Robot Pick & Place

3D sensors for flexible automation of robot grippers

• Position indication of moved objects
• Various shapes can be detected
• Several object positions can be read simultaneously
• For industrial robots and lightweight collaborative robots
• Suitable for hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical grippers

Gripper navigation
The 3D sensor detects the object position, even when objects are moving, and transmits it to the robot control, which controls the gripper. The system can detect rectangular, round and irregular shapes and transmit not only the position of their centre of gravity, but also their number and dimensions to the controller. Typical objects are boxes, cardboard packages, buckets, kegs, cans, bags, wheels or luggage. Automated gripper systems increase the productivity of many applications, as they carry out monotonous manufacturing steps more quickly and evenly than a human. In addition, monotonous movements with heavy objects are bad for workers’ health and lead to frequent absences. When robots take over heavy physical work, this increases machine uptime and releases human workers for tasks for which they are better suited.

The benefit

• Automated gripper systems increase the productivity of many applications, as they carry out monotonous manufacturing steps more quickly and evenly than a human.
• Highlight: Time and cost reduction during installation thanks to automatic adjustment of coordinate systems of handling robots and 3D sensor.
• Optimisation of logistic processes due to a material flow that does not depend on manpower or shift organisation.
• Integration in automation systems via digital I/Os or Ethernet process interface. (e.g.: error warning: no object found)
• Besides the data for robot control, the Ethernet process interface provides information for the material and warehouse management software.

Whether heavy cardboard or other boxes filled with packaging material that are sporadically transported to packaging plants or in mixing plants for construction materials, flower soil or fertiliser where raw materials are often shipped in sacks and also packed again in sacks, often cause physically strenuous activities that can be automated thanks to the 3D sensor and a handling robot.