The Festo HPSX gripper comes in different finger configurations and is available complete or as components. Source: Festo
Soft or compliant grippers allow robots to manipulate a wide range of objects. Festo Corp. this week introduced the HPSX gripper, which it described as a “hygienic soft gripper engineered to handle delicate, irregularly shaped, and hygienically sensitive products.”
“The design of this pneumatic gripper is a significant advancement over traditional, rigid gripping solutions and addresses long-standing challenges in automating tasks in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries, where product damage is a concern,” said the Esslingen, Germany-based company.
The Festo HPSX is superior to suction grippers because it can handle objects of varying size, shape, and orientation, said Michael Guelker, product manager for pneumatic actuators at Festo. Suction grippers need flat surfaces to be picked up, he told The Robot Report.
“HPSX is also easier to clean,” Guelker said. “Imagine trying to clean suction cups, the air lines, etc., when handling raw chicken breasts with direct vacuum grippers.”
“HPSX is also soft/flexible so that it does not damage or mark the objects,” he added. “Suction grippers are more likely to leave marks on the object.”
Festo designs HPSX for delicate, fast picking
The Festo HPSX has fingers produced from soft silicone-based material, making them suitable for moving items that are easily damaged. The company said it carefully chose the material’s consistency to be soft enough to prevent damage but firm enough to grasp objects and move with sufficient acceleration.
The Festo HPSX offers an ISO50-standard robotic interface. Source: Festo
Festo said its research and development team focused on refining the gripper’s shape, dimensions, and internal geometry to maximize gripping force and minimize air volume for faster picking. The HPSX can withstand acceleration up to 15 Gs while holding up to 1.1 lb. (0.5 kg).
The HPSX is available in three sizes — 1.6, 2.8, and 4 in. (40, 70, and 100 mm) — and in two-, three-, and four-finger designs.
Nine different forms widen its application range, noted Festo. HPSX features a universal ISO50 fitting for robotic end-of-arm tooling (EOAT).
The new gripper does not come with haptic sensing standard, but pressure sensors do indicate when the gripper fingers are open or closed, said Guelker. It may be possible by request, he noted.
In addition, the HPSX can perform multiple picks per second, according to the company, whose U.S. headquarters are in Islandia, N.Y.
Rugged fingers ready for industrial use
Festo said its “universal adaptive gripper” is corrosion-resistant and features a sanitary design that makes it easy to clean and maintain. The materials used are food-grade and metal-detectable.
The Festo HPSX, which is designed for affordability, can handle meat and eggs, said Guelker.
“Handling raw protein is one of the target applications, and we have worked with some pilot customers testing the HPSX performance with handling raw chicken and beef, for example,” he said. “The HPSX can handle any food product directly, due to the FDA-conforming, food-safe materials and the IP69k high-pressure wash-down capability to maintain cleanliness.”
Customers can replace the blue silicone membrane fingers when they wear out themselves without any tools, Guelker added. “Our testing showed an average life of 5 million cycles, where a cycle consists of picking up an object and placing it down,” he said.
Guelker did acknowledge some variables that can affect the soft grippers’ endurance:
- Very high or low temperature; the standard range is 0°C to +60°C (32°F to 140°F)
- Surface roughness or abrasiveness of the objects handled
- Acceleration — super fast speeds generate higher forces on the gripper, which could then wear out faster
HPSX gripper is suitable for multiple markets
Festo said the HPSX’s ability to handle a wide variety of shapes and sizes without a tool change is important for applications such as kitting in the cosmetics industry, where a single gripper may need to pick up multiple different products.
“Kitchen automation is another target application, using robots and automation products to automate certain functions within a restaurant or food preparation area,” said Guelker. “For example, we have conducted testing with customers for things like assembling/handling hamburgers, and assembling egg sandwiches, automated assembly of ‘build-your-own’ pizza kiosks, among others.”
He added that the gripper could be used in agriculture, where Festo and customers have tested it for applications such as harvesting mushrooms and picking strawberries.
The HPSX gripper can be used in agriculture and food preparation. Source: Festo
Festo offers a single point of contact, support
The HPSX works with Festo’s other components, such as controllers, valves, and pneumatic systems. The company asserted that this can reduce the time and effort required for installation and programming, as the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) does not have to worry about compatibility among products from different vendors.
Festo added that a single point of contact for all automation simplifies troubleshooting, maintenance, and support, helping OEMs, integrators and end users to reduce downtime and streamline their operations.
The ISO50 universal fitting makes HPSX accessible to a wide market, as Festo aims to compete with other gripper manufacturers by offering a flexible solution that can be easily attached to existing robotic arms.
“The standard HPSX can fulfill a majority of applications with the standard out-of-the-box product, and for unique applications, we can develop a customized version quickly and cost-effectively,” said Guelker.
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