Machining Accuracy Improving with the Use of Mobile Mechatronic Systems as Industrial Robot End Effectors

Industrial robots are widely used for machining due to technological flexibility, relatively small sizes, and a reasonably large working space. Tool spindles that drive rotary cutting tools are often used as robot end effectors. In this case, feed motion is carried out by moving of robot operating mechanism. However, robot relatively low rigidity compared with metal-cutting machine rigidity causes more significant errors of the motion path of the end effector in machining process. For this reason, accuracy improving on large-sized workpiece machining with the use of robots is the issue of the day. This chapter concentrates on the use of a compact mechatronic system, which is applied as a robot end effector and is attached to the workpiece by means of electromagnets. The positioning of the fixed mechatronic mechanism (MM) in the workpiece coordinate system is checked using laser instrumentation system. After machining of the workpiece in the specified area, the mechatronic system is reinstalled in a new area. A preliminary rigidity estimation of the mechatronic device to achieve the required machining accuracy has been done. It has been detected that cutting tool is the least rigid element of mechatronic mechanism.