Now available from Milton Keynes-based Schunk Intec Ltd is a new design and selection tool for gripping modules that has been configured to ‘simplify and accelerate’ the engineering of handling systems.

Just a few details about the gripper type, workpiece and gripping situation are enough for the system to output the appropriate modules from the company’s standard gripping-component range.

The selection tool provides drawings and images of each gripper type, alongside extensive technical information, so the user can take full advantage of the high-performance capabilities of individual Schunk grippers while avoiding ‘oversizing’.

In addition, the calculation and design processes are fast, as ‘intelligent’ algorithms enable a targeted pre-selection of components that the designer and systems planner might not have considered as a possible solution for their application.

All data can be saved, so complete documentation and archiving of the design, as well as recalculation of modified information, are possible — and the data can be retrieved for follow-up projects.

The intuitive HTML-based tool considers around 2,550 Schunk grippers and is always up to date with respect to the gripper types and the technical data, thereby ensuring that designs are based on current information.

The tool is available at the Web site (www.schunk.com/digitale-services).