Design of cable drive system with curved rail mechanism for industrial robotic arm

Today, automation systems, in which the basic principles of Industry 4.0 paradigm are adopted, are used in production due to the global competitive environment and constantly changing market demands. With Industry 4.0, operational efficiency, speed, flexibility and applicability are aimed in production. One of the key components of Industry 4.0 is smart factories. Robotic systems are used in smart factories where different system units are in constant communication and real-time production is provided with automation. The capacities, working principles and functions of robots vary according to the sector and purpose of use. In addition to the degree of freedom provided by the robot arm used, the robot arm can be moved over a wider working area with the movement of the platform on which the robot arm is fixed. For this reason, linear and non-linear rail systems are widely used in robotic systems. In this thesis, it is aimed to design a more efficient alternative driving system with an innovative approach in line with the basic principles of Industry 4.0. Within the scope of the thesis, an original curved rail mechanism was designed for the industrial robot arm. Movement of the mechanism is provided by cable drive. The mechanism is driven by a single actuator. All design processes were performed with SolidWorks software. The Required static and dynamic analysis were carried out in order to test the safe functioning of the designed driving system were performed. As a result, alternative driving system design has been realized. In addition, a new method of reversing in driving systems was introduced with the original curved rail mechanism designed.