Factors affecting robotic clamps

Sev­er­al char­ac­ter­is­tics affect clamp per­for­mance and pro­duc­tiv­i­ty. The real cost of clamps used in end-of-arm tool­ing is depen­dent on fac­tors that have a major effect on pro­duc­tion. While a clamp’s orig­i­nal price is impor­tant, oth­er vari­ables affect pro­duc­tion and reduce the cost of ownership.

First, the time of deliv­ery affects the cost of clamps. Deliv­ery times are essen­tial in any com­pa­ny since they are passed on to the company’s cus­tomers. If the com­pa­ny does not receive clamps in time for a project promised to a cus­tomer, the cus­tomer will be dis­sat­is­fied and will look for busi­ness else­where. Inven­to­ry lev­els are direct­ly relat­ed to deliv­ery time, and savvy com­pa­nies will ensure their stock is replaced in a time­ly manner.

Flex­i­bil­i­ty is the sec­ond fac­tor affect­ing clamps. Clamps should be easy to recon­fig­ure, so that a few stan­dard types can be used for a vari­ety of appli­ca­tions. Inter­change­able mounts help the clamp with flex­i­bil­i­ty; side or rear mount is stan­dard in most plants, and some clamps are designed to be changed from a side to a rear or vice ver­sa. Stan­dard jaw styles are also used often; if inter­change­able jaws are used, inven­to­ry can be kept low. Since tips need to be changed more fre­quent­ly than any oth­er part of a clamp, inter­change­able tips are cru­cial. The tip mount­ing design should be sim­ple in order to allow stan­dard or spe­cial­ty tips to be attached eas­i­ly. With an adjustable jaw open­ing, the stan­dard clamp can be adjust­ed to the type of open­ing the appli­ca­tion needs.

Clamp dura­bil­i­ty also has a big impact on cost. Com­pa­nies should invest in clamps that have hard­ened, adjustable impact plates to pro­tect the busi­ness end of a clamp from dam­age, as well as clamps with a hard­ened jaw mech­a­nism so the clamp’s per­for­mance doesn’t suf­fer. All com­po­nents should be com­pat­i­ble with die lubri­cants and oth­er flu­ids to avoid actu­a­tor prob­lems. Final­ly, since mounts are an inte­gral part of a clamp­ing sys­tem, they should be rugged with­out slip­ping or loosening.

Final­ly, a good-qual­i­ty clamp should deliv­er 5 mil­lion or more cycles with a con­stant grip force. The mounts should hold posi­tion with the fas­ten­ers remain­ing tight. Tips and mech­a­nisms don’t show wear, and lubri­ca­tion is not nec­es­sary in the cylin­der or jaw mechanism.

Deliv­ery, flex­i­bil­i­ty, dura­bil­i­ty, and a use­ful life are the four main fac­tors to con­sid­er when invest­ing in clamps. Robots​.com can help you choose the right clamp and parts to fit your indus­tri­al robot. Con­tact our rep­re­sen­ta­tives today online or at 877−762−6881 for more information.