The client, a truck manufacturer, faced challenges in handling heavy sheets of steel for bumper production. They needed an ergonomic and reliable gripper system to safely manage the steel sheets as they go through multiple stamping steps. Additionally, the system needed to accommodate varying bumper sizes and include safety features to protect against equipment failures.
To address these needs, GCI developed a custom gripper system with the following key features:
- Pivot Adjustment Mechanism: A manual thumb screw adjustment was incorporated to allow for easy resizing and adaptability to different bumper sizes during production.
- Dual Venturi Circuits for Safety: Two venturi circuits were included to ensure that if one suction cup fails, the other will maintain stability, preventing a complete loss of grip and ensuring safe operation.
- Telescoping Crossbar: The gripper includes a telescoping crossbar that adjusts the suction cup width, providing versatility for varying bumper sizes. This feature is complemented by coiled poly tubes to avoid kinks that would prevent air flow at different gripper lengths.
- External E-stop Integration: An E-stop button was integrated, linked to the client’s external assembly line system, ensuring that the operator would be near the safety feature in case of an emergency, providing an additional layer of safety to the manufacturing process.
- Long Reach: The carbon fiber tubes allow for a much lighter manipulator arm that is cable of reaching 16 feet. The lighter weight also improves the ergonomics of the process for the operator.
This custom-engineered industrial manipulator enables the client to achieve a safer and more ergonomically friendly bumper manufacturing process.
Project Details
Maximum Capacity:
250 lbs
