manufacturing sector. Besides, there is significant synergy in the manufacturing processes for railway rolling stock and road transport (trailers and coach bodies). Initial contacts and investigations have shown that requirements in these sectors are less arduous and their level of automation lags aerospace. They are keenly interested in reducing production costs and lead times and are receptive to automation. They therefore provide a significant opportunity for extended exploitation and technology transfer from the target sector. These opportunities will be followed aggressively by the machinery and equipment builders / suppliers in AHEAD during and after the life of the project.  

The long term objectives of this project are to increase the competitiveness of the machinery builders by opening new market prospects and of their users improving their productivity and the quality of the manufactured products through the modernisation of their manufacturing means achieving new processes more eco-efficient and safe and healthy for the shop floor operators.  

The developed technologies will allow configuration of flexible and scalable integrated production systems using standard modules. The intention is to reduce the cost and implementation time for manufacturing facilities associated with new aircraft models; to increase the opportunities for reconfiguration and reuse; to increase automation, improving quality and repeatability, reducing potential for accidental damage and shifting operators from the most hazardous areas; increasing information integration and making maximum use of off-line simulation tools to simplify and accelerate part programming and reduce costs, errors and manufacturing concessions (using an evolving virtual model of the product and production system which truly reflects the current status - rather than a theoretical model).

Research will critically assess current and expected component fixturing, handling, machining and assembly requirements and develop concepts for automation equipment, developing and adapting key new technologies to reduce time-to-market and production costs. Systems will encourage and facilitate a much closer cooperation between design, manufacturing and assembly functions stimulating a more holonic view which is necessary for the future. Advanced design approaches exploiting information technologies will facilitate concurrent design of product and process. Novel processes will be considered to achieve cost reduction and production flexibility while ensuring safety requirements are met. Developed technologies will be readily deployable across multi-site production systems and will pave the way to increased cooperation and much tighter supply chain integration.

The expected technical achievements derived from the working tasks of the project AHEAD are mainly the following: reduction of assembly costs by 20 %; reduction of assembly times by up to 30%; reduction of the cost of production equipment by 30% (not accounting for savings through reuse); improve surface integrity and increase the geometrical accuracy of high specification machined parts by 20%; reduce machining costs by 30%. Moreover, they will dramatically improve working conditions while fulfilling more environmental friendly processes that will save resources and reduce use of hazardous substances (reduction of wastes during machining, milling vs. chemical, by 75% is expected).