Preliminary design and testing of a novel robot design for metal finishing applications

We present a novel robot design concept intended for material removal in finishing operations. A key component of the design is a cable-driven transmission that exhibits low friction, negligible backlash and high linearity. Use of this transmission in a 2-DOF test rig demonstrated the capacity for stable, smooth performance in grinding and polishing operations. The prototype could be programmed quickly to remove surface flaws using compliant lead-through for teaching. During grinding, the robot was capable of measuring surface profiles to monitor grinding progress. A full-mobility design concept is proposed for an advanced surface-finishing robot.