Lightweight and Strong Vacuum Grippers for Production Line Robots

Lightweight and Strong Vacuum Grippers for Production Line Robots

Harvestance is a design and engineering company providing 3D printing design solutions (DfAM) and services across various industries, including automotive and food technology. The company has received significant demand for customized, lightweight, and strong grippers for collaborative robots.

Traditional aluminum grippers are heavy, limiting the robots’ carrying capacity and consuming more energy. The variability in worksite conditions necessitates customization. However, the high cost and long duration of traditional manufacturing methods make these customizations challenging. Additionally, pneumatic grippers require numerous vacuum tubes, which can hinder the robot’s movement.

Harvestance CEO Seungjae Leem states that they have overcome these issues using Markforged’s composite 3D printing technology. To create a lightweight design, they integrated the vacuum channels directly into the gripper body, eliminating the need for external tubes. This approach improved quality while reducing time and costs.

Material selection for the grippers is crucial. Leem and his team tested various 3D printing technologies, finding that only Markforged’s Onyx and Carbon Fiber Reinforcement met the required durability standards. Additionally, Markforged’s superior surface quality eliminated the need for post-processing steps necessary with other printers, allowing parts to be used immediately after printing.

Harvestance continues to develop lightweight, strong, and affordable grippers. By offering services tailored to individual customer needs, they aim to quickly supply customized parts for each client’s conditions. To this end, they have developed an algorithm that designs customized grippers automatically and are establishing an online platform where customers can design and order these grippers. This platform will expand to include products such as finger grippers and gripper tips.

Using the Markforged Digital Forge platform, Harvestance plans to automate the production of parts ordered through online 3D printing services. With this innovative approach, they aim to enhance customer satisfaction by leveraging the flexibility and speed offered by 3D printing.