Guyson Corporation has introduced a robotic gritblasting system that enables consistent production of a specified finish on a wide variety of complex-shaped components. The Model RB-9 is designed to offer precision and flexibility in critical surface preparation work.
Guyson RB-9 configured as a 7-axis rotary gritblast machine.
A six-axis robot with a suitable payload and range of motion serves as a nozzle manipulator when mated with a rotary table blast cabinet having a 48 x 48 x 48-inch work envelope. Rotation of the turntable is powered by a servomotor and controlled as a seventh axis of robotic motion, allowing extremely accurate positioning and movement of the work piece during automated blasting routines. Thus, the RB-9 is capable of constantly maintaining a specific nozzle angle, offset (stand-off distance) and surface speed as it follows the intricate contours of components in execution of the programmed grit blasting process.
The RB-9 can be optionally equipped with a crane slot in the roof of the blast cabinet to facilitate loading and unloading of heavy workpieces by an overhead hoist. Access to the blast enclosure is provided by two full-width doors with abrasion-protected view windows. The entire blasting chamber and turntable are lined with quarter-inch-thick bonded rubber sheeting to resist the abrasive effects of harsh grit media.
Supplied with either suction-blast or pressure-blast media delivery, the Model RB-9 is commonly provided with an enhanced media reclamation system that includes a vibrating screen classifier to separate larger or smaller particles from the blasting grit of the exact mesh size specified for the surface preparation process. The robotic gritblast system can also feature media level sensors and an automatic dispensing hopper to replenish the supply of blasting grit before a low media level could compromise the precision finishing results. The system illustrated also includes a new design of magnetic separator that continuously removes ferrous particles, such as burr material, from the operating media mix.
The RB-9 machine pictured above incorporates a special safety interlock system designed to comply with the purchaser’s internal machine engineering specifications for robotic equipment. A hand-held wand, a foot pedal and door locks on the blast cabinet and robot cage were integrated by Guyson controls engineers in response to the individual customer’s requirements.
Among the human-machine interface configurations offered by Guyson is a freestanding control console with a touch-screen panel. Blast process parameters associated with up to 100 different robotic blasting routines are stored by the system’s programmable logic controller and recalled at a finger’s touch.
Prospective users of robotic grit-blasting or surface preparation systems are encouraged to submit sample components for free laboratory testing and application engineering evaluation at the Guyson factory in northeastern New York State.
The six-station rotary table of the automated blast machine is mounted on a precision cam indexer that accurately steps the fixtured components through isolation, peening and blow-off chambers within the abrasion-protected cabinet. At two shot peening stations in the blast enclosure, the component-bearing spindles are rotated at controlled speed during the timed process cycle. The spindle rotation speed is adjustable.
WORK CELL ROBOTIC BLAST MACHINE
Guyson Corporation has introduced a robotic blasting system based on one of its compact rotary suction-blast cabinets. The Model RB-RSSA-6 incorporates a Fanuc LR Mate 200iC robot and is designed for work cell blasting operations, such as blast cleaning, cosmetic finishing, coating removal and technical surface preparation.
Guyson's RB-RSSA-6 matches the precision and repeatability of robotic motion with the small footprint of a high-performance workcell blasting cabinet.
The 42-inch wide blast chamber of the RB-RSSA-6 houses a single rotary spindle on which an interchangeable component-holding fixture is mounted. Parts are loaded in the blasting machine through an automatic vertical sliding door that is 18 inches in width. A full-depth hinged door on the side of the cabinet provides access for inspection and maintenance. Including the safety-interlocked perimeter enclosure surrounding the robot, the robotic blast machine is 74 inches tall and 72 inches deep.
When the blast cycle is initiated, the load door closes and the component is rotated at controlled and adjustable speed as a single suction-blast gun is directed at target surfaces by the 6-axis robot. Programmed robotic motion of the blasting nozzle ensures that a specific stand-off distance and angle of blast media impingement is constantly maintained, even as the blast gun manipulator follows the contours of complex-shaped components. The robot also directs a blow-off nozzle during the timed air wash cycle that follows media blasting.
The rear of the RB-RSSA-6 robotic blast system is sealed by a custom-tailored skirt made of multi-layered laminated fabric. The protective suit fits tightly around the end of the robot arm, yet allows the full range of motion in all axes, as it isolates the precision manipulator from the potentially harsh abrasive environment of the blasting chamber.
The system’s programmable logic controller (PLC), to which the robot controller is slave, is capable of storing and recalling the automated blasting process routines for up to one hundred different components. A custom designed touch-screen interface allows the human operator to select the program for a particular component and also displays process data monitored by electronic sensors, such as spindle RPM, the duration and elapsed time of the blasting cycle and the levels of blast media and contents of the dust collector drum.
Prospective users of robotic blasting equipment are encouraged to submit sample components for free laboratory testing and application engineering evaluation at Guyson’s factory in northeastern New York State.