GENERATION ROBOTS xArm Vacuum Gripper User Manual
- June 1, 2024
- Generation ROBOTS
Table of Contents
GENERATION ROBOTS xArm Vacuum Gripper
Product Information
Specifications
- Power Supply: 24V DC
- Intended Use: Grasping and temporarily securing objects
- Connection: Single connection cable for power supply and IO control
Product Usage Instructions
1. General Presentation
1.1. xArm Vacuum Gripper Introduction
The xArm Vacuum Gripper is designed for grasping and temporarily securing objects. It is powered and controlled via a single connection cable carrying a 24V DC supply and IO control.
1.2. Setup and Control
The vacuum gripper is powered and controlled directly via a single connection cable that carries a 24V DC supply and IO control.
1.3. Safety
The vacuum gripper must be used with caution and following safety guidelines. Always comply with local safety measures and regulations.
2. Installation
2.1. Scope of Delivery
A Vacuum Gripper Kit generally includes the xArm vacuum gripper, screws, sealing plugs, and suction cups.
2.2. Mechanical Installation
- Move the robotic arm to a safe position to avoid collisions.
- Power off the robotic arm using the emergency stop button.
- Fix the vacuum gripper on the end of the robotic arm with 2 M6 bolts.
- Connect the robotic arm and the vacuum gripper using the vacuum gripper connection cable.
2.3. Electrical Setup
Power and communication are established with the xArm Vacuum Gripper via a single connection cable providing a 24V power supply and enabling IO communication to the robot control box.
2.3.1. Pinout Interface
The xArm Vacuum Gripper is connected to the tool end of the robotic arm via a 12 pin connector.
FAQ
- Q: What is the intended use of the vacuum gripper?
- A: The vacuum gripper is designed for grasping and temporarily securing objects. It is not intended for applying force against objects or surfaces.
- Q: How should I connect the vacuum gripper to the robotic arm?
- A: To connect the vacuum gripper, follow the provided mechanical installation steps and ensure power is off before connecting via the vacuum gripper connection cable.
General Presentation
xArm Vacuum Gripper Introduction
The vacuum gripper is ideal for picking up even workpieces less than 5 Kg. The vacuum gripper is equipped with 5 suction cups, which can be partially selected for use according to the size of the object surface, and the unused suction cup needs to be sealed.
Note:
If the surface of the object is not smooth, there will be air leakage fromthe suction cup which makes the object fail to be picked up firmly. Indicator status: When the vacuum gripper is powered on, the power supply indicator near the vacuum gripper is constantly red. When the vacuum gripper is on, the IO status indicator is constantly green.
Setup and Control
The vacuum gripper is powered and controlled directly via a single connection cable that carries a 24V DC supply and IO control.
Safety
Warning
The operator must have read and understood all of the instructions in the following manual before handling the xArm Vacuum Gripper.
Caution
The term “operator” refers to anyone responsible for any of the following operations on the vacuum gripper:
- Installation
- Control
- Maintenance
- Inspection
- Calibration
- Programming
- Decommissioning
This documentation explains the various components of the vacuum gripper and general operations regarding the whole life-cycle of the product from installation to operation and decommissioning.
The drawings and photos in this documentation are representative examples and differences may exist between them and the delivered product.
Warning
Caution
Any use of the vacuum gripper in noncompliance of these warnings is inappropriate and may cause injury or damage.
Warning
- The vacuum gripper needs to be properly secured before operating the robot.
- Do not install or operate a vacuum gripper that is damaged or lacking parts.
- Never supply the vacuum gripper with an alternative current (AC) source.
- Make sure all cord sets are always secured at both ends,vacuum gripper end & robot end
- Always satisfy the recommended keying for electrical connections.
- Be sure no one is in the robot and/or vacuum gripper path before initializing the robot’s routine.
- Always satisfy the vacuum gripper payload.
- Do not use the vacuum gripper on people or animals.
Risk Assessment and Final Application
The vacuum gripper is meant to be used on an industrial robot. The robot, vacuum gripper and any other equipment used in the final application must be evaluated with a risk assessment. The robot integrator must ensure that all local safety measures and regulations are respected. Depending on the application, there may be risks that need additional protection/safety measures, for example, the work-piece the vacuum gripper is manipulating may be inherently dangerous to theoperator.
Intended Use
The vacuum gripper is designed for grasping and temporarily securing or holