www.astesj.com 158 Simulation and Reproduction of a Manipulator According to Classical Arm Representation and Trajectory Planning Ahmad Yusairi Bani Hashim *,1 , Silah Hayati Kamsani 1 , Mahasan Mat Ali 1 , Syamimi Shamsuddin 1 , Ahmad Zaki Shukor 2 1 Faculty of Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, 76100, Malaysia 2 Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, 76100, Malaysia A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T Article history: Received: 16 July, 2019 Accepted: 13 October, 2019 Online: 25 November, 2019 The technical and vocational institutions are the key feeders for skilled human capital in the robotic revolution economy. It is essential to engage the students by creating new, affordable robotics at a fraction of the cost. This study presents the design and simulation of a six-axis robot manipulator specifically made for education and training. The robot was developed based on Chriss-Annin’s configuration. The robot arm was printed using Fused Deposition Modelling technique using the acrylonitrile butadiene styrene filament. Before it was constructed, the arm parameters were assessed using Scilab as the tool and the traditional and fundamental methods: the Denevit-Hartenberg representation, the forward kinematics, the inverse kinematics, and the trajectory planning. The outcomes showed that the arm was working well on positioning and path planning. Therefore, the complete assembly of the robot should be able to assume a role in education and training. This work is an extension of the paper entitled “Lightweight Robot Manipulator for TVET Training using FDM Technique” published in 2018 Symposium on Electrical, Mechatronics and Applied Science 2018 (SEMA 2018). Keywords: Robot manipulator Denevit-Hartenberg representation Forward kinematics Inverse kinematics Trajectory planning Technical and vocational education Fused deposition modeling 1. Introduction The world is embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0), driven by nine pillars of technological advancement. They are; Autonomous Robot, Simulation, Horizontal and Vertical System Integration, The Industrial Internet of Things, Cybersecurity, The Cloud Computing, Additive Manufacturing, Augmented Reality, and Big Data and Analytics [1]. As one of the critical elements in IR4.0, robots have been widely used in various areas such as manufacturing, agriculture, retail, and services [2]. To date, there are 1.1 million working robots, and machines worldwide and 80% of the work in the manufacturing of a car is done by machines [3]. In Malaysia, technical and skill oriented educational institutions are one of the critical feeders for skilled and knowledgeable human capital in the area of robotics. The country has realized the importance of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in spearheading the country’s excellence in economic and technological development [4]. Thus, it is essential to engage students in this field further by creating new, affordable robotics platforms through which they can involve themselves in current technologies at a fraction of the cost. Most industrial robotics producers such as ABB, KUKA, MOTOMAN, and FANUC do provide robotic educational packages based on their smallest robot available. Nonetheless, due to their rigid structure, strict safety measures need to adhere to [5]. This will incur additional costs to the institution. Therefore, a small-scaled six-axis robot is seen as suitable for use in an educational setting. The robot system requires less damage and is safer when in contact with a human because it will generate less momentum when in motion compared to the metal structure. One of the available techniques to construct a mechanical structure of a robotic arm manipulator is by using Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM). With this method, a polymer-based filament such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Polylactic acid (PLA) or nylon is extruded in semi-liquid form through a heating process and deposited layer by layer until a 3D object is formed. It provides a trade-off between strength and cost. This is ASTESJ ISSN: 2415-6698 * Ahmad Yusairi Bani Hashim, Faculty of Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, 76100, Malaysia, +6062702665 & yusairi@utem.edu.my Advances in Science, Technology and Engineering Systems Journal Vol. 4, No. 6, 158-162 (2019) www.astesj.com https://dx.doi.org/10.25046/aj040619