An Innovative, Fully 3D-Printed, Inherent Actuatorless, Concentric Gripper for Robotic Applications

Recent advances in 3D printing technology have made it possible to produce functional objects and structures applying a variety of 3D printing processes and materials. This opens up new possibilities for gripping technology, enabling the flexible design of grippers for specific tasks. In this contribution we present an innovative, fully 3D-printed concentric gripper for robotic applications. A special feature of the gripper is that it does not require an inherent actuator, since the rotary axis on the robot flange is employed for this purpose. The gripper’s central component is a 3D-printed torque sensor, fabricated employing a five-axis 3D printing system. The sensor enables the measurement of forces occurring during the gripping process. The gripper concept is validated in a series of experiments in which different objects are gripped. The sensor signals during the gripping process are analysed and the functionality and reproducibility are demonstrated.