Parallel Kinematic Machine Research at NIST: Past, Present, and Future

Unchained from the confines of controller limitations, the industrial application of parallel kinematic machines in manufacturing is beginning to emerge. The launch of commercially available hexapod machine tools at the 1994 International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago represented the first radical departure in machine tool design since the introduction of numerical controls. The parallel actuator technology promises to offer manufacturers a number of advantages relative to conventional machine tools, such as a higher stiffness-to- mass ratio, higher speeds, higher accuracy, reduced installation requirements, and mechanical simplicity. Several machine tool makers in the U.S. and around the world are pursuing parallel actuator technology, while their prospective customers — manufacturers — are beginning to contemplate what the novel multi-axis machining technology might mean for their operations.