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Gripping technology October 2022

Focus on smart processes

From November 8 to 10 at SPS, the international trade show for industrial automation, SCHUNK will be presenting innovative solutions for future topics causing a stir in the automation industry: smart components and intelligent automation processes for a range of industries.
Tire handling Electric configurable long-stroke gripper ELG has a unique force-stroke ratio and offers a controllable gripping force that is instantly available.

The demands placed on automation tasks have changed. Handling solutions have to be quick to integrate, flexible to redesign and completely open in terms of connectivity. This is the approach taken by automation expert SCHUNK, whose new product innovations being presented at SPS in Nuremberg boast a maximum level of flexibility, enable networked processes in every industry, and include customization options that are easy for anyone to implement. To achieve these goals, SCHUNK is pursuing an end-to-end digital strategy with the aim of making processes more flexible, transparent and fully networked, while also improving responsiveness and productivity.

Robust and versatile: The electric universal gripper Robust and versatile: The electric universal gripper is particularly suitable for flexibly loading and unloading machine tools. It is available with all of the common communication interfaces, PLC function modules and plug-ins from leading robot manufacturers.

Flexible handling in demanding environments

Regardless of whether automation tasks are involved in areas in harsh machining environments or clean laboratory settings, SCHUNK will be presenting trade show visitors its latest mechatronic gripping components that set new standards in terms of flexibility, interface diversity and process reliability.

The new universal EGU gripper is robust and versatile. With its standard sealing, the corrosion-protected, low-wear parallel gripper is particularly suitable for flexible manual handling of raw and finished parts of different sizes in rough and dirty machine tool environments. It has a stepless gripping force and can be used directly from a standing position, which provides additional safety when removing machined workpieces. For deviating workpiece weights, the power can be increased flexibly by up to 150% in StrongGrip mode.

The new gripper for small components EGK is better utilized for finer work in laboratories or in the electronics industry. It offers reliability when handling delicate parts such as vials or circuit boards. Thanks to the combination of its smooth-running guide and the SoftGrip mode, even especially fragile workpieces can be gently gripped.

Both grippers have integrated gripping force maintenance with workpiece loss detection. No referencing is required during integration or after start-up. This saves time and reduces commissioning work. With permanent position detection, users always keep absolute control over their processes. SCHUNK offers the components with all of the common communication interfaces, PLC function modules and plug-ins from leading robot manufacturers. This means that they can be integrated quickly and easily without any additional gateways or programming.

2D Grasping Kit With the new 2D Grasping Kit – combined here with the new electric universal gripper EGU – objects randomly arranged on a plane can be handled reliably.

Automated to optimal grip

SCHUNK has developed the 2D Grasping Kit for handling individual objects randomly arranged on a plane. Following the MTB application kits for simple partial automation of machine loading and unloading, this is yet another module with a ready-made automation solution that the automation expert is providing its customers. The 2D Grasping Kit consists of a camera system including lens, an application-specific gripping system, an industrial PC SVC, and a plug-in for easy integration into the robot control system. At the heart of the system is the AI software developed by SCHUNK, which reliably ensures detection even under changing visibility conditions. All components in the kit are precisely matched to each other and are process reliable.

Smart service saves time and costs

With new configurators for grippers and gripper fingers, the technology leader offers practical building blocks that take the path to a customized solution to a new level. Even without any design knowledge, individualized solutions can be designed and quickly made available in only three steps and in just 10 minutes. Two new long-stroke grippers are particularly suitable for handling large, heavy parts such as in the packaging industry, the automotive sector, or even in the logistics sector. They have a force-stroke ratio that is unique on the market. This is made possible due to the high maximum moments of the profiled rail guide. They allow longer gripper fingers up to 800 mm to grip precisely. That means that the new pneumatic 2-finger parallel gripper PLG can effortlessly handle even bulky workpieces from hard-to-reach transport containers with a gripping force of up to 12,000 N. Depending on the application, its jaw stroke can be configured to customer specifications between 100 mm and 400 mm per jaw with millimeter precision. Its electric counterpart is the long-stroke gripper ELG. In addition to similar performance features, it has an electric drive with a freely adaptable servo motor and can therefore be flexibly controlled or integrated into existing concepts. It can also be positioned continuously over the entire stroke, which further optimizes cycle times in the handling process.

SCHUNK has now made it no longer necessary to design and manufacture customized gripper fingers in-house. The design has become extremely simple due to new finger configurator FGR and not only saves 50% on costs, but also valuable time and resources. The license-free, browser-based web tools are freely available on the SCHUNK website.

SCHUNK at the SPS 2022: Hall 3A, booth 111

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