January 24, 2006 -
Suited for finishing aluminum, plastic, and steel, air-turbine-driven Flexdeburr® features floating motor and spindle arrangement that provides ±0.31 in. of radial compliance for consistency on irregular part patterns. Spinning at constant 40,000 rpm, tool can finish hard materials at 1-3 ips and soft materials from 3-12 ips. It has 1 air connection at 90 psi to spin cutting file, and second at 60 psi to apply radial force. Compliance force is 1.5-9.5 lb at 5-60 psi.
"We develop totally automated, self-contained metals finishing cells for a wide variety of industries and we are constantly looking for new systems and components that will improve efficiency. We feel we have found the ultimate solution for automating the finishing process. Using an extremely flexible finishing tool allows us to solve several design and robotic training challenges in the work cell."
Charlie Young, Manager, Advanced Automation for Hammond/Roto-Finish, Kalamazoo, Mich., discusses his company's recent application of a patent-pending robotic finishing tool, Flexdeburr®, developed by ATI Industrial Automation, Apex, N.C. "The flexibility and consistency of the finishing tool will allow us to design more efficient cells with a smaller footprint. Also, the system's robot is quicker and easier to train (program) with a more forgiving finishing tool."
Robotic Work Cells Gain Universal Acceptance
Hammond Roto-Finish is a turnkey solution house for a finishing system that meets a wide variety of finishing requirements as well as production capacity needs. They offer different types of automatic systems, robotic systems, cylindrical systems, flat finishers and a wide assortment of heads that can be customized to suit a specific finishing process. Originally known as the W.E. Hill Company started in 1881, they produced sawmill equipment for the lumber industry. After World War I and the declining lumber industry, the company developed grinding and polishing machines. W.C. Hammond purchased the company in 1926, and it is in the third generation of family-owned management.
Hammond has provided finishing equipment for the automotive, aircraft, aerospace, medical goods, sporting equipment, decorative hardware, jewelry, musical instrument, and household appliance industries. Young explains, "Our systems are very specialized and while we may use the same technology, i.e. industrial robots, from industry to industry, we consider all of our systems custom made. And, the overall goal is to improve production quality and efficiency."
Improvements Always Welcome
"Automating finishing operations is extremely difficult to accomplish with the required degree of quality," adds Young. "Often, the complexity of the part and the robot's limitation to generate a path exactly equivalent to the part edge make it difficult for the finishing operations to meet overall quality goals. When we first tried ATI's radially-compliant Flexdeburr device we were pleasantly surprised how closely it mimicked the manual finishing operation. Also, the device is more forgiving, allowing us to change directions quicker and easier. This is especially important during the robot training period.
"The inherent compliance at the tip saves robot programming time. Our programmers can program fewer path points since the tool compliance will accommodate deviations between the robot path and the part edge, i.e. the robot path does not have to precisely follow the part edge. Programming savings are multiplied in applications where multiple passes are necessary in order to achieve a desired finish.
"For example, our programming time has been reduced to a few weeks which is extremely important when you consider a total system from design to manufacture to run-off to installation to run-off to operator training may take up to 6 months or longer. Any step in the process that can save time will be investigated."
Programming the robot path is achieved by mounting either a dowel pin of the same diameter as the cutting tool, or a pointed teaching tool, in place of the actual cutting tool. The robot is manually moved to a point where the dowel or pointed tool is touching the edge of a finished part, and the point is recorded. This is repeated at intervals along the edge of the part and the robot controller uses these recorded points to define the path to be followed. The cutting force is also adjustable "on-the-fly" allowing the programmer to increase the cutting force in areas having larger burrs or where more material must be removed.
Also, programming of robot movements is dependent on the complexity of the part, and complex parts require significant programming time to achieve acceptable robot paths.
Eliminating Manual Finishing
ATI's patent-pending robotic finishing tool, Flexdeburr, was developed to satisfy a wider range of automated finishing operations. The Flexdeburr is a robust, high-speed, air-turbine-driven tool for finishing aluminum, plastic, steel, etc., even in tough to reach places. While spinning at high speeds, the lightweight, rotary tool has radial compliance supported by air pressure applied to the shaft allowing the tool to perform consistently on irregular part patterns. The "floating" motor and spindle arrangement provides +/-0.31-inch (8mm) of radial compliance, and maintains a constant finishing force.
The tool has a rigid outer housing and an internal motor/spindle assembly that provides the compliance. The pneumatic motor/spindle assembly is mounted on a pivot bearing mounted to the tool housing. This allows the pneumatic motor to move with the pivot bearing independently of the housing. The radial "compliance field" is created by a ring of small pneumatic pistons located near the front of the tool housing. The compliance force can be exerted on the spindle/tool in any direction (360 degrees) radially from the tool. Parts finishing can be as fast as 1 to 3 inches per second on hard materials; 3 to 12 inches per second on soft materials. The finishing tool spins at a constant 40,000 rpm when in operation.
The pneumatically-driven tool has one air line to spin the cutting file, and a second air line to apply force radially to the motor/spindle assembly. Regulated air pressure on the floating head provides the constant force needed to produce a good quality chamfer. The tool is extremely light allowing it to hug the workpiece edge at a constant force even as the robot moves as fast as 12 inches per second along the edge of the part. Additionally, the long, thin envelope of the "working" end of Flexdeburr allows finishing in tight, deep, and generally hard-to-reach places.
Finishing Tool Details
Flexdeburr is a patent-pending, compliant finishing tool that satisfies nearly 100 percent of all robotic and automated finishing. The finishing tool has a unique "floating" motor and spindle arrangement that provides the finishing tip's radial compliance to perform consistently on irregular part patterns.
The Flexdeburr, mounted to a robot or CNC machine, has a quiet air turbine motor that requires clean, dry, filtered, non-lubricated air that can be directly vented into the workplace. The finishing tool uses two air connections; one at 90psi to spin the cutting file, and a second at 60psi to apply the radial force.
The motor's internal governor maintains a high spindle speed of 40,000 rpm and the compliance force is 1.5-9.5 pounds at air supply pressure of 5-60psi. The entire tool weighs only 2.6 pounds and has an operating temperature of 41°F to 95°F. The tool uses standard tungsten-carbide industrial bits that allows for adaptation to changing assembly lines and part requirements. Also, the bits can be easily changed from one operation to the next.
Robotic finishing using ATI's Flexdeburr is an excellent solution for the most challenging jobs. The compliance built into the tool inherently provides the needed answers to work-piece tolerances and robot inaccuracies that have plagued other robotic techniques. Flexdeburr permits robots to succeed by giving manufacturers more choices in finding solutions for their specific edge finishing needs.
For more information contact ATI Industrial Automation, Pinnacle Park, 1031 Goodworth Drive, Apex, NC 27539, phone 919-772-0115, fax 919-772-8259, www.ati-ia.com. Company Information: Name: ATI Industrial Automation Address: 1031 Goodworth Dr. City: Apex State: NC ZIP: 27639 Country: USA Phone: 919-772-0115 FAX: 919-772-8259 http://www.ati-ia.com
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