Danish robot equipment producer OnRobot has added two new end-of-arm tools to its product line-up.
OnRobot is present in Australia through its distributor partners: APPMA members Australis Engineering, Diverseco and Scott Automation and Robotics, as well as Mobile Electrics, Collaborative Robots Australia and Auto Controls Systems.
The first new tool is the 3FG15 three-finger gripper with a 150mm stroke. OnRobot said it is an alternative to bulkier and less-flexible three-finger grippers currently on the market. The new gripper can handle heavy-payload machine-tending applications that require high precision and flexible handling.
Enrico Krog Iversen, OnRobot CEO, said the 3FG15 was developed as a response to existing pneumatic three-finger grippers that are bulkier and less flexible.
“We have long defined the market for electric parallel grippers with the RG2 and RG6 series, and we look forward to addressing new market segments and applications with a new three-finger gripper that allows users to deploy applications faster even with highly accurate, fixed positioning,” he said.
The 3FG15 gripper has a maximum stroke of 150mm that can handle multiple processes. The three-finger design with a 15 kg payload provides a strong, stable grip for both form fit (internal) or friction fit (external) gripping.
OnRobot said the gripper’s design, specifically developed for machine-tending tasks, automatically centres workpieces, resulting in a strong, stable grip and precise placement in machine chucks. With a gripping force from 10 N to 240 N, the 3FG15 competes with much less flexible finger grippers.
The company said the gripper can handle packaging and palletising applications. It is compatible with any major collaborative or light industrial robot arm through OnRobot’s new One System Solution, the platform that provides a unified mechanical and electrical interface between the robot arms and any OnRobot end-of-arm tooling.
OnRobot also launched a new compact, single-pad version of its Gecko adhesive gripper. The new Gecko Single Pad (SP) gripper brings the same capability to new automation applications with small footprints and lower payload, the company said.
The Gecko SP is available in three sizes that can handle payloads of one, three or five kilos. According to OnRobot the gripper can lift a range of flat, smooth, shiny or perforated surfaces, such as circuit boards, aluminium mesh or head gaskets.
OnRobot said Gecko gripper technology uses millions of micro-scaled fibrillar stalks that adhere to a surface using van der Waals forces, the same way that geckos climb. The technology requires no compressed air or external power, and can be implemented quickly through OnRobot’s One-System Solution platform with little or no programming on any major collaborative or light industrial robot arm for greater production flexibility.
Iversen said, “Our Gecko technology automates processes that no other gripper can accomplish, and now it’s available in a compact, flexible format that offers our customers even more options.
“This is a true plug-and-play gripper that fulfils our promise of a full range of easy, cost-effective, flexible robotic tooling that lets customers focus on their application rather than the robot.”
