A FLEXIBLE AUTOMATED FOAM CUTTING SYSTEM

Direct cutting of foam has the advantage of greater flexibility and re duced lead time over molding. This paper discusses the design and deve lopment of a flexible automated system for foam cutting that utilizes hot-wire cutters. The cutters are moved through the use of a five-axis gantry-type robot system equipped with a tool turret. A method for mo deling the cut geometry, based on representing the three-dimensional c ut shape as a combination of basic geometrical block shapes, is presen ted This method gives the system flexibility to handle different workp iece geometries. A technique for generating the required cutting paths from the modeled geometry is also shown. The developed methodology wa s applied for the cutting of automotive seat cushions. The results sho w thai the automated system significantly reduces the cutting time and produces cuts of improved quality. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Sci ence-Ltd.