robot end-effectors

Universal Robots USA Inc.

August 15, 2022

Universal Robots aims to empower change in the way work is done using its leading-edge robotics platform.

SCHUNK Opens Collaborative Workspace

November 19, 2021

MORRISVILLE, NC—SCHUNK has opened a new workspace for customer collaboration at its U.S. headquarters here.

Novanta Acquires SEM and ATI

September 2, 2021

BEDFORD, MA—Novanta Inc., a manufacturer of drives, motors, encoders and actuators, has acquired Schneider Electric Motion USA Inc. (SEM) and ATI Industrial Automation Inc. (ATI).

Five Things: Robot End-Effectors

May 6, 2021

MyAppCafé is a fully automated robotic barista. The machine is the brainchild of caterer and entrepreneur Michael Stille of Karlsruhe, Germany, who envisioned a fully automated system for vending coffee at catered events and trade shows.

Flexible Robotic End Effectors for Redeploying Robots

December 8, 2020

Before cobots and other fast-deployable robots, many automated manufacturing cells incorporated only fixed or dedicated tooling rather than solutions that allow for changes or updates. An advantage of fixed automation is that it allows for reliable and high throughput, but it also tends to be custom engineered towards a specific process.

What’s New With Robot End-Effectors

Equipment suppliers, and integrators, increasingly offer smart end-effectors for cobots, multi-part handling and IIOT applications

Jim Camillo

December 3, 2019

Noted horror writer Clive Barker once claimed that nothing ever truly begins or ends; rather, current things are just continuations of past things, and future things are continuations of present ones. Although interesting, this notion doesn't work well in the world of manufacturing.

Maximize the Benefits of Custom Automated Material Handling Systems

Open communication and strict adherence to satisfying the needs of the application are the keys to creating custom automation systems

Gary Michels

October 7, 2019

The lives of manufacturers would be so much easier if all their automation processes were homogeneous. Unfortunately, there are many that require customization to satisfy the unique requirements of an automated work-holding or material-handling application.

Grippers for Large Parts

Bulkier payloads are spurring demand for heavy-duty grippers.

Austin Weber

December 11, 2018

Today, robots are capable of handling much larger and heavier payloads than in the past. Those applications require robust grippers that are up to the task.

Grippers for Small Parts

Grabbing, moving and placing tiny parts is no problem—with the right gripper or cup.

Jim Camillo

December 8, 2017

For manufacturers, the product-miniaturization trend is kind of a Catch-22. They know that serving a large and ever-expanding marketplace ensures company growth—so long as their robots can precisely place ever-smaller parts into subassemblies, final assemblies or packaging. Specially designed small grippers and vacuum cups have enabled many manufacturers to achieve both goals.

Vacuum Grippers Reliably Handle Parts

Suction cups, modular interfaces and specialty grippers reliably handle parts of all shapes and sizes

Jim Camillo

December 1, 2016

Among Forrest Gump’s greatest life lessons was the insight that you could never be certain what you would find inside a box of chocolates. Although Gump never actually clarified what that uncertainty is, it’s generally assumed he was referring to the various types of fillings hidden in chocolate candies.