Granted Patent B2

US 12,643,196 · App. 17/996,617 · Granted Jun 2, 2026

Inventors: Robin M. Bright (Charlton, MA); Christopher Arcona (Northborough, MA); Yinggang Tian (Shrewsbury, MA)

Assignees: SAINT-GOBAIN ABRASIVES, INC.; SAINT-GOBAIN SURFACE SOLUTIONS FRANCE

B24B51/00B22F10/66B24B49/183B33Y40/20

Abstract

Claims (32)

1 . A method for conducting an abrasive operation comprising:

providing a fixed abrasive article including abrasive particles contained in a bond material wherein providing the fixed abrasive article includes selecting a first fixed abrasive article from a magazine, the magazine including a plurality of different types of fixed abrasive articles; and

separating a first part from a second part using the fixed abrasive article operated according to a deterministic process, wherein the first part comprises an additive manufactured component.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the fixed abrasive article includes selecting the first abrasive article via an end effector and operatively coupling the fixed abrasive article to the end effectors.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a fixed abrasive article includes selecting a fixed abrasive article based on part data, wherein part data includes information related to at least one of an orientation of the first part, a size of the first part, a shape of the first part, a composition of the first part, an orientation of the second part, a size of the second part, a shape of the second part, a composition of the second part, an orientation of at least one joint region between the first part and second part, a size of at least one joint region between the first part and second part, a shape of at least one joint region between the first part and the second part, a composition of at least one joint region between the first part and the second part, or any combination thereof.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the deterministic process includes a separation model configured to control a path of the fixed abrasive article.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the separation model is created based upon at least one of part data, historical data, data related to the types of fixed abrasive articles available, a wear status of one or more fixed abrasive articles, environmental data, or any combination thereof.

6 . A method for conducting an abrasive operation comprising:

providing a fixed abrasive article including abrasive particles contained in a bond material;

forming at least one joint region between a first part and a second part via additive manufacturing prior to separating; and

separating the first part from the second part using the fixed abrasive article operated according to a deterministic process, wherein the first part comprises an additive manufactured component,

wherein forming the at least one joint region includes forming at least one marking on the at least one joint region, wherein the marking is used to control a parameter of the deterministic process.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the deterministic process includes engaging at least one of the first part or the second part with an end effector and moving the at least one of the first part of the second part relative to a stationary position of the fixed abrasive article.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the at least one marking is detectable by at least one sensor, and wherein the sensor is configured to send sensor data to a processor to develop the deterministic process.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein separating includes simultaneous surface-modification of at least a portion of a surface of the second part to a predetermined surface value.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein simultaneous surface-modification comprises finishing comprising:

measuring at least one surface value associated with a finished surface of the second part during separating and generating performance data; and

adapting the deterministic process based upon the performance data.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the deterministic process includes moving the fixed abrasive article relative to a stationary position of at least one of the first part or the second part.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the deterministic process includes moving at least one of the first part or second part relative to a stationary position of the fixed abrasive article.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the deterministic process includes a single-pass finishing operation.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the deterministic process includes a single-pass cutting operation and a single-pass surface-modification operation conducted separately from each other.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the single pass cutting operation is conducted along a different path direction as compared to the single-pass surface-modification operation.

16 . A system for conducting an abrasive operation comprising:

a first part comprising an additive manufactured component;

a second part joined to the first part by at least one joint region; and

an end effector configured to engage with at least one of a fixed abrasive article, the first part or the second part, wherein the end effector is configured to move at least one of the fixed abrasive article, the first part or the second part to remove material from the at least one joint region and facilitate separation of the first part from the second part, wherein the at least one fixed abrasive article includes abrasive particles contained in a bond material; and

a magazine including a plurality of different types of fixed abrasive articles including the at least one fixed abrasive article.

17 . The system of claim 16 , further comprising an additive manufacturing housing configured to form the additive manufactured component of the first part, wherein the end effector is integrated into the additive manufacturing housing.

18 . The system of claim 16 , further comprising a building assembly and a finishing assembly that integrated into a same housing, wherein the building assembly is configured to form one or more of the first parts, on or more of the second parts, one or more of the joint regions, or any combinations thereof; and wherein the finishing assembly is configured to finish at least a portion of the first part, at least a portion of the second part, at least a portion of the joint region, or any combination thereof, wherein finishing is conducted by one or more of the fixed abrasive article.

19 . The system of claim 16 , wherein each different type of fixed abrasive article includes an electronic device.

20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the electronic device comprises at least one of a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, an active radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a sensor, a passive near-field communication device (passive NFC), an active near-field communication device (active NFC), or any combination thereof.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (400)