Transforming Aerospace Factories: Robotics reinvents sealant application on critical parts

Aircraft components are exposed to highly variable and extreme conditions such as freezing temperatures, rain, thermal fluctuations and projected debris. To protect them, sealant application is a critical step in the assembly of flight‑ready parts. It ensures shields surfaces from corrosion and wear, which can compromise the durability and performance of aircraft structures, an unacceptable risk for aerospace components. Reliability and safety therefore demand stringent requirements and rigorous inspections, leaving no room for compromise in this essential protection process.

As a reminder, sealant application in the aerospace industry is still performed largely by hand and exposes operators to significant health risks. In France, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the leading cause of compensated occupational diseases, representing 88% of all cases recognized by the general social security system. Source : Santé publique France

In response to this automation need, which has so far been largely unmet, AKEOPLUS has developed an autonomous robotic cell for applying adhesion promoter and two-parts sealant.
Its features address the sector’s requirements : including material monitoring such as polymerization and bubble detection, trajectory adaptation to real parts, and full traceability of all actions performed on the component.
This automated solution is suitable for both small and large parts and supports multiple processes such as spot sealing, edge sealing, filling and bonding.

For Coralie Ravenot, Operations Manager : “Automating this process marks a turning point for an industry facing a real shortage of qualified labor. It’s striking when you think about it, the aerospace sector is dynamic and creates value for our country, yet it struggles to attract talent.
With solutions like this one, we become part of the chain that helps make the industry more appealing and supports the achievement of ramp-up objectives.” 

The latest sealant‑application machine developed by AKEOPLUS was commissioned a few weeks ago. The project marks a full success after several months of collaboration between this aerospace customer and the robotics experts based in the Ain region. According to Adrien Queyroi, Robotics Expert : “Thanks to the close partnership between AKEOPLUS and this customer, we were able to design a machine that truly pushes the boundaries of robotic performance.
Automating sealant application required the development of highly advanced functions, both in material management and in the control and real-time adjustment of trajectories.”

Backed by its successful projects with major French aerospace and space contractors, AKEOPLUS is now emerging as a key reference on the French market for robotic dispensing solutions. The company aims to fundamentally modernize these material-application processes, which play a critical role in aircraft manufacturing.