Unit – 3

Manipulators, Actuators and End

Effectors

Prepared by
J.Sharmila Devi
Asst. Prof – Dept. of ICE
 Syllabus
UNIT III
MANIPULATORS, ACTUATORS AND GRIPPERS
• Construction of manipulators
– manipulator dynamics and force control
– electronic and pneumatic manipulator control circuits
• End effectors
– Various types of grippers
– Design considerations.

We will discuss second half first and then first Half

 End Effectors
• In robotics, an end effectors are the device
or tool that's connected to the end of a
robot arm end enables the robot arm to
perform specific task
• Usually end effectors are custom
engineered for a particular task
 Types of End Effectors
• There are wide segments of end effectors
required to perform the variety of
different work functions.
• The various types can be divided into
two major categories
– Grippers
– Tools
 Grippers
• They are the end effectors used to grasp
and hold objects.
• They are widely used in machine loading and
unloading
• There are various types of grippers based
on how they grasp the objects
– Mechanical Gripper
– Magnetic gripper
– Suction gripper or vacuum gripper
General classifications of gripper – No.
of Grippers
• Single gripper
– This will have only one grasping device attached
to the robot

• Double gripper
– This will have 2 grasping devices attached to
the robot
General classifications of gripper – gripping surface

• External Gripper
• Internal Gripper
Mechanical Grippers – basic definition
and operation
• A mechanical gripper is an end effectors that
uses mechanical fingers actuated by a
mechanism to grasp an object.
• Fingers are some times called as jaws.
 Constraining the part in the gripper
• Physical Constriction Method

• Friction between the fingers and workpart

– In this approach the fingers must apply a force
that id sufficient for friction to retain the part
against gravity, acceleration and any other forces
Friction between the fingers and
workpart
 Types of gripper mechanism
• Classification based on finger movement
– Pivoting Movement
• Linear actuation
• Gear and rack actuation
• Cam actuation
• Screw actuation
• Rope and pulley actuation
• miscellaneous
– Linear or translational movement
Pivoting Gripper Mechanisms –
Linear Actuations
Pivoting Gripper Mechanisms – Gear
and Rack method
Pivoting Gripper Mechanisms –
Cam Actuated Method
Pivoting Gripper Mechanisms –
screw Actuated Method
 Pivoting Gripper Mechanisms –
rope and pulley Actuated Method
 Other Types of Gripper
• In addition to mechanical gripper there are
variety of other devices that can be designed
to lift and hold the objects
– Vacuum cups
– Magnetic
– Adhesive
– Hooks scoops and other miscellaneous Devices
Vacuum Grippers
 Magnetic Gripper
• Suitable for handling ferrous materials
• Merits:
– Pick up time is very fast
– Variation in part size can be tolerated
– They have the ability to handle the metal parts with
holes
– Requires only one surface of gripping
• Demerits:
– Residual magnetism on work part
– Limited precision
– Slipping problem
 Adhesive Grippers
• Suitable for grasping fabrics and other
light weight objects
 Tools as End Effectors
• Spot welding tools
• Arc welding torch
• Spray painting nozzle
• Rotating spindle for
– Drilling
– Routing
– Brushing
– Grinding
• Liquid cement applicator for assembly
• Heating torches
• Water jet cutting tool
Spot welding
Arc welding
Spray painting
Drilling
Water jet cutting tool
Consideration in gripper selection and
design
• The gripper must have the ability to reach the surface of a
work part.
• The change in work part size must be accounted for
providing accurate positioning.
• During machining operations, there will be a change in the work
part size. As a result, the gripper must be designed to hold a work
part even when the size is varied.
• The gripper must not create any sort of distort and scratch in
the fragile work parts.
• The gripper must hold the larger area of a work part if it has
various dimensions, which will certainly
increase stability and control in positioning.
• The gripper can be designed with resilient pads to provide more
grasping contacts in the work part. The replaceable fingers can
also be employed for holding different work part sizes by
its interchangeability facility
 Check List of Factors in the
selection and design of grippers
 Check List of Factors in the
selection and design of grippers
Robot Kinematics and Dynamics
Representation of 3D object
Representing position only
Representation of Orientation
Introducing Frame
Frame Transformation – Translation
of frame
Frame Transformation – Rotation
of the frame
Frame – Translation and Rotation
Transformation Matrix
Typical homogeneous
Transformation Matrix
Determining 3x3 Rotational Matrix
Determining 3x3 Rotational Matrix
Determining 3x3 Rotational Matrix
 Repeating the Procedure to
determine rotation along x and y
Construction of manipulators
Manipulators – Links and Joints
Manipulator Dynamics
 Manipulator control
• Position Control
– Linear control of manipulator
• Open loop and closed loop control
• Trajectory following control
• Continuous and discrete control
– Non linear control of manipulator
• Adaptive control
• Lyapunov stability analysis
• Force control
– Pneumatic control
– Electronic control
 Pneumatic Force Control
Advantages Limitations
– High effectiveness • Relatively low accuracy
– High durability and reliability • Low loading
– Simple design
– High adaptability to harsh
• Processing required
environment before use
– Safety • Uneven moving speed
– Easy selection of speed and • Noise
pressure
– Environmental friendly
– Economical
 Components of Pneumatic Control
Circuits – 2 components
• Production and transportation of
compressed air
– Compressor

– Pressure Regulating Component

Components of Pneumatic Control Circuits – 2 components
• Consumption of compressed air
– Execution component
• Single acting Cylinder
• Double acting Cylinder
 Directional control valve

3/2 Directional control valve

2/2 Directional control valve

 Control Valve
• Non return Valves
• Flow Control Valves
• Shuttle Valves
Setting of circuit Diagram
 Few Basic Circuits
• Flow Amplification Circuit
 Few Basic Circuits
• Signal Inversion
 Few Basic Circuits
• Memory Function
 Single Acting Cylinder Control
• Direct and Speed Control
 Double Acting Cylinder
Direct control Single control
Pneumatic force control
 Electronic Force Control
• Merits
– Compact in size
– Consumes less power
– Faster response
– No noise as like in pneumatic systems
Characteristics of various control systems
 Force control components
• Generally force control and position control
is achieved by using Electric Motors
– DC Motors
• Working Principle
• Speed control methods
– Flux Control Method
– Armature Control Method
– Voltage Control Method
– AC Motors
– Stepper Motors
Electronic Force Control