Design of a robotic gripper for casting sorting robots with rigid–flexible coupling structures

Abstract In order to solve the problem of the insufficient adaptability of the current small- and medium-sized casting sorting robot gripper, we have designed a casting sorting robot bionic gripper with rigid–flexible coupling structures based on the robot topology theory. The second-order Yeoh model was used to statically model the clamping belt in the gripper to derive the relationship between the external input air pressure and the bending angle of the driving layer, and the feasibility of multiangle bending of the driving layer was verified by finite element analysis. The maximum gripping diameter of the gripper is 140 mm, and in order to test the adaptive gripping ability of the gripper, a prototype of the casting sorting robot gripper is prepared, and the pneumatic control system and human–machine interface of the gripper are designed. After several experimental analyses, the designed casting sorting robot gripper is characterized by strong adaptability and high robustness, with a maximum load capacity of 930 g and a maximum wrap angle of 296°, which can complete the gripping operation within 1 s, and the comprehensive gripping success rate reaches 96.4%. The casting sorting robot gripper designed in the paper can provide a reference for the design and optimization of various types of shaped workpiece gripping manipulators.