US Air Force Uses Robots to Keep Aging Aircraft Flying

The US Air Force has found a creative solution to a common problem in aircraft maintenance: sourcing hard-to-find parts. The Rapid Sustainment Office (RSO) used robotic manufacturing to produce a replacement part for a C-17 Globemaster III that Boeing could no longer supply.

This was made possible by Incremental Sheet Forming (ISF), a robotic process that shapes metal sheets directly into components without the need for dedicated tooling.

Unlike conventional manufacturing, ISF allows for faster production of unique or low-volume parts without requiring specialized production lines.