Pneumatic grippers are the most common end-effector in factory automation. They are fast, reliable, and cost-effective for a wide range of pick-and-place, assembly, and machine-tending tasks.
But integrating a pneumatic gripper with a cobot introduces several programming challenges that go beyond what most "easy programming" marketing describes.
How Pneumatic Grippers Work
A pneumatic gripper uses compressed air to actuate finger movement. In most factory installations:
- Open/close control: A solenoid valve receives a digital signal from the robot controller
- Feedback: A sensor (magnetic or optical) confirms the gripper has reached the open or closed position
- Timing: The robot program must wait for feedback confirmation before moving to the next step
Every gripper action requires: send signal → wait for feedback → confirm → continue.
Common Types
| Type | Best For | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Parallel jaw (2-finger) | Flat parts, blocks, cylinders | Requires consistent part orientation |
| Angular jaw | Round parts, pipes | Limited shape flexibility |
| 3-finger centring | Cylindrical parts | Slower cycle time |
| Needle gripper | Foam, fabrics, soft materials | Fragile; high air consumption |
Programming Challenges
With traditional tools, programming a pneumatic gripper involves configuring I/O pins, writing signal commands, adding wait-for-input logic for feedback signals, setting timeout conditions, and testing timing under real conditions.
For experienced integrators, this takes several hours. For factory workers without programming knowledge, it is not accessible at all.
Aurevix Support for Pneumatic Grippers
Aurevix treats pneumatic grippers as a first-class supported component. When you configure your gripper type and I/O mapping:
- Open/close signals are inserted automatically at the correct points in the generated program
- Signal wait logic is included by default
- Timing is calibrated based on the gripper model and operating pressure
- The team reviews gripper actions in the 3D simulation before deployment
Supported robot brands — Universal Robots, ABB, FANUC, KUKA, Techman, and Yaskawa — include gripper I/O in the exported controller program.
Contact us to discuss your gripper type and the task you want to automate.