AV&R and APN partner to develop robotics for aeronautical manufacturing

AV&R and APN, two Quebec companies operating in the aerospace market, combine their expertise in a collaborative and innovative project.

This initiative is part of Mach Fab 4.0 (Aéro Montreal) and aims to develop technologies for the complete automation of high product mix deburring operations.

Manufacturers in the aerospace supply chain, despite the use of automation, still rely on the human touch in the manufacturing of aerospace parts.

Difficulties in recruiting and training a skilled workforce and the complexity of operations are challenges faced by manufacturers.

In a context of small production batches with a wide variety of products requiring flexibility and speed of integration on the part of manufacturers, AV&R and APN are combining their expertise to solve this problem.

The project mission is to automate, make things easier and democratise the deburring process. The two Quebec companies aim to develop a modular solution that, using APN’s activities as a proving grounds, will allow AV&R’s robotic deburring system to adapt to smaller and varied production batches, while respecting the strict requirements of the aviation industry.

In the age of Industry 4.0, data collection is a critical step in optimising and developing manufacturers of aerospace components.

The combination of AV&R’s software capabilities and APN’s expertise in system data management and analysis will deliver a robotic solution that meets current industry automation and data management requirements.

This joint project was initiated in Autumn 2020 and will continue until Spring 2021. It is an example of the collaboration and synergy of innovative Quebec companies whose ambition is to evolve the practices of the aeronautical supply chain in Quebec.

A leader in industrial automation for 26 years, AV&R is a Quebec robotic engineering company with more than 70 employees. It offers robotics and vision solutions around the world. Its activities are concentrated in the aerospace, medical and energy sectors.

AV&R designs high-tech robotic systems that have been developed specifically for critical and complex parts such as gas turbine parts or orthopedic implants.

AV&R offers robotic finishing systems (profiling, polishing, deburring) and automated visual inspection systems to manufacturers of aircraft engines, energy turbines and medical implants.