Abstract— The role of robot end-of-arm tooling has never been more important. With robot users demanding more versatility in their processes, manufacturers are under pressure to deliver flexible, intelligent End-Of-Arm Tooling (EOAT) that adds value to the overall system. From servo grippers and hybrid tooling, to advanced tool changers and control modules, today’s EOAT is not only easier to implement and easier to use, it’s down right smart. This paper describes about recent trends in robotic gripper and its applications. Application-specific grippers are bringing robotics within arm’s length of a broader audience, to new industries and small to midsized businesses that would have considered it out of reach just a year ago. A new breed of anthropomorphic end effector not only plays nice in the lab, it’s finding its way onto the shop floor. And a magnetic gripper that’s the polar opposite of anything on the market is attracting fans. Pick and place, weld, deburr, apply material, inspect and locate, load/unload—and do it all with one EOAT— robot users are throwing down the gauntlet, and manufacturers are raising their “hands” to the challenge.

Index Terms— EOAT, Servo gripper, Adaptive gripper, Flexible gripper

Cite: Nitin Chaudhari and Vilas B Shinde, " Recent Trends in Robotic End of ARM Tooling (Gripper)," International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 171-180, April 2014.