Robot claw designs impressed the 2- and 3-finger grippers which might be so common with customers of collaborative robots. The claw-like design precept has additionally impressed quite a lot of delicate gripper designs.
We’ll take a look at particular examples of those grippers in motion beneath, however first let’s briefly discover the variations between robotic claws and mechanical claws.
How does a mechanical claw work?
Mechanical claws are sometimes used for gripping/clamping gadgets in manufacturing environments. The two commonest forms of claws and clamps used are mechanical and hydraulic. Hydraulic clamping/gripping methods are greatest suited to excessive quantity functions and to functions the place crucial tolerances should be maintained. Using electrical pumps and digital stress switches, hydraulic claws present round 1% accuracy in clamping power.
Mechanical clamping and claw methods are match for small manufacturing batches and in conditions the place extensive tolerances are acceptable. Mechanical methods are normally adjusted manually utilizing a wrench, which produces round 10% accuracy in clamping power. Cheaper than their hydraulic counterparts, but in addition extra time consuming to function, mechanical claws and clamps are generally utilized in excessive manufacturing environments similar to throughout excessive temperature operations, the place hydraulic methods wouldn’t be protected to make use of.
Mechanical claws use varied strategies to shut their pincers. For instance, in some designs when a piston within the center is lifted, the pincers shut. In different mechanical claw designs, an electromagnet is used to deliver the pincers collectively. The precept is all the time the identical, nevertheless with the gripper utilizing jaws to understand an object.
There are many claw-like finish effectors discovered on collaborative robots, from delicate grippers to 2- and 3-finger grippers. These ‘robotic claws’ present ranges of intelligence and autonomy which might be manner past the capabilities of their mechanical counterparts. For instance, a robotic claw (or a robotic clamp) can present helpful suggestions to your cobot and PLC. This knowledge can then be used to finetune your manufacturing processes. Cobot grippers are additionally smaller and extra exact than mechanical claws.
Let’s check out a few of the claw-like and claw-inspired grippers obtainable by way of UR+,a worldwide ecosystem of parts, software program, and software kits which were validated and authorized to be mechanically, electrically, and digitally appropriate with cobots from Universal Robots.
Cobots with robotic claws
Parallel grippers (generally known as 2-finger, or 2-jaw grippers) contain two pincers closing parallel to the workpiece in an effort to obtain grip. From this easy claw-like design, ingenious engineers have developed a variety of versatile gripper applied sciences which have discovered makes use of in manufacturing functions from materials dealing with and meeting by way of to packaging & palletizing. Parallel grippers are both electrical, pneumatic or hydraulic. One limitation of parallel grippers is that they will solely accomplish a pinch-type grasp, which does restrict their versatility. Adaptive grippers deliver new ranges of performance to parallel gripper design. Adaptive grippers are capable of adapt themselves to completely different product shapes with out having to be reprogrammed each time.
Gimatic’s KIT-UR-G, for instance, is an electrical, 2-finger parallel gripper that may be instantly related to your UR cobot’s wrist. Compatible with UR3 by way of UR10e cobots, this gripper is used for materials dealing with, meeting and machine tending functions.