Designing a High-Speed Press with a Six-Bar Linkage Mechanism

This paper describes the design process of a high-speed cutting press with a linkage mechanism in its drive train. The whole process is carried out for a virtual prototype. The kinematic and dynamic properties of the six-bar linkage mechanism are optimised regarding boundary conditions coming from the production process and kinematic requirements. Using a rigid body model, the geometric dimensions and inertia parameters of the links of the mechanism can be determined. A finite-element (FE) model is build up to check the parts’ durability during work load. A verification of main results is realised on an experimental prototype made from rapid prototyping material.