Robotic polishing of free-form surfaces using scanning paths

This paper presents the results obtained from an investigation of loose abrasive polishing of free-form surfaces using a robot. The focus is on polishing tool paths. From the viewpoints of surface roughness reduction without introducing undesirable surface waviness and time efficiency, a tool path should provide even coverage of the free-form surface during polishing. In this investigation, scanning paths are explored for polishing path generation. Effort has been made to enhance path evenness through pitch adaptation according 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 scanning to facilitate the realization of continuous polishing. The effectiveness of the resulting paths has been verified by experiments in which mirror-like surface finishes were obtained when a free-form surface was polished by a robot following such a scanning path. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.