Systems and methods for fractionally pulsing aircraft components and for designing manufacturing systems utilizing the same

A method for repetitively manufacturing aircraft, the method comprising:

• periodically advancing an aircraft component down an assembly line by less than a length of the aircraft component, wherein the periodically advancing comprises:
• advancing the aircraft component by a pulse length that is less than the length of the aircraft component;
• then stopping movement of the aircraft component for a duration;
• and then advancing the aircraft component by the pulse length;
• and performing work on the aircraft component at workstations during the duration when the aircraft component is not moving;
• assembling first aircraft subassemblies and assembling second aircraft subassemblies in parallel on separate assembly lines at a common geographic region, wherein the assembling the first aircraft subassemblies and the assembling the second aircraft subassemblies each comprise the periodically advancing and the performing work;
• and transferring the first aircraft subassemblies and the second aircraft subassemblies to a final assembly facility located in the common geographic region, wherein the transferring the first aircraft subassemblies to the final assembly facility comprises hoisting the first aircraft subassemblies to the final assembly facility;
• wherein the first aircraft subassemblies are aircraft wings, wherein the second aircraft subassemblies are portions of an aircraft fuselage, and wherein the transferring the first aircraft subassemblies and the second aircraft subassemblies to the final assembly facility comprises transferring the first aircraft subassemblies and the second aircraft subassemblies by at most 1 kilometer (km).

A method for repetitively manufacturing aircraft, the method comprising:

• periodically advancing an aircraft component down an assembly line by less than a length of the aircraft component, wherein the periodically advancing comprises:
• advancing the aircraft component by a pulse length that is less than the length of the aircraft component;
• then stopping movement of the aircraft component for a duration;
• and then advancing the aircraft component by the pulse length;
• performing work on the aircraft component at workstations during the duration when the aircraft component is not moving;
• assembling first aircraft subassemblies and assembling second aircraft subassemblies in parallel on separate assembly lines at a common geographic region, wherein the assembling the first aircraft subassemblies and the assembling the second aircraft subassemblies each comprise the periodically advancing and the performing work;
• and transferring the first aircraft subassemblies and the second aircraft subassemblies to a final assembly facility located in the common geographic region;
• wherein the first aircraft subassemblies are aircraft wings, wherein the second aircraft subassemblies are portions of an aircraft fuselage, and wherein the transferring the first aircraft subassemblies and the second aircraft subassemblies to the final assembly facility comprises transferring the first aircraft subassemblies and the second aircraft subassemblies by at most 1 kilometer (km);
• wherein the assembling the first aircraft subassemblies and the assembling the second aircraft subassemblies in parallel comprises assembling the first aircraft subassemblies in a first manufacturing zone and assembling the second aircraft subassemblies in a second manufacturing zone;
• wherein the first manufacturing zone and the second manufacturing zone are parallel to one another such that a flow direction of the first aircraft subassemblies within the first manufacturing zone is parallel to a flow direction of the second aircraft subassemblies within the second manufacturing zone;
• and wherein the first manufacturing zone and the second manufacturing zone are in different buildings.