This book contains a collection of rules and techniques pertaining to kinematic aspects of machine design. The comprehensive treatment allows you to explore the venerable but somewhat obscure principles of kinematic design (widely practiced in the design of precision instruments for well over 100 years). You get a unique and powerful set of rules and techniques to facilitate the design of any machine-of every type and size. A central technique is constraint pattern analysis, which enables you to visualize the constraints and degrees of freedom of mechanical connection as patterns of lines in space. Understanding these principles, collectively called exact constraint design principles, can lead you to unobvious solutions to design problems, as well as designing for lower cost and higher performance. The book is supplemented with many hardware examples, which allow you to: acquire a greatly enhanced understanding of how machines work, improve your ability to create innovative machines, and maximize your ability to analyze and understand complex machinery.
