An algorithm for trajectory planning of complex surface parts for laser cladding remanufacturing

Abstract

This paper aims to solve the problem of laser cladding for complex parts, a trajectory planning method for complex parts is proposed. First, the part model is transformed into stereolithography (STL) files, the plane groups are established where the spacing of plane groups is determined by the overlap ratio, and the direction is perpendicular to the laser scanning. Further, to obtain the excellent cladding performance, a search algorithm based on the height error of adjacent cladding is proposed to select effective points. After this, adjacent points are clustered to a dataset according to the relative position that decided by the angle. Meanwhile, the position and the attitude of all points are calculated by the geometrical characteristics and then stored. The cooperate work of positioner and robot is adopted, the attitude of the current point is adjusted using the positioner, that is, the molten pool of the current point is in a horizontal state, which can ensure the forming accuracy of curved parts after cladding. Finally, the cladding experiment of curved surface parts is carried out. The results of the analysis showed that the coating had a smooth surface and a compact structure without defects. This method can be applied in other curved parts.