The Bombardier assembly team previously used chain hoists and a crude clamping system to lift and rotate the wing. This made the delicate wing structure difficult to manoeuvre, but it was the shift in centre of gravity as the wing turned that made the process very unstable.
A new handling solution was required to smoothly and reliably control the wing throughout the rotation, to reduce forces acting on the wing itself, and to mitigate health and safety risks.
SCX designed a bespoke, radio-controlled lifting frame to allow Bombardier’s assembly team to safely and accurately lift and rotate delicate tail wings into precise positions during the assembly stages. The entire system is hoisted using the facility’s existing overhead crane.
An engineering solution was found in the careful management of forces and angles, through all degrees of rotation, and on all parts of the valuable tail wing assembly.