Surfel-based surface modeling for robotic belt grinding simulation

Abstract

The new free-form surface modelling technology for robotic belt grinding simulation presented in this paper is based on discrete surfel elements generated from the surface approximation point set and can facilitate the simulation implementation. A local process model exploits the advantage of surfel representation to compute the material removal rate and the final surface grinding error can be easily carried out. With the help of this system, robot programmers can improve the path planning and predict potential problems by visualizing the manufacturing process.