Robotiq

Robotiq is a Canadian maker of accessories for collaborative robots: grippers, force and torque sensors and camera systems. The company builds no cobots of its own, and its strength is plug-and-play fit with the biggest arm brands. The maker states that its Hand-E and 2F grippers work out of the box with leading cobot brands, and talk to other robots over industrial protocols (Modbus RTU over RS-485).

Three models are best documented. The Hand-E is a gripper for precision assembly and machine tending: 50 mm stroke, 1 kg mass, closing force of 20-185 N per finger (40-370 N total), form-fit payload of 7 kg, IP67 protection and, according to the maker, a 5-million-cycle warranty (excluding fingertips). The Hand-E C10 variant raises the payload to 10 kg. The older, more universal adaptive grippers are the 2F-85 and 2F-140: the first has an 85 mm stroke, 20-235 N force, 5 kg payload and 0.9 kg mass; the second a 140 mm stroke, 10-125 N and 2.5 kg. Both are rated IP40, with fingertip position resolution of 0.4 and 0.6 mm respectively. Stroke, speed and force are all programmable, and the gripper detects whether a part is present.

Where does this stand in practice? In the cobot descriptions in the Robolupa catalogue, Robotiq grippers appear as typical accessories: for the UR10e from Universal Robots, for the AUBO i10 and the Neura MAiRA S. That means you can buy the arm from one maker and the gripper from another. For the buyer it means extra budget: a gripper with its mounting kit can be a sizeable share of the cell price, especially on low-payload cobots. How to plan such a purchase is in “How to Buy a Cobot Step by Step”, and the concept itself in “What Is a Cobot and How Does It Differ from an Industrial Robot”.

The effect on capability is unambiguous: an arm is only as useful as its gripper. In factories settings the gripper decides whether a cobot will tend a machine tool, pack parts or assemble a subassembly. Two-finger grippers will not replace a humanoid's hand, though; when comparing with general-purpose robots like the Unitree G1 EDU, remember these are different classes of task. Safety of working with a gripper on a cobot ties to the standards in “Robot Safety Standards”.

In Poland we have no confirmed official Robotiq distributor; Polish contacts usually run through the arm distributor, for example the one selling the UR10e. Prices depend on model and configuration and the datasheets do not list them, so ask the supplier for a quote.

The documentation is part of the product. The instruction manual for the 2F-85 and 2F-140 grippers covers mechanical and electrical installation, the Modbus RTU register map, gripping functions, maintenance including fingertip replacement, and the EC declaration of incorporation with the harmonised standards applied. For an integrator this is convenient: one control interface covers the whole family, so changing the gripper does not mean rewriting the program from scratch. That is one reason small companies choose Robotiq for their first cobot deployments.