Kinematic Analysis and Development of Simulation Software for Nex Dexter Robotic Manipulator

Abstract

Industrial robots are used extensively in manufacturing units for various tasks. Most of the robot manufacturers provide software for offline and online programming of robots, but they are usually sold separately. Few robot manufacturers do not have a dedicated simulation software for their robots. In this paper, a methodology to create CAD model of an existing physical robot is described by taking the example of Nex Dexter 5-axis robotic manipulator. Later, the Denavit-Hartenberg (DH) parameters were extracted using a methodology reported elsewhere. By using the DH parameters, few CAD files were exported. A Teach Pendant Application has been developed using Visual C# that can connect to Virtual Robot Module of RoboAnalyzer for visualization of robot motion. The kinematic analysis of the robot was formulated for joint and Cartesian motion of the robot. The application was then integrated with the physical Nex Dexter robotic manipulator. Hence, robot motion intended for the robot is first tested in simulation environment and once it is found suitable, motion of the actual robot takes place. The methodology proposed is generic and can be used to simulate any robotic manipulator.