Gecko SP gripper offers no-mark automation for flat, shiny, and perforated workpieces with no electricity or air supply required

Odense, Denmark: OnRobot, a global leader in robotic end-of-arm tooling, has launched a compact, single-pad version of its innovative Gecko no-mark adhesive gripper. The new Gecko Single Pad (SP) gripper brings the same capability to new automation applications with small footprints and lower payload. The Gecko SP is available in three sizes; SP1, SP3 and SP5 named after the gripper’s payload in kilos, featuring ability to lift a wide range of flat, smooth, shiny or perforated surfaces. Because the technology doesn’t mark even high-shine surfaces, it eliminates the need for a cleaning step in manufacturing processes, saving time and improving output. And like its larger sibling, the Gecko SP can grip even perforated workpieces such as printed circuit boards, aluminum mesh or head gaskets.

The award-winning Gecko gripper technology uses millions of micro-scaled fibrillar stalks that adhere to a surface using powerful van der Waals forces — the same way that geckos climb. The technology requires no compressed air or external power, saving costs and maintenance, and can be implemented quickly and easily through OnRobot’s One-System Solution platform with little or no programming on any major collaborative or light industrial robot arm for greater production flexibility.

“Our unique Gecko technology automates processes that no other gripper can accomplish, and now it’s available in a compact, flexible format that offers our customers even more options,” said Enrico Krog Iversen, CEO of OnRobot. “This is a true plug-and-play gripper that fulfills our promise of a full range of easy, cost-effective, flexible robotic tooling that lets customers focus on their application rather than the robot.”

Gecko SP Features

• Compact, lightweight, and flexible
• Available for 1kg, 3kg, 5kg payloads
• No wires or air supply needed at all
• Little or no programming required
• No-mark gripping for shiny workpieces without subsequent cleaning
• Powerful gripping for perforated workpieces

About OnRobot 
Established in 2015, the company merged with Perception Robotics and OptoForce in 2018, followed by an acquisition of Purple Robotics a few months later. In April 2019, OnRobot acquired the intellectual property of Blue Workforce, a Danish company making grippers and a vision system. Now, the OnRobot product range features a wide assortment of end-of-arm tooling, including: electric grippers, force/torque sensors, a vacuum gripper, the award-winning Gecko Gripper, and tool changers. This new combination of offerings from OnRobot makes it quicker and simpler to automate tasks such as packaging, quality control, materials handling, machine tending, packaging, assembly, and surface finishing. The company plans to grow through further acquisitions in the coming years. Headquartered in Odense, Denmark, OnRobot also has offices in Dallas, Soest (Germany), Barcelona, Warsaw, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore and Budapest.