MKA Blade Sharpening Robot
A lights-out production cell capable of sharpening industrial machine knives, enabling continuous, unassisted operation and reducing labour bottlenecks.
- Program
- Industry
- Status
- Deployed
- Project lead
- Sri Shanka
- Client
- Machine Knives Australia
The problem
Industrial blade sharpening is traditionally highly operator-dependent. Operators position the blade, determine the grinding parameters and progressively sharpen the cutting edge until the required geometry and finish are reached. Blades vary in length, width and thickness, tooth pitch and serration geometry, sharpening angle and grinding depth, material and hardness, and condition and wear.
Automating a process that accounts for all that variance takes advanced computer vision, industrial control systems, precise robot actuation and constant force monitoring.
A project that led to jobs
Following the completion of this project in March, team members Sri and Rahul were employed by MKA to advance its development. Sri has also been offered the opportunity to pursue his PhD with MKA through Monash's Industry Doctorate Program. MKA now welcomes students completing their Final Year Projects to work with the team.
