Perfect Finishing for Large Surfaces

Automation has also found its way into the treatment of large surface areas. FerRobotics has developed the Active Orbital Kit 601 for the special challenges of large-scale sanding and polishing processes. The AOK/601, a further development within the existing AOK series, proves itself as an intelligent system package and can easily be adapted for all robot applications. This integrated eccentric sanding solution is specifically designed for automated surface finishing of very large surfaces, delivering unprecedented results and dramatically increasing productivity. Especially in the production of modern means of transport and vehicles, there is a high potential for improvement.

Complex manual work despite automated high-tech production processes

Mobility is a predominant topic in our lives. Cars, public transport, high-speed trains, and also aircraft and ships are part of our everyday lives. Both the means of transport itself and their production are high-tech matters today. However, even though automation already dominates large parts of the production chain, there are still many activities that have to be done by hand because the human touch can not be replaced. Until recently, this also applied to the sanding and polishing of unstructured surfaces, e.g. vehicle bodies, to a perfect finish. Be it the ideal and even contact pressure when contacting the object and during sanding, the compensation of production and position tolerances, or complex geometries with difficult accessibility - the human touch and adaptability was impossible to duplicate. The elaborate work by hand does, however, have many disadvantages. Intensive manpower, high consumption of abrasives, long lead times and last but not least activity that is physically burdening for the workers, mean low productivity and time no uniform results at the same.

The Active Orbital Kit AOK as a well-thought-out solution package

For this case alone, FerRobotics offers a unique solution based on Active Compliant Technology (ACT) that equips robots with the much needed "feel" they require for sanding tasks. It always ensures the ideal contact pressure, while at the same time compensating tolerances and even complex shapes can be processed easily.

The AOK is a precisely coordinated system package based on the ACT and an eccentric sander optimized for robot use. This integrated complete solution automates the industrial sanding process with individual control of all process parameters: rotational speed, contact pressure and feed rate. The AOK offers the highest process quality from a single source. The system design is compact and lightweight. The enormously robust sander is designed for industrial use and delivers twice the performance of commercially available devices, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Special challenge for large surfaces - AOK/601 as a system solution

The sanding and polishing of large surfaces for painting operations such as locomotives, railway cars, buses, airplanes and hulls of ships, or even many large components, is still often done manually. In addition to the challenges mentioned above, additional topics such as the accessibility of all surface areas, the positional tolerance of the large components and the tolerances in the assembly of large structural parts come into play. FerRobotics has also developed a suitable end-of-arm tool for robots for this particular application: the AOK/601 with a triple sanding head enables rapid, high-quality processing of large surfaces while at the same time significantly reducing the consumption of abrasives. However, the biggest advantages are above all lie in significantly shorter cycle times and cost reduction due to the elimination of manual work steps. This results in a significant increase in productivity and a shorter payback period. Both installing and adjusting the AOK are very easy and quick to carry out due to the well-thought-out design and control.