New Scale Robotics, a new division of New Scale Technologies, Inc., has introduced an electric parallel gripper targeting precision assembly and inspection with collaborative robots.  The NSR-PG-10-20 Precision Parallel Gripper is a small, precise smart gripper available for collaborative robots, including the UR3, UR5 and UR10 robots from Universal Robots (UR).

At 175 grams, the NSR-PG-10-20 is one of the lightest and smallest electric parallel grippers available. The modular fingers can be modified to accept a variety of part shapes. Part size can be measured with 30 micrometer precision. The 20 mm stroke provides maximum flexibility. The gripper can handle workpieces up to a recommended maximum of 100 grams.

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The NSR-PG ships with factory fingers installed so users can get right to work. The fingers are interchangeable using the standard flange interface with a precision, pin-located finger reference mounting surface. Users can modify the standard fingers or create custom ones optimized to your parts. The gripper has speeds up to 20 mm/second and grip force up to 10 Newtons.

The fingers can be manually moved to the desired position and set using the teach pendant. This process is familiar to anyone who has used a UR robot in teach mode. Position is repeatable to 0.03 mm. Setting finger open and closed positions to match your workpiece lets you minimize the finger motion (stroke) for each operation, saving time and energy.

“We created this smart electric gripper specifically for agile automation with collaborative robots, using our extensive experience making small mechatronic motion systems,” says David Henderson, CEO of New Scale Technologies. The company has created a new division and website to better reach and serve industrial automation distributors and end users.

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New Scale Robotics creates agile gripper solutions that address the fast-growing collaborative robot market, and the need for rapid deployment and re-deployment with minimum engineering effort. The company emphasizes:

• Simple and complete gripper systems that can be installed and begin manipulating parts in a few minutes.
• Application software that is quickly and seamlessly “taught and re-taught” new gripper commands, and synchronizes with robot motion.
• Smart gripper designs that embed sensors and electronics to provide force control, size measurement, and error detection.
• Compact and easy-to-use systems that minimize cables, tubing and external electronics.

The NSR-PG-10-20 is available directly from New Scale Robotics at an introductory price of $3,600. New Scale Robotics says that it also plans to offer the gripper through collaborative robot distributors.