- The main body determines the load, radius and stroke, and the fixture directly determines whether the workpiece can be reliably grasped, whether it is scratched and deformed, and whether it can be accurately placed into the tooling.
- Each of the seven types of fixtures has its own boundaries:Clamp, hook, vacuum, sponge, inner support, lift, flip。
- Three steps to choose: first lookthe workpiece itself, look againcraft action, last looksite conditions。
- Workpieces that are rough, porous, breathable, oily, deformed or have a small contact surface are often not suitable for direct vacuum gripping.
In workstation handling equipment such as Pneumatic Industrial Manipulator, pneumatic balancing cranes, and vacuum suction cranes, the main body mainly determines the load capacity, operating radius, lifting stroke, and motion range, while the custom tooling directly determines whether the workpiece can be reliably grasped, whether it will be scratched, whether it will be deformed, and whether it can be accurately placed into the tooling or equipment. Therefore, the fixture must be selected individually based on the workpiece and action, not just the body parameters.
01Why does the Pneumatic Industrial Manipulator clamp need to be selected separately?
The same Pneumatic Industrial Manipulator is suitable for handling boxes, shells, and die-cast parts when equipped with a clamping fixture; equipped with a hook clamp, it is more suitable for workpieces with lifting holes or lifting lugs; equipped with a vacuum cup, it can be used for plates, cartons, and flat workpieces; equipped with an inner support clamp, it is suitable for workpieces with inner holes, rings, or cylindrical shapes. The fixture determines the contact mode and stress mode between the workpiece and the equipment, and is the key to handling stability.
02Introduction to common fixture forms
- Clamp type clamp: Suitable for workpieces with regular shapes and reliable clamping surfaces on both sides (auto parts, boxes, shells, die-casting parts). It needs to be confirmed whether the clamping force is allowed and whether the surface is afraid of pressure, scratches or easy deformation.
- Hook type tooling: Suitable for workpieces with built-in lifting holes, lifting lugs, hanging points or load-bearing holes. The structure is simple and easy to pick up and place. However, the strength, center of gravity and anti-falling of the lifting points must be confirmed. Ordinary holes cannot be used as load-bearing points.
- Vacuum Gripper: Suitable for plates, boxes, glass, metal plates, and plastic plates with smooth surfaces and good air tightness, often used with vacuum cranes; sensitive to surface conditions, holes, oil stains, dust, textures or deformations need to be confirmed.
- Sponge suction cup tooling: Suitable for workpieces (cartons, packages, some boards) whose surfaces are not completely flat, have slight texture or shape changes, and have good adaptability. However, breathability, dust and vacuum-gripping stability still need to be confirmed.
- Internal support tooling: Suitable for workpieces with inner holes, annular, cylindrical or stator types. The outer surface has little contact. It is necessary to pay attention to the inner wall strength, tightening stroke, release space and positioning accuracy.
- Lifting clamp: Suitable for workpieces with a supportable bottom and a surface that is not suitable for clamping or vacuum gripping. The risk of damage is low, but it must be anti-skid, anti-tipping and have a confirmed exit space.
- Flipping Tooling: Suitable for working conditions that require turning, reversing, tilting assembly or angle adjustment. It is usually combined with clamping, inner support, lifting or vacuum methods and equipped with a turning mechanism, focusing on evaluating the center of gravity, limit and operation logic.
03How to compare clamping, hook, vacuum, inner support and other solutions
The selection first depends on the workpiece itself: the weight determines the fixture load and body selection; the size affects the fixture frame and avoidance space; the shape determines whether it is clamped, supported, hung, adsorbed or lifted; the material and surface condition determine the contact method. Secondly, look at the process actions: when simply moving from the material frame to the tooling, the structure can be relatively straightforward. When it is necessary to flip, position, assemble, or extend into the equipment, you must consider the flipping mechanism, guide positioning, button logic, and equipment interference; for precision parts, spray parts, and electronic parts, you must also consider the fear of pressure, scratches, static electricity, or deformation. Look at the site conditions again: pneumatic clamps need a stable compressed-air supply, vacuum gripping needs a suitable vacuum source, and clamps with detection or interlocking must match buttons, safety logic and control methods. The final plan needs to be confirmed based on workpiece samples, on-site working conditions and the final technical plan.
