A high-bandwidth end-effector with active force control for robotic polishing

To promote operational intelligence, improve surface quality, and reduce manpower dependence, a novel high-bandwidth end-effector with active force control for robotic polishing was proposed. Using this end-effector as a mini robot, a macro-mini robot for polishing processing was constructed, in which the macro robot provides posture control during polishing operations, whereas the mini-robot provides constant force control. By minimizing the inertia along the spindle in this configuration, the end-effector obtains a force control bandwidth of 200 Hz. Through a series of comparative experiments with different contact forces and feed rates, the proposed design was proven to have a smaller overshoot, a faster response, and a shorter settling time than the conventional method based on macro robot (KUKA iiwa) controlled force. The roughness of the workpiece reached 0.4 µm after polishing with the macro-mini robot, indicating the efficiency of this end-effector in high-precision material removal and surface polishing operations.