“The world of robotics, and the necessary periphery for daily robot applications are going to be redefined,” said Henrik A. Schunk, CEO of Schunk, the specialist in gripping systems and clamping technology. “We are experiencing a real boom in cobots and lightweight robots, and they will shape the image of industrial production in the years to come.”

It is no longer a question if direct human-robot collaboration can be achieved. This question has been answered by Schunk’s new Co-act EGL-C long-stroke gripper. The EGL-C is a milestone in human-robot collaboration. It surpasses the typical force-limited 140 N used by most collaborative grippers today, generating gripping forces to 450 N. An integrated, patent-pending safety algorithm protects employees working alongside their robotic coworkers, opening up the potential in human-robot collaboration for handling weights well beyond small parts assembly.

“New robots offer enormous freedom of design in the field of handling and assembly, both in terms of the degree of interaction with humans, and also in terms of the gripping technology used,” said Henrik A. Schunk.

The EGL-C gripper is the latest example of Schunk’s innovation in the world of cobots and lightweight robots. In 2019, Schunk introduced the EGH Co-act gripper. Easy to install and fully programmable, the EGH makes it easy for companies to implement automation with a cobot.

“The industrial transformation requires to take a fresh and creative look on robotics,” said Schunk. Scenarios with lightweight robots and cobots must be easy and flexible, even playful to implement. At its heart, it is all about a radical simplification — from the selection of components to configuration and assembly, up to ongoing operation.