Automatic grinding and polishing using Spherical Robot

Finishing process (Grinding and Polishing), is still manually performed, specially in free form surface parts. This involves a series of remaining problems, mainly related with the geometrical shape of the finished part. In traditional manually finishing task, the final quality aspect of the part is the only parameter to be controlled. This supposes a lack in the quality parameter control, mainly in high level parts, as in automotive, aeronautics or mould making parts. Manual finishing has not any control about the amount of material removed, during finishing process, affecting this way to the final geometrical shape of the product. This is the reason why this investigation proposes an exhaustive research of the parameter influencing the finishing tasks, and defining a finishing methodology adapted for an automatic process executed by a spherical robot. Making it an automatic way, and controlling paths, tool, abrasive, and defining a mathematical model for the finishing process, final quality of the part and product will be optimized, from a quality point of view, at the same time process time and cost is reduced. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.