Abstract
The development of a hybrid reconfigurable machine tool has been introduced. The machine tool consists of a tripod-based parallel kinematic machine (PKM) module with three degrees of freedom (DOF) and a serial linear table with two DOF. The PKM is installed on a gantry system which is capable of reconfiguring its position and orientation. In the design of tripod-based parallel mechanism, a passive link is used to enhance the stiffness and increase the working load. To avoid the buildup of the heat of the extensive actuation, three joints are actuated via the actuators with a constant length. The geometries of the PKM have been optimized for the best and highest accuracy. In this paper, its control system and the prototyping development are focused. An open architecture is applied, the control methodologies are developed and validated, and the corresponding software tools have been implemented for the software reconfiguration of the control system.
Highlights
The globalization of the manufacturing environment brings uncertainties and turbulences of customers’ requirements and manufacturing resources
This machine tool is hybrid, the positioning structure is a tripod-based parallel kinematic machine (PKM) with three degrees of freedom (DOF), and the orienting structure is a serial wrist with two DOF
The control system for the reconfigurable machine tool is implemented on open architecture control (OAC) architecture to adopt new features or modify existing functions in a control system quickly and freely
Summary
The globalization of the manufacturing environment brings uncertainties and turbulences of customers’ requirements and manufacturing resources. It is worth to note that the primary objective of the machine-tool builders to modularize their products is to produce the variants; on other hand, machine-tool users still purchase the systems with a specific configuration, and these systems are rarely reconfigured after their installments. Yun and Li developed the stiffness models for the flexure hinges [14]; their work has its significance in predicting the deflections and improving the precision of PKMs. Researchers have continued in making progress on reconfigurable robotic systems. To develop a cost-effective PKM machine tool, the tripod-based PKM is focused due to its two significant merits, that is, the versatility and the benefits of a closedloop mechanism. Tripod-based PKMs can perform many different machining operations since the majority of the machining operations require a motion with five or less DOF [9].
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