| A three degree-of-freedom (DOF) planar parallel robot, intended for high-speed, high-precision wire-bonding and electronic-component placement tasks, is currently being developed. In this thesis, the work related to the kinematic robot architecture selection is presented. The global workspace and “effective base area” metrics of the parallel robot were utilized for selecting the best possible architecture (i.e., 3-PRR) amongst six potential configurations. Further in-depth analyses of the selected architecture included: Identification of constant platform-orientation regions (for 0, π/2 and π radians) within the global workspace of the planar robot, based on the robot task requirements; investigation of singularities; and, simulation of the robot motion, using a mechanical simulation software. Finally, a preliminary vibration analysis of the robot components was performed using the Finite-Element module of Visual Nastran 4D. An experimental modal test procedure and set-up were also developed and proposed to generate a comprehensive set of modal properties for the robot structure. |
