Increasingly, robots are no longer being used just for handling and feeding, but for machining tasks such as drilling, milling, grinding or polishing. With the MFT material finishing tool, SCHUNK, the clamping and gripping specialist based in Lauffen, Germany, now offers an air-driven, slow-running tool with a high torque, which is specially designed for the robot-assisted surface machining of metals and plastics. The toolholder of the MFT enables steel brushes, grinding and cup wheels, polishing brushes, deburring mills and similar surface machining tools to be clamped.

The pressure force on the tool is regulated via the air pressure, and can range between 14 N (at 0.34 bar) and 74 N (at 4.1 bar). Since the axis can give 15 millimeters in the axial direction, an even pressure force is guaranteed, even on irregular surfaces. This special type of force control ensures high rigidity across the surface and a welcome degree of flexibility in the machining direction. In this way, workpiece wear, inaccuracies in workpiece positioning and minor path deviations of the robot arm can be compensated. This improves the quality of the machining results, increases tool life and can reduce the programming time by up to 75%. The durable, extremely powerful 320 W air motor is equipped with sturdy reduction gearing.

It achieves a speed of 2600 rpm under load, and has an air consumption of around 9 l/min. The MFT is equipped with a sensor that detects contact with the workpiece, but further optional sensors are also available, with which both the axial position of the spindle and the momentary speed can be monitored. For attachment to a robot, the MFT, which weighs 3.3 kg, features an assembly plate on the side, to which any adapter plates can be flange-mounted with ease.

http://news.thomasnet.com/fullstory/808614

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