Unit 3:Robot End-effectors

Dr. Ashish Pawar

Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT-WPU, Pune Jan 27, 2025 1

Content:
• Types of end effectors

• Grippers and its types

• Process tools as end effector

• Gripper design and selection

• Remote Center Compliance Devices

• End effector interface

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Grippers/End Effectors

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Robot End-Effectors
• They include the tooling which attaches to the robot’s wrist and the
sensor systems which allow the robot to interact with its environment.
• The end effector represents the special tooling that permits the general-
purpose robot to perform a particular application.
• End effectors can be divided into two categories: grippers and tools.
• Grippers would be utilized to grasp an object, usually the workpart and
hold it during robot work cycle.
• There are a variety of holding methods that can be used in addition to
mechanical means of grasping the part between two or more fingers.
• These additional method include the use of suction cups, magnets, hooks
and scoops.
• A tool would be used as an end effector in applications where the robot is
required to perform some operation on the work part.
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Robot End-Effectors

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Types of Grippers
1.Mechanical grippers
2.Vacuum grippers or vacuum cups
3.Magnetic grippers
4.Adhesive or electrostatic grippers
5.Hooks, scoops, and other miscellaneous
devices

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Types of Grippers

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Types of Grippers
2. Internal vs External Grippers

Internal External
Gripper Gripper

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Types of Grippers

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Types of Grippers

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Classification of Grippers

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Types of Mechanical grippers
Mechanical grippers can also be classed according to the type of
kinematic device used to actuate finger movement:
1. Linkage actuation
2. Gear-and-rack actuation
3. Cam actuation
4. Screw actuation
5. Rope and pulley actuation
6. Miscellaneous

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Mechanical Grippers

Interchangeable Physical construction

fingers method

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Some possible linkages for Grippers

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Classification of Grippers

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Classification of Grippers

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Classification of Grippers

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Classification of Grippers
4. Gripper with Screw
actuation

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Classification of Grippers

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Classification of Grippers

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Classification of Grippers

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Classification of Grippers

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Classification of Grippers

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 Scoop
Hook
Grippers
Grippers

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Classification of Grippers

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Classification of Grippers

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TOOLS AS END EFFECTORS
1.Spot-welding tools
2. Arc-welding torch
3. Spray-painting nozzle
4. Rotating spindles for operations such as drilling, grinding, wire
brushing, routing etc
5. Liquid cement applicators for assembly
6. Heating torches
7. Water jet cutting tool

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Gripper selection
1. The part surface to be grasped must be reachable.
2. The size variation of the part must be accounted for, and how this
might influence the accuracy of locating part.
3. The gripper design must accommodate the change in size that
occurs between part loading and unloading.
4. Consideration must be given to the potential problem of scratching
and distorting the part during gripping, if the part is fragile or has
delicate surfaces.

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Gripper selection
5. If there is a choice between two different dimensions on a part, the
larger dimension should be selected for grasping. Holding the part by its
larger surface will provide better control and stability of the part in
positioning.
6. Gripper fingers can be designed to confirm to the part shape by
using resilient pads or self aligning fingers. Use of replaceable fingers
will allow for wear and also for interchangeability for different part
models.

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Difference between Gripper and Tool

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Difference between Gripper and Tool

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Gripper Design
The important factors that determine the required grasping force are:
1.The weight of the object. Consideration of whether the part can be
grasped consistently about its center of mass. If not, an analysis of the
possible moments from off-center grasping should be considered.
2. The speed and acceleration with which the robot arm moves and
their orientation.
3. Whether physical constriction or friction is used to hold the part.
4. Coefficient of friction between the object and the gripper fingers.

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Factors in the selection and design of Grippers

1. Part to be handled
 Weight of size of part
 Shape of object and changes in shape during processing
 Tolerance on the part size.
 Surface, condition, protection of delicate surfaces

2. Actuation method
 Mechanical grasping
 Vacuum cup, magnetic grasping
 Other methods-adhesive and scoopes etc

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Factors in the selection and design of Grippers
3. Power and signal transmission
 Pneumatic, electrical, hydraulic and mechanical

4. Gripper Force (mechanical Gripper)

 Weight of object
 Method of holding object
 Coefficient of friction between fingers and object
 Speed and acceleration during motion cycle.
5. Positioning Problem
 Length of fingers
 Inherent accuracy and repeatability of robot
 Tolerance on the part size

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Factors in the selection and design of Grippers
6. Service conditions
 Number of actuators during lifetime of gripper
 Replaceability of wear
 Components
 Maintenance and serviceability
7. Operating Environment
 Heat and temperature
 Humidity, moisture, dirt, chemicals etc
8. Temperature problems
 Heat shields
 Long fingers, forced cooling and use of heat-resistant materials.

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Factors in the selection and design of Grippers
9. Fabrication materials
 Strength, durability, rigidity, fatigue strength
 Cost and ease of fabrication
 Friction properties for finger surfaces
 Compatibility with operating environment
10. Other conditions
 Use of interchangeable fingers
 Use of design standards
 Lead time for design and fabrication
 Try-out of gripper in production

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Griper design Criteria
1.They must be strong and durable.

2.They must have light weight.

3. They must have dimensional stability and be able to hold the work piece
orientation under height gravitational forces.

4. They must have some built in compliance or automatic alignment

capability to accommodate positioning tolerances.

5. They must be fast acting.

6. They must be maintainable.

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Force Analysis of Gripper Mechanism
Force due to mass = m g = W (Newton) -------
(1)
Frictional Force f = μ N Pg ------------(2)
Where,
μ= Coefficient of friction
N= Number of fingers
Pg = Gripper force

Design Force Pd = n.W ---------(3)

n= Factor of safety
Equating equation (2) and (3)
---------(4)

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Force Analysis of Gripper Mechanism
If the gripper is accelerating or decelerating by
‘a;
---------(5)

‘a’ takes the positive sign when accelerating down and takes negative sign when
accelerating up.
The equation (5) can also be written as,
---------(6)

The factor Kf = a/g

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Linkage Analysis

---------(7)

(6) (7)

---------(8)

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Linkage Analysis

---------(9)

---------(10)

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End effector Interface

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Remote Center Compliance Devices

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END OF UNIT-III
THANK YOU . . .
Based on Locomotion:
• Cylindrical robots: The body of this type of robot is such that
the robotic arm can move up and down along a vertical
member, rotate about vertical axis and the arm can also
extend or contract.
• Spherical Robots: This type of robot works in a spherical
system. It can move in a bi-angular and single linear direction.

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Based on mobility level:
• Wheeled Robots and legged Robots: These type
of robots can move along the ground surface using wheels.
• Airborne Robots: These robots can fly through the air
• Aquatic Robots: These robots can work on or under water.

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