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Ch35-I044963.fm Page 169 Tuesday, August 1, 2006 3:09 PM
1, 2006
Tuesday, August
Page 169
3:09 PM
Ch35-I044963.fm
169
169
AUTOMATION OF CHAMFERING BY AN INDUSTRIAL ROBOT
(DEVELOPMENT OF POSITIONING SYSTEM TO COPE WITH
DIMENSIONAL ERROR)
2
1
1
Hidetake TANAKA , Naoki ASAKAWA , Tomoya KIYOSHIGE and Masatoshi HIRAO 1
1
Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology Kanazawa University
2-40-2, Kodatsuno, Kanazawa City, Tshikawa, Japan
2
Honda Engineering Co., Ltd.
Haga-dai 16-1, Haga Town, Tochigi, Japan

ABSTRACT

The study deals with an automation of chamfering by an industrial robot. The study focused on the
automation of chamfering without influence of dimensional error piece by piece. In general, products
made by casting have dimensional error. A cast impeller, used in water pump, is treated in the study as an
example of the casting product. The impeller is usually chamfered with handwork since it has individual
dimensional errors. In the system, a diamond file driven by air reciprocating actuator is used as a chamfer-
ing tool and image processing is used to compensate the dimensional error of the workpiece. The robot
hand carries a workpiece instead of a chamfering tool both for machining and for material handling. From
the experimental result, the system is found to have an ability to chamfer a workpiece has the dimensional
error automatically.

KEYWORDS

Industrial robot, Chamfering, Image processing, Impeller, Error compensation

INTRODUCTION

Chamfering is essential processes after machining for almost all machined workpieces to control prod-
ucts appearance. Usually, workpieces, which having simple shapes can be chamfered by an automatic
chamfering machine. However, complicated shaped workpieces are obliged to chamfer with handwork
because of their intricacy. Especially, products made by sand mold casting basically have dimensional
errors. A cast impeller, used in water pump, is treated in the study as an example of the workpiece with
individual dimensional error. The objective chamfering part is an edge of outlet of the impeller. The part