New 3D Translational Interconnected Manipulator for Industrial Applications

A new interconnected manipulator whose end-effector can carry out 3 translational motions in the 3D space with constant orientation is presented in this paper. It is the only interconnected manipulator in the world that produces such motion, which is needed for many industrial applications, using solely rotary actuators and joints. Practically, rotary actuators and joints are preferable than linear actuators and joints because of their cheaper cost, smaller installation size and better reliability. The unconventional interconnected structure of the proposed manipulator enables it to possess, to some extent, the combined advantages of serial and parallel manipulators such as light weight, high speed, rigidity and accuracy as well as large workspace to size ratio. The mechanism description, mobility analysis, kinematic analysis and workspace analysis are presented in details. Finally, an accurate simulation using MSC.ADAMS
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software is carried out to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed manipulator's design.