Résumé
Thermal expansion is one of the main sources of inaccuracy in hexapods (parallel robots with 6 degrees of freedom also known as Gough platform). The heat sources that cause thermal expansion can be internal or external to the robot. The main internal heat source of the hexapod is the motor. This paper presents a comparative study of three methods (experimental, analytical and numerical) to predict the temporal evolution of the temperature in the motor of the hexapod. The theoretical study has been correlated by experimental measurements of temperature in several points of the motor. One of the goals of this study is to determine the time needed to reach a stable temperature in the engine.