New concepts in automation and robotic technology for surface engineering

Abstract

Nowadays, the use of robots for the automation of process is very common. This is due to the advantages provided: cost reduction, quality increase, high reproducibility, etc. Nevertheless the robots have the disadvantage, that a high initial investment is necessary. Thermal spraying processes use industrial robots for many reasons, some of them are: high control of the process, quality increase, dangerous work environment, etc. The industrial robot can control many parameters during the process; like the trajectory and the velocity of the torch, which have a significant influence on the heat and mass transfer to the piece and coating. Properties such as coating thickness, porosity, micro hardness and thermal stress distribution are therefore significantly influenced by the spraying distance, velocity and trajectory. It is thus necessary to implement new tools, which support robot programming and fulfill the requirements of torch handling for thermal spraying and lacquered operation. Optimized robot programming is necessary for high quality products regarding coating properties and functionality. To optimize the robot programming, different off-line programming tools are used. The off-line programming has the advantages: increase of work safety and efficiency, low time to program, continuous production, etc.