Design Improvement of Manipulators by Minimizing Shaking Force/Moment and Driving Torques

Abstract

Abstract In this work, an algorithm for design improvement of open loop manipulators, after allowing for the necessary trade-offs among the maximum shaking force, shaking moment and the driving torques is presented. The improved design is attempted by only proper mass distribution of the links for the given kinematic structure and link masses. A min-max optimization problem, considering the worst configuration, is formulated via closed form expressions of the dynamical quantities derived by using Newton-Euler approach. The procedure, though applicable in general, is illustrated through the design of the arm structure of a PUMA 560 manipulator. This developed procedure will also be very helpful in the mechanical design of any new manipulator arm.