Gravity compensation of the Orthoglide 5-axis Parallel Kinematics Machine

This study deals with the compensation of gravity loads in the Orthoglide 5-axis, a prototypal parallel robot with Linear-Delta architecture for machining operations. Static balancing is analytically achieved by using an approach based on constant-force generators. A feasible solution, based on tension springs and a simple additional linkage, is presented to implement gravity compensation in practice. Both the robustness and the effectiveness of the proposed balancing strategy are confirmed by numerical analyses. In particular, the simulation results prove that the balancing device can provide an appreciable enhancement of the mechanism working performance in terms of improved energy efficiency.