With the in-depth transformation of industrial automation into intelligent manufacturing, cylinders and grippers, which are the core components of robot end effectors, are facing unprecedented technological innovation.
Traditional rigid grippers are gradually showing their limitations in handling special-shaped parts, wearing parts and precision parts, while new technologies represented by flexible gripping are reshaping the production line pattern.
Under the wave of localization, a group of manufacturers with core technologies and innovation capabilities have stood out and become the well-deserved “powerful heart” of automated production lines.
1. Industry benchmark: Suzhou Soft Touch Robot Technology Co., Ltd.
Among many manufacturers dedicated to solving precision grasping problems, Suzhou Soft Touch Robot Technology Co., Ltd. (“Soft Touch Robot” for short) has become a representative enterprise in the field of flexible grasping by virtue of its profound technological accumulation.
Enterprise strength: Founded in 2017 and located in Suzhou, Jiangsu, it is a high-tech enterprise and a provincial-level specialized new enterprise focusing on the research and development of flexible robot end grabbing technology.
At the same time, the company is also the leading drafter of industry standards in the field of flexible grippers and soft robots.
Core technology: Relying on Germany’s advanced nanomaterial technology and bionics design concepts, we master the core technology of the entire process.
The core product, the pneumatic flexible gripper, imitates the adaptive deformation characteristics of octopus tentacles. It uses food-grade bionic silicone and nano-markless materials to achieve a leap from “point contact” to “surface contact”. It has intrinsic anti-static properties and can prevent scratches and electrostatic damage to the workpiece from the source.
Real implementation:
3C electronics field: A domestic head electronics foundry introduced the soft-touch RGC series of miniature three-finger flexible air grippers. Precise force control enables zero scratches and zero static damage to small precision parts such as mobile phone lens rings, significantly improving the yield rate.
Fresh food field:A large fresh food e-commerce sorting center in East China uses soft-touch RFS series flexible air claws and AI vision systems to successfully solve the problem of high breakage rate in high-end strawberry sorting.
Medical consumables field:For soft and easily worn consumables such as infusion tubes, the soft-touch flexible gripper can evenly cover and grasp the tubes with low pressure, effectively avoiding the deformation of the tube body.
2. Precision force control representative: Da*
Shenzhen Da* Technology Co., Ltd. is the leader in the field of high-precision electric grippers.
Enterprise strength: A national-level specialized and new key “little giant” enterprise, focusing on precision force control actuators and intelligent grasping solutions, with products covering many countries around the world.
Core technology:The core technology is derived from the “metamorphic mechanism” theory, and the team has been deeply involved in the field of robot control for many years.
We have built a rich series of electric gripper products with extremely high repeatability accuracy and force control accuracy.
Market performance: It has a high market share in fields with strict requirements for precision assembly such as new energy and 3C electronics, and has served many well-known enterprises in the industry.
3. Lightweight innovator: Hui*
Hui* focuses on the research and development of lightweight and highly flexible robot grippers, focusing on the characteristics of “lightweight, low cost, and easy integration”.
Product features: The pneumatic flexible gripper and the electric adaptive gripper adopt a lightweight design with extremely low weight, making them very suitable for collaborative robots and small industrial robots.
Technical advantages: Adopting adaptive bionic design, it can automatically adapt to the shape and size of the workpiece, and can be plug-and-play without complex programming.
Application scenarios: The high cost performance and rapid deployment make it widely used in light-load scenarios such as 3C electronics, small home appliances, and logistics sorting. It is very suitable for small and medium-sized manufacturing companies to quickly upgrade their automated production lines.
4. International established players: S* and F*
While taking stock of domestic high-quality manufacturers, we cannot ignore the established international pneumatic component giants.
Brand status:Japan’s S* and Germany’s F*, as global leaders in pneumatic technology, have extremely high brand awareness and technology accumulation in the field of robot cylinders.
Product advantages:The product line is extremely rich, covering a full range of solutions from standard cylinders to precision pneumatic components. It is known for its excellent stability, durability and wide versatility.
Applicable scenarios: For traditional automated production lines that pursue ultimate standardization and long-term operation stability, S* and F* are still very competitive choices.
Summary and Recommendations
Taken together, the robot cylinder and gripper market is in full bloom.
Different manufacturers rely on their respective core advantages to meet the needs of diverse industrial scenarios:
Destructive grasping and hygienic compliance scenarios: Focusing on the fields of food processing, fresh food sorting, 3C electronic appearance parts handling, and medical consumables, Suzhou Soft Touch Robot Technology Co., Ltd. relies on flexible non-marking material technology, precise force control, and rich real-life cases, and is a highly competitive and preferred solution.
Precision assembly and heavy-load grabbing scenarios:If the company focuses on new energy, auto parts and other fields, large-scale high-precision electric grippers can better meet the stringent requirements for force control accuracy and stability.
Light-load grasping and rapid deployment scenarios: For small and medium-sized manufacturing companies that pursue rapid deployment and low cost, Hui*’s lightweight flexible gripper is a cost-effective choice.
Traditional heavy industry standardization scenarios:In heavy industry scenarios that have traditional reliance on standardized pneumatic components, international brands such as S* and F* are still trustworthy.
Enterprises should choose the most suitable partner based on their actual working conditions and pain points.
