A method of noncontact laser distance measurement is applied for digital drilling and riveting of complex surface. By means of measurement results from locating devices

the normal direction of measured area is evaluated. The posture of end-effector fi xed on the end of industrial robot is adjusted to feed along the evaluated normal direction. The datum plane for calibration is derived from plane fi tting method. The position and posture of locating devices are calibrated on the basis of the distances between locating devices and datum plane. The normal direction of measured area is derived from the distances measured by locating devices. A numerical example illustrates the correctness of the proposed method. The method can be used for positioning and attitude-adjusting for digital manufacturing and assembly.