Automation of Chamfering by an Industrial Robot; Development of a System with Reference to Tool Application Direction

Abstract

The study deals with the automatic chamfering for a workpiece with complex shape on the basis of CAD data, using an industrial robot. Tool path, pushing direction and force at the each chamfering point are calculated from CAD data both to keep chamfering conditions stable and to keep a larger range in space by use of a developed system, named TADRPECS, for workpieces with complex shape. As a chamfering tool, a rotary-bar type tool consisting of a force sensor and two linear actuators are mounted to the arm of an articulated robot. From experimental results, the system is found to be effective to chamfer edges of a hole on a workpiece with free curved surface.