Adaptive SMC for trajectory tracking in freeform grinding
This work is a first step to the automation of freeform surface grinding. A control strategy for a robotic manipulator following a path which includes switching between different surfaces, constant depths of cut and system-inherent as well as environmental uncertainties is presented. The sliding mode control scheme with adaptive parameter update law is verified through simulation.
A robust trajectory tracking control of a polishing robot system based on CAM data
Abstract Polishing a die that has free-form surfaces is a time-consuming and tedious job, and requires a considerable amount of high-precision skill. In order to reduce the polishing time and cope with the shortage of skilled workers, a user-friendly automatic polishing system was developed in this research. The polishing system is composed of two subsystems, a three-axis machining center and a two-axis polishing robot. The developed polishing system with five degrees of freedom is able to keep the polishing tool normal to the die surface during operation. A sliding mode control algorithm with velocity compensation is proposed to reduce tracking errors. Trajectory tracking experiments showed that the effect of reducing the tracking error by the proposed sliding mode control is superior to that by the proportional derivative control. The polishing data is generated from computer-aided design (CAD) data or from teaching data by PolyCAM, a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) system consisting of 4 modules: a geometric modeller, a CAD data exchange module, a polishing data generation module, and a graphic simulator. To evaluate the performance of the polishing robot system, some polishing experiments on a shadow-mask die were performed.
Microstructure of the solder-casting zone in bridges of dental gold alloys.
The composition and structure were studied in the cast and in the solder of bridges which had failed clinically. Both materials were gold alloys but with different contents of Pt, Ag and Zn. The metallographic investigation revealed defects mostly in the solder, situated in the subsurface layer. SEM studied of the fracture surface revealed large porosites and a structure of dense parallel lines--striations--, indicating that the material had failed from fatigue. The materials in the fractured bridges were identified by micro-probe measurements. It was stated that cast material and solder material used together, were of different composition.