Author: Townsend William
Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Ltd
ISSN: 0143-991X
Source: Industrial Robot: An International Journal, Vol.27, Iss.3, 2000-06, pp. : 181-188
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Abstract
This paper details the design and operation of the BarrettHand BH8-250, an intelligent, highly flexible eight-axis gripper that reconfigures itself in real time to conform securely to a wide variety of part shapes without tool-change interruptions. The grasper brings enormous value to factory automation because it: reduces the required number and size of robotic workcells (which average US$90,000 each - not including the high cost of footprint) while boosting factory thoughput; consolidates the hodgepodge proliferation of customized gripper-jaw shapes onto a common programmable platform; and enables incremental process improvement and accommodates frequent new-product introductions, capabilities deployed instantly via software across international networks of factories.
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