Design and implementation of modular 6-degrees of freedom light-weight cooperative handling robot

Background: In view of the poor working environment and high labor intensity of manual loading and unloading in the production process of small forgings, a modular 6-DOF (degrees of freedom) light-weight cooperative handling robot is designed. Combined with the computer-aided design method, the modular and lightweight design is realized through the simulation of the actual motion situation. Methods: The overall configuration and modular joints of the robot were designed, and the static characteristics analysis of the whole robot and key parts was performed using Ansys to verify the rationality of the structural design. The kinematics model of the robot was established by using the Denavit-Hartenberg parameter method and the workspace of the robot was solved by forward kinematics simulation. Performance testing of the experimental prototype was executed. The repeated positioning accuracy was analyzed by a laser tracker to measure the position information at the end of the robot. Results: The results show that the repetitive positioning accuracy of the robot is 0.09mm, which can meet the requirements of loading and unloading handling in forging production. Conclusions: The study provides a theoretical basis for the structure design and optimization of the light-weight cooperative robot.