Measurement assisted robotic edge deburring of aero engine components

Aero engine components are often subjected to high stress levels and vibrations during operation. The mechanical integrity of these machined components may be compromised by the presence of burrs and sharp edges. Therefore the removal of burrs and the creation of rounded edges is necessary. To do this manually is time consuming and costly and may have potential quality issues. The application of robots to deburring has been limited by the difficulties in achieving the required degree of quality, controlling reaction forces during metal removal and the lack of tooling designed specifically for robots. The work presented in this paper introduces an efficient robotic deburring method, which is developed based on generation real-time robotic deburring path. The approach uses an in-process measurement sensor to determine the component's exact location prior to the deburring operation. The core of the system is a set of algorithms capable of fitting and generating the required robot path relative to the feature to be profiled. Reducing the reliance on accurate dedicated part holding fixtures and uses laser guided robot ensures the developed deburring system is highly flexible and re-configurable. The paper describes the development of deburring process for a simple straight edge feature and its application to more complex ones. The algorithms were evaluated using representative test pieces made from Titanium, RR1000 and super CMV alloys using a spindle attached to an industrial robot.