with 3.

32 CGPA
Tulsiramji Gaikwad-Patil College of Engineering and Technology
Wardha Road, Nagpur-441 108
NAAC Accredited A+
Approved by AICTE, New Delhi, Govt. of Maharashtra & Affiliated to RTM
Nagpur University, Nagpur
Department of Mechanical Engineering

Unit 2: Industrial Robotics Grippers & End Effectors

Grippers
In robotics, an end effector is the device at the end of a robotic arm, designed to interact with the
environment. The exact nature of this device depends on the application of the robot. In the strict
definition, which originates from serial robotic manipulators, the end effector means the last link (or end)
of the robot. At this endpoint the tools are attached. In a wider sense, an end effector can be seen as the
part of a robot that interacts with the work environment. This does not refer to the wheels of a mobile
robot or the feet of ahumanoid robot which are also not end effectors—they are part of the robot's
mobility.

End effectors may consist of a gripper or a tool. When referring to robotic apprehension there are four
general categories of robot grippers, these are:
1. Impactive – jaws or claws which physically grasp by direct impact upon the object.
2. Ingressive – pins, needles or hackles which physically penetrate the surface of the object
(Used in textile, carbon and glass fiber handling).
3. Astrictive – suction [vague] forces applied to the objects surface (whether by vacuum, magneto-
orelectro adhesion).
4. Contigutive – requiring direct contact for adhesion to take place (such as glue, surface tension or
freezing).
They are based on different physical effects used to guarantee a stable grasping between a gripper and the
object to be grasped. Industrial grippers can be mechanical, the most diffused in industry, but also based
on suction or on the magnetic force. Vacuum cups and electromagnets dominate the automotive field and
in particular metal sheet handling. Bernoulli grippers exploit the airflow between the gripper and the part
that causes a lifting force which brings the gripper and part close each other (i.e. the Bernoulli's principle).
Bernoulli grippers are a type of contactless grippers, namely the object remains confined in the force filed
generated by the gripper without coming into direct contact with it. Bernoulli gripper is adopted in
Photovoltaic cell handling in silicon wafer handling but also in textile or leather industry. Other principles
are less used at the macro scale (part size >5mm), but in the last ten years they demonstrated interesting
applications in micro-handling.

A gripper is a motion device that mimics the movements of people, in the case of the gripper, it is the
fingers. A gripper is a device that holds an object so it can be manipulated.
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Tulsiramji Gaikwad-Patil College of Engineering and Technology
Wardha Road, Nagpur-441 108
NAAC Accredited A+
Approved by AICTE, New Delhi, Govt. of Maharashtra & Affiliated to RTM
Nagpur University, Nagpur
Department of Mechanical Engineering
It has the ability to hold and release an object while some action is being performed. The fingers are not
part of the gripper, they are specialized custom tooling used to grip the object and are referred to as
"jaws." Two main types of action are performed by grippers:
External: This is the most popular method of holding objects, it is the most simplistic and it requires the
shortest stroke length. When the gripper jaws close, the closing force of the gripper holds that object.

Internal: In some applications, the object geometry or the need to access the exterior of the object will
require that the object is held from the center. In this case the opening force of the gripper will be holding
the object.

Magnetic Grippers:
Magnetic grippers are most commonly used in a robot as an end effector for grasping the ferrous
materials. It is another type of handling the work parts other than the mechanical grippers and vacuum
grippers.

Types of magnetic grippers:

The magnetic grippers can be classified into two common types, namely: Magnetic grippers with
 Electromagnets
 Permanent magnets

Electromagnets:
Electromagnetic grippers include a controller unit and a DC power for handling the materials. This type of
grippers is easy to control, and very effective in releasing the part at the end of the operation than the
permanent magnets. If the work part gripped is to be released, the polarity level is minimized by the
controller unit before the electromagnet is turned off. This process will certainly help in removing the
magnetism on the work parts. As a result, a best way of releasing the materials is possible in this gripper.

Permanent magnets:
The permanent magnets do not require any sort of external power as like the electromagnets for handling
the materials. After this gripper grasps a work part, an additional device called as a gripper push – off pin
will be required to separate the work part from the magnet. This device is incorporated at the sides of the
gripper.
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Tulsiramji Gaikwad-Patil College of Engineering and Technology
Wardha Road, Nagpur-441 108
NAAC Accredited A+
Approved by AICTE, New Delhi, Govt. of Maharashtra & Affiliated to RTM
Nagpur University, Nagpur
Department of Mechanical Engineering
The advantage of this permanent magnet gripper is that it can be used in hazardous applications like
explosion-proof apparatus because of no electrical circuit. Moreover, there is no possibility of spark
production as well.

