Effectors

Mechatronic gripper offers power and intelligence

Mechatronic gripper offers power and intelligence

The Schunk EGL 70 mechatronic parallel gripper combines power and intelligence: with variable gripping force between 50 and 600N, the company says it is one of the most powerful and flexible mechatronic grippers on the market and was specifically developed for industrial applications. Since the finger position, closing speed, and gripping force are freely programmable […]

By December 22, 2014 Read More →
Robot gripping strategies and selection process

Robot gripping strategies and selection process

Robotiq has published a blog post ‘End Effector Gripping Strategies’ that presents numerous strategies that the company’s engineers have seen, and how a gripper can be best used in different applications. The blog post is supplemented with a 12-page downloadable eBook, ‘How to choose the right end effector for your application’. In particular, the blog […]

By December 3, 2014 Read More →
Food industry robot uptake is accelerating

Food industry robot uptake is accelerating

Although way behind the rest of the EU and US markets in terms of sales, the UK food industry has taken a sudden interest in food industry robot technology over the last 12 months, writes John Rainer, regional sales manager for Fanuc UK (pictured left). We predict that food industry robot sales to this sector […]

By November 3, 2014 Read More →
Robot gripper based on the human hand

Robot gripper based on the human hand

A new design of robot gripper was one of the highlights of the Festo stand at this year’s PPMA show. The MultiChoiceGripper is a flexible gripping concept that offers variable gripping based on the human hand. Pictured: Festo’s MultiChoiceGripper robot gripper picks up a ball using the centric grip. The form-fitting Fin Ray fingers on […]

By October 8, 2014 Read More →
Robot gripper for a wide range of different objects

Robot gripper for a wide range of different objects

Robot gripper systems come in many forms, but Empire Robotics has a whole new take on it with its Versaball. This agile robot gripper can hold a wide range of different object shapes, providing different grip dynamics and grip strengths. The operating principle of the Versaball robot gripper is to leverage the phase transition of […]

By October 8, 2014 Read More →
Robot palletising and depalletising for packaging lines

Robot palletising and depalletising for packaging lines

Specially designed to solve even the most complex palletising and depalletising challenges reliably and efficiently, the robotpac from Beumer Group is a space-saving, fully articulated palletising robot. It is able to stack bundles such as bags, cardboard boxes, canisters and trays safely and economically. Beumer Group is single-source provider for filling, palletising and packaging technologies. Over […]

By August 12, 2014 Read More →
Industry 4.0; job creation; food manufacture; and grippers

Industry 4.0; job creation; food manufacture; and grippers

This month we look at the issue of programming robots within an Industry 4.0 environment, we highlight a new report that suggests robots are helping to create jobs in the electronics industry, we look at how robots are driving down costs in food manufacturing, and we look at a new, flexible gripping concept. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/161810637″ […]

By August 5, 2014 Read More →
FANUC food packing and palletising robots at PPMA

FANUC food packing and palletising robots at PPMA

If you want to see the latest in robotics technology for food packing and palletising applications at this year’s PPMA show, then visit the FANUC stand (C50) in Hall 5. Showcasing five different food handling robots, FANUC will present its biggest selection ever at a PPMA show this year. IP67 and IP69K certified robots will […]

By July 15, 2014 Read More →
Festo highlights flexible, adaptive gripping concept

Festo highlights flexible, adaptive gripping concept

The natural world often shows how maximum performance can be achieved with minimum energy consumption in a wide variety of ways. By transferring these principles to the development of new technological methods and innovative processes, engineers can better understand how automation systems can be more efficient. Festo says its advanced handling and kinematic robot systems […]

By July 8, 2014 Read More →
Driving down costs in the food manufacturing sector

Driving down costs in the food manufacturing sector

With efficiency high on every food manufacturer’s agenda, automation integrator Pacepacker Services hosted an educational workshop to highlight solutions for driving down manufacturing costs. The workshop showed visitors how automation can improve energy efficiency, including novel options for food manufacturers with tighter budgets. Leading food manufacturers and retailers, including Frederick Hiam, Huntapac Produce, Bakkavor and […]

By July 3, 2014 Read More →