WEBVTT 00:02.333 --> 00:03.765 ^- [Narrator] The Air Force Small Business 00:03.765 --> 00:05.881 ^Innovation Research Program has funded 00:05.881 --> 00:07.974 ^the development of technologies vital 00:07.974 --> 00:10.709 ^to the production of the F-35 Lightning II. 00:10.709 --> 00:13.215 ^This is the story of one of them. 00:13.215 --> 00:14.635 (intense music) 00:14.635 --> 00:16.521 The complexity in the design and construction 00:16.521 --> 00:19.695 of the F-35 led to rethinking of the traditional 00:19.695 --> 00:22.528 aerospace manufacturing processes. 00:22.539 --> 00:24.370 Funding from the Air Force Small Business 00:24.370 --> 00:27.013 Innovation Research Program resulted in new, 00:27.013 --> 00:30.430 more efficient, cost-saving technologies. 00:30.808 --> 00:32.771 ^- So, in the manufacture of the F-35 00:32.771 --> 00:35.753 ^we used tens of thousands of fasteners of several hundred 00:35.753 --> 00:38.612 ^different types to put the aircraft together. 00:38.612 --> 00:40.647 - [Narrator] The traditional method of matching fasteners 00:40.647 --> 00:42.762 was to count the holes on a blueprint 00:42.762 --> 00:46.665 and mark the fastener with a sticky note or felt tip marker. 00:46.665 --> 00:49.173 Any variations in the thickness of materials 00:49.173 --> 00:51.985 meant the fasteners had to be removed and replaced. 00:51.985 --> 00:55.362 - And every time you have a mechanic that is referencing 00:55.362 --> 00:58.859 a blueprint, referencing it two, three, four, five times 00:58.859 --> 01:01.055 to make sure he's got the right type of fastener, 01:01.055 --> 01:05.222 in the right hole, in the right spot, that costs time. 01:05.479 --> 01:07.103 - [Narrator] The Air Force research lab decided 01:07.103 --> 01:11.270 to address this issue with a manufacturing-critical SBIR 01:11.510 --> 01:13.786 - We were able to use the contracting authorities 01:13.786 --> 01:15.127 offered to us by the Small Business 01:15.127 --> 01:17.605 Innovative Research Program to go back 01:17.605 --> 01:20.167 and work with VRSI directly again. 01:20.167 --> 01:22.277 - [Narrator] VRSI teamed with Northrop Grumman 01:22.277 --> 01:24.720 and Delta Sigma, a company that specializes 01:24.720 --> 01:26.142 in projection systems, 01:26.142 --> 01:29.764 to create a workflow technology called FILLS. 01:29.764 --> 01:33.392 ^- Projection technology is optimally suited for aerospace 01:33.392 --> 01:36.340 ^because aerospace assembly operations often involve 01:36.340 --> 01:39.155 ^a large number of operations over a large area, 01:39.155 --> 01:42.083 often on an aircraft skin, which serves as an ideal canvas 01:42.083 --> 01:44.035 for projected work instructions. 01:44.035 --> 01:47.290 - On the left-hand screen, we have Manuscript. 01:47.290 --> 01:50.542 That is the environment in which the mechanical engineer 01:50.542 --> 01:52.061 ^would author the work instructions 01:52.061 --> 01:54.075 ^for the projection work system. 01:54.075 --> 01:57.144 ^On the right-hand screen is Assembly Works Operator 01:57.144 --> 01:58.974 to access the work instructions. 01:58.974 --> 02:00.394 Whatever is highlighted here ends up 02:00.394 --> 02:02.553 being projected onto the aircraft. 02:02.553 --> 02:04.831 And you can see there's a number of different colors. 02:04.831 --> 02:08.205 And then on the right-hand side, we publish a legend 02:08.205 --> 02:10.527 that describes what those shapes and colors represent. 02:10.527 --> 02:14.194 So here we have a Base Fastener, ELS320NN10, 02:16.139 --> 02:19.732 with a grip length of eight and there's a quantity of one. 02:19.732 --> 02:21.522 And that's what's shown on the aircraft right now. 02:21.522 --> 02:24.004 And as the operator moves down the list, 02:24.004 --> 02:25.589 the items shown on the aircraft change 02:25.589 --> 02:27.839 based on this sort stream. 02:28.358 --> 02:29.780 - [Narrator] Not only does the FILLS system 02:29.780 --> 02:32.590 tell the mechanic what fasteners and where they go, 02:32.590 --> 02:35.319 it also tells them the correct order to be installed 02:35.319 --> 02:37.482 and if there's an unexpected problem 02:37.482 --> 02:39.632 due to the material thickness. 02:39.632 --> 02:42.394 - [Worker] It moves along to the next. 02:42.394 --> 02:44.225 - [Narrator] When there's a variation in the thickness 02:44.225 --> 02:48.297 from spec, the hole turns from blue to a red-orange color. 02:48.297 --> 02:51.917 - [Worker] Indicating that this measurement is out of spec. 02:51.917 --> 02:53.585 - [Narrator] The FILLS system was incorporated 02:53.585 --> 02:57.752 into the Northrop Grumman assembly process in 2015. 02:57.969 --> 03:01.461 - So far, the response has been very positive. 03:01.461 --> 03:03.859 - Most operators love the opportunity 03:03.859 --> 03:05.897 to do their job better, and in this case 03:05.897 --> 03:09.591 we provided them with the tool that let them do their job 03:09.591 --> 03:12.724 a lot faster and with a lot higher quality. 03:12.724 --> 03:14.433 - [Narrator] The introduction of the FILLS system 03:14.433 --> 03:17.169 is expected to save over $100 million 03:17.169 --> 03:19.162 over the life of the program. 03:19.162 --> 03:22.254 The SBIR-funded FILLS and IDRD systems 03:22.254 --> 03:25.587 has also helped VRSI grow their business. 03:25.587 --> 03:27.127 - Been very significant for us, 03:27.127 --> 03:29.608 both in the opportunity to diversify 03:29.608 --> 03:31.251 into the aerospace industry 03:31.251 --> 03:34.061 and to grow our technology development capacity. 03:34.061 --> 03:35.850 - [Narrator] The Air Force Small Business Innovation 03:35.850 --> 03:38.783 Research Program, helping the Defense Department 03:38.783 --> 03:40.722 meet its Better Buying Power goals 03:40.722 --> 03:43.285 for controlling F-35 production costs 03:43.285 --> 03:45.204 ^while getting effective, new technologies 03:45.204 --> 03:47.814 ^into the hands of US war fighters. 03:47.814 --> 03:50.564 ^Learn more at www.afsbirsttr.com. 03:54.019 --> 03:56.212 ^(upbeat instrumental music)