Web Tool Creates 3D Gripper Jaws at Push of a Button

22 November 2014

SCHUNK eGrip is the world’s first fully automatic 3D design tool for additively manufactured gripper fingers. SCHUNK eGrip needs only minimal data for the fully automatic calculation of the optimal 3D contour, pricing and delivery schedule. The license-free, browser-based web tool from the competence leader for clamping tech-nology and gripping systems, reduces the design and ordering time for customized gripper fingers to only 15 minutes.

With the intelligent software that is available around the clock and doesn’t require a separate CAD program, the user has to upload the workpiece or component as a STEP or STL file. The next process is to enter additional specific information such as the weight, installation position of the gripper and finger length. In a few seconds, the user receives a detailed offer containing the 3D contour, the delivery time and the price. SCHUNK eGrip can quickly calculate even complex geometries. Users can either order the top jaws right away or save the offer and retrieve it later. In addition, the outer contour of the generated assemblies that consists of the gripper, top jaws and workpiece, can be downloaded in STL format for immediate use in the system design.

Enormous time and cost advantage

The affordable additively manufactured SCHUNK top jaws can be quickly manufac-tured and are made of lightweight, wear-resistant polyamide 12, in either white or black. For use in pharmaceutical and medical applications, top jaws are also avail-able in FDA-approved polyamide 12. Since polyamide is resistant to chemicals and suitable for use with foods, it can also be reliably used in connection with aggressive media. Due to their low weight, the top jaws are ideal for minimizing cycle times and power consumption of the corresponding systems. They can also be used with smaller robots or handling systems. In combination with the SCHUNK BSWS quick-change jaw system, grippers can be re-equipped for a new spectrum of parts within seconds. In the first phase, SCHUNK eGrip top jaws are available for SCHUNK universal grippers PGN-plus 40 to 125 and for SCHUNK small component grippers MPG-plus 20 to 64.