High accelerations in unbalanced robotic manipulators can induce significant base vibrations, which reduces precision and increases settling time. These vibrations are caused by fluctuating reaction forces and reaction moments exerted on the base by the manipulator. Dynamic balan
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High accelerations in unbalanced robotic manipulators can induce significant base vibrations, which reduces precision and increases settling time. These vibrations are caused by fluctuating reaction forces and reaction moments exerted on the base by the manipulator. Dynamic balancing eliminates these fluctuations and therefore improves performance. However, dynamic balancing, in general, comes at the cost of additional moving mass in the manipulator, which reduces controllability. Combining balancing with optimal controllability therefore requires an integral design approach. In this thesis, the controllability of multiple balancing principles are compared. Based on these findings a design for a balanced rotatable link will be presented, which aims to combine dynamic balancing with optimal controllability. Experimental verification of the balanced design showed a reduction of 99.3% in reaction forces and 97.8% in reaction moments compared to the unbalanced mechanism. Transverse tip accelerations up to 21 G are achieved in experiments, showing the potential for high acceleration applications.