This paper describes guidelines for the design of grippers for use in modular manufacturing workcells. Gripper design is an important and often overlooked aspect of the design of a complete assembly system. Here we present guidelines which can be applied to a wide variety of grippers and are divided into two major categories: Those that improve system throughput and those that increase system reliability. Designs of several grippers, currently being used in a modular manufacturing workcell, are presented as examples of the application of the guidelines to real world problems.
Greg C. Causey, Roger D. Quinn