Additively manufactured grippers for the automotive industry

An industrial gripper is the part of a robot that moves the elements that need to be handled in the production process. Robots are increasingly being used for tasks with low added value or repetitive tasks in production chains, which means that the demand for this technology is increasing every year as costs continue to fall.

According to Research and Markets, the market volume of robotics will amount to USD 7.7 billion in 2022, and annual growth of 7.2% is expected until 2030. (Source: https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5302362/industrial-robotic-arms-global-strategic). This growing demand means that applications are becoming increasingly diverse. From handling crates in the logistics industry to handling fragile or bulky items or in corrosive environments. Due to all these requirements, the cost of grippers is increasing depending on these factors. This is where additive manufacturing can be of great help to the sector.

3D printing of industrial grippers offers numerous advantages, such as the ability to produce customized parts, reduce costs and improve efficiency. In addition, additive manufacturing enables the production of high-quality parts with high precision and tolerance, as well as the ability to produce lightweight and durable parts.

The flexibility and speed in the production of grippers enables companies to adapt quickly to changing production processes and market requirements. In addition, thanks to existing 3D printing technologies such as PBF (Powder bed fusion), BJ (Binder jetting), FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication), SLA (Stereolithography), etc., it is possible to create part consolidations, single-component mechanisms, internal channels, multi-materials and infinite other features that only additive manufacturing and its design freedom can offer us.

Industrial grippers currently consist of moving elements and complex pneumatic or electrical systems or mechanisms. These perform a series of movements that are required for the desired application.

Unlike current complex grippers, this 3D printed gripper contains toroids (ring coil) that simulate "lungs" that perform the desired movement when air pressure is applied to grip a part. The desired movement is achieved by pneumatic pressure alone. This gripper has been tested with 500,000 cycles at 4 bar and thus validated for the automotive sector. According to 3DP Maven, it has the same technical capabilities and is also four times cheaper.

As it is a digital element that can be modified and reprinted, this gripper can be adapted to any shape, hardness and size. It is sufficient to change the design and release it for production. This is where the advantages of design for additive manufacturing (DfAM for short) lie.

In addition, there is a variety of design software available today that makes it possible to optimize the topology of the parts. If necessary, the weight of the gripper can be reduced to a minimum without compromising performance during operation.