By using a Riblet-coating on the airplane surface the air drag can be reduced. Through this, a fuel saving of 2% - 5% is possible. Particularly, with middle and long-haul aircrafts, a big saving potential exists. This had been demonstrated by tests with the A320 and the Beluga.

The project enclosed the conception of an application station to apply a special coating on completely mounted airplanes with variable dimensions. Therefore, the application unit must have the suitable degrees of freedom to guarantee a suitable flexibility.

Furthermore, a measuring-technical solution had to be developed. The position of the product had to be aligned in the coordinate system of the station. The application unit iwa positioned and controlled in relation to the detected position. The exact guidance of the coating applicator must occur with a local position system. For this new innovative solutions had to be found. The feasibility was proved by the construction of a demonstrator. Suitable tests were necessary. Within this project solutions for the most different requirements had to be found.

This includes:

• A measuring system for positioning the applicator to the Aeroplane surface;
• A local measuring system for precise guiding;
• A flexible guiding device;
• A stiff base frame;
• A coating device that is usable for different aeroplanes and surfaces;
• Station control system;
• Weight compensation to get a constant coating pressure.