Development of an Intelligent Robotic System for Plasma Processing of Industrial Products with Complex Shape

Abstract

The paper presents new results of automated path planning for an industrial robot manipulator performing microplasma spraying of coatings on substrates with complex surface shapes. Path planning and automatic generation of the manipulator motion program are performed using data of a preliminary 3D surface scanning by a laser triangulation distance sensor installed on the same robot arm. The automatic manipulator working tool path planning algorithm is based on the choice of the starting segment of the working tool trace as a geodetic line on the surface. An algorithm for optimal spatial curve approximation by a sequence of line segments and arcs has been developed as a part of the automatic manipulator program generation system. The developed algorithms and their software implementation were experimentally tested through robotic microplasma spraying of a protective coating on the surface of a jaw crusher plate, which was then successfully operated for crushing mineral raw materials.

A Brief Review of Current Trends in the Additive Manufacturing of Orthopedic Implants with Thermal Plasma-Sprayed Coatings to Improve the Implant Surface Biocompatibility

“…While the functionality and biocompatibility of prostheses are still being improved with more traditional approaches such as surface modification [9][10][11], new technologies are being developed. These primarily include the use of AM to print patient-specific implants [7,12,13], the thermal plasma spray of multilayer biocompatible coatings [14,15], and the automation (robotics) of related technological processes [15][16][17][18].…”

“…Last but not least, AM demonstrates the ability to integrate with other advanced technologies such as ultrafast lasers [29] or coating technologies such as robotic microplasma spraying (MPS) [18], microarc oxidation (MAO) [25], and wire and arc plasma spraying [30], which opens up opportunities for a new generation of micro-manufacturing techniques for difficult-to-machine materials.…”

“…As practice has shown, solving the problem of trajectory planning and generation for a robotic arm to move along a given 3D trajectory when performing MPS of coatings is a non-trivial task, the solution of which is devoted to several studies in the field of robotic arm control that go beyond the issues considered in this review article. Therefore, only one paper reference is given here [18], where robotic 3D scanning is used to obtain a 3D model of the substrate. 3D scanning and AM technologies facilitate the fabrication of custom-designed implants with complex geometries, and robotic plasma spraying is used for coating.…”

“…The use of a robotic MPS to obtain a HA coating with an average thickness of 150 ± 50 µm on trabecular substrates made by SLM technology (see Figure 1) has been shown in a research paper [19]. Figure 5 shows, adopted from a paper [18], SEM images of the initial particles of the synthesized HA powder and the final microplasma-sprayed HA coating on a honeycomb trabecular substrate (see Figure 1b,d) obtained by selective laser melting of Ti6Al4V titanium alloy (powder).…”

Microplasma spraying of hydroxyapatite coatings on additive manufacturing titanium implants with trabecular structures

“…For example, Kalita et al [12] reported the production and successful clinical trials of titanium implants with 3D bioactive plasma titanium coating in dogs. Kussaiyn-Murat et al [13] used an industrial robotic arm for microplasma layer-by-layer spraying of tantalum coatings on a titanium implant, ensuring the movement of the robot along a 3D model obtained by scanning the implant surface. There is still a steady interest in increasing the biocompatible properties of the surface of metal implants using coatings from materials based on calcium phosphate [14].…”