Compensation of Process Forces with a Model-Based Feed-Forward Control for Robot Machining

Low investment costs, high flexibility and a wide working area have led to an increasing use of industrial robots (IR) for machining tasks like milling. However, the conventional control algorithms are not designed to cope with large dynamic and static process forces as in milling operations. Therefore, the occurring inaccuracies and the low stiffness of an IR inhibit the breakthrough of industrial robots in the machining sector. This paper presents a model-based control algorithm, which enables the calculation of drive torques in the presence of external forces and therefore optimizes the milling process.