IO-Link is an alternative to the simple plug-and-play and more intelligent servo grippers offered by Gimatic. Of course, these still have their raison d'être. The standard plug-and-play grippers can be controlled via an integrated embedded drive with just one digital signal, which is generated by a PLC or control unit. In some applications, however, customers want full control of the gripper instead of a simple open or close command: They want to control the speed, the positioning of the jaws, the gripping force and sometimes a combination of these.

The main feature of the new servo grippers is the direct access to the built-in servo motor with encoder signals; this means that the customer is free to program and can also use free controllers on the robot. If, for example, a six-axis robot is in use that has an additional servo controller free in the control system, a seventh axis is created, so to speak, which now becomes useful: Even before the robot has reached its position with the gripped workpiece, it already starts to move the gripper fingers because it "knows" that it is about to arrive.

MPLF is the family name of the new servo gripper series, which is based on brushless flat motors. They are directly connected to the jaws via a gearbox and can move them in a self-centring manner. Gimatic is developing three sizes MPLF1630, MPLF2550 and MPLF3260 as well as a special kit for GMP applications.

The IO-Link function makes it easier to install and configure the devices. Diagnostic data can be queried and it is easier to replace the grippers: the new gripper is automatically regarded as the old gripper and configured as such.

In the future, Gimatic intends to equip the IO-Link grippers with additional features for positioning, resulting in an even more flexible device with all the advantages of a plug-and-play solution. Other products that can be improved in a similar way include sensors and sensor boxes, which are typically used in the EOAT (End of the Arm Tool) solutions.

To make IO-Link communication possible for its products, Gimatic has developed the IOL box: it behaves like a gateway and translates a proprietary protocol that works on the gripper side into the IO-Link communication protocol. Several grippers can be connected to one and the same box in a bus-like architecture. pb