US Patent 7780070 Method of manufacturing a product using scan targets

A method of manufacturing aircraft includes removably securing a target to a portion of the aircraft in a predetermined position on the portion of the aircraft. The method further includes scanning the target with a scanning device to acquire information about at least one of a location and orientation of the target. The method also includes processing the acquired information to determine at least one of a location and orientation of the portion of the aircraft. In addition, the method includes working the aircraft using the processed information and removing the target from the portion of the aircraft before completing manufacture of the aircraft.