Automated polishing process with a human-like dexterous robot

The generation of collision-free control data of a polishing robot with 6 degrees-of-freedom for a workpiece with complicated curve surface is discussed. The collision between the polishing tool and the workpiece is the problem to be solved in terms of automatically carrying out the polishing process. To obtain the collision-free polishing path, the possibility of a collision is checked, and a collision-free tool axis vector is determined on the basis of the solid model of the workpiece and the tool shape representative points. The generated collision-free polishing path is converted into the actual robot control data taking into account the robot structure. The system is found to be effective from experiments in which a workpiece with an overhanging curved surface is polished