Design of an economical SCARA robot for industrial applications

Abstract

This paper presents mechanical design process of an industrial and economical SCARA robot, called FUM SCARA, designed by a team of students at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, in Iran. SCARA robots are among the most widely used robots in industry due to their inherent rigidity and high accuracy. The design process included, joint design, link design, controller design as well as selection of mechanical and electrical components. The challenge was to use readily available components in Iran with an eye on keeping the costs down. The FUM SCARA robot offers impressive performance such as ~±0.01 mm repeatability, maximum linear velocity of 8.5 m/s in xy plane, 0.5 seconds pick and place cycle time and a flexible control system. These specifications are in line with existing industrial robots. However, unlike the existing commercial robots, the control architecture in FUM SCARA is designed to allow for simple implementation of new control algorithms. Finally, using a PID controller, a critical trajectory in robot's workspace is traced. Results indicate low error during the fast trajectory.