Automated Sanding
To deliver high-quality furniture to their customers, there is a lot of sanding work to be done within Elise. For example, sanding sinks requires about 2.5 hours of sanding work per square meter of surface area. In addition, the surfaces are sanded in 5 different steps with different grits. This is a boring, heavy repetitive task for production workers.
A challenge within this project, was that the products are customer specific and therefore unique. Therefore, the cobot must be able to sand a wide variety of furniture without having to write a new software program each time, or having to re-learn the cobot.
An automated sanding process without difficult programming.
We eventually developed a sanding setup with a user-friendly interface that allows operators to easily sand different types of tops with sinks. The maximum dimensions of the tops are 120 by 410 centimeters and can be sanded on the top and sides. In addition, the sheets can contain sinks, which are included in the sanding process. Operators specify the location of the sink on the interface, after which the robot itself determines the path and performs the entire sanding process. It is also possible to indicate on the interface that a part does not need to be sanded, for example because there is a recess there for a cooktop. The tops are sanded with 5 different grits, which the robot changes itself in a sanding pad changer. Watch the video of the process below.
Increased quality and employee satisfaction
At Elise Meubelen, our sanding installation has had a significant positive impact on both employees and production processes. The use of the sanding installation relieves the workers of the heavy and repetitive sanding task. This not only reduces the risk of injuries such as repetitive strain injury (RSI) or white finger syndrome, but also increases their well-being and satisfaction in the workplace. In addition, employees no longer have to work in a dusty environment, which is bad for breathing in on a daily basis.
Also, the cobot's consistency in performing sanding tasks has led to better quality of the final product. The cobot provides uniform pressure and motion, resulting in a uniform and high-quality finish on furniture. As a result, workers can now focus on more complex and valuable tasks, such as quality control.
