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An industrial helping hand A
t the beginning of the 1980s, Heinz-Dieter Schunk, the man- aging partner of SCHUNK & Co KG in Lauffen had a brilliant idea. Inspired by the merging boom in industrial robotics he noticed how bulky the individually developed grip- ping tools on the robots were. Due to the connected pneumatic lines, the modules sometimes had extremely disruptive contours. For him it was clear - in order to make robots and other handling systems more successful, grippers were required, which were more compact, lighter, precise, and if possible more cost efficient than any other solution which was available to date. In 1983 SCHUNK introduced the
world’s first standardised industrial gripper on the market. It was compara- bly light and had integrated air chan- nels. Graduated sizes enabled engineers to achieve particularly efficient solu- tions at that time. The ‘industrial hand’ from SCHUNK was the starting point for a 30 year story of success. SCHUNK grippers are known for precision, longevity and robustness. They are syn- onymous with process stability and effi- ciency in assembly and handling.
From simple to high-tech SCHUNK continually sets new stan- dards for grippers with its pioneering spirit. The patented multi-tooth guid- ance which SCHUNK introduced in 2000 is still considered today as a benchmark in gripping technology. Since it is used in modules such as the well known PGN-plus universal gripper, it is particularly compact, and is also fast and precise. A short time later in 2006, SCHUNK again performed pioneering work, and introduced a program for mobile grip- ping systems. In addition to mecha- tronic rotary units and efficient lightweight arms, it comprises the SCHUNK SDH dextrous hand, a sen- sitive three finger hand, and is suit- able for various gripping scenarios and for applications in the field of service robotics. The latest develop- ment of this business unit is a five finger hand - resembling in size, shape and mobility its human model. However, SCHUNK also paved the way for new types of grippers in the field of industrial robotics. In 2008, the market leader for gripping systems
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Right: SCHUNK’s five finger hand resembles its human model in size, shape, and mobility
Summary
combined three features - lightweight design, mechatronics and modularity to its LEG electric long-stroke gripper. In 2011, the company presented a range of electrically actuated modules to the market as part of their ‘Mechatronik3’ initiative - the electric EGP small parts gripper with the world’s most compact performance, the adaptable EGA long stroke gripper, and the intelligent and sensitive WSG parallel gripper. The latest generation gripper indi- cates the direction of this trend. Modern high-tech components allow a unique measure of flexibility in handling processes. With one single module, multiple gripping scenarios can be implemented. The powerful and sensi- tive modules can handle various com- ponents one after the other, and without any set-up time. At every grip the finger
Milestones of the SCHUNK grippers
1983: SCHUNK industrial hand - the first standardised industrial gripper 2000: PGN-plus - the first gripper with patented multi-tooth guidance 2006: SDH - three finger hand for service robotics 2008: LEG - a symbiosis of lightweight design, modularity and mechatronics 2010: MPG-plus - the most powerful miniature parallel gripper 2011: EGP - the most powerful electrically actuated small parts gripper 2012: Five finger hand - almost as talented as its human model 2013: CGH - the first standardised lightweight gripper with CFC housing
SEPTEMBER 2013 Automation
When you compare the modern SCHUNK grippers with the industrial hand of 1983, the enormous leap in gripping technology over the past 30 years is obvious. Simple, mechanical components have developed into intelligent, powerful, and highly effi- cient high-tech modules, which allow the users to implement flexible and closely integrated handling processes. With over 10,000 components SCHUNK offers the world’s largest stan- dard range of gripping modules. It com- prises grippers and rotary modules, linear axes, speedy pick and place units, mobile gripping systems, and compact robot accessories. Over the years, many connections with the SCHUNK clamp- ing technology program were formed, and the user benefits from the consider- able synergies between both business units when using SCHUNK modules.
SCHUNK Intec
www.gb.schunk.com T: 01908 611 127
In 1983 SCHUNK introduced the world’s first standardised industrial gripper. The ‘industrial hand’, as it was known, was the starting point for a fast development of gripping systems which still continues today
position and gripping force are individ- ually adjusted to the workpiece. The required sensor system, the con- trol and regulation technology, as well as a web browser for communication with the higher ranking system components are already integrated in the gripper. Via operable programming interfaces, the modules can be integrated, controlled and maintained, and no additional soft- ware has to be installed via the internet.
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