04Which workpieces are not suitable for direct vacuum gripping
Vacuum cups are not everything. Workpieces with rough surfaces, porous, breathable, dusty, heavy oil stains, obvious deformations or too small contact surfaces may not be suitable for direct use of ordinary vacuum gripping; high-temperature workpieces also need to pay attention to the suction cup material, contact time and on-site safety. For cartons, insufficient cardboard strength, air permeability on the surface or collapse of the box will also affect stability. For workpieces with uneven surfaces such as die castings, blanks, and castings, clamping, inner supports, lifts, or composite clamping solutions may be needed instead of relying solely on vacuum suction cups.
05Fixture scheme comparison table
| Gripper Type | Suitable Workpieces | Main advantages | Precautions | Typical applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clamping fixture | Boxes, shells, die castings, regular shape workpieces | Intuitive clamping and wide application range | Confirm whether the workpiece is pressure-sensitive, scratch-sensitive, or deformation-prone | Auto parts handling, shell loading and unloading |
| Hook Tooling | Workpieces with lifting holes, lifting lugs or reliable hanging points | The structure is relatively simple and easy to take and place. | It is necessary to confirm the lifting point strength, center of gravity and drop-prevention | Lifting and transportation of motor components and machined parts |
| Vacuum Gripper | Plate or box with smooth surface and good air tightness | Soft contact, suitable for flat surface handling | Not suitable for obvious air leakage, oil stains, and rough surfaces | Board handling, carton handling, flat parts transfer |
| Sponge suction cup tooling | Slightly uneven, textured or packaging workpieces | Good adaptability to surfaces | Air permeability, dust and vacuum gripping stability need to be confirmed | Handling of cartons, packages and some boards |
| Internal-Expansion Gripper | Tubular, ring-shaped, workpieces with inner holes | Less contact with the outer surface and better positioning | Need to confirm the inner wall strength and release space | Motor stator handling and sleeve workpieces |
| Lifting fixture | The bottom can support and is not suitable for clamping or adsorbing workpieces. | Lower risk of surface damage | It needs to be anti-slip and anti-tipping, and confirm the exit path. | Assembly assistance, special-shaped parts transfer |
| Flipping Tooling | The workpiece needs to be turned over, reversed, and tilted to assemble the workpiece | Posture adjustment possible | Need to evaluate center of gravity, limit and button logic | Loading and unloading, turning assembly, production line handling |
06Fixture selection information collection form
| Confirm items | Customers need to provide information | Impact on tooling design |
|---|---|---|
| workpiece weight | Single piece weight and weight fluctuation range | Affects fixture load, manipulator load and safety margin |
| workpiece size | Length, width and height, appearance drawings, physical photos | Affects the fixture structure, opening size and avoidance space |
| Workpiece shape | Whether it is regular, whether there are holes, hanging points or clamping surfaces | Decide on clamp, hook, internal support, lift or vacuum options |
| workpiece material | Metal, plastic, carton, plate, casting, etc. | Affects contact materials, clamping force and protection methods |
| surface state | Whether it is flat, rough, oily, dusty, or holes | Affects whether it is suitable for vacuum cups or sponge suction cups |
| Workpiece characteristics | Are you afraid of pressure, scratches, easy deformation, and high temperatures? | Affects fixture contact methods and protective structures |
| craft action | Whether flipping, positioning, assembly, loading and unloading are required? | Affects flip mechanism, positioning structure and button logic |
| site conditions | compressed-air supply pressure, vacuum source, equipment boundaries, channels | Affects pneumatic circuit control, installation methods and safety logic |
| Operation mode | Personnel position, armrest direction, button habits | Affects operating armrests, ergonomics and ease of use |