19.07.2023
The array of gripper choices in the automotive, pharmaceutical, electronics and consumer-goods industries for pick-and-place automation systems are numerous. The many gripper styles – all of which have their own size, method of operation, and required level of human interaction – is daunting. This leads to uninformed selections that fail to meet the needs of your application. It’s critical that you consider all variables before choosing your pneumatic gripper.
Users and integrators need to know the manufacturing facility’s
operations. In automated-manufacturing, the decision is between electric
or pneumatic-driven grippers. Electric grippers perform the same
function as pneumatic grippers, but their costs are two to four times
greater than a pneumatic grippers. Pneumatically powered grippers, also
known as air-powered grippers, have been the standard for years with
more than 95% of the grippers powered by air.Grippers excel when used
for three basic tasks:
Gripper selection includes identifying the correct gripper for the
conditions. There are two common classes of operating environments to
consider:
Clean Environment
The goal is to keep grease or
contaminants on or in the gripper from being released into the
environment and contaminating the part or process, such as food and
medicine. Clean manufacturing is critical in the medical,
pharmaceutical, electronics and food-production industries, where only
small amounts of contaminants are allowed. Find a gripper that is Clean
Room-certified. To ensure a clean operating environment, scavenge ports
are available on many grippers. Scavenge ports help prevent contaminants
from the air gripper escaping into the environment by using a low-level
vacuum that creates negative pressure within the gripper. This vacuum
draws clean air from the outside, preventing grease or contaminants from
escaping.
Contaminated Environment
In
a contaminated environment, the gripper needs to be protected.
Contaminants include sawdust, metal shavings, chemicals, etc. Keeping
contaminants out of a gripper helps ensure functionality and long-life.
Dirt, debris, oil and grease are common in automotive, foundry,
machining and general industrial applications. These environments can
harm internal workings of your grippers. To prevent contamination, purge
ports are available on many pneumatic grippers. The purge port is
located on the gripper body and has a channel to the internal
mechanisms. During operation, low-pressure air enters the gripper
housing. This pressure prevents contaminants from entering the internal
mechanisms. Utilizing grease fittings adds additional protection. In
extremely harsh environments, grease fittings can purge dirty grease.
Whether operating in a clean or dirty environment, shielding can deflect debris from the gripper and help prevent grease and internal containments from escaping into a clean environment. Gripper shielding can be in a variety of styles and materials, including simple formed-sheet metal covers, flexible boots, bellows or lip-style wipers. Shielding may come standard, optional, or as a request. You may also add your own shielding during integration. Gripper orientation in relation to the direction of the contaminants should also be considered in-order to minimize debris contacting surfaces or openings.
Pneumatic grippers can be made from many materials and processes. Materials and coatings, such as stainless steel, nickel-plating and hard-coat anodizing, can keep surfaces from corroding or debris from causing gripper jaws to bind. In clean room or food-processing applications, these coatings can also prevent oxidation or bacteria from being released into the work environment.
Various lubrications can be high-temperature, food-grade, or
water-resistant to handle specialized environments or any wash-down
maintenance requirements. Pneumatic seals can handle extreme
temperatures or grit and debris. Buna-N (nitrile) is normally considered
the industry standard seal, with Viton® and silicone selected for use
with higher temperatures. Metal seals are typically used in grippers for
handling extreme heat and/or contamination.
Once the demands of the operating environment are understood, system designers can consider the grippers specifications - factoring that design and construction determines performance. Grippers consist of three parts: body (including means of power transmission) jaws, and fingers.
Generally, the gripper manufacturer designs and builds the gripper’s
body and jaws – known as the “mode of actuation.” Meanwhile, the machine
builder supplies custom fingers to grip or encapsulate the part.
Considerations for any application should include appropriate finger
length, keeping in mind that excess length can cause a gripper to bind.
When considering grip force, too much will damage the part and too
little will lead to a safety concern and dropped parts.
Gripper stroke is also important, as too much stroke wastes operation
time and too little will result in incorrectly gripping or releasing a
part. Grippers have a wide variety of actuation times that will impact
the throughput rate of a process.
Repeatability is usually more important than accuracy and becomes key
if the process includes picking up small objects, i.e. a syringe
needle, or during high-precision applications where one object is being
placed inside another object for assembly. The manufacturer normally
publishes these specifications for any gripper model, so application
engineers should be consulted if operating outside the performance
specifications of the gripper.
Application demands will determine which type of gripper jaw-support mechanism should be considered. Various grippers may be the same size and perform the same function, but can have completely different designs, with some being better than others for diverse operating environments.
It is important to align the right mechanism to the application. This ensures reliable and accurate actuation of the gripper. Let’s look at these from the application’s point of view.Common jaw-support mechanisms include:
The type of bearing used and the amount of surface contact employed
in the bearing design will determine your grippers’ ability to operate
at very low air pressure, resist impact, execute repeatability and show
wear patterns if the gripper wear can be compensated for through bearing
pre-load adjustability.
The mode of power transmission refers to the linkage and transfer of
power from the internal air piston(s) to the gripper jaws that open and
close, producing a grip force.
Think safety first. Gripper fingers should be designed to prevent dropping parts during a loss of air pressure. A safety analysis helps to minimize risk of injury or system damage in the event of a dropped part. Consider the material used for gripper fingers and the gripping surface of the product. Gripper fingers can leave marks on the product. To avoid this, nylon, delrin, plastics and other soft materials can be used for gripper fingers instead of aluminum and steel. For fragile parts, urethane pads can be placed on the fingers, increasing gripping friction without damaging the part.
There are three, popular gripping methods for you to consider:
In the event of power failure that leads to a loss of operational air pressure, there are other means of preventing a part from accidentally releasing from the gripper and potentially causing bodily injury or damage to part or machine.
One option is using an internal spring to bias the piston and maintain finger/jaw position on or around the part. Care must be taken to ensure that the spring force is adequate. A second option is using external failsafe valves that are added to the ports to check air to the gripper in the open or closed position. A third option is using rod locks that automatically clamp on the guide rods of the jaws when air pressure is lost. Some gripper styles can support the installation of rod locks.
There are many pneumatic grippers that perform the same function but it is their features and capabilities that determine if they will operate in various applications. These options directly affect the safety, performance and durability of your automation applicatio.
Ask the right questions to make an informed decision. We will be happy to provide you with professional support in choosing the right gripper.
Flohr Industrietechnik GmbH - Im Unteren Tal 1 - D-79761 Waldshut-Tiengen - Phone: +49 (0)7751 / 8731-0 - info@flohr-industrietechnik.de