Machine Tending with Universal Robots and Electric Gripper

Written by Guillaume Robert | Apr 12, 2013 1:51 PM

It is no longer a secret: automation processes are no longer reserved for big companies doing highly repetitive tasks. Automation is now also moving to the world of the SME, in domains such as stamping, metal fabrication, machining, assembling and all kinds of processes to provide good quality parts to the major players. But being a SME in this situation means:

Producing a wide variety of parts for different clients.
Doing small to medium runs of parts to supply customers throughout the year.
Doing a lot of changeovers to setup each run.
Not always have all the robotics expertise in-house to program those runs.
Being effective in the field by making the automation profitable (not losing the ROI gained by automation due to a programming phase that is too long)

In this context having flexible and easy to use technology is the sinew of war. But with the new, flexible and user-friendly robotic solutions that are available in the market today, this issue could be in part solved.

A FLEXIBLE SOLUTION FOR MACHINE TENDING

One of our integration partners - CELADA - has developed a flexible solution for machine tending by using Universal Robots and our 2-Finger Adaptive Robot Gripper. The following video shows the integration of these robotic tools to feed a CNC Machine and do pick and place with different parts.

ADVANTAGES OF USING ELECTRIC GRIPPER AND UNIVERSAL ROBOTS

DRIVEN BY THE SAME IDEAS

Both products are driven by the same ideas:

Make it easier for the end-user to set up runs.
Provide flexibility with a quick return on investment (ROI).
Provide tools that can be easily reprogrammable and reusable for other parts or processes.

TECHNICALLY A GOOD FIT

The technical fit of these two products is also very interesting.

Mechanical compatibility
Universal Robots have a payload of 5 or 10 kg. The 2-finger Adaptive Gripper whose weight is below 1 kg can lift up to 4 kg. The 3-finger Adaptive Gripper whose weight is around 2 kg can lift up to 10 kg in an encompassing grip. This size is also a good fit for a lot of material handling. Robotiq can also provide the adaptor plate to make it easy to attach our Grippers to Universal Robots.

Electrical and control compatibility
The Adaptive Gripper needs a 24 V power supply at 2 A. Although it is not possible to use the robot's internal wiring, this power requirement can easily be met by the Gripper controller box that fits within the Universal Robots' controller with an auxiliary power supply. The Gripper comes with a Modbus TCP communication interface, which makes it possible to map the necessary registers using Universal Robots' teach pendant. This interface allows access for control of the position, speed and force of the Gripper, as well as getting information back on part detection, Gripper motor current and finger position.

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