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In Focus - June 2013
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The SDH-2 combines the advantages of industrial grippers with those of the human hand
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03.06.2013 -
Versatile gripping systems are required for the automation of testing and assembly procedures, Kanban processes, and domestic activities. Innovative lightweight arms and gripping hands are paving the way for robots into the direct environment of people.
New technology can seem scary and complex at first. Many will remember when personal computers, digital cameras, and cell phones were first introduced to the market, and the fear people had of understanding how to use them.
Today however, all of these concerns seem to have evaporated: Even small children and technically inexperienced elderly people use laptops, cameras, and iPhones on a regular basis. A similar development is predicted by robotic experts for the field of service robotics. Instead of operating like industrial robots in clearly defined cells, service robots can move freely within areas, helping people with the most different of tasks. Complex technical interplay is required for this purpose. Laser measurement and image processing systems ensure contact-free perception of the environment. Angle, torque, and pressure sensors register forces, torques and pressures and, in this way, enable robots to move autonomously and accomplish force-fitting manipulation tasks.
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Completely different gripping variants are possible with the ingenious three-finger hand
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Modularity as a success factor
Since service robotic solutions are usually used for mobile applications, their components must be lightweight, save space, and be economic in terms of energy consumption. High demands are placed on the gripping systems used: The modules must be coordinated by means of mechatronic integration in order to create a coherent overall concept. It is ideal whenever modules with similar mechanical and electrical interfaces can be combined in different configurations to allow the implementation of a number of individual working areas, geometries and kinematics without driving costs through the roof. SCHUNK is a pioneer in this area and is the competence leader for clamping technology and gripping systems. Its range of modules for mechatronic gripping systems already includes numerous grippers and handling components which meet this demand. They can be used in industrial applications, as well as in measurement and testing applications or in assistance systems which help people in their everyday life.
The electrically driven, modularly designed gripping hand, SDH-2 from SCHUNK, is an example which demonstrates what is already possible today. It is the first industrial gripping hand with fingertip feel worldwide. The versatile module has seven independent degrees of freedom and can grip and position completely different objects without any conversion times. With its 24 volt DC power supply, it is suited ideally to mobile service robotic applications. The advantages of industrially used robot grippers were combined with the advantages of the human hand during the development phase. The SDH-2 has three identical, double-joint fingers. Two of these fingers can be turned 90 degrees in opposite direction at the wrist with coupled movement. As a result, the gripping hand is able to perform, among other things, the "three-finger centric", "two-finger parallel" and "cylindrical grip" industrial gripping operations as well as numerous other variations. The proximal joint module can create torques of up to 2.1 Nm and the distal joint module torques of up to 1.4 Nm, which almost corresponds to the values of the human hand.
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Tactile sensors enable a sensitive and, at the same time, secure grip.
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Sensitiveness due to tactile sensors
Six tactile sensor fields register the contact forces on the gripping surfaces in a space-saving manner. They allow the hand to identify completely different objects and also handle similar parts in a secure and sensitive manner. As a result, the hand is able to grip reactively, since sensors identify whether an object is being held optimally or whether the grip has to be corrected. Furthermore, it is able to position completely different objects in order to join them. The intelligence of the gripping module lies in the "wrist": The control strategy required for the particular gripping scenarios can be loaded into the memory of the hand's electronic control unit as a decentralized program module. The gripping hand also has a number of mechanical special features. For example, the connecting points and joints are statically and dynamically sealed and, in this way, protected against dust and moisture. To ensure a high degree of passive safety, the hand has no corners or sharp edges. Special rotary feed-throughs within the sealed fingers protect the entire cabling. The gripping speed and force can be programmed for specific tasks and processes so that gripping does not pose any danger. If a finger encounters an obstacle nevertheless, the drives in the hand detect the entailed increase in power consumption within a matter of milliseconds and the hand reacts accordingly.
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The LWA 4P is a powerful and ingenious helper for service robotics
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Agile arms
For coherent gripping concepts in the field of service robotics, the superordinate systems, such as gripping arms, must meet the particular requirements of the human-machine cooperation. SCHUNK has therefore standardized the Powerball Lightweight Arm LWA 4P, a compact helper for stationary and mobile applications, which enables particularly agile movements. Three "Powerball modules," which combine the movements of two axes, are the main elements of the lightweight arm. The entire control and regulation electronics are integrated in the joint drives. The position, speed, and torque can be flexibly regulated. There are no interfering and error-prone cables in the periphery, since all the supply lines for grippers and tools are laid in the interior. The integrated intelligence, universal communication interfaces, and cable technology for data transmission and power supply allow the arm to be integrated quickly and easily in existing control concepts. Furthermore, the controller has a complete CoDeSys PLC, which enables complex operations even without a system connection and can control the entire periphery if necessary. A manual operating unit with touch display can be used to teach or instruct the lightweight arm in a simple manner. A 24 V DC supply enables mobile operations as well as operations at alternating locations. Consistent lightweight design and torque motors of the latest generation lower the power consumption of the lightweight arm to an average of 80 W. With a weight of 12 kg, the LWA 4P can handle loads of up to 6 kg dynamically. The sophisticated design of the lightweight arm prevents risky crushing and shearing movements and therefore provides ideal prerequisites for application within the direct environment of people. To meet the special requirements of barrier-free human-machine working areas, the controller can be equipped with a special power limiter. It ensures that the maximum power consumption is limited to a specific level throughout the entire gripping process. People can share the working area with the lightweight arm if, depending on the applications and hazard analysis, a few simple and inexpensive pieces of protective equipment are added.
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06.2013
Almost as talented as a human hand
Versatile gripping systems are required for the automation of testing and assembly procedures, Kanban processes, and domestic activities. Innovative lightweight arms and gripping hands are paving the way for robots into the direct environment of people.
 more...
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05.2013
SCHUNK grippers are setting benchmarks in assembly and handling for over 30 years
In 1983, SCHUNK the competence leader for clamping technology and gripping systems introduced the world’s first standardized industrial gripper on the market. The "industrial hand," has been the former designation, and has been the starting point for a fast development of gripping systems which still continues today.
more...
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04.2013
Precision down to the smallest detail
Whether it comes to die construction, dental technology, medical equipment, or the watchmaking, jewelry, and optical industries - the number of high-precision applications for micro machining has risen enormously in recent years. Anyone who wants to take an efficient approach to delicate tools, high spindle speeds, and extreme requirements for precision need to have clamping systems that offer stable processes even at the margins.
more...
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03.2013
Life quality with more "grip"
Service robots are suitable for several fields of application. They can be used for defusing explosive devices, for milking cows, or for mopping floors. According to many experts in the field, they will be used in the professional area more and more frequently as an assisting robot for humans - for industrial applications as well as also for care and rehabilitation.
more...
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02.2013
Manual work - made by robots
Assembling, deburring, polishing - complex tasks can now be undertaken by robots, which traditionally were manually done in the past. In this connection, technologically advanced robot accessories play an important role.
more...
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01.2013
In the interplay between precision, flexibility and economy
Users who want to benefit from the possibilities of integrated CAD/CAM solutions, highly dynamic 5-axis machines, and efficient cutting material in the mold making industry, should also consider its toolholding systems, which have become to a decisive success factor, if the balancing act between precision, flexibility, and efficiency should succeed.
more...
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In Focus - 2013
In Focus - Archive 2012
In Focus - Archive 2011
In Focus - Archive 2010
In Focus - Archive 2009
In Focus - Archive 2008
In Focus - Archive 2007
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