Recent efforts in smart manufacturing have enhanced aerospace fuselage assembly processes, particularly by innovating shape adjustment techniques to minimize dimensional gaps between assembled sections. Existing approaches have shown promising results but face the issue of low sample efficiency from the manufacturing systems. It arises from the limitation of the classical Monte Carlo method when uncovering the mean response from a distribution. In contrast, recent work has shown that quantum algorithms can achieve the same level of estimation accuracy with significantly fewer samples than the classical Monte Carlo method from distributions. Therefore, we can adopt the estimation of the quantum algorithm to obtain the estimation from real physical systems (distributions). Motivated by this advantage, we propose a Quantum Bayesian Optimization (QBO) framework for precise shape control during assembly to improve the sample efficiency in manufacturing practice. Specifically, this approach utilizes a quantum oracle, based on finite element analysis (FEA)-based models or surrogate models, to acquire a more accurate estimation of the environment response with fewer queries for a certain input. QBO employs an Upper Confidence Bound (UCB) as the acquisition function to strategically select input values that are most likely to maximize the objective function. It has been theoretically proven to require much fewer samples while maintaining comparable optimization results. In the case study, force-controlled actuators are applied to one fuselage section to adjust its shape and reduce the gap to the adjoining section. Experimental results demonstrate that QBO achieves significantly lower dimensional error and uncertainty compared to classical methods, particularly using the same queries from the simulation.

Sept. 03--Production of Boeing's large 777 twinjet in Everett is significantly backed up, with incomplete jobs on each aircraft forcing catch-up work, some of which is being finished only after the jets roll out onto the airfield. Scrambling to fix the mess, they've kept 777 deliveries on track only by working long overtime hours, including weekends, with just two days off a month. Workers blame the new 777 robotic fuselage assembly system that management has been ramping up. This critical new technology, which Boeing must get right before the forthcoming 777X, automates the precise drilling and fastening together of fuselage panels for the big moneymaking jet. Boeing executives insist the robotics -- known as Fuselage Automated Upright Build, or FAUB -- are not the major hang-up.