Autonomous flexible manufacturing system for building a fuselage

A machine configured to assemble sections of a fuselage, wherein the machine comprises:

• a holding cell;
• work cells, wherein each work cell in the work cells comprises, respectively, a utility fixture configured to electrically and physically accept an autonomous couple from a drivable tower that comprises a top platform and a bottom platform, wherein the top platform is configured to support a passenger floor internal robotic device and rise above the bottom platform, configured to support a cargo floor internal robotic device, by a distance equal to a height of a passenger floor above a cargo floor in a fuselage section of the sections of the fuselage;
• an assembly fixture that comprises a number of drivable cradle fixtures, wherein each drivable cradle fixture in the drivable cradle fixtures, respectively comprise:
• a base;
• a number of retaining structures configured to retain and support the fuselage section, wherein the number of retaining structures each comprise, respectively, a radius of curvature equivalent to a radius of curvature of a keel panel of the fuselage section;
• and
• an interface configured to couple physically and electrically to:
• the drivable tower;
• or
• another drivable cradle fixture in the number of drivable cradle fixtures;
• and
• an autonomous panel joining system configured to join a plurality of panels together on the assembly fixture, wherein the autonomous panel joining system comprises:
• an external mobile platform configured to support an external robotic device configured to associate with the passenger floor internal robotic device;
• and
• a second external mobile platform configured to support a second external robotic device configured to associate with the cargo floor internal robotic device.