A compounding system for use in finishing a vehicle having a vehicle body having painted surfaces. The compounding system employs a sprayer having a nozzle having a fluid opening that is substantially 3 millimeters in diameter and a reservoir in communication with the fluid opening. Compressed air carries compound paste from the reservoir to the fluid opening to atomize the compound paste into a compound spray that is used to cover all of the painted surfaces of the vehicle with a thin, uniform coating in a single step. The compound paste is removed by buffing all painted surfaces on the vehicle body to a shine in a single step.

A method for coordinating an identification of a defect in the surface coating of a workpiece and processing same via grinding and/or polishing using at least one grinding or polishing tool that is moveable over the defect in an automatic and computer-controlled manner based a stored program is provided. The surface coating of the workpiece is automatically optically scanned and the scanned position data is detected in a database. The defect is identified by comparing the detected position data with stored target data of the workpiece. Possible movements of the grinding or polishing tool are simulated to process the defect. The setting data for the grinding or polishing tool determined in the simulation is forwarded to a master computer. The determined processing data for processing the defect is transferred to the grinding or polishing tool. The defect is processed using the grinding or polishing tool.

A process for automated sanding of a vehicle component surface is provided and includes providing a sanding mechanism having a sanding head engaged with a housing, a rotary motor contained within the housing, the rotary motor having a drive shaft rotatable about an axis and extending outwardly therefrom, a radial plate attached to a first end of the drive shaft, and a sanding disk having an abrasive surface releasably attached to the radial plate; attaching the sanding head to a gimbal having a pressure sensor; powering the rotary motor driving rotation of the drive shaft, the radial plate and the sanding disk in at least one of a clockwise or counterclockwise direction; movably applying the sanding disk to the surface at a maintained constant pressure; and achieving a desired finish on the surface prepared to be primed and painted to a class A auto high sheen surface finish.

A process for automated sanding of a vehicle component surface is provided and includes providing a sanding mechanism having a sanding head engaged with a housing, a rotary motor contained within the housing, the rotary motor having a drive shaft rotatable about an axis and extending outwardly therefrom, a radial plate attached to a first end of the drive shaft, and a sanding disk having an abrasive surface releasably attached to the radial plate; attaching the sanding head to a gimbal having a pressure sensor; powering the rotary motor driving rotation of the drive shaft, the radial plate and the sanding disk in at least one of a clockwise or counterclockwise direction; movably applying the sanding disk to the surface at a maintained constant pressure; and achieving a desired finish on the surface prepared to be primed and painted to a class A auto high sheen surface finish.

Provided is an automatic teaching system that is readily able to achieve automation, even when a small but varied number of processing objects are to undergo polishing or coating. The automatic teaching system includes a three-dimensional shape measurement apparatus, a reference marker, an image analysis apparatus, and a robot control device. The three-dimensional shape measurement apparatus acquires shape data of a processing target region on a processing object relative to the reference marker, and the image analysis apparatus divides the shape data of the processing target region into a plurality of continuous reference surfaces, in accordance with a predetermined algorithm, automatically generates a program of an operation path along which a polishing apparatus or coating apparatus of the robot is to be operated, for every reference surface, in accordance with a predetermined operation path generation rule, and transmits the program of the operation path to the robot control device.

In an automatic polishing system configured such that under control of a polishing robot and/or a polishing tool by a polishing controller, the polishing tool provides a polishing action on a polishing subject face, a color intensity measurement instrument is provided for measuring an intensity of a specified color in the polishing subject face. Based on the intensity of the specified color measured by this color intensity measurement instrument, the polishing controller controls the polishing robot and/or the polishing tool, so that an amount of polishing work by the polishing tool onto the polishing subject face is adjusted according to the intensity of the specified color.

In an automatic polishing system configured such that under control of a polishing robot and/or a polishing tool by a polishing controller, the polishing tool provides a polishing action on a polishing subject face, a color intensity measurement instrument is provided for measuring an intensity of a specified color in the polishing subject face. Based on the intensity of the specified color measured by this color intensity measurement instrument, the polishing controller controls the polishing robot and/or the polishing tool, so that an amount of polishing work by the polishing tool onto the polishing subject face is adjusted according to the intensity of the specified color.

A polishing device is held on a robot arm and has a support plate, a polishing disc held on the support plate, a drive moving the support plate in a plane, and a metering device for feeding a polishing agent to the working side of the polishing disc. An application nozzle of the metering device is guided through an open central axis of the support plate, the polishing disc having a central opening for allowing the passage of the polishing agent metered in computer-controlled manner.

In an automatic wet sanding apparatus including a paper peeling unit that has a clamping shaft and a clamping hook, an inclination angle of a leading end surface of the clamping hook is equal to an inclination angle of an outer circumferential surface of a cushion pad at the start of a paper peeling step. Thus, the leading end surface of the clamping hook comes into contact with an outer circumferential end of a disc at the same time as coming into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the cushion pad, so that the cushion pad is less likely to get caught due to deformation of the outer circumferential surface and its peripheral part of the cushion pad. It is therefore possible to appropriately remove the sandpaper from the cushion pad and stably perform the task of removing the sandpaper.

In an automatic wet sanding apparatus including a disc and a cushion pad, a disc center hole is formed at a central portion of the disc and a pad center hole is formed at a central portion of the cushion pad. Water having been supplied to an introduction space inside a skirt is stirred as an eccentric head rotates eccentrically and thereby pushed out toward a painted surface via the disc center hole and the pad center hole with enhanced pressure. Thus, sanding dust resulting from automatic wet sanding can be washed away toward an outer circumferential side by the water that is pushed out toward the outer circumferential side, so that the likelihood of clogging due to sanding dust can be reduced and high sanding efficiency can be maintained.