Design and simulation of 6-DOF cylindrical robotic manipulator using finite element analysis

One of the several applications of robotic manipulators is aiding Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) in performing dexterous tasks. They have a variety of applications, from gathering rocks or soil samples to being employed as military UGVs. Robotic manipulators for these applications must be able to withstand high inertial loads that might be incurred during cases such as collisions at high speeds or traversal over rugged terrain. This study provides a 6 Degree of Freedom cylindrical manipulator designed according to the suitable parameters. This demands that the manipulator be structurally sound while minimizing weight to maintain a balanced center of gravity. The manipulator can be divided into the 3-DOF cylindrical arm with a prismatic-revolute-prismatic configuration and a 3- DOF end effector. Hollow tubes and plates with truss patterns are utilized to maximize the stiffness to weight ratio. Materials with a high strength-to-weight ratio such as carbon fiber and aluminum alloy (6061-T6 and 7075-T6) are used. The system has a non-back drivable actuation and can lift up to 5 Kgs while sustaining all the challenging circumstances encountered during extreme traversal. SOLIDWORKS was used to create the CAD model, while ANSYS workbench was used for structural analysis.