Benefits:
 This gripper only requires one surface to grasp the materials.
 The grasping of materials is done very quickly.
 It does not require separate designs for handling different size of materials.
 It is capable of grasping materials with holes, which is unfeasible in the vacuum grippers.

Drawbacks:
 The gripped work part has the chance of slipping out when it is moving quickly.
 Sometimes oil in the surface can reduce the strength of the gripper.
 The machining chips may stick to the gripper during unloading.

Mechanical Gripper:

A mechanical gripper is used as an end effector in a robot for grasping the objects with its mechanically
operated fingers. In industries, two fingers are enough for holding purposes. More than three fingers can
also be used based on the application. As most of the fingers are of replaceable type, it can be easily
removed and replaced.
A robot requires hydraulic, electric, or pneumatic drive system to create the input power. The power
produced is sent to the gripper for making the fingers react. It also allows the fingers to perform open and
close actions. Most importantly, a sufficient force must be given to hold the object. In a mechanical gripper,
the holding of an object can be done by two different methods such as:
 Using the finger pads as like the shape of the work part.
 Using soft material finger pads.
In the first method, the contact surfaces of the fingers are designed according to the work part for
achieving the estimated shape. It will help the fingers to hold the work part for some extent. In the second
method, the fingers must be capable of supplying sufficient force to hold the work part. To avoid scratches
on the work part, soft type pads are fabricated on the fingers. As a result, the contact surface of the finger
and co – efficient of friction are improved.
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 with 3.32 CGPA
Tulsiramji Gaikwad-Patil College of Engineering and Technology
Wardha Road, Nagpur-441 108
NAAC Accredited A+
Approved by AICTE, New Delhi, Govt. of Maharashtra & Affiliated to RTM
Nagpur University, Nagpur
Department of Mechanical Engineering
This method is very simple and as well as less expensive. It may cause slippage if the force applied against
the work part is in the parallel direction. The slippage can be avoided by designing the gripper based on
the force exerted.
μ nf Fg=w ………………… 1
μ => co – efficient of friction between the work part and fingers
nf => no. of fingers contacting
Fg => Force of the gripper
w => weight of the grasped object
The equation 1 must be changed if the weight of a work part is more than the force applied to cause the
slippage.
μ nfFg =wg …..……………. 2
g => g factor
During rapid grasping operation, the work part will get twice the weight. To get rid out of it, the modified
equation 1 is put forward by Engel berger. The g factor in the equation
2 is used to calculate the acceleration and gravity.
The values of g factor for several operations are given below:
g = 1 – acceleration supplied in the opposite direction.
g = 2 – acceleration supplied in the horizontal direction.
g = 3 – acceleration and gravity supplied in the same direction.
A pneumatic gripper is a specific type of pneumatic actuator that typically involves either parallel or
angular motion of surfaces, A.K.A. “tooling jaws or fingers” that will grip an object.
When combined with other pneumatic, electric, or hydraulic components, the gripper can be used as part
of a "pick and place" system that will allow a component to be picked up and placed somewhere else as
part of a manufacturing system.
Some grippers act directly on the object they are gripping based on the force of the air pressure supplied
to the gripper, while others will use a mechanism such as a gear or toggle to leverage the amount of force
applied to the object being gripped. Grippers can also vary in terms of the opening size, the amount of
force that can be applied, and the shape of the gripping surfaces— frequently called "tooling jaws or
fingers". They can be used to pick up everything from very small items (a transistor or chip for a circuit
board, for example) to very large items, such as an engine block for a car. Grippers are frequently added to
industrial robots in order to allow the robot to interact with other objects.
Common industrial pneumatic components include:
 Pneumatic direct operated solenoid valve
 Pneumatic pilot operated solenoid valve
 Pneumatic external piloted solenoid valve
 Pneumatic manual valve
 Pneumatic valve with air pilot actuator
 Pneumatic filter
 Pneumatic pressure regulators
 Pneumatic lubricator

Hydraulic Grippers:
Posted by admin on Tuesday, September 24, 2013 · 1 Comment
Grippers are devices used with pick-and-place robotic systems to pick up or place an object on an
assembly line, conveyor system, or other automated system. Fingered tooling—or jaws—is attached to the
grippers to grip or hold the object.

