Inverse kinematics was the technical foundation for machine tool motion control and the technical assurance to improve the accuracy of movement. According to the demand of automated drilling and riveting aircraft assembly

the gantry automatic drilling and riveting machine was taken as a research object

and its kinematics model was established based on screw theory. A new algorithm was proposed for the inverse kinematics calculation of the automatic drilling and riveting machine based on the screw theory by using the combined method of Paden-Kahan sub-problem method and the geometry of the upper and lower end effector of automated drilling and riveting machine. Furthermore

the proposed inverse kinematics algorithm was validated by using the DMU. The results showed that the inverse kinematics algorithm based on screw theory was efficiently

and it provided the theoretical basis for the motion control of automatic drilling and riveting machine.