Material Removal Rate Control for a Teleoperated Robotic Sander

Abstract

During the manufacture of aircraft interior panels, the surfaces must be sanded before paint or decorative laminates can be applied. Defects in the panel are fixed by applying Bondo, and then sanding the surface until it is smooth and flat. This work is currently being performed by hand, but there is a desire to make this work more ergonomic through automation and other tools. In most cases automated sanding is performed with a constant normal force, however this can lead to uneven sanding. To address this issue, a model of the sanding material removal rate is derived and experimental parameters are estimated. Furthermore, this model can be used to determine the normal force required to maintain a consistent material removal rate. A controller is then designed, implemented, and tested to maintain this consistent material removal rate.