Design and analysis for manipulator fixture applications

The manipulators arms are the most important components in automatic machinery and equipment. These arms must conform to product requirements and match important accessory devices such as clamping jaw so that the entire process operates properly. Therefore the most important issue is that the manipulator arm has only one clamping jaw, followed by other issues such as welding and related features. In this research the manipulator arm of automated machinery with attached equipment was optimized, and the design serves as an object of study for multifunctional applications. This research emphasizes on customized manipulator design to create products with distinguished styles and characteristics, and serve as a basis for an improvement on innovative design. Manipulator arms from different manufacturers with various head-disc size and screw-hole locations were investigated, and concept of human palm was incorporated in the design to create a mechanical fixture that can be fitted into the arm. Overall design including main body of the manipulator, pneumatic cylinder set, gear and connecting rod combination, planet gear set, and linkage rods and fixture. These components were combined to offer the functions of the manipulator. Commercial software package, SolidWorks, was used to construct the model for the manipulator arm, and CAE analysis was implemented to identify the stress on the structure and possible interferences of the mobile components. Stress analysis was also performed on the gear set under pneumatic loading to ensure that the gear mechanism has a sufficient strength. The results of this study showed that an arc shaped manipulator body is the most easily handled during installation and most effectively controlled during operation. The simple profiles of the manipulator also lower the space required for storage. The design of the gear set and integrated application of the shaft helps prevent loosening of gear and shaft during operation. In this study, a manipulator was designed with three different functions, each fixture is powered by an isolated pneumatic cylinder, and this mechanism can be manipulated to form 0 degrees to 180 degrees clamping action in accordance with requirements of the task. The methods and results of this study serve as a reference for machinery industry to achieve high quality product, and also as a basis for innovative design.