AR Technologies Enables Enhanced Visualization for Wiring an Airplane

Historically, engineers would consult 20-foot-long paper diagrams as they did their work. The wiring of an aircraft has always been a big pain point, both in production and during the inspection, according to Paul Davies, a Boeing research & technology engineer. What’s more, it is a process with no room for error.

Historically, engineers would have to consult their 20-foot-long paper diagrams of the complex and detailed wiring requirements as they did their work. Not only was the process inefficient, but it was also almost impossible to do correctly the first time, resulting in significant rewiring work for each plane.

Today, some of those engineers instead put on Microsoft Hololens that display digital 3D writing diagrams directly on KC-46 tankers and 767 freighters they are wiring. Initial studies indicate that Boeing’s Manufacturing AR approach results in a 90 percent improvement in first-time quality when compared to using two-dimensional information on the airplane, and cut the time required to do the wiring work by 30 percent. This Manufacturing AR approach thus saves millions of dollars per aircraft.

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