Application of a parallel kinematic machine system in automation of light deburring operations

This paper presents the design of a 5-DOF (Degree of Freedom) tripod-based parallel kinematic machine (PKM) system for application in the magnesium alloy castings finishing industry. The proposed PKM can implement multitask in one setup, so as to reduce the cost and time. The design starts from the industrial requirements and process needs, then the most promising architecture and degrees of freedom are proposed. Kinematic analysis is conducted on the proposed tripod system. Stiffness model of the tripod is established. Using the stiffness model, the genetic algorithms are applied to optimize the structure to maximize the overall stiffness of the system. Some ongoing research projects are introduced. In the case of dynamic analysis, a methodology is presented. In the case of control of the tripod system, a conceptual control architecture is proposed.