Influence of cutting conditions in the topography of texturized surfaces on aluminium 7075 plates produced by robot machining

Abstract

Current manufacturing processes attempt to improve productivity by reducing idle time in the system, without being detrimental to quality requirements. Robotic machining is increasingly being introduced because of the advantages compared to CNC machines, for instance better adaptability to use the same equipment to perform different products or the feasibility to machining higher dimensional parts. But nonetheless robots have less rigidity, which means a loss of accuracy in geometrical dimensions. The research carried out in this study is focused on the introduction of robots in the machining of surfaces to be joined by adhesives. The main objective is to study the surface quality by the analysis of geometrical dimensions of textures made in aluminium 7075 by robotic machining. The experiments consist on reproducing different texturing patterns by robotic machining, where machining parameters such as axial and radial depth of path and angle between paths have been considered as variable parameters. Results have been analysed by different dimensional metrology devices, such as a Nikon SMZ800 microscope, a Trimek Coordinate Measuring Machine and an Alicona 3D interferometer with variable focal length.