Improved Design of The End-Effector for Macro-Mini Robotic Polishing Systems

Abstract

The macro-mini robot polishing system has been widely used in polishing processes where an auxiliary actuator is used to control the polishing force. Generally, in this approach, the auxiliary actuator moves the polishing motor, the polishing spindle and the polishing head which are considerable loads. Hence, if these loads are carried by the auxiliary actuator, its holding force needs to be increased and consequently its physical size and inertia should be increased. In order to address this problem, the authors propose a novel mechanical design of the mini robot to reduce the moving inertia of the auxiliary actuator. Experimental results have verified that the proposed modified design enhances the force tracking performance efficaciously.