Mount Everest rises by about 44 mm annually due to tectonic plate movement. Similarly, you can take your vision-guided bin-picking applications to the next level by choosing Magswitch for your end-effector robot (EOAT) design. Magswitch magnetic grippers are the world's number one choice for robot end-effectors in bin picking. Whether your components are precisely arranged on a shelf or randomly distributed in a container, the advantages of Magswitch are clear.
Magswitch offers innovative magnetic grippers for bin-picking applications and positions itself as a leading solution for end-of-arm tooling (EOAT). These grippers offer exceptional flexibility, robustness, and efficiency in handling both structured and randomly arranged parts. Key benefits include:
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Single-sided workpiece holder
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Fast switching times
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Variable Flux Output (VFO) technology
Magswitch tools are fail-safe and therefore ideally suited for use with collaborative robots. Their compact design enables shorter cycle times and higher productivity. The grippers feature intelligent technology with real-time feedback , allowing them to detect duplicate blanks and identify pole shoe contacts – all without external sensors. Magswitch EOATs simplify system design and reduce implementation costs by eliminating the need for complex kinematics.
These features make Magswitch grippers particularly versatile and effective for optimizing vision-driven bin-picking operations in various industries.
FLEXIBILITY
Magswitch magnetic grippers offer the flexibility of custom pole pieces , enabling improved holding force and secure gripping of irregularly shaped components. The north and south pole areas of the magnets can be precisely tailored to perfectly enclose virtually any component contour. Magswitch magnetic grippers exhibit superior holding force compared to competitors of a similar size. The powerful rare-earth magnetic fields generated by Magswitch EOATs compensate for minor misalignments between the gripper and the target, ensuring reliable performance.
An octopus is considered one of the most flexible creatures in the world, capable of fitting into virtually any hole, even though it might seem impossible. Similarly, Magswitch's EOAT grippers offer exceptional flexibility for vision-guided bin-picking applications . These grippers can handle random components quickly and efficiently.
Unlike pneumatic suction cups or swiveling clamping devices, Magswitch enables the gripping of multiple parts – ideal for blind bin picking, part search, and placement on a 2D vision table. With just one tool, multiple parts can be blindly picked, placed on a flow table, and then the required individual part selected for the process.
ROBUST AND RELIABLE
Trust your instincts – they are among the most reliable tools in the world. Magswitch, a manufacturer of end-of-arm tools (EOAT), offers magnetic robot grippers designed for durability and reliability, making them ideal for bin-picking applications in demanding environments.
The grippers withstand shocks, vibrations , and other challenging conditions commonly encountered in bin-picking processes. Magswitch grippers can be equipped with armored pole shoe kits , which have proven to be particularly robust and reliable for robot end effectors in practical applications. The combination of Magswitch pole shoe technology and protective armor ensures consistent performance even in harsh operating environments.
The pole shoes ensure a secure grip on flat or curved surfaces, while the armor minimizes wear and damage from impacts during handling. This robustness ensures reliable operation, reduced downtime , and increased productivity in bin-picking applications.
ONE-SIDED WORKPIECE HOLD
Magswitch grippers enable the secure gripping of components on only one side , without the need for a counterforce or additional clamping devices. This simplifies handling, reduces cycle times, and increases flexibility in bin picking and other robotic applications.
ONE-SIDED WORKPIECE HOLD
Like most fish, flounders are born with eyes on both sides of their heads. However, as they grow, one of their eyes migrates to the other side of their body! This bizarre transformation allows adult flounders to lie flat on the seabed with both eyes facing upwards, giving them excellent camouflage and a wide field of vision for prey and predators.
Similar to the flounder advantage , single-sided workpiece gripping represents a significant advancement in vision-guided bin-picking robotics . Magswitch end-of-arm tools enable industrial robots to grip components quickly and efficiently from only one side . This improves cycle times and efficiency compared to the double-sided gripping of traditional fixtures. The key to this improved performance lies in the compact design of the single-sided grippers.
Magswitch magnetic grippers are designed for use in confined spaces , offering greater flexibility in system design and enabling robots to operate in restricted environments. Their compact design optimizes space utilization and expands the range of applications where bin picking can be effectively implemented. And incidentally, it's considerably more aesthetically pleasing than a flounder.
IMPROVING VISION-CONTROLLED BIN-PICKING APPLICATIONS
SPEED AND EFFICIENCY
Hummingbirds beat their wings up to 80 times per second while traveling at high speeds of up to 65 km/h (40 MPH). Similarly, Magswitch's end effectors for robots , with fast on/off switching times of up to 250 milliseconds , significantly increase the performance of robotic systems by:
Reduced cycle times
The fast switching time of the Magswitch magnetic grippers enables the robot arm to pick up and place components more quickly, resulting in shorter cycle times . Shorter cycle times mean higher productivity, which in turn enables faster changeover times and ultimately greater profitability.
