An adaptive electropneumatic end effector for constant force robot grinding with steel wire brush

Abstract

This article introduces the design of a robot end effector, which can perform constant force grinding on a curved surface using a brush tool without accurately measuring the geometric data of the workpiece. It uses a bidirectional cylinder and spring to create a force balance system as an additional servo degree of freedom to control the grinding brush. The system adopts impedance control method, establishes a complete electric pneumatic model, and uses PID controller to control contact force by adjusting pneumatic pressure to maintain a constant grinding force on the surface. The test results indicate that the system can perform effective rust and paint removal tasks. For paint removal, the removal rate has been proven to be 99.3% through measurement using image processing software, while for rust removal, the results are at a similar level but reliable and quantifiable measurement methods are still being studied. The end effector can be installed on most general-purpose robots for grinding and has potential application value.