Airbus Group unit Testia to supply augmented reality system to Spirit AeroSystems

Airbus Group subsidiary Testia has been selected by Spirit AeroSystems, Inc., one of the world's largest independent producers of large aerostructures, to deploy its Smart Augmented Reality Tool (SART) in two factories located in Kinston, North Carolina, USA, and Saint-Nazaire, France, where components for the Airbus A350 XWB are produced.

Since 2014, Spirit AeroSystems has been testing and evaluating the use of Testia's SART system, known internally within Airbus Group as MiRA, in operational conditions for its inspection and quality control of brackets (fixed support) for A350 XWB fuselages before they are delivered to Airbus.

“This contract is a new milestone for SART's international development. It embodies the cooperation we initiated with Spirit two years ago,” said Denis Gardin, Managing Director of Testia Group and Senior Vice President, New Technology Ventures of Airbus Group. “Spirit confirmed to us that with SART, the Return on Investment was realised quickly through the time and costs saved during inspection and quality control checks.”

Using a tablet-based interface, Spirit operators can superimpose a digital mock-up over “As Built” reality. At the end of the inspection, management will automatically receive a report generated by the operator including details of any non-conforming parts which can be replaced or repaired quickly for improved quality control.

SART - Airbus Group's augmented reality tool

In 2011, Airbus Group launched its augmented reality solution called MiRA/SART to standardise quality across its global network of production facilities. It combines real images with those from digital mock-ups on a tablet equipped with a camera. This system is fully integrated into the information system, and optimises working times and quality management and control on the assembly line. The deployment of this solution for inspections of Airbus A380 fuselages has reduced inspection times on system supports from three weeks to three days. Since 2015, MiRA/SART has been installed on about a hundred tablets and been operated by more than 1,000 users at production facilities across Europe.