Automated Outer Mold Line (OML) Control

Abstract

Outer mold line control on an aircraft has traditionally meant a manual measurement process that is slow and dependent on the operator. This talk sets out the project objectives, defines what OML means in practice, describes the manual process being replaced and the concepts behind automating it, then covers the laser radar system chosen, the tests it was put through, and the automated measurement methods built on it – including automated thickness measurement, where tooling balls establish a reference plane and normal vectors are projected through to the other side.