Full Name: Piezo Gripper
Team: Parker
Status: Ready to fill demanding light-touch gripping roles
Debut: January 2015
Field Position: Robotic applications manipulating delicate discrete items safely
Skill Set: Gentle handling of small-scale discrete and fragile items
Performance Stats:
• Piezo technology is rugged, offering a lifespan of up to 500,000,000 cycles, compared to others rated at 5,000,000 cycles
• Maximum gripping force is 1.235 Newtons, and because the power source is electromechanical rather than pneumatic, the added expense of compressed air is avoided
• Device is particularly suitable for processes that are neither nano nor macro, but somewhere in between
Regulatory Profile: Appropriate for cGMP applications in association with product handling in aseptic environments
Coach’s Notes: “The principal behind piezoelectric technology, which measures changes in pressure, acceleration, strain or force and converts them to an electrical charge suitable for the safe handling of products of any size, configuration or delicacy. Piezo is Greek for '”press” or “squeeze.” With the appropriate combination of proximity, position and distance sensors, a piezo-equipped robot can be suited to a wide variety of material handling applications."
Scout’s Notes: "In the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, human contact with products in production is to be avoided for both safety and security reasons. Piezo gripper technology can be used to handle delicate vials containing expensive and climate sensitive products. Even expensive reagents consumed in the biosciences industry can be transferred from production to packaging without danger to the product or to those who would handle it."
Team Resources: A division of Parker Hannifin Corporation's Automation Group since 1987, Electromechanical Automation is a pioneer, developer and manufacturer of full-spectrum computer-based motion controllers, servo/step motor drives, servo motors and human-machine interfaces, positioning systems, gearheads and gear motors. With annual sales exceeding $13 billion in fiscal year 2012, Parker Hannifin is the world’s leading diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems, providing precision-engineered solutions for a wide variety of mobile, industrial and aerospace markets. The company employs approximately 60,000 people in 48 countries around the world.
