The definition of part-dependent hardware apparatus
and software code, of primary importance, was obtained
developing an original strategy aimed to solve accuracy
problems in robotic machining. The programming strategy
and the robot reference frames alignment were mainly
investigated to enhance robotic machining accuracy
without adding external hardware or tailored mechatronic
devices.
Special strategies for offline programming and
alignment operation were developed. The manual robot
teaching strategy commonly adopted in Industry for
hammers is a fast method but did not reach the required
tolerance and cannot guarantee the quality steadiness.
Such limits were overcame thanks to the OLP, through
the definition of target points disposed on the theoretical
final surface of the model with mathematical precision, the
experimental analysis of velocities and accelerations, the
minimization of the robot chattering and the development
of an original on-line alignment strategy.
Due to the high mechanical properties of the material,
special attention was paid to the definition of the
machining strategy. A modular and parametric software
routine was developed to manage the iteration of the
paths in function of the cutting depth and of the deviation
of workpiece shape by the ideal CAD geometry.
Machining parameters, e.g. robot acceleration and
velocity, were also considered in order to find the best
trade-off between final quality and cycle time. Fig. 7
shows the software interface adopted to optimize the
robot behavior