The defining feature of electric grippers for manufacturing automation is control. Most electric grippers come with microprocessors that enable you to vary gripping force and speed. The addition of a force sensor enables electric grippers to easily handle different part types. On the other hand, while electric grippers are getting more powerful every year, in general they tend to provide less gripping force than pneumatic grippers and they also tend to be more expensive.

A note on gripper terminology

We've separated the gripper types above based on the methods used to power the gripper, but there are other ways to distinguish gripper types, such as by form, which results in terms like 'parallel gripper', 'soft gripper' and 'angular gripper.' You may also have encountered terms like 'adaptive gripper', 'mechanical gripper' and 'claw.' Don't worry about this extra terminology for now; it will be covered in the sections where we dive into more detail on different gripper types.

How to choose the right robotic gripper?

There are several factors to keep in mind when choosing a gripper, but the most important is to be led by the specific application you have in mind. Universal Robots makes this easy for you through the UR+ ecosystem, which provides a wide range of grippers specifically designed to handle the most common manufacturing tasks. Nevertheless, there are still some important questions to ask when selecting a gripper for your cobot:

Will the gripper be handling a single item or a mix?
What types of items –foodstuffs, electrical components, for example-- will be handled?
What shape are the items that you need the gripper to handle? (Flat, curved, irregular)
Will the gripper be deployed in a cleanroom environment?
Do you need data feedback from the gripper itself?
What certifications should the gripper come with (e.g. food safe, IP7 compatability and so on.) What payload will the gripper need?
Will the gripper need to operate in tight spaces?

What are the types of end effector?

The term 'end effector' (or 'End-of-arm Tooling' (EOAT)) is used to describe any device attached to the end of a robot arm. Grippers are one type of end effector, but there are many others. For example, a smart camera attached to the end of a robot arm could be used to help with inspection tasks. Or a welding tool end effector could be attached to a cobot and used to safely automate welding tasks.

Types of Grippers Used in Manufacturing | Universal Robots