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 with 3.32 CGPA
Tulsiramji Gaikwad-Patil College of Engineering and Technology
Wardha Road, Nagpur-441 108
NAAC Accredited A+
Approved by AICTE, New Delhi, Govt. of Maharashtra & Affiliated to RTM
Nagpur University, Nagpur
Department of Mechanical Engineering
They come in a variety of styles and powered designs. Three common types are parallel, three-finger, and
angled designs. The most common are parallel designs, with two fingers that close on a work piece to grip
it or open it out by creating pressure on the inside.
Three-finger designs hold the work piece in the center, and have three fingers offset by 120°.
Finally, angled designs feature jaws that work at a variety of different angle openings (for example, 30°,
40°, etc.).
In addition, three choices of power are available; the most common being pneumatic grippers;
electromechanical grippers are second most common; and the least common being hydraulic grippers.
Hydraulic grippers are most often used in conjunction with a piece of equipment that only has a hydraulic
power source for actuators.
Most hydraulic grippers are designed for a hydraulic system where the cylinder diameter is made with
less surface area, meaning that a hydraulic gripper would have the same force at 60 bar as a pneumatic
gripper of the same size at 6 bar.

In general, hydraulic and pneumatic grippers have the same basic actuation principle. They include direct
acting piston designs as well as piston wedge designs.
The direct acting piston design is used when a hydraulic force acts directly on a piston that is directly
connected to the jaw or finger that is touching or gripping the part.
The piston wedge design features a hydraulic force acting on a piston while the piston itself is
acting on a wedge. The wedge translates this force to the jaws or fingers, providing the grip force
to grip the part. The wedge can give a mechanical advantage as it can increase grip force while
keeping the piston diameter and pressure to the piston the same. This allows more grip force in a
smaller package compared to the directing piston.
Department of Mechanical Engineering
 with 3.32 CGPA
Tulsiramji Gaikwad-Patil College of Engineering and Technology
Wardha Road, Nagpur-441 108
NAAC Accredited A+
Approved by AICTE, New Delhi, Govt. of Maharashtra & Affiliated to RTM
Nagpur University, Nagpur
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Unlike electromechanical grippers, which have motors on each actuator, one single motor powers the
hydraulic fluid that supplies energy to multiple devices throughout a plant. When selecting a hydraulic
gripper, it is important to consider the following:
 Part weight and size to be lifted
 Part material
 Clearance issues around the part that could interfere with the gripping part
 The environment the gripper will be used in (corrosive, food or beverage, etc.)
 The motion path of the robot or linear device that is moving the gripper
 The power supply that will be available and the pressure ratings available

Vacuum grippers:

Vacuum grippers are used in the robots for grasping the non – ferrous objects. It uses vacuum cups as the
gripping device, which is also commonly known as suction cups. This type of grippers will provide good
handling if the objects are smooth, flat, and clean. It has only one surface for gripping the objects. Most
importantly, it is not best suitable for handling the objects with holes.

Vacuum cups:
Generally, the vacuum cups (suction cups) will be in the round shape. These cups will be developed by
means of rubber or other elastic materials. Sometimes, it is also made of soft plastics. Moreover, the
vacuum cups are prepared of hard materials for handling the soft Material objects.

Two different devices are used in the suction cups for creating the vacuum. They are:
 Venturi
 Vacuum pump

Venturi device is operated with the help of shop air pressure, while the vacuum pump is driven either by
means of vane or piston device. The vacuum pump has the ability to create the high vacuum. As the
venturi is a simple device, it is more reliable and inexpensive. Both these devices are very well capable of
providing high vacuum if there is a sufficient supply of air pressure.

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 with 3.32 CGPA
Tulsiramji Gaikwad-Patil College of Engineering and Technology
Wardha Road, Nagpur-441 108
NAAC Accredited A+
Approved by AICTE, New Delhi, Govt. of Maharashtra & Affiliated to RTM
Nagpur University, Nagpur
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Types of vacuum grippers:
 The ball joint type vacuum gripper is capable of changing into various contact angles
automatically. Moreover, the bending moments in the vacuum cups are also decreased. It is used
for carrying irregular materials, heavy objects, etc.

 A vacuum gripper with level compensator can be very helpful in balancing the objects with
different levels. It also has the capability to absorb the shocks.

Applications of vacuum grippers:

 Vacuum grippers are highly useful in the heavy industries, automobiles, compact disc
manufacturing, and more for material handling purposes.

 It is also used in the tray & box manufacturing, labeling, sealing, bottling, and so on for packaging
purposes.

