Design of an adaptable tool guide for grinding robots

Abstract A method for surface grinding using a robot with a tool guide mechanism is presented. The tool guide is a device to locate accurately the grinding tool and hold it against the work surface in the presence of the large disturbance forces generated in the grinding process. The stiffness with which the tool is held is improved significantly and the accuracy of tool positioning is also increased despite the tolerancing errors of workpart dimensions and fixturing. The mechanism of the tool guide is analyzed. The conditions for the tool guide to locate the tool on the right surface of the workpart and to align the surface automatically are derived. On the basis of the analysis a practical tool guide design is discussed. Sensors for measuring the work surface orientation and the force applied by the robot arm are described. A control scheme for automatically guiding the tool along an unknown surface is then presented.