Ecole Centrale de Lyon (ECL) is responsible for implementing the PEMEC (Polissage-Electro-MEcano-Chimique) polishing workcell in the first SafeMetal Use Case. PEMEC (Polissage-Electro-MEcano-Chimique) is a polishing process that combines three material removal processes: electrical, chemical and mechanical. The PEMEC experimental workcell is set up to conduct polishing tests. Since October 2023, the component design, manufacturing, installation, and setup of the PEMEC robotic polishing cell was carried out. The experimental workcell composition is shown in the figure below. The PEMEC polishing can be done by the rotating tank and the FANUC 6 axis robot.
After completing the configuration of the workcell, a mixture of abrasive particles and electrolyte are filled inside the tank to generate stream. The rotating tank is connected to the cathode (-), and the parts is connected to the anode (+). A separate metal fixture was built to hold the specimen and mounted to the robot arm. The material is removed and polished as the (+) ions charged on the part move toward the (-) electrode through the electrolyte. The grinding area in the previous step is the target point of the PEMEC polishing.