Improvement Control of a Three Axis Articulated Robotic Arm Using PID Cascade Control

In the era of Industry 4.0, the demand for flexibility in automation is getting higher and higher. The industrial robotic arm is considered the most flexible tool in the automation process. Vocational schools should prepare their students to be ready to work with industrial robots. However, the price of an industrial robot is still very expensive. This problem becomes a barrier in preparing the manpower in the robotic field. This research investigated the potential of making an industrial robot trainer module using a 3D printer. Besides supporting the flexibility of the robotic design, the robot became much cheaper compared to the commercial one. The 3D-printed robotic arm may have less accuracy, repeatability, and reliability than branded robots, but it can be used to teach the student of basic operation of a robotic arm. An Arduino board is implemented to control the arm. Cascade PID Controller was implemented on the Arduino to control the robot joins. The result shows satisfactory robot performance. The cascade PID Controller can control the robot joints in a good way.