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Vision becomes reality as ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Lyle School of Engineering unveils a landmark partnership with aerospace assembly solutions pioneer Click Bond and its Digital Solutions team, positioning ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Lyle at the heart of digital innovation.

The ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ for Digital and Human-Augmented Manufacturing (CDHAM), a novel research initiative launched just last year, explores the intersection of digital manufacturing and human augmentation to drive industry progress. Harnessing the power of robotics, artificial intelligence, extended reality (XR), CDHAM has promised to change manufacturing for the better, and it’s delivering. As concerns increase for the future of research amid widespread disruptions in national funding, CDHAM focuses instead on recruiting high-impact industry partners to develop digital solutions to current challenges, driving innovation at the industry level.

Click Bond develops and manufactures adhesive-bonded fasteners for use in aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. Its technology, though unassuming at first glance, was an invention that transformed the company into an industry giant by unlocking design flexibility and eliminating the cost and risk of drilling of structural holes. “It’s an engineering marvel,” shares Chris Colaw, ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Lyle alum and Co-Executive Director of CDHAM. “Every company in the world that builds airplanes uses Click Bond hardware.”

---- Thinking a Master's in Mechanical Engineering? Think ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Lyle -----

In an industry where precision makes the difference, aviation manufacturers need solutions they can count on to ensure their products maintain the highest standards of safety, performance, and affordability. As a new member of CDHAM, Click Bond is collaborating with ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Lyle to refine the installation of its fasteners on aircraft structures by harnessing the clarity, speed, and extreme precision made possible through mixed reality and digital innovation.

“Forty years ago, Click Bond delivered revolutionary freedom of design and economy of assembly with our bonded fastener technology to aerospace,” says Click Bond CEO Karl Hutter. “Now, we’re excited to harness powerful new digital solutions to enable the technical workforce to execute complex work more confidently and efficiently than ever.”

Researchers at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ plan to construct digital twins of aircraft, complete with fasteners and systems, and enable human placement of physical components on physical hardware with impressive repeatability and precision. A mixed-reality headset will overlay digital instructions onto the actual aircraft, allowing technicians to place physical hardware in perfect alignment using the virtual guide. “The size of aircraft and challenging ergonomics make this seemingly easy task quite challenging in real life,” says Colaw. To achieve this, he explains, CDHAM is refining existing mixed reality technologies to function with millimeter level accuracy.

Although it may seem impossible to believe that a minute change in placement can make such a valuable difference, these digital tools achieve a level of speed and precision that’s inconceivable using the human hand alone. These methods aim to increase the performance of aircraft while reducing costs, materials, and labor associated with manufacturing and repairs. For a global supplier, the use of mixed-reality technology has the potential to revolutionize aerospace manufacturing worldwide.

For CDHAM, this transformative partnership is only the beginning. As the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ expands and takes on additional partnerships, researchers intend to explore the full range of digital innovation through human-machine collaboration.

“Click Bond’s focus on digital excellence makes it the perfect first Regular Member at CDHAM. Its participation in the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ will be synergistic with Lockheed Martin, which is the first Associate Member at CDHAM, and the other rocketry and robotic manufacturing research that is occurring.” says Colaw.

See Click Bond Digital Solutions in action

About the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½'s Lyle School of Engineering thrives on innovation that transcends traditional boundaries. We strongly believe in the power of externally funded, industry-supported research to drive progress and provide exceptional students with valuable industry insights. Our mission is to lead the way in digital transformation within engineering education, all while ensuring that every student graduates as a confident leader. Founded in 1925, ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Lyle is one of the oldest engineering schools in the Southwest, offering undergraduate and graduate programs, including master's and doctoral degrees.

About ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½’s alumni, faculty and nearly 12,000 students in eight degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, community and the world.