Defense and aerospace technology developer Lockheed Martin recently opened a manufacturing facility that will pave the way for automated assembly in the defense space.

The defense company's advanced projects division, Skunk Works, gave a tour of their Palmdale, California location that is already proving to be innovating some of the company's toughest jobs and improving the way assembly and production take place. Since the aerospace vehicle, drone and missile industry has no room for error, Lockheed Martin has decided to deploy Electroimpact's advanced robots to keep their operations more exact with quicker times than humans are capable of today. Currently, there are four robots called Combined Operation: Bolting and Robotic AutoDrill systems (COBRAs). The COBRAs are instructed to work on various drilling endeavors with a precision that will set the final product apart from its competitors in both quality as well as assembly efficiency.

Another important aspect of adding these robots to the facility toolbelt is the rate of flexibility the robots offer. The machines, which perform autonomously, are able to go where the work is and be instructed to quickly switch tasks between drilling, fastening or replacing parts. This important feature, Lockheed Martin hopes, will lead the factory to be far more adaptable to different projects without the requirement for sourcing special tooling, training personnel or even permanently configuring the warehouse; all of this will be quickly and easily adjustable.

Read the full report to learn about how Lockheed Martin plans to utilize the COBRAs in the future.

To contact the author of this article, email ecouncilor@globalspec.com