CAD tools integration for robot kinematics design assurance with case studies on PUMA robots

Purpose – In this paper, a CAD‐based integration method for analyzing and verifying robotic mechanisms design is proposed. The work is motivated by the fact that current structural design of complex mechanisms still requires substantial efforts of human intervention even with CAD assistance. Design/methodology/approach – It is accomplished by blending the unique capabilities of two popular engineering CAD packages, namely, the mathematical computations in Matlab and the virtual prototyping functions in Pro/Mechanica. Here we take advantage of the numerical computation capability of Matlab to complete the first portion of design tasks. Consequently, the proposed integration of these two CAD tools comes into play, which involves writing the joint angle values calculated from Matlab to.tab text files first. These.tab files are then directly used as the input for joint angles' drivers in Pro/Mechanica's virtual motion analysis function. Findings – The proposed method realizes design automation of robotic mechanisms and provides design flexibility by allowing the designers to change designated critical design parameters rather easily and quickly within the blended Matlab and Pro/Mechanica design environment. The results demonstrate that the design process of robot manipulators can be largely automated by using the integrated CAD means proposed in this paper. Thus, the contributions of the work in design cost saving, performance verification, structural flexibility, as well as assembly dynamics are all evidenced. Research limitations/implications – Future research will consider the generalization of the methodology to include dynamics aspect for design of complicated mechanisms. Practical implications – To show the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed method, several case studies are conducted aimed at the design analysis and verification of a six degree‐of‐freedom PUMA industrial robot. Originality/value – The proposed method realizes design automation of robotic mechanisms and provides design flexibility by allowing the designers to change designated critical design parameters rather easily and quickly within the blended Matlab and Pro/Mechanica design environment. As a result, it greatly reduces total design cycle time of complex mechanisms.