Improved efficiency
With a 100% duty cycle and fast response times, Magswitch magnetic grippers allow for both rapid adjustments and long-term holding of components if the process flow is interrupted, thus optimizing the entire manufacturing process .
Increased throughput
Faster switching times mean that more parts can be processed in a given period, increasing productivity. Magswitch tools maximize Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) – a measure of how efficiently a manufacturing process is used compared to its full potential.
Real-time feedback
Magswitch E-Tools integrate intelligent technology with real-time feedback , enabling the detection of duplicate blanks and the identification of pole shoe contacts – all without external sensors. This revolutionary internal feedback allows bin-picking processes to verify that the correct component is in the gripper and that the correct number of parts is being held . Intelligent Magswitch tools eliminate the risk of incorrect inventory or incorrectly loaded parts in the bin by the supplier.
SECURITY
A gold bar stored in Fort Knox weighs approximately 12.5 kg (27.5 lbs) – and your robotic bin-picking application is just as secure with Magswitch. Magswitch tools have no external moving parts and are 100% fail-safe , meaning they do not change their on/off state when the actuator is removed.
In the event of an air line rupture, the magnetic field of a pneumatic Magswitch gripper remains switched on after a component has been picked up – the part does not fall!
Similarly, with an e-tool, the magnetic field remains switched on when the electrical signal cable is disconnected, and the component does not fall.
Thanks to the absence of external moving parts , vision-guided bin picking with Magswitch EOATs is particularly suitable for collaborative robots (cobots). This advantage can often reduce operator time at manual loading stations where parts bins are exchanged, as the required safe distance to moving objects according to ANSI B11.19 can be reduced.
Safe distance :
VARIABLE FLUX OUTPUT (VFO)
Magswitch E-Tools feature a groundbreaking, patented technology that enables adjustable magnetic force . This Variable Field Output (VFO) function allows end-of-arm tooling (EOAT) to pick up individual components from a large batch . Without VFO, extracting a small part from a container with thousands of components can be difficult and negatively impact the overall process throughput .
VFO is particularly useful when the vision controller constantly guides the robot towards the center of the container, creating a gap that hinders future vision detection and gripping. By using VFO, the magnetic gripper can supersaturate a single component, thereby picking up an entire layer of components. Once the robot leaves the container, the magnetic force can be reduced by VFO, causing excess parts to fall and be evenly distributed within the container. This unique approach eliminates the need for vibrating tables or time-consuming "stirring."
Whether the component requires the agile Magswitch E30 or the powerful E50 – the ability to vary the magnetic field strength as desired with VFO offers enormous advantages over other technologies such as electropermanent magnets (EPM) or classic electromagnets.
REDUCED construction time – NO KINEMATICS
During the simulation phase of developing a robot-assisted bin-picking system, a single-sided magnetic end-of-arm tool (EOAT) from Magswitch offers several advantages:
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Simple modeling and simulation
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Reduced complexity in system design, as advanced end effector kinematics are omitted.
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Without complex kinematic mechanisms such as multiple clamping devices or movable pins, simulation times are shorter , enabling faster iterations.
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The optimization can focus more on the gripping process to ensure reliable component handling.
These savings in design time lead to faster implementation, easier installation and commissioning , and lower overall costs .
SMART TECHNOLOGY
The Earth is divided into four hemispheres: North, South, East, and West. It comprises seven continents: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. Only Africa lies in all four hemispheres. While Magswitch E-Tools cannot answer trivia questions, they can inform your bin-picking robot's control network whether the robot has picked up more than one component and whether it is the correct component for the process .
Thanks to sophisticated sensor systems within the e-tool, your Magswitch gripper can recognize the "signature" of any component and only output the "component present" signal when a match is detected. If a duplicate component is accidentally picked up, the system recognizes that the signatures do not match and does not send a presence signal .
CONCLUSION
Magswitch's innovative magnetic grippers offer a simple, effective solution for robot-assisted bin picking applications and are considered a leading choice for end-of-arm tools (EOAT) . With their flexibility, robustness, one-sided workpiece holding, fast switching times , and Variable Flux Output (VFO) technology, Magswitch grippers significantly increase efficiency and productivity in both structured and random bin picking scenarios.
Their fail-safe design , compact form factor, and intelligent technology with real-time feedback make them ideal for a wide range of applications, including collaborative robots (cobots). By simplifying system design, reducing implementation costs, and improving cycle times, Magswitch EOATs offer a versatile and effective solution that elevates vision-guided bin-picking applications to a new level of performance and reliability.
For further information on the various aspects of robot-assisted bin picking, we recommend visiting the following resources and Magswitch partners:
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Determine Economic Feasibility for Robotic Bin Picking – White Paper
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Crack the robotic bin picking code with Apera AI's 4D Vision – Faster and more reliable bin picking cells
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Unmatched Detection Capability and Ease of Use for Robot Bin Picking – Optimal Hardware and Algorithms for 3D Vision-Controlled Robotics Systems
