{"id":3344,"date":"2020-09-08T08:29:13","date_gmt":"2020-09-08T12:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robodk.com\/blog\/?p=3344"},"modified":"2024-10-03T05:18:23","modified_gmt":"2024-10-03T09:18:23","slug":"robot-orbital-polishing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robodk.com\/blog\/robot-orbital-polishing\/","title":{"rendered":"Case Study: How Kane Robotics Achieved Orbital Polishing With RoboDK"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Surface finishing with a robot \u2014 it’s an application you might not have considered before.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might wonder: Is there a good end effector to perform sanding or polishing with a robot? And how easy is it to program a robot with such an end effector?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, the team at Kane Robotics found a way to easily integrate their robot and new orbital sanding end effector with RoboDK.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s see how they did it!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Sanding and polishing are the types of task that are traditionally difficult to automate. In the past, you either had to invest big in an automatic sanding machine \u2014 the type that will take up half of the space in your workshop and cost a small fortune \u2014 or you’d have to do the task manually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem with doing surface finishing manually is that it is time-consuming, physically hard work, and provides an inconsistent quality. Sounds like the perfect task for a robot!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, surface finishing with an industrial robot has now become a viable option. By adding a force sensor onto the robot’s end effector, you can use force control to provide consistent surface finishing with an orbital sanding tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, industrial robots can now be used for surface finishing tasks that require a high degree of consistency, such as propeller blade polishing for aircraft\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026 which is exactly what the team has done at Kane Robotics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introducing\u2026 Kane Robotics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Kane Robotics<\/a> is an automation integration company based in California, USA. They primarily serve the aviation and aerospace sector and provide automation solutions to high-mix\/low-production manufacturers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They describe their company mission as: “to free up the skilled aerospace workforce from time-consuming, repetitive manufacturing tasks through the use of innovative, low-cost, flexible automation solutions.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In particular, they help aerospace manufacturers with applications such as grinding, sanding, finishing, epoxy dispensing, drilling, and machine tending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company’s project involved polishing the propeller blade for an aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Project: Propeller Blade Polishing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n