Computer-aided-design-based interactive off-line programming of spray-glazing robots

Abstract Off-line programming of robots is an important step in the effective integration of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing. This paper identifies the steps involved in the development of such an off-line programming system for robotic spray glazing. Various robot path specification methods and path-planning strategies are described and evaluated The basic methodology is to use the CAD representation of the component to determine a robot path that ensures good glaze coverage. A CAD model of a sample robot work cell is created to simulate the spray-glazing operation, and to test the performance of the path specification methods. Two path planning strategies are evaluated for this work cell, for two sample surfaces.