2024 Volume 59 Issue 3 Pages 133-144
In recent years, advances in Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology using 3D printers have been remarkable, and the manufacturing of lightweight parts using Generative Design (GD) is attracted attention. The implementation of these technologies in industrial robots used to automate manufacturing sites is being considered. The authors have been using aluminum alloy robot arm extensions manufactured by cutting for industrial robots to adjust the reach of the robot arm, but their large weight has been a problem. In industrial robots, weight reduction of various components is desired to improve work efficiency through high-speed operation and to reduce the motor load. In order to further reduce the weight, optimization design using GD was performed, and the results of manufacturing components by AM and mounting them on the robot were examined. As a result, a 77% weight reduction was achieved compared to conventional robot arm extension components, and the motor load and arm vibration during robot operation were reduced. GD was shown to be an effective method for designing lightweight components.
