The Structural Design of Six-Axis Force/Torque Sensor Using Virtual Prototyping Technique

The design of a six-axis F/T sensor is an important and challenging research to produce a sensor that is able to measure simultaneously the six-component force and torque accurately and efficiently. The structural design is one of the key issues to be considered to improve the performances of the sensor that cross coupling is the most important factor regarding a sensor quality. The purpose of this study is to design a six-axis F/T sensor that has a novel and compact design, has a low coupling error and can meet the design criteria such as mechanical strength, stiffness, and reliability in the receiving load. Virtual prototyping technique is applied with the aim to shorten the time and reduce the manufacturing cost of the physical prototypes. In this study, the six-axis F/T sensor is designed using four cross beam symmetrically that is able to measure three axial forces (Fx,Fy,Fz) and three axial moments (Mx,My,Mz). Based on the structural integrity evaluation, the structure of the sensor will certainly secure to the plastic failure of materials because it is still in the area of the material elasticity. Then based on the simulation results of the strain, the highest cross-coupling errors is -1.67% which is relatively small compared to the principal coupling error. Therefore, the design of six-axis F/T sensor using virtual prototyping technique is able to show satisfactory results and can be used as a guideline for manufacturing the physical prototype.