Productivity Increase through Joint Space Path Planning for Robot Machining

Abstract

Machine tools realize tool movements with high accuracy mainly due to highly developed computerized numerical controls (CNCs). As articulated industrial robots are used more and more for machining, robot controllers (RC) have to be equipped with additional path planning capabilities, similar to machine tools. A RC is very similar to a CNC from a software and hardware point of view, but with one major difference, the RC has an additional transformation stage, the transformation from Cartesian space to joint space. Machining with robots is a field intensely researched in the last years. CNC systems for robots are commercially available, furthermore, more and more CAM systems have extensions for machining with robots. Most of these offer a simulation of the machining process using a robot model, in order to solve the inverse kinematic problem and, additionally, to take into consideration axis motion limits (maximum angular amplitudes) and singularities. Moreover, path planning for machining robots is done in exactly the same way as for machine tools, with the mentioned additional transformation stage. This paper describes the advantages and challenges which result from the integration of the kinematic transformation in the path planning stage.

Industrial robotic machining: a review

“…Tool path generation is a major difference, in terms of mechanism difference between robot and CNC machine tool. Given consistence issue of a tool path, Agus et al [104] proposed a joint space path planning in robot machining. However, they have not validated the method experimentally.…”

Robot Engraving Services in Industry

“…The robots are programmed to execute not only a task, but multiple tasks in order to lower the costs for creating the products, these additional tasks executed by the robots can eliminate other expensive machines such engraving or CNC (computer numerical control) milling machines [1,2]. In comparison, a robot is much cheaper than a CNC milling machine, but is able to complete milling tasks, with acceptable performances [3,4].…”