Apparatuses including gripping mechanisms including extendable fingers and methods of manipulating items using the gripping mechanisms are described herein. An example apparatus may include a frame, a pair of carriages coupled to the frame and moveable by one or more drive units, a pair of fingers, and a set of linkages connecting the pair of fingers with the pair of carriages. The one or more drive units are operable to cause the fingers to move towards each other and to move away from each other.

A gripping device with linear actuation for a robotic arm for seizing and gripping Petri dishes and other light items. The gripping device has a support and first and second gripping arms slidably retained relative to the support by guide rods. A motorized drive mechanism actuates the gripping arms through an operating member that acts only on the first gripping arm. Through an interconnection mechanism, movement of the first gripping arm actuates a simultaneous and dependent opposite movement of the second gripping arm so that the gripping arms are movable between a slack position and a clamping position. The operating member acts on the first gripping arm through a resiliently compressible member, the distortion of which is measured to provide a clamping limitation mechanism.

Manufacturing of a shoe or a portion of a shoe is enhanced by executing various shoe-manufacturing processes in an automated manner. A material handling system suitable for use in an automated shoe-manufacturing process has a guide rail and first and second moveable holding elements, each of the holding elements having gripping elements for engaging a part or part stack during the manufacturing process.

Manufacturing of a shoe or a portion of a shoe is enhanced by executing various shoe-manufacturing processes in an automated manner. A material handling system suitable for use in an automated shoe-manufacturing process has a guide rail and first and second moveable holding elements, each of the holding elements having gripping elements for engaging a part or part stack during the manufacturing process.

An automatic coupling device comprising a first coupling body and a second coupling body respectively mountable on a first body, preferably a robotic arm, and on a second body, preferably a reservoir adapted to contain at least one sterile product to be transferred to a filling line, so as to form a kinematic coupling between the first body and the second body. The device further comprises constraining means activatable on respective constraining portions of the first coupling body and the second coupling body so as to reversibly constrain the first body and the second body. In particular, the first coupling body comprises locking means operatively connected to the second coupling body to prevent and/or permit a relative movement between the first coupling body and the second coupling body. Furthermore, the device comprises movement means configured to produce a relative movement between the first coupling body and the second coupling body and a control unit configured to activate and/or deactivate at least the movement means and/or the constraining means and/or locking means on the basis of at least one operating parameter of said device and/or on the basis of a preloaded logic.

The invention relates to a production system (1) comprising a bending tool (11), a tool store (12), a bending machine (4) and a manipulation device (13) which performs a travelling movement from a tool store position located in the region of the tool store (12) to a machine operating position located in the region of the bending machine (4). A first coupling element (18) is arranged on the manipulation device (13) and a second coupling element (19) is arranged on the bending machine (4). In the machine operating position, the two coupling elements (18, 19) are coupled together, through which the manipulation device (13) is fixed in position relative to the bending machine (4) and thus a reference position is set.

A gripper for industrial manipulators includes a body, jaws constrained to the body and activatable to hold and release a piece, an actuator of the jaws and a sensor configured to detect the presence of a piece between said jaws, is described. Advantageously, the sensor is not positioned between the jaws, in the space intended to accommodate the piece to be held, but is functionally interposed between the actuator and one of the jaws. A method for detecting the presence of a piece between the jaws of an industrial manipulator gripper includes providing a sensor usable to detect the position of a jaw with respect to the actuator of the gripper.

A gripper for industrial manipulators includes a body, inside which an electric motor is housed, and a turnable portion is constrained to the body. Jaws movable toward and away from each other to hold and release a piece are present on the turnable portion. The electric motor is intended for imparting rotations to the turnable portion while the piece is held between the jaws. A pneumatic actuator, for example a piston, controls the opening of the jaws to release the piece. The electric actuator and the pneumatic actuator remain separate and do not interact while the electric actuator is on. Vice-versa, the electric actuator and the pneumatic actuator are integral while the pneumatic actuator is active. The gripper is particularly adapted for being used in inspection systems of the carousel type, for checking the quality of containers and vials in the pharmaceutical industry.

A chuck apparatus grips a workpiece by a gripping section having a pair of chuck members. The chuck apparatus is equipped with a cover member and pressing members. The cover member includes insertion holes through which fingers of the chuck members are inserted, and seal members that surround the insertion holes and abut against the fingers. The cover member is attached to a body so as to cover base portions of the chuck members, and is elastically deformable so as to follow displacement of the chuck members. The pressing members press the seal members against the fingers.

A controllable end effector comprising a base component comprising a plurality of motion-defining elements; a plurality of mounting components operatively coupled to the base component, wherein each mounting component is coupled to one of the motion-defining elements; a plurality of drive components each configured to independently control a position of one of the mounting components; and a plurality of pick elements configured to engage with a surface of an object, wherein each mounting component is coupled to at least one of the pick elements. A method of manufacturing using a controllable end effector that includes identifying an object; moving at least two mounting components of the controllable end effector near the object; engaging at least two pick elements coupled to the two mounting components with a surface of the object; moving, via the pick elements, the object; and disengaging the pick elements from the surface of the object.