This study is a step in developing the sliding mode control methodology for the robust control of a class of nonlinear time-varying systems. The methodology uses in its idealized form piecewise continuous feedback control, resulting in the state trajectory "sliding" slong a time-varying sliding surface in the state space. This idealized control law achieves perfect tracking. The method is applied to the control of a two-link manipulator handling variable loads in a flexible manufacturing system environment with noise. The result through simulation is that the tracking problem of articular robot with high precision can be realized by using the variable structure system (VSS) theory. The motions of articular robot were insensitive to various payloads. payloads.