The AOK/601, a further development within the existing AOK series, can be easily adapted for all robot applications, according to the manufacturer. This integrated eccentric sanding solution was specially developed for automated surface processing of very large surfaces. In the manufacture of modern means of transportation and vehicles in particular, it can be used to exploit high potential for improvement.

Manual work despite automated production processes
Mobility is a dominant theme in our lives. Cars, public transport, high-speed trains, but also airplanes and ships are part of our everyday lives. Today, both the means of transportation themselves and their production are high-tech affairs. But even though automation already dominates large parts of the production chain, there are still numerous activities that have to be carried out by hand because human skills cannot be replaced.

Until recently, this also applied to the sanding and polishing of unstructured surfaces such as vehicle bodies with a perfect paint finish. Whether it was the ideal and even contact pressure during placement and sanding, the compensation of production and position tolerances or complex geometries with difficult accessibility - the human touch and adaptability could not be achieved. However, the time-consuming manual work has numerous disadvantages. The high personnel costs, high abrasive consumption, long throughput times and, last but not least, physically strenuous work for the workers mean low productivity, but also inconsistent results.

In this case, Ferrobotics offers a solution based on Active Compliant Technology (ACT), which provides robots with the "feel" required for grinding tasks. The ideal contact pressure is always guaranteed, while at the same time tolerances are compensated and even complex shapes can be processed without any problems.

The AOK is a coordinated system package based on the ACT and a random orbital sander optimized for robot use. This integrated complete solution automates the industrial sanding process with individual control of all process parameters: Rotation speed, contact pressure and feed rate. The heavy-duty 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
Sanding and polishing large surfaces for painting processes such as locomotives, railroad carriages, buses, airplanes, wings or ship hulls, as well as many large components, is still often carried out manually. In addition to the challenges mentioned above, there are also additional issues such as the accessibility of all surface areas, the position tolerance of large components and the tolerances when joining large structural parts.

Ferrobotics has also developed a suitable end-of-arm tool for robots for this particular application: the AOK/601 with a triple grinding head enables large surfaces to be processed quickly while reducing abrasive consumption at the same time. The biggest advantages, however, are the significantly shorter cycle times and the reduction in costs due to the elimination of manual work steps. This results in a considerable increase in productivity and a short payback period. Both the installation and the adjustment of the AOK are very simple and quick to carry out thanks to the sophisticated design and control system. as