Surface quality improvement of 3D-printed components by a cobot-based contouring machining

The functionality and aesthetic of 3D-printed components can be compromised if visible defects appear on their external surfaces. To overcome this issue, CNC machines were traditionally adopted for milling machining. More recently, industrial robots have been demonstrated to be a valid alternative. This study presents a robotic workstation developed for contouring machining 3D thermoplastic components printed using the material extrusion technology. The workstation adopts a collaborative robot with a novel, custom-designed, and low-cost end-effector made of a powered contouring tool integrated with three load cells for measuring the cutting forces along three perpendicular directions. The tool path planning is defined by a proposed and validated procedure. By a vision algorithm and a touch-stop operation, the 3D CAD model-based tool path is adapted to the current position and orientation of the workpiece. The experimental activity for determining the optimal set of contouring machining parameters (rotational speed, cut depth, and feed rate) and for measuring cutting forces confirms the feasibility of adopting the cobot-based solution for this application and suggests potential improvements for future works.