Hyde Group approached TRITEC to specify, design and install the control system for the automation of the jigs for assembly of the front fuselage for the Typhoon (Eurofighter).

The project involved meetings with the customer to offer several solutions and to agree a final operational specification.

Allowing access to all parts of the fuselage, yet still ensuring operator safety involved many technical challenges when designing the interlocks on the movable jigs operating in hazardous environments.

The final design incorporated a Mitsubishi PLC, servo-motor drives and an infra-red safety curtain. TRITEC helped install and commission a total of ten stations and ten movable jigs within five months.