Sanding Cobot Removes 95% Of The Dust And Improves Consistency | Cobot Spotlight

Nobody wants to manually sand fiberglass and composites all the time.

It’s an incredibly boring task. And if you inhale some fiberglass… well… you won’t have a pleasant time.

But most of all… It’s not an ergonomic activity. It makes you fatigue really quickly, negatively affecting your health and sanding consistency.

So what do you do if you must sand composite products?

You turn to robotics, of course!

Particularly, you turn to cobots for their flexibility and quick re-programming for the next batch.

That’s what Performance Composites did, and their results speak for themselves!

About Performance Composites Inc.

Employee-owned, Performance Composites Inc. is a US-based composites manufacturer for transportation, infrastructure, industrial, and medical industries. 

They manufacture structures and parts made with fiberglass, resins, and other composite materials.

Now, here’s something random…

Did you know that James Cameron, a Canadian film director, set a world record by deep-diving at the Mariana Trench, the deepest-known point on Earth (35,787ft), using a specialized, custom-made submersible called the Deepsea Challenger (DCV-1)? 

If not, now you know!

It was Performace Composites Inc., that manufactured the composite fairing used on the Deepsea Challenger in alignment with very demanding engineering requirements.

Just a little fun fact on their background and power of composites.

The Sanding Challenge

While amazing, composites pose multiple challenges to work with.

One of the main difficulties is sanding.

What happens when you become too fatigued after sanding with an extended arm and body over a massive composite piece?

You won’t be perfectly consistent in the sanding application. Even if you aren’t fatigued, you can’t be perfectly consistent. It’s a human factor, really. Nobody is going to perfectly time the pressure and application time for each sanding stroke and apply it consistently in the batch.

And can you easily recruit new people for sanding who understand these materials?

Unfortunately, not.

And the dust… You are sending millions upon millions of tiny fiber particles in the air around you.

These are some of the issues Performace Composites wanted to solve with automation.

Why Cobots For Sanding?

The cobot advantage of quick programming for every part or batch of parts was one of the most important deciding factors for Performance Composites. 

GrayMatter Robotics is an Authorized System Integrator for FANUC America. They have developed their AI software for sanding and polishing called Scan&Sand™ and Scan&Polish™.

These two systems use 3D vision and proprietary software to allow the cobot to sand, finish, and inspect the part. 

After getting in contact, GrayMatter Robotics helped Performance Composites with their unique GMR-AI, which was applied using the FANUC CRX cobot to significantly improve their work quality and safety.

How GrayMatter Robotics Solved The Main Issues

Using a vacuum solution in conjunction with the FANUC CRX-10iA/L cobot, they were able to eliminate 95% of the dust produced with the sanding process. Thanks to the cobot’s consistency and well-thought-out vacuum placement, the cobot’s produced dust is captured.

The cobot use also improved their production consistency. Once the program is dialed in, it always runs the sander precisely the same way. So, there is no inconsistency in strokes or applied pressure, allowing them to provide maximum surface quality for every composite part.

“It’s a very consistent sand surface. Once we develop the program, the overlapping, the sandpaper pressure, and things like that, the surface is consistent every time,” said Francis.

They use a simple linear, one-axis gantry system to move the cobot along the length of the part, while the cobot’s multi-axis joint design accommodates the sanding action over the part’s surface.

It’s a very simple yet exceptionally powerful system.

Cobots are great. But pairing them with positioners, gantry systems, rotators, and other more simple forms of automation can actually significantly improve their capabilities.

Performance Composites are now looking into automating more of their production with cobots.

As is usually the case, once manufacturers see first-hand the cobot benefits, they start evaluating what other tasks could benefit from cobots.

Learn more about their success and sanding cobot solutions here:

• https://www.fanucamerica.com/case-studies/performance-composites

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qe_RdBu4wE&ab_channel=GrayMatterRobotics

• https://graymatter-robotics.com/

Enjoy your week!

The Cobot Spotlight Stories Team