Boeing 787 Dreamliner – Assembly has begun
Following delivery of the last of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's major components, final assembly has now begun at the aircraft manufacturer's Everett plant in Washington.
Having notched up 568 firm orders from airlines worldwide, the 787 Dreamliner is the most rapidly selling new aircraft of all time.
In a related Press Release, 787 Vice President of Airplane Definition and Production, Scott Strode, states: "Today we begin assembling the first airplane of a new generation...the 787 not only will revolutionize air travel, it represents a new way of building airplanes."
The pioneering techniques employed during the construction process of the Dreamliner are explained by Steve Westby, 787 Vice President of Manufacturing and Quality: "The 787 production system is the culmination of the lessons we've learned building previous airplanes. Using composites on the 787 airframe has a number of manufacturing advantages. We are able to build huge structure in just one piece, which means we essentially have six major end items coming together in final assembly -- the forward, center and aft fuselage sections, the wings, the horizontal stabilizer and the vertical fin".
Given that the 787 Dreamliner is comprised of these larger components, traditional monument assembly tools are no longer required; their place taken by portable tools designed with the emphasis on ergonomics. Commenting further, Steve Westby states: "A composite airframe also means less waste in production and fewer hazardous materials used during the assembly process. This is good news for the environment and for our team of manufacturing technicians building the airplane".
The prototype 787 Dreamliner will be rolled out on July 8th, after an assembly process lasting seven weeks. This duration, the Boeing team hope to drastically reduce in months to come; ultimately being able to dispatch one Dreamliner every three days.
To read more news and information concerning the Boeing 787 please click: Boeing 787 Dreamliner
Source - Airport International's Foreign Correspondent
