Schunk’s Adheso products grip parts using tiny filaments that adhere to the workpiece via Van der Waal forces. They are able to be mounted to the wrists of most robots, and they are customizable for workpieces up to two square meters.

Schunk’s new gripper technology, Adheso, won first place in robotics category of the New Product of the Year Awards at the 2021 Assembly Show, which is hosted annually as a way to highlight new technologies. Attendees voted for the products they thought to be especially innovative.

Schunk’s Adheso products reportedly grip parts using tiny filaments that adhere to the workpiece via Van der Waal forces. Schunk says they perform ideally with flat workpieces and foils, and unlike vacuum grippers, holes or other interruptions in the workpiece surface are no problem. The size and types of filaments can also be optimized for holding force depending on the different types of workpieces that need to be handled. According to Schunk, other advantages are that Adheso uses no power to maintain its grip once the workpiece is held, and it leaves no marks when released. Due to its ability to handle the most sensitive parts gently, without external energy or leaving any residue, Adheso is said to be an optimal gripper for the automated assembly industry.

Adheso is available in standard sizes that are easily mountable to most robot wrists, and it is customizable for specific workpieces up to two square meters. With the Adheso gripper, solutions can be tailored to each customer’s individual needs, according to Schunk, which creates opportunities that are as diverse as the applications themselves.

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