In this paper, two types of novel planar Translational Parallel Manipulators (TPMs) by using parallelogram mechanism are conceived. One is made up of two Pa-P (Parallelogram-Prismatic) legs connecting the base to the moving platform. The other consists of two P-Pa legs, which is the kinematic inversion of the former. Since connecting links in a parallelogram mechanism are subject to only tensile/compressive load and all the heavy actuators are mounted at the base, the proposed manipulators can be applied for planar positioning/assembly tasks requiring high stiffness and high speed. The position, velocity, and statics are analyzed, and the design methodology using prescribed workspace and velocity transmission capability is presented. Finally, two types of prototype manipulators have been developed.
