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Guyson Rolls Out Robotic Gritblasting System

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Guyson Corp. has introduced a robotic gritblasting system designed to offer consistent production of a specific surface roughness on a wide variety of complex-shaped components.

The Model RB-9 is designed for surface preparation work for thermal spray and other coatings, the company says.

A six-axis robot with a suitable payload and range of motion serves as a nozzle manipulator when mated with a rotary table blast cabinet having a 48 x 48 x 48-inch work envelope. Rotation of the turntable is powered by a servomotor and controlled as a seventh axis of robotic motion, allowing accurate positioning and movement of the work piece during automated blasting routines, the company says.

Guyson says the RB-9 is capable of constantly maintaining a specific nozzle angle, offset (stand-off distance) and surface speed as it follows the intricate contours of components throughout the programmed grit blasting process.

The RB-9 can be optionally equipped with a crane slot in the roof of the blast cabinet to facilitate loading and unloading of heavy workpieces by an overhead hoist. Access to the blast enclosure is provided by two full-width doors with abrasion-protected view windows. The entire blasting chamber and turntable are lined with quarter-inch-thick bonded rubber sheeting to resist the abrasive effects of harsh grit media, Guyson says.

Supplied with either suction-blast or pressure-blast media delivery, the Model RB-9 is commonly provided with an enhanced media reclamation system that includes a vibrating  screen classifier to separate larger or smaller particles from the blasting grit of the exact mesh size specified for the surface preparation process.

The robotic gritblast system can also feature media level sensors and an automatic dispensing hopper to replenish the supply of blasting grit before a low media level could compromise the precision finishing results.

The RB-9 features a freestanding control console with a touch-screen panel. Blast process parameters for  up to 100 different robotic blasting routines can be stored by the system's programmable logic controller and recalled at a finger's touch, the company says.

Prospective users of robotic grit-blasting or surface preparation systems are invited to submit sample components for free laboratory testing and application engineering evaluation at the blast machine builder's factory in northeastern New York State. For more information, visit www.guyson.com.