Combined force and displacement measurement
In order to comply with the biomechanical limit values defined in ISO/TS 15066 despite the high gripping force, the gripper is equipped with combined force and displacement measurement: Force measuring jaws integrated into the base jaws and incremental encoders permanently monitor the respective gripping force and the position of the gripper fingers.

The gripping procedure on the gripper is in turn divided into several phases: The gripping force is limited to 30 Newtons up to a theoretical distance of four millimetres from the taught workpiece, which is significantly less than the thickness of a finger. If a collision occurs during this approach phase, for example with the operator's hand, the gripper immediately comes to a safe stop without the risk of injury.

Only in the second phase, i.e. when the workpiece distance is less than four millimetres, do the fingers close with a freely definable maximum force of up to 450 newtons. If the system detects yielding in this closing phase, for example because a workpiece is gripped that is too small and the operator is about to remove it by hand, this movement also stops automatically. The same applies if the expected workpiece dimensions are exceeded by two millimetres, for example because no part is present.

In the third phase, the gripper finally detects whether the part is securely gripped and activates the integrated gripping force retention by applying the brake. This means that the gripped part cannot be lost even in the event of an emergency stop. In addition, no re-referencing is required in the event of a power failure.

Plug & Work
The large lifting gripper is supplied completely pre-assembled and is available with the appropriate interfaces for HRC robots from Kuka, Yaskawa, Fanuc, Universal Robots and Nachi, among others, so that quick and easy commissioning via Plug & Work is possible. A commissioning wizard simplifies programming. In addition, a diagnostic interface enables access to the gripper's most important process and status data during operation. To make collaboration with the operator fluid and intuitive, the gripper is equipped with LED lighting in traffic light colors, which can be used to signal the current status of the module.

The intelligent Co-act EGL-C can be controlled and regulated via Profinet, Ethercat, EtherNet/IP, Modbus/TCP or TCP/IP. The complete control and power electronics are installed inside its housing to save space, so that it can be used decentrally and even mobile if required thanks to the 24 V DC operating voltage. Sturdy guides and a brushless servo motor ensure a high level of robustness and long-term reliable operation with minimal maintenance.

The gripper will be available from the end of 2019. The component should be certified by the DGUV for HRC applications by the time it is launched on the market. as