Robots Manufacture Raytheon’s Radar
This post is also available in: 
עברית (Hebrew)
How does a fully-automated radar development facility look like? Raytheon uses robots to manufacure its new radar systems. The company has built a new massive radar development facility to assemble and test its newest radars.
Raytheon will build its AN/SPY-6 radars under contract with the U.S. Navy in the new facility. The Andover facility can handle everything from the smallest component all the way through to testing some of the larger radars that Raytheon builds before they are sent out to the shipyards to be installed on vessels, according to defensenews.com.
Raytheon went under contract to build 16 arrays for four ships in 2017 and will deliver the first part of the first radar to the shipyard at the end of 2019.
The Navy is planning to build two to three DDG Flight III destroyers each year, and the company anticipates building radars to support that production. Raytheon will be back-fitting new radars on existing destroyers as well.
The radar production facility in Massachusetts welcomes its visitors with a small square robot flashing purple light, offering a verbal welcome.
An Automated Guided Vehicle whisks past an enormous, yellow robotic arm that inspects the side of an array with a laser, chooses a tool and a part, and gets to work assembling a component.
Raytheon used virtual reality (VR) simulation and immersive design to figure out what it wanted and to create the perfect footprint for its development center. The company has its very own immersive design facility at Andover, just down a few long hallways, and even used avatars to assess whether a hallway felt too tight or if a piece of equipment was too close to a wall, for example.
AGV robots pick up parts and deliver them to the robotic arm. When the robot is done with its job, it just returns to its docking station to charge.
Sensors detect where tools are in the room at any given time and secure automated tool chests that track who has checked out a tool.
