Pneumatic gripper
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A pneumatic gripper is a specific type of pneumatic actuator that typically involves either parallel or angular motion of surfaces, A.K.A. “tooling jaws or fingers” that will grip an object. When combined with other pneumatic, electric, or hydraulic components, the gripper can be used as part of a "pick and place" system that will allow a component to be picked up and placed somewhere else as part of a manufacturing system.
Some grippers act directly on the object they are gripping based on the force of the air pressure supplied to the gripper, while others will use a mechanism such as a gear or toggle to leverage the amount of force applied to the object being gripped. Grippers can also vary in terms of the opening size, the amount of force that can be applied, and the shape of the gripping surfaces—frequently called "tooling jaws or fingers". They can be used to pick up everything from very small items (a transistor or chip for a circuit board, for example) to very large items, such as an engine block for a car. Grippers are frequently added to industrial robots in order to allow the robot to interact with other objects.
Common industrial pneumatic components include:
- pneumatic direct operated solenoid valve
- pneumatic pilot operated solenoid valve
- pneumatic external piloted solenoid valve
- pneumatic manual valve
- pneumatic valve with air pilot actuator
- pneumatic filter
- pneumatic pressure regulator
- pneumatic lubricator
- pneumatic pressure switch
- pneumatic manual OSHA-type lock out and dump valve
- pneumatic solenoid dump valve
- pneumatic pressure vessel
- pneumatic rodless cylinder
- pneumatic gripper
- pneumatic rotary actuator
- pneumatic fitting
- pneumatic flow control
- pneumatic quick exhaust valve
- pneumatic pressure booster
- pneumatic polyurethane tubing
- pneumatic quick disconnectde:Pneumatik
es:Aire comprimido fr:Pneumatique he:פנאומטיקה nl:Pneumatiek pl:Pneumatyka pt:Pneumática sv:Pneumatik
Major Factors in Choosing a Pneumatic Gripper and Jaw Design:
(1)Part shape, orientation and dimensional variation: If the object has two opposing flat surfaces, then 2 jaw parallel gripper is desired since it can handle some dimensional variation. Jaws can also be designed to handle cylindrical objects with the 2 jaw concept. Keep in mind that a retention or encompassing grip requires much less force.
(2)Part Weight: Grip force must be adequate to secure the object while a desired operation is performed on the object. The type of jaw design must be part of the force requirement. Keep in mind that you should add a safety factor to the amount of force that you select and air pressure is a factor to keep in mind.
(3)Accessibility: This applies both to the work being performed on the object and the amount of room for the gripper jaws. If the work is to the exterior of the object then it may require an internal grip. Angular grippers are usually less expensive but require additional space for jaw movement.
(4)Environmental: Harsh environment or clean room applications require grippers designed for those purposes.
(5)Retention of the Object: When air pressure is lost, the gripper will relax its grip on the object and the object may be dropped. There are spring assist grippers designed for this type application.
