Self-Aligning Grippers and Fixtures

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

This small grant for preliminary research provides funding for analysis and synthesis of self-aligning grippers and fixtures, with an emphasis on demonstrating how 2D methods extend to 3D. Small variations in initial part position and orientation can lead to jamming, slippage, and damage as industrial parts are grasped or inserted into fixtures. Although manufacturing engineers have designed self-aligning grippers based on intuition, the goal is to define optimal solutions that depend on detailed part geometry and the mechanics of pushing, toppling, jamming, and accessibility. Algorithms will be developed that take as input a CAD model of the part and generate as output specifications for self-aligning grippers and fixtures. The investigator and one Ph.D. student will implement such grippers and perform mechanical experiments using the industrial robot in the lab to study part mechanics and performance in terms of Mean Time Between Failure. This project should produce new theoretical models of the mechanics of part acquisition, new data structures, and new hardware configurations that will improve the reliability of automated industrial manufacturing systems. The gripper hardware will be inexpensive and have near-term applicability. Self-aligning grippers can simplify assembly, increase reliability, decrease implementation cost, and facilitate setup for a broad range of manufacturing applications.