Robotic Grinding, Deburring and Polishing Cell

The SmartForce self-contained turnkey grinding, deburring, and polishing robotic cell from ABCO Automation, Inc. (Greensboro, NC) is a flexible automation system for manual machining processes. “Developed in conjunction with 3M™, KUKA, and PushCorp, we designed and built this system to address the growing need to automate manual grinding, deburring, and polishing,” explained Brad Kemmerer, the president of ABCO Automation. “Today’s manufacturers recognize that new employees entering the workforce do not want jobs that are gritty, taxing, and hazardous. SmartForce offers them a system that removes employees from working under those conditions, repositions employees in auxiliary roles, and replaces direct labor with a robot that delivers consistent, quality results.” With a compact footprint that is less than 100 sq ft, this robotic cell is mobile and flexible. It is pre-engineered and pre-assembled on a metal skid base that allows manufacturers to not only use it right away, but easily move the cell from one section of a facility to another.

In addition, other components, such as conveyors and post-processing inspection equipment, can be added to further automate the cell. The key components of the cell include a KUKA KR-60 3 F robot, 3M abrasives, a PushCorp end-of-arm tool, safety guarding, a Coolmate™ coolant system, the metal skid base and a dial part infeed table. “What makes this cell so effective is the combination of the PushCorp end-of-arm tool with a 3M Cubitron™ II Fibre Disc 982C that is well-suited for edge chamfering, beveling, and removing carbon steel welds, mill scale, pits and imperfections, and machining grooves, as well as a Scotch-Brite™ Light Grinding and Blending Disc that achieves a high cut-rate for optimal weld grinding and blending in mild-steel applications,” noted Kemmerer. “The end-of-arm tool features a tool holder mounted on a force control actively-compliant tool. It enables the robot to have human-touch capabilities that can grind, deburr, or polish in any orientation, even over contours. The tool’s unique capabilities, in conjunction with our programming, provides this grinding, deburring, and polishing system with its ‘SmartForce’.”

ABCO Automation, Inc., 6202 Technology Drive, Greensboro, NC 27214, www.goabco.com.