THERMAL ROBOTIC ARM CONTROLLED SPRAYING (TRACS)

Design of a Thermal Robotic Arm Controlled Spraying (TRACS) system, is described. The research encompasses novel design features for a robotic arm manipulator, including continuous 360 0 link rotation, together with automatic analysis of the thermal spraying process for feedback control of the robotic arm manipulator. The technical and simulation design will provide for the automatic application of advanced surface coatings to enhance wear, low friction and corrosion resistance properties to substrates via a thermal spraying process. Three key research areas in thermal spraying technology are described. These include the test rig and equipment configuration, a novel design of the robotic arm, and the system control strategy. Technical design, simulation, and control of the robot arm form the more research-intensive elements of the project. Software simulation, document and ) (