Güdel pushes mobile robot axes for large-part grinding cells
Surfaces preparation, polishing, and grinding have always been among those least desirable manual tasks to be robotized and most complicated to do in robot cells. The problem has never lied in the abrasive process itself. Geometry has always been the main obstacle in such applications. Large weldments and many other parts put the robot in the edge of its reach, require repositioning of the part or using of several robots in the cell.
This is what Güdel plans to resolve in its demonstration of additional linear motion capabilities at Automate 2026. Unlike the conventional approach to robotizing, which assumes a robot as a static device with limited reach in a static environment, Güdel sees vertical and horizontal movement as two more machine axes in the grinding process. The idea is straightforward increase the working range of a single robot and keep it in a comfortable position while moving across a large surface.
For the purpose of the demonstration, Güdel has combined its TrackMotion Vertical, or TMV system with its TrackMotion Floor, or TMF system to provide two more degrees of freedom for a heavy duty grinding cell. This cell uses a FANUC R-1000 robot with a grinding end-of-arm tool, mounted vertically and integrated to the floor track. The application has been developed by systems integrator Titan Robotics for resolving grinding problems with large weldments at one of the major off-road equipment manufacturers.
The reason is purely mechanical since grinding is not only a task of reaching the desired point. The stable conditions of contact are needed during removal of the material. The large fabrications can make this process hard for the robot in case it needs to move and reorient itself or hand the part between stations. According to Güdel, the use of TMV and TMF allows a single robot to maintain consistent contact pressure and speed over the large surface where several fixed robots or the repositioning of the part would be necessary.
This demonstrates the trend that is observed nowadays in designing robotic cells in North American fabrication facilities. In many large-part applications the linear axis is not anymore an addition for increasing the robot reach. It becomes a part of the manufacturing process itself. Allowing the robot to remain in the advantageous position for working and leaving gross positioning to the external axes decreases joint limits and makes long high-force cycles more repeatable. Güdel is positioning the benefits of the technology as reduced initial costs, process stability and uptime in abrasive environments.
The issue of control and maintenance also matters. The cell built around a single robot and its coordinated vertical and horizontal motion can result in a simpler layout than the one which uses several fixed robots for different zones. This may allow simplifying of the handoffs and decrease the number of manipulations inside the cell. As Brenda Courim of Güdel US stated, increased workspace allows automation of large and hard to reach parts possible, while vertical lift and horizontal long travels can provide a production solution that can be adjusted by software updates along with changes in part designs. For the U.S. plants that need to change their production line frequently, this feature can be even more valuable than mere production rates.
Another practical consideration relates to environmental durability. Grinding cells are rough for motion systems since the abrasive particles, dust, and other debris decrease the service life of the components. As Güdel says, its track systems are designed for abrasive environments and provide positioning of the robot in safe positions away from the most aggressive places while protecting the components. For the engineers of manufacturing facilities, this aspect is far from irrelevant. In finish machining, the machine uptime is determined not less by its sealing, protection and maintenance access than by its payload and reach.
North American relevance is obvious. Güdel Inc., a subsidiary of the Swiss company Güdel Group, operating a 45,000 square feet facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan, provides local engineering and service support. This factor becomes especially important when the motion platform is used not as an additional hardware but as an integral part of the grinding cell.
Güdel will present the system in Booth 1806 in McCormick Place, Chicago. From the perspective of U.S. manufacturers, the lesson to learn from this trade show demonstration is not so much a specific robotized grinding station, as a new design trend. When it comes to large parts, the next efficiency gain can be achieved not by adding more robots but by giving one robot more machine axes.
By Jonathan Barrett – Editor for AMI’s future mobility and autonomous systems section, with two decades experience covering robotics, e-mobility, drone-vehicle convergence and transportation mechanical systems.
