LIGHT WEIGHT MATERIAL FOR INDUSTRIAL ROBOT ARM
LIGHT WEIGHT MATERIAL FOR INDUSTRIAL ROBOT ARM
(OP)
Hello,
I am working on a 3 DOF Industrial robot which is 500 mm Arm (Manipulator) length, 30kg payload and 3-6 m/s speed.I am trying to reduce the arm weight without compromise in the structural stability that's why I am looking for strong material in low weight without burn hole in my pocket. I would like to go with Aluminium but i don't have any experience in Robot side. Please share your thoughts. Has anyone had bad experience with Aluminium for robot arm?
Thanks,
Justin
I am working on a 3 DOF Industrial robot which is 500 mm Arm (Manipulator) length, 30kg payload and 3-6 m/s speed.I am trying to reduce the arm weight without compromise in the structural stability that's why I am looking for strong material in low weight without burn hole in my pocket. I would like to go with Aluminium but i don't have any experience in Robot side. Please share your thoughts. Has anyone had bad experience with Aluminium for robot arm?
Thanks,
Justin





RE: LIGHT WEIGHT MATERIAL FOR INDUSTRIAL ROBOT ARM
"Even,if you are a minority of one, truth is the truth."
Mahatma Gandhi.
RE: LIGHT WEIGHT MATERIAL FOR INDUSTRIAL ROBOT ARM
RE: LIGHT WEIGHT MATERIAL FOR INDUSTRIAL ROBOT ARM
RE: LIGHT WEIGHT MATERIAL FOR INDUSTRIAL ROBOT ARM
TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers Entire Forum list http://www.eng-tips.com/forumlist.cfm
RE: LIGHT WEIGHT MATERIAL FOR INDUSTRIAL ROBOT ARM
RE: LIGHT WEIGHT MATERIAL FOR INDUSTRIAL ROBOT ARM
What does your 500 mm/20 inch arm weigh now, that weight reduction is important?
Is the "structural stability" acceptable with the existing arm and those velocities?
Or is this all at the design stage?
A large diameter, thin walled tube is tough to beat if bending and torsion are important in modest sized structures.
https://www.tonyfoale.com/gallery/750_Suzy/Suzy03....
Tapered, if you want to get fancy. Rectangular sections may make the details for introducing point loads a little easier.
Like Tbuelna said, The end joint details are critical. They are likely to become the weak links pretty quick.
As always, pictures and drawings help communicate a problem in ways that a question consisting of just a few sentences never can.
RE: LIGHT WEIGHT MATERIAL FOR INDUSTRIAL ROBOT ARM
Thanks for you valuable comment. Actually, we are in same page because I have done two sort of design and I compared which clearly shows me solid arm is better than the joint one for we can't save much more mass because the arm is shot.
Do you have any opinion for Materials (Aluminium)?
I am thinking to go with 2024 what is your thought?
I have uploaded the arm model please have a look this is just for concept.
Thanks,
Justin
RE: LIGHT WEIGHT MATERIAL FOR INDUSTRIAL ROBOT ARM
Thanks for your inputs.
So 30 kg, almost 70 lb payload.
What does your 500 mm/20 inch arm weigh now - Around 22 kg but this is not the exact one for I am waiting to gearbox input.
That weight reduction is important?- If posible
Is the "structural stability" acceptable with the existing arm and those velocities?- I haven't checked yet, couple of information i have to get before get into that. I am not getting any positive response from gearbox supplier. Do you have any contacts? I am communicating with Nabtesco and harmonic drive.
Or is this all at the design stage?- All is in design stage.
Please have a look the concept model
Thoughts?
http://files.engineering.com/getfile.aspx?folder=f...
http://files.engineering.com/getfile.aspx?folder=0...
Thank,
Justin
RE: LIGHT WEIGHT MATERIAL FOR INDUSTRIAL ROBOT ARM
RE: LIGHT WEIGHT MATERIAL FOR INDUSTRIAL ROBOT ARM
Mass x Acceleration = force.
It's a robot, with moving parts.
Moving parts must accelerate and decelerate.
We have been given a very wide speed requirement. We do not have acceleration/deceleration of the motion profile.
Therefore at this time the loading is unknown.
How is it possible that anything has been designed without knowing the loading?
Strength is only part of what must be considered. Do not exceed yield strength. Easy.
Deflection and stiffness are probably important. What are the requirements for these?
2024 aluminum is not particularly "strong", although depending on geometry it may be "strong enough" for the job.
RE: LIGHT WEIGHT MATERIAL FOR INDUSTRIAL ROBOT ARM
So yes, you can build a robot arm out of aluminum.
With that said... 6 m/s is very fast. The stiffness of your arm is really only important if you care about consistent predictability of movement between nodes in your path. Which you might or might not.
What will bite you is stopping 30kg traveling 6 m/s. Say you're able to get the arm mass down to 20kg.. that's 50 kg total. at 6 m/s that's 900 W of kinetic energy. To stop that mass in 1 second, realistically, you'll need multi-kw servo motor, and your structure will need to be pretty strong to survive. You'll need to provide that servo motor with, at minimum, about 40 amps of current, disregarding efficiencies.
Point is, 30 kg is a non-trivial robot payload.
RE: LIGHT WEIGHT MATERIAL FOR INDUSTRIAL ROBOT ARM
Also... other areas discretely reinforced with boron-filament tape [adhesive bonded in position].
Regards, Wil Taylor
o Trust - But Verify!
o We believe to be true what we prefer to be true. [Unknown]
o For those who believe, no proof is required; for those who cannot believe, no proof is possible. [variation,Stuart Chase]
o Unfortunately, in science what You 'believe' is irrelevant. ["Orion", Homebuiltairplanes.com forum]