Robotic polishing of free-form surfaces using scanning paths

This paper presents the results obtained from an investigation of loose abr asive polishing of free-form surfaces using a robot. The focus is on polish ing tool paths. From the viewpoints of surface roughness reduction without introducing undesirable surface waviness and time efficiency, a tool path s hould provide even coverage of the free-form surface during polishing. In t his investigation, scanning paths are explored for polishing path generatio n. Effort has been made to enhance path evenness through pitch adaptation a ccording to the changes in the surface slope, and through the selection of line spacing based on tool-size as well as surface-profile considerations. Also discussed is the use of scanning paths for continuous bi-directional s canning to facilitate the realization of continuous polishing. The effectiv eness of the resulting paths has been verified by experiments in which mirr or-like surface finishes were obtained when a free-form surface was polishe d by a robot following such a scanning path. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.