Two and Three-fingered gripper

Three-fingered gripper

It's also costly to order custom-made handlers for special parts. To solve these problems, engineers at
Barrett Technology Inc., Cambridge, Mass. (barrett.com), developed the Barrett Hand, a three-fingered
gripper that can securely hold a wide variety of shapes and parts. The device has three articulated fingers.
The center finger is fixed, and the other two rotate up to 180˚ around the outside of the hand's palm. This
gives the hand a wide variety of grips and configurations. Each finger has two sections which act in concert
to grab objects.
When the first section touches an object, the second section continues retracting until it is also in contact.
With all the fingers in play, and including the palm, the hand can have a seven-point grip on the object.
This lets it deal with objects of unknown or inconsistent shapes. The hand can lift about 1.2kg.

Department of Mechanical Engineering

 with 3.32 CGPA
Tulsiramji Gaikwad-Patil College of Engineering and Technology
Wardha Road, Nagpur-441 108
NAAC Accredited A+
Approved by AICTE, New Delhi, Govt. of Maharashtra & Affiliated to RTM
Nagpur University, Nagpur
Department of Mechanical Engineering

The hand's eight joints are controlled by four brushless-dc motors, all in the wrist section. A torque switch
lets four motors control eight axes of motion. The gripper's communications, five microprocessors,
sensors, and signal processor are packed inside the palm body. A small umbilical cable connects the hand
to an array of robotic arms from different manufacturers.

Two-fingered gripper:

The mechanism driving the fingers of this Gripper is optimized to obtain Two distinct contact regions. The
first one, called the “encompassing grip region”, is located at the base of the fingers, while the second one,
called the “pinch grip region”, is located at their end/tip. The boundary between these two adjacent
regions is called the “equilibrium point”.
When the contact of the finger with the object to be grasped occurs in the encompassing grip region, the
finger automatically adapts to the shape of the object and curls around it. On the other hand, when the
contact is made in the pinch grip region, the finger maintains its parallel motion and the object is pinched.
Since the finger keeps its parallel motion when a contact is made above the equilibrium point during a
pinch grip, the same is true for a contact made below the equilibrium point during an inside grip, i.e. for a
force applied at the back of the finger. This unique feature allows the Gripper to pick up objects from the
inside, which proves to be very useful in many situations.

Coupling between the fingers:

In addition to the mechanism used inside each of its fingers, the Gripper also relies on a special coupling
architecture between the fingers. In fact, it is mechanically designed to ensure that the two fingers move in
conjunction with each other in order to center the object grasped in the middle of the Gripper. This self-
centering avoids the need to use expensive sensor sand is above all safer.
In the same vein to make this Robot Gripper as reliable as possible, a self-locking feature has been
incorporated into it between the actuator and the fingers. By doing so, we are sure that the Gripper will
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Tulsiramji Gaikwad-Patil College of Engineering and Technology
Wardha Road, Nagpur-441 108
NAAC Accredited A+
Approved by AICTE, New Delhi, Govt. of Maharashtra & Affiliated to RTM
Nagpur University, Nagpur
Department of Mechanical Engineering
never release the object and let it fall if the power is shut down. It is also economically interesting, as the
actuator doesn’t need to apply torque continually when an object is grasped, thus in addition to the power
saved, the lifespan of the Gripper is thereby maximized.

Selection and design considerations in robot gripper:

The industrial robots use grippers as an end effector for picking up the raw and finished work parts. A
robot can perform good grasping of objects only when it obtains a proper gripper selection and design.
Therefore, Joseph F. Engel berger, who is referred as Father of Robotics has described several factors that
are required to be considered in gripper selection and design.
 The gripper must have the ability to reach the surface of a work part.
 The change in work part size must be accounted for providing accurate positioning.
 During machining operations, there will be a change in the work part size. As a result, the gripper
must be designed to hold a work part even when the size is varied.
 The gripper must not create any sort of distort and scratch in the fragile work parts.
 The gripper must hold the larger area of a work part if it has various dimensions, which will
certainly increase stability and control in positioning.
 The gripper can be designed with resilient pads to provide more grasping contacts in the work
part. The replaceable fingers can also be employed for holding different work part sizes by its
 Interchangeability facility.
Moreover, it is difficult to find out the magnitude of gripping force that a gripper must apply to pick up a
work part. The following significant factors must be considered to determine the necessary gripping force.
 Consideration must be taken to the weight of a work part.
 It must be capable of grasping the work parts constantly at its center of mass.
 The speed of robot arm movement and the connection between the direction of movement and
gripper position on the work part should be considered.
 It must determine either friction or physical constriction helps to grip the work part.
 It must consider the co-efficient of friction between the gripper and work part.

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