NOSE LANDING GEAR INSTALLATION TOOL

Challenge

A major aircraft manufacturer needed a single-person operated, floor-mounted system to install Nose Landing Gear (NLG) inside a craneless Final Assembly Line. The installation bay had extremely tight clearances, including less than 15 cm around the tool and under 5 cm beneath several fuselage beams. Conventional cranes and towable NLG devices were not permitted, and the customer aimed to cut total assembly time by 50 percent.

The tool had to provide precise six-axis control with sub-millimetre motion capability, maintain stability while moving loads of several hundred kilograms, and self-propel safely within a highly congested assembly environment. It also needed to replicate the function of multi-operator, crane-supported installation using only a single technician.

The engineering challenge extended beyond technical performance. The project required close collaboration with assembly operators, maintenance teams, health and safety specialists, Lean practitioners, and production management. Every interface, movement and clearance had to support real-world use. The HMI needed to be unambiguous and fail-safe, preventing accidental inputs during critical stages of the procedure.

Amtek’s role continued through manufacture via the customer’s chosen vendor, supporting the build, developing the commissioning and test plans and assisting with final validation.

In short: create an ultra-precise, self-propelling installation tool that could replace cranes, operate in extreme spatial constraints and be run safely by one person.

How Amtek Tackled It

We began by mapping the true installation workflow. Working side by side with FAL operators, we analysed how the NLG approached the fuselage, how clearances changed through each stage, and where positional tolerances were most critical. It became clear that multiple axes would require fine control well under 1 mm, particularly during the final moments of alignment.

To achieve this, Amtek developed a hybrid architecture combining a heavy-duty powered pallet truck with integrated power steering, a reinforced steel trolley frame, and a high-precision multi-axis adjustment system. Screw jacks, actuators and guided mechanisms were selected and configured to provide stable, controllable movement while resisting deformation under load. Load balance, stiffness and centre-of-mass behaviour were extensively modelled to ensure that the system remained predictable and safe while manoeuvring within the narrow bay. Steering behaviour and low-speed control were tuned to allow confident navigation through spaces smaller than the tool’s typical turning envelope. A major part of the solution was the HMI. Instead of overwhelming operators with full functionality at all times, we built a stage-based interface that only displayed the controls required for the current step of the installation sequence. This reduced cognitive load, lowered training overheads and virtually eliminated the possibility of selecting the wrong motion during a critical alignment adjustment.

Trial installations using dummy landing gear validated precision, repeatability and stability. These full-scale trials allowed us to refine the six-axis control system, confirm deformation limits and check manoeuvrability within the constrained FAL environment. Throughout the manufacturing phase, Amtek supported the customer’s vendor by responding to build queries, resolving tolerance issues and ensuring that the implemented solution aligned with the intended design. We authored the full commissioning and acceptance test documentation used for final approval and training.