Preparing the published article.
The Robot, the Tooling and the Fixture
A perfect robot with poor tooling still fails.
Tooling checkpoints
| Item | What matters |
|---|---|
| Gripping method | Jaws, vacuum, magnetic or adhesive, chosen by part |
| Weight and centre of mass | Total load including tooling must stay inside the rating |
| Stiffness | A soft tool amplifies vibration and position error |
| Clearance | The tool profile must leave room across the motion envelope |
Design reminders
- Check load and inertia with the tooling included, not just the part.
- Quick-change couplings add flexibility and also add weight and error.
- Leave slack in cables and air lines so they are not stretched.
Load and inertia limits come from the robot manual. Exceeding them shortens gearbox life.