NOTE: Photo for reference only
Overview
Designed a new automatic shot peen machine for an aerospace manufacturer to increase throughput on structure parts.
Project Description
The customer needed a new shot peen machine capable of significantly higher throughput than their existing equipment, particularly for tube-shaped structure parts that were difficult to process efficiently on the current setup.
The solution built on an existing four-nozzle CNC cabinet design and added a secondary cabinet housing a Fanuc 6-axis robotic arm and rotary fixture to handle tube parts. This combination increased production by over 4 times on several parts, and the design also served as a baseline for retrofitting older machines already in the field. Along with the throughput gains, the redesign improved several maintenance access and serviceability items compared to the original machine.