The Festo HPSX gripper is available in totally different finger configurations and is on the market full or as elements. Supply: Festo
Delicate or compliant grippers permit robots to control a variety of objects. Festo Corp. this week launched the HPSX gripper, which it described as a “hygienic comfortable gripper engineered to deal with delicate, irregularly formed, and hygienically delicate merchandise.”
“The design of this pneumatic gripper is a big development over conventional, inflexible gripping options and addresses long-standing challenges in automating duties within the meals, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries, the place product injury is a priority,” stated the Esslingen, Germany-based firm.
The Festo HPSX is superior to suction grippers as a result of it could possibly deal with objects of various dimension, form, and orientation, stated Michael Guelker, product supervisor for pneumatic actuators at Festo. Suction grippers want flat surfaces to be picked up, he informed The Robotic Report.
“HPSX can be simpler to scrub,” Guelker stated. “Think about attempting to scrub suction cups, the air strains, and many others., when dealing with uncooked rooster breasts with direct vacuum grippers.”
“HPSX can be comfortable/versatile in order that it doesn’t injury or mark the objects,” he added. “Suction grippers usually tend to depart marks on the item.”
Festo designs HPSX for delicate, quick choosing
The Festo HPSX has fingers produced from comfortable silicone-based materials, making them appropriate for shifting objects which can be simply broken. The corporate stated it fastidiously selected the fabric’s consistency to be comfortable sufficient to stop injury however agency sufficient to know objects and transfer with adequate acceleration.
The Festo HPSX gives an ISO50-standard robotic interface. Supply: Festo
Festo stated its analysis and improvement group targeted on refining the gripper’s form, dimensions, and inside geometry to maximise gripping pressure and decrease air quantity for quicker choosing. The HPSX can stand up to acceleration as much as 15 Gs whereas holding as much as 1.1 lb. (0.5 kg).
The HPSX is on the market in three sizes — 1.6, 2.8, and 4 in. (40, 70, and 100 mm) — and in two-, three-, and four-finger designs.
9 totally different types widen its software vary, famous Festo. HPSX includes a common ISO50 becoming for robotic end-of-arm tooling (EOAT).
The brand new gripper doesn’t include haptic sensing customary, however stress sensors do point out when the gripper fingers are open or closed, stated Guelker. It could be potential by request, he famous.
As well as, the HPSX can carry out a number of picks per second, in keeping with the corporate, whose U.S. headquarters are in Islandia, N.Y.
Rugged fingers prepared for industrial use
Festo stated its “common adaptive gripper” is corrosion-resistant and includes a sanitary design that makes it simple to scrub and keep. The supplies used are meals-grade and metal-detectable.
The Festo HPSX, which is designed for affordability, can deal with meat and eggs, stated Guelker.
“Dealing with uncooked protein is among the goal purposes, and we’ve labored with some pilot clients testing the HPSX efficiency with dealing with uncooked rooster and beef, for instance,” he stated. “The HPSX can deal with any meals product immediately, as a result of FDA-conforming, food-safe supplies and the IP69k high-pressure wash-down functionality to keep up cleanliness.”
Prospects can exchange the blue silicone membrane fingers after they put on out themselves with none instruments, Guelker added. “Our testing confirmed a mean lifetime of 5 million cycles, the place a cycle consists of choosing up an object and inserting it down,” he stated.
Guelker did acknowledge some variables that may have an effect on the comfortable grippers’ endurance:
- Very excessive or low temperature; the usual vary is 0°C to +60°C (32°F to 140°F)
- Floor roughness or abrasiveness of the objects dealt with
- Acceleration — tremendous quick speeds generate greater forces on the gripper, which might then put on out quicker
HPSX gripper is appropriate for a number of markets
Festo stated the HPSX’s means to deal with all kinds of sizes and styles and not using a device change is essential for purposes similar to kitting within the cosmetics trade, the place a single gripper may have to select up a number of totally different merchandise.
“Kitchen automation is one other goal software, utilizing robots and automation merchandise to automate sure capabilities inside a restaurant or meals preparation space,” stated Guelker. “For instance, we’ve performed testing with clients for issues like assembling/dealing with hamburgers, and assembling egg sandwiches, automated meeting of ‘build-your-own’ pizza kiosks, amongst others.”
He added that the gripper could possibly be utilized in agriculture, the place Festo and clients have examined it for purposes similar to harvesting mushrooms and choosing strawberries.
The HPSX gripper can be utilized in agriculture and meals preparation. Supply: Festo
Festo gives a single level of contact, help
The HPSX works with Festo’s different elements, similar to controllers, valves, and pneumatic techniques. The corporate asserted that this could scale back the effort and time required for set up and programming, as the unique tools producer (OEM) doesn’t have to fret about compatibility amongst merchandise from totally different distributors.
Festo added {that a} single level of contact for all automation simplifies troubleshooting, upkeep, and help, serving to OEMs, integrators and finish customers to cut back downtime and streamline their operations.
The ISO50 common becoming makes HPSX accessible to a large market, as Festo goals to compete with different gripper producers by providing a versatile resolution that may be simply hooked up to current robotic arms.
“The usual HPSX can fulfill a majority of purposes with the usual out-of-the-box product, and for distinctive purposes, we are able to develop a custom-made model shortly and cost-effectively,” stated Guelker.