Technology Spotlight: Advanced finishing/grinding machine

North America’s newest complete abrasive process robotic testing system takes shape

Norton's Abrasive Process Solution system

Norton’s Abrasive Process Solutions (APS) system offers abrasive process development, optimization, automation, and in-house testing.

A couple of years ago Norton | Saint-Gobain Abrasives saw a need for an improved system that end users and automation technology integrators could use to test and confirm, improve, and sometimes create new abrasive-based processes designed specifically for automated equipment.

The end product is an advanced robotic automation cell, offered as a key part of Norton’s Abrasive Process Solutions (APS) program. APS offers abrasive process development, optimization, automation, and in-house testing for customers using the expertise and abrasives knowledge of the Norton engineering team. The Acme Mfg. integrated robotic-centred process development system is located at the company’s R&D centre in Northborough, Mass., and is specifically designed to help companies in the surface finishing and grinding industry perform various proof-of-concept activities that show what’s possible with nearly any abrasive product on the market today. It also will be used to test future products created by Norton | Saint-Gobain Abrasives.

The APS system has a FANUC R2000iC/210F robot with a 210-kg load capacity that allows the testing team to perform processes using nearly any size part or tool. The force sensor-capable robot performs in a multi-capacity role, meaning it is fitted with an end-of-arm gripper to allow for part-to-media processing, as well as ATI Industrial Automation tool changers that allow the use of traditional hand tools to perform media-to-part processing.

Part-to-Media Work

The part-to-media portion of the APS robot uses two finishing heads. By gripping the component in the gripper, either one of the two variable-speed finishing/grinding heads can be used.

The first head, which is a stacked head, has a 40-HP lower spindle. This powerful motor can be used to drive large superabrasive and diamond wheels, as well as bonded wheels and large cutoff wheels (where 2 HP per inch of diameter is a normal requirement). This head, when set up with a metal or hard-durometer contact wheel, also can be used on heavy gate grind-type operations, all without the need for operators.

The top head of the stacked unit has a 5-HP motor that can be used directly on any contact wheel or even on the slack of the belt setup. This runs media up to a 3-in.-wide belt of any type, coated abrasive of any grain, non-woven Norton Rapid Prep belts, and specialty belts. The shaft also drives any type of radial product up to 18 in. dia., including abrasive flex drum-type flap wheels.

Both of these spindles can be used dry or wet, because the APS robotic system is set up with a wet collection system and collection trays. This allows for the processing of almost any type of base metal and material coating, including combustible metals.

The second head in the part-to-media side of the system has a side-by-side finishing head that has a programmable pivot option for the base. This option allows for the processing of unusually shaped components because the head can rotate while the armature robot is moving. This motion allows for high accessibility and makes the APS system capable of running very complex part geometries.

This head can run two belts simultaneously, using different grits, grains, and backings; use various types of contact wheels, such as rubber, foam, and cloth; and accommodate different types of setups, including serrated, plain, and Dynabrade Dynaflex (CRC version).

The middle contact wheels are mounted on a pneumatic floating spindle to allow for various pressure settings during the point of contact.

Norton APS with FANUC R2000iC/210F

The system has a FANUC R2000iC/210F robot with a 210-kg load capacity that allows the testing team to perform processes using nearly any size part or tool.

The abrasive or non-woven belts, as well as the other parts of the APS system, are set up for variable speeds to show system integrators the value of being able to change speeds during processing.

The Tri-Wheel part of the system allows for, when necessary, the ability to use the free belt portion of the head. This feature to go from the contact wheel to the free belt is an advantage when processing parts with complex designs.

A portion of the side-by-side head contains the bottom drive spindle, which is designed to hold various radial abrasives up to 4 in. wide on either side of the belt units. These can include Norton’s convolute RapidPrep wheels or unified wheels, coated-abrasive and non-woven Bear-Tex flap wheels, radial Blaze brushes, low-compound-use fixed abrasive buff wheels, and other wheel products. A liquid abrasive compound system is part of the APS system.

Media-to-Part Processing

On the media-to-parts portion of the system, access is provided to a 15-HP, 10,000-RPM PushCorp STC1015 servo spindle motor that can hold various radial abrasive tools, such as superabrasive wheels, bonded wheels, cutoff wheels, flap wheels, fixed-abrasive buffs, and other radial products that require high levels of speed and force to achieve the best results.

This spindle is mounted on a PushCorp AFD1240 compliance device so that the APS team can control the amount of consistent force that the process requires. On a separate module is a 3-HP, 15,000-RPM PushCorp STC1503 servo spindle motor available for use with smaller, lighter abrasive processes such as flap discs, flap wheels, cloth and paper discs, fibre discs, Norton’s Blaze filament brushes, small bonded and cutoff wheels, and other radial-type abrasives from the Norton catalogue.

The spindle motor is mounted on a PushCorp AFD310 active compliance device to allow for great control of the force necessary to complete the process and prove that parts can be moved from manual to automatic processing.

Hand Tool Setup

The tool rack includes other traditional hand tools that can be used to show how effectively processes can be moved to robotic setups.

Tools such as Dynabrade’s Dynafile are set up for robot end-of-arm tooling. This tool moves the narrow abrasive belts to parts mounted on the robotic system’s programmable pivot table. Along with a Dynabrade jitterbug unit, this allows for wet or dry processing throughout the robotic process.

In the remaining tool rack is a PushCorp dual-head orbital sanding unit, which allows the APS team to show customers how various orbital sizes will produce different results. This lets the team show the exact pressure and speed readings, which can be communicated to the potential end user or system integrator.

The APS robot system’s capability to run in the traditional dry method as well as run wet is unique to the industry. Many end users are told that they can run a process wet and get better results in quality, output, or performance from the abrasives they are using. This testing system makes it possible to prove this out in side-by-side comparisons, regardless of the base material.

Norton APS stacked head unit.

The stacked head unit has an upper head with a 5-HP motor and a lower head with a 40-HP motor for heavy grinding and cutoff applications.

With all the available tools and the ability to rotate large parts on a programmable table, the APS robotic cell has no problems running large or small complex parts in either dry or wet processes.

The overall setup of the system’s tool rack offers a nearly endless approach to get processes from their current manual form to a fully automated form. And in most cases, the team can improve cost, quality, and overall safety for any organization’s operators. The tool rack also can be adjusted and additional tools added, such as an ATI radial compliant tool.

Keep in mind that when organizations in the finishing industry implement automation, rarely does staff get laid off, because they always need people in other parts of the operation.

With North American manufacturing seeing major boosts in demand for metalworking products, it is easy to see how automation can help the large manufacturing groups. Another thing to consider is how the APS system can best help small and medium-sized groups find a path to robotic automation.

Mike Shappell is senior applications engineer, Norton | Saint-Gobain Abrasives, Abrasive Process Solutions Group, One New Bond St., Worcester, Mass. 01606, 254-918-2313, www.nortonabrasives.com.