Identification of feasible operating limits based on experimental analysis in robotic milling

Official URL: https://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b3150586_(Table of contents)

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for the utilization of robotic milling technology in the machining industry. This has led to a focus on trajectory following precision, which refers to the accuracy with which a robotic milling system is able to follow the desired path. Two key factors influencing trajectory following precision are feedrate response and contour errors. Feedrate response indicates the ability of the robotic milling system to maintain a constant feedrate, throughout the machining process accurately. Contour error capability, on the other hand, refers to the system’s ability to follow the desired contour of the generated path. This is especially important in applications where multi-axis machining is required based on part complexity. Therefore, an experimental analysis is conducted to identify the feasible operating limits of the 6-axis industrial milling robot. Additionally, achieving a dynamically stable cutting operation in robotic milling is not an easy task due to the easy-to-excite dynamics of the robot structure. Lowfrequency vibrations drastically affect the process stability, and the cutting parameters need to be selected in the regions where the modes of the robot structure and other components, such as the spindle-holder-tool assembly, are not excited to carry out a stable cutting process. On the other hand, the selection of the cutting tools used in the cutting process has a significant impact on process stability. Therefore, considering the system’s dynamics, a cutting tool selection approach is proposed to enhance the quality of the cutting operation. To summarize, trajectory following precision in robotic milling applications is influenced by feedrate response and contour error capability, as well as the dynamic stability of the system. By understanding and addressing these factors, it is possible to achieve high levels of precision in robotic milling processes.