Optimal design of a 3-PUU parallel mechanism with 2R1T DOFs

Abstract A 3-PUU parallel mechanism module with 2R1T DOFs is optimized for two application goals, workpieces machining and goods picking. Considering the special requirements of these two working conditions, the optimization objectives are respectively chosen as motion/force transmissibility and workspace scope. This paper adopts a performance-chart based design methodology, which uses atlases to express the relationship between corresponding kinematic indices and structural parameters, to realize the optimization of the 3-PUU mechanism. The optimization results reveal that the 3-PUU parallel mechanism can be used in both machining and picking when appropriate design parameters are set.