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Achieving a perfect finish on a product is not simply a matter of clean aesthetics, but an imperative factor influencing durability, functionality, and perhaps most importantly, customer satisfaction. As manufacturers continually seek out technological advancements to improve product quality, increase efficiency, and address key industry challenges, sanding cobots are proving a new approach to surface preparation and finishing tasks.

Sanding, polishing and deburring tasks are undoubtedly some of the most dirty, dull and dangerous jobs that an operator can undertake. The highly repetitive nature of these tasks make them the perfect candidate for automation.

With a number of key factors to consider, what exactly are sanding cobots and how can they improve the quality of sanding tasks?

Limitations of Manual Sanding

Despite advancements in manufacturing, manual sanding remains a difficult, time consuming task that demands a lot from human workers. It poses significant health risks from exposure to particles from material removal, as well as the vibrations associated with the necessary power tools for the task causing fatigue and an increased risk of repetitive strain injury. 

It is difficult for operators to perform sanding tasks consistently throughout an entire shift, leading to the probability of inconsistent finishes or regular breaks, with any downtime negatively affecting production. 

Combine all this with the highly time consuming nature of manual sanding, and it’s easy to see why so many manufacturers are struggling to hire skilled workers to undertake these tasks.

Automating with Sanding Cobots

Designed to perform with unparalleled precision and efficiency, sanding cobots, like CoboSand from Cobots Online, automate labour intensive surface finishing tasks. Easy to program and adapt to different surfaces and materials, sanding cobots deliver accurate and consistent motions, applying a constant and consistent pressure to deliver perfect first-time results. 

Becoming increasingly prevalent in manufacturing environments, particularly woodworking, metalworking, and automotive production, sanding cobots generally consist of: 

• A cobot arm from Universal Robots with multiple joints to provide dexterity and a large work envelope. 
• End of arm tooling (EOAT) specifically designed for sanding, such as a sander head or sanding disc. Many EOATs incorporate built-in dust extractions to ensure a clean workspace.
• User-friendly programming software to allow you to program the cobot’s sanding path.
• A vision system to help guide the cobot to know where and how to sand. Some systems have the capability to detect the sanded surface in real-time and make adjustments to ensure an even finish. 
• A steady support of sandpaper and sanding discs in various grits.

Factors to Consider when Sanding with Cobots 

When integrating cobots into sanding applications for the first time, it is important to understand exactly the sanding process you want to automate. In addition, there are also a number of considerations to take into account, such as:

• Finishing type: are you sanding, polishing, buffing or deburring? While all compatible with cobots and all variations of the same process, there are slight differences between each action that need to be accounted for. 
• Workpiece material: will you cobot be working with wood, metal, fibreglass, plastic, carbon fiber, a solid surface…? 
• Abrasive media: the choice of abrasive material will have the greatest effect on the type and quality of finish you can achieve. 
• Application: finishing processes rely on a consistent strategy, so it’s important to know which pattern your cobot will move in, what different grit sizes you will use for each pass, and if you will change the type of abrasive media between passes. 
• Speed: the speed of the sanding EOAT and the speed the cobot moves across the surface will affect the quality of finishing tasks, so it’s important they remain consistent across the entire surface of the material. 
• Wear rate: the wear rate of your chosen abrasive can affect the efficiency of the whole task. If you have to change the sanding pad every 5 minutes, manual sanding would be best, but if you only have to change it once every 2 hours, sanding cobots are the clear choice. 

Allowing for seamless integration and fast deployment time, CoboSand delivers precision, accuracy and consistency to dramatically improve operations. Capable of working 24/7, without breaks and downtime, our innovative sanding cobot dramatically boosts productivity and output. Its versatility and ease of programming allows the cobot to be reallocated to a new task within minutes to support production.

With the ability to apply the same amount of pressure and repeatedly perform the same motions, CoboSand produces high-quality finishes with minimal imperfections, ensuring every product meets stringent quality standards. 

Transform Finishing Processes with Cobots Online

As technology continues to advance, sanding cobots are poised to revolutionise the manufacturing industry, empowering businesses to thrive in a competitive global market.

By automating sanding tasks with cobots, manufacturers can unlock a new era of efficiency, quality, and safety. These versatile machines not only eliminate the mundane repetitiveness of manual sanding but also deliver consistent, high-quality finishes that exceed customer expectations. 

As a Mirka Approved Integrator and Certified System Integrator for Universal Robots, Cobots Online have the knowledge and expertise to streamline your operations with our extensive range of cobots and end of arm tooling. Contact our automation experts for support and guidance.