Accuracy Improvement of a 5-axis Hybrid Machine Tool

5축 혼합형 공작기계의 정밀도 향상 연구

In this paper, a novel 5-axis hybrid-kinematic machine tool is introduced and the research results on accuracy improvement of the prototype machine tool are presented. The 5-axis hybrid machine tool is made up of a 3-DOF parallel manipulator and a 2-DOF serial one connected in series. The machine tool maintains high ratio of stiffness to mass due to the parallel structure and high orientation capability due to the serial-type wrist. In order to acquire high accuracy, the methodology of measuring the output shafts by additional sensors instead of using encoder outputs at the motor shafts is proposed. In the kinematic view point, the hybrid manipulator reduces to a serial one, if the passive joints in the U-P serial chain at the center of the parallel manipulator are directly measured by additional sensors. Using the method of successive screw displacements, the kinematic error model is derived. Since a ball-bar is less expensive than a full position measurement device and sufficiently accurate for calibration, the kinematic calibration method of using a ball-bar is presented. The effectiveness of the calibration method has been verified through the simulations. Finally, the calibration experiment shows that the position accuracy of the prototype machine tool has been improved from 153 to $86{\mu}m$.