Gripping technology specialist Schunk has announced the introduction of the BSWS-R jaw quick-change system, which it says enables robots to change their gripper fingers automatically during ongoing processes in less than three seconds. The system consists of just a few components and is compatible with all grippers with PGN-plus-P screw connection diagram.
In many industries, production is increasingly moving towards high mix, low volume. It is becoming a major advantage for companies to be able to produce a wide range of variants, even in the smallest batch sizes, without needing any manual set-up work. This is now made possible by the BSWS-R jaw quick-change system.
Easy application
Up to now, automated changing has only been possible by replacing the entire gripper. The new system accomplishes this task with minimal use of components: all that is needed for each gripper finger is a jaw quick-change base, two adapter pins and a storage station. The base is screwed to the workpiece-specific gripper finger and the adapter pins are attached to the base jaw of the gripper. When the base moves into the storage station, the locking pin is actuated, and the form-fit locking mechanism is unlocked. The robot moves upwards out of the jaw quick-change system, and the fingers and the base remain in the storage station. No additional effort is required as the robot performs the change with its own force. The new system design eliminates the need to drill through the finger, and only threaded holes are required. This gives users even more freedom when designing their fingers.
The new system is available in nine sizes. In smaller versions up to size 100, the storage stations are designed with elastomer bearings and makes them ideal for applications with cobots. For even greater process reliability, an optional inductive proximity switch is available to control whether the finger is in the storage station. The base is also prepared for installation of an RFID data carrier for finger coding.
