Rapidly changing production processes, the drive for continuous productivity growth, as well as the large variability of the product mix make companies more and more invest in the automation of production and the introduction of effective and reliable solutions.
In the production automation process, robots and manipulators are beginning to play an increasingly important role. However, in order for the robot to perform its task as efficiently as possible, it is often necessary to equip it with appropriate rotary modules or grippers.
Firma WObit proposes a series of components from the German Zimmer group, which distinguish themselves with their compactness and modular design, allowing them to create solutions tailored to the requirements of the given application.
DesignTo the necessary parts of the manipulator, you can certainly include grippers.They have a diverse construction, thanks to which they can perform various tasks such as moving parts, assembling, testing, sorting or palletizing. Grippers are built from the power unit, the power transmission part and the gripper grips. In terms of the executive system, grippers in WObit's offer can be divided into two-necked, triple and multi-grip grippers, as well as rotary grippers. |  |
Assembly and extension
Normally, the grippers have incomplete gripping grips and depending on the user's needs, the user selects the appropriate caps by himself or performs them in his own scope. All models in their body have prepared space for mounting non-contact position sensors. Thanks to this, it is possible to gripper status indication (open / closed).
Grippers are also adapted to be assembled from different sides, an additional ease is the possibility of feeding a medium (air or electrical connection) from several sides of the gripper body. The offer includes grippers with drive pneumatic , electric , and more recently also 5000 series , which has both pneumatic and electric drive, making it the first universal grapple.
Features
The new series of grippers uses very durable, precision prismatic guides made entirely of steel. Thanks to the steel guides, the defects of the steel-aluminum guides that are prone to overload have been eliminated. As a result, the 5000 series surpasses other manufacturers' grips in terms of strength, resistance to bending and wear. The system is corrosion-resistant and also has a factory DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coating that reduces friction coefficient, and wear and loss of precision are undetectable even after 30 million cycles. As a result, the grippers lose very little energy for friction and are similarly more energy efficient.
As a standard, the 5000 Series gripper models have IP64 protection. Through the use of additional protection, this footing can be raised to IP67, which allows the use of grippers even in adverse conditions, including contact with corrosive and abrasive materials encountered in the treatment and grinding of materials.
 | The new grippers are equipped with an advanced control module (ACM) that activates a powerful brushless motor, giving the gripper its extraordinary grip strength and speed. Thanks to the module, the necessity to use position sensors and additional conductors has been eliminated. The GEP5000 and GPP5000 series has a clearly organized operator panel on the casing that allows direct adjustment of the gripping force and dynamics of the gripper, and LED controllers provide information on all main functions and settings. They show, among others direction of action (closed / open) and a five-point scale of force (every 20%). |
Connection is as easy as operation. The grippers are connected to the controller and 24 V power supply via one standard cable. It is worth emphasizing that the grippers are characterized by a particularly high exchange rate of up to 0.05 mm. Thanks to this, after replacing the gripper, you can continue to work without reprogramming. In addition, the hole layout has been designed to allow compatibility with other products available on the market.
If it is necessary to manipulate the element in space without using the robot's rotation axis, in addition to the previously mentioned rotary grippers, you can use rotary modules. They allow precise positioning of the element. Modules can be equipped with hydraulic absorbers that further increase the accuracy and speed of work. They are often used in positioners, where you have to retrieve, rotate an element and put it on a different line, or elsewhere in the right position.
Tool exchange systemIn order to make the production processes flexible and eliminate the downtime needed to replace the tools, tool change systems are used. WObit offers pneumatic and manual exchange systems for tools or grippers. In pneumatic models, a blockade is implemented by means of a double acting pneumatic actuator, whereby the integrated sprinkler provides blocking force in the event of a drop in pressure. They are characterized by a compact construction, which allows the designer to reduce the weight and length of the robot arm. In the hand-held heat exchangers, the lock lever is equipped with a hydraulically assisted snap-in function and is positioned completely inside the compact housing. The hand-held heat exchangers reduce costs, ensure high accuracy, repeatability and process safety. |  |
Accessories
The manipulating machine is also worth equipping with rotary distributors. They prevent the twisting of cable bundles and tubing. Thanks to their functionality and compact design, these elements are often used in rotary tables.
Another important component implemented in the keypads are compensating elements, which enable alignment of axes and compensation of errors in the range of rectilinearities caused, among others, by by heavy loads.
All products of the Zimmer group are characterized by a compact design, modularity and exchangeability, thanks to which it is possible to reduce the weight on the robot's arm, minimize the size of the entire structure, as well as optimal use of the allowable load moment. Their application allows for quicker implementation of tasks and easy adjustment of changes in the production process, in which industrial manipulators or positioners are used.
To get more information about grippers, as well as about industrial robots manufactured by WObit, please visit www.wobit.com.pl .
