The Use of Robot with Force Control in Machining of Green Ceramics

Abstract:

This papers studies the use of robots in the green machining of ceramics, specifically, the machining of high alumina porcelain insulators. The green state has very low strength and high brittleness where the forces applied during machining can generate and/or develop defects in the part that will reduce their properties after sintering. This work aims to study the machining by robot models of electrical insulators in 1:10 scale. Blanks were compacted in high alumina porcelain by isostatic pressing and green machined with a manual grinder attached to a Kuka KR16 robot. Models of insulators in gypsum were successfully machined and used for setup and configuration of the process. They were machined with cutting depth 0.87 mm and feed of 20 mm/s, this is the minimum programmable velocity for this robot model, and these parameters for the machining of the green porcelain generated excessive cracks at the tips of the fins. Changing the cutting depth to values of 0.25 mm, an established value in CNC machining, allowed to conclude that insufficient stiffness of the robot together with its high forward speed and excessive vibration of the grinding limits its use for thin thicknesses, although with potential for improvement.

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volume 805)
• Pages: 615-620
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.805.615
• Online since: September 2014
• Authors: Gustavo José Giardini Lahr*, Glauco Augusto de Paula Caurin, Carlos Alberto Fortulan
• Keywords: Force Control, Green Machining, Porcelain Insulators, Robot Manipulators

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