Development of abrasive super finishing method with a five-axis closed-link compact robot and fine diamond stone

Abstract

This study investigates an improved method for super finishing of a die surface by means of a robot that holds fixed abrasive grains. A low-pressure grinding method was previously investigated to exploit the characteristics of the fine grinding stone by means of a voice coil motor (VCM). However, the VCM proved disadvantageous in that the grinding pressure changed when the height of the grinding surface was changed or the volume of the grinding stone was reduced. To solve this problem, a feedback control mechanism of the force was employed in this study, such that a constant pressure could be achieved for long periods of polishing. It was found that this allowed for the stable execution of long-term polishing, along with the previously set low pressure being maintained simultaneously with high accuracy. In addition, increased improvement of surface roughness was also achieved because polishing can be carried out at high pressures for a long period of time without any decrease in pressure occurring.