Kinematic analysis and simulation of a 3-DOF robotic manipulator

Three degrees of freedom (3-DOF) robotic manipulator is a kind of cost-effective industrial robot which is widely used in production lines. A method to analyze the structural design and kinematic equations for a 3-DOF robotic manipulator is presented in this paper. Firstly, a new type of 3-DOF robotic manipulator was introduced. Its kinematic equations and inverse solution were established based on the analysis of the structural configuration. Then, we design and assemble the 3D mechanical parts of the robotic manipulator in the virtual environment of Solid Edge ST4. And the 3D robotic manipulator is imported into ADAMS virtual prototype environment for simulation analysis and obtaining the motion curve. The simulation results and the kinematic equations of the robotic manipulator were compared, which shows that the kinematic equations are valid and structural configuration is reasonable.