The 3D design web tool SCHUNK eGRIP from SCHUNK has been updated. It has long been possible to design and order gripper fingers made of polyamide using this tool. Thanks to the update, these fingers can now also be ordered in aluminium and stainless steel.
SCHUNK supplies gripper fingers for a variety of robots, including robotic arms, delta robots, scara robots and collaborative robots. SCHUNK eGRIP is a tool that allows users to design gripper fingers for these grippers based on the contours of specific workpieces. To do this, the user uploads the workpiece data as a STEP or STL file to the tool and also specifies some data. These include the type of gripper being used and the weight of the workpiece. The contours of the fingers are immediately visible in the design tool and can be adjusted as required. For example, the exact position of the workpiece in the gripper fingers can be determined and it is possible to crop the gripper fingers to save material.
Based on the data entered, the design web tool designs gripper fingers, which takes only a few seconds. These fingers can be inspected by the user in the design tool, where it is possible to hide or make transparent both the gripper fingers and the workpiece. The video below explains the design process.
Additive manufacturing
Once the design is finalised, users are automatically presented with a quotation with both price and delivery time. The gripper fingers are produced using additive manufacturing, where a 3D printer is used to print the gripper fingers in the desired material. The price of the fingers therefore depends on the material used and the volume of the gripper fingers. The smaller the fingers, the lower the price.
To reduce the load on the Tool-Centre-Point, gripper fingers made of aluminium and stainless steel are fitted by SCHUNK with a hollow structure or grid structure as standard. This method results in a weight saving of 10 to 50 per cent compared to conventionally produced gripper fingers of the same material. This weight saving is especially noticeable with stainless steel fingers, SCHUNK states. In a comment to Maakindustrie.nl, the company indicates that the use of a hollow structure or grid structure has no impact on the strength and/or lifetime of the fingers. This is because the final fingers are designed specifically for the workpiece for which the gripper fingers will be used.
Modify existing designs
Designed gripper fingers can be saved in the online account that users create for the SCHUNK eGRIP tool and thus do not have to be ordered directly. The design can later be modified at any time and, in addition, can be forwarded via e-mail to the purchasing department, for example. If the gripper fingers are used for a newly built plant, it is possible to download an STL file with the outer contours of the gripper, attachment claw and workpiece. This allows this data to be used for the design of the installation, while the gripper fingers are simultaneously produced by SCHUNK. Anyone wishing to reorder previously ordered gripper fingers can re-order them or modify them as required.
The eGRIP fingers can be made for different gripper fingers from SCHUNK. These include the:
- SCHUNK pneumatic gripper PGN-plus type 40 - 125,
- pneumatic SCHUNK gripper MPG-plus type 20 - 64,
- SCHUNK electric gripper EGP type 25, 40 and 50
Free pair of gripper fingers
Interested parties can temporarily request a free pair of gripper fingers using a personal code. This code can be requested from your SCHUNK adviser or by sending an e-mail to marketing@nl.schunk.com. The promotion runs until 30 June 2017. SCHUNK's eGRIP tool can be found at www.egrip.schunk.com.
By: Wouter Hoeffnagel
