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Laser trackers and handheld scanners used for building military aircraft at Lockheed Martin

Laser trackers and handheld scanners used for building military aircraft at Lockheed Martin
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Laser trackers and handheld scanners used for building military aircraft at Lockheed Martin - 1

COVER STORY Photo: courtesy Lockheed Martin. Herculean measurement Lockheed Martin engineers build Hercules aircraft right the first time when they use laser trackers and handheld scanners I t’s called Hercules – the oldest and most versatile military aircraft product line in aviation history. First built by Lockheed in 1954, the C-130 has flown to both poles, supported missions in the Congo, Vietnam and Kosovo, and has even retrieved satellites in mid-air. And today, the quality control engineers at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics use API laser trackers to ensure this legendary aircraft’s quality and precision. Lockheed Martin has three laser interferometer trackers manufactured by API on hand in its 900- Hercules c-130 34 www.qmtmag.com QMT January/February 13

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Laser trackers and handheld scanners used for building military aircraft at Lockheed Martin - 2

COVER STORY Paul Davis using a first-generation Intelliprobe 360 to test a tool used on the C-130. The Radian Laser Tracker is tracking the probe’s movements. Photo: courtesy Lockheed Martin. Radian acre plant in Marietta, Ga., – two Tracker 3 models and one of API’s latest, the Radian. They are all managed and maintained by quality control analyst staff Paul Davis, who has been overseeing quality control for Lockheed Martin for the past seven years, coming to the aerospace giant after more than 20 years working in various machine shops. Working in a manufacturing facility that employs...

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Laser trackers and handheld scanners used for building military aircraft at Lockheed Martin - 3

COVER STORY reduced. The metrology is tremendous.” Part of the convenience of laser trackers is their portability. The Radian in particular weighs less than 20 lbs (9 kg) and is about 7 inches wide by 14 inches tall – roughly the size of a shoebox. 1,200 holes in one hour The value of API trackers is especially evident when the Lockheed Martin team inspects aircraft bulkheads. These panels have thousands of holes drilled into them and each one must be inspected carefully to ensure it is property aligned. Using API’s handheld scanning accessory, the Intelliscan 360, an inspector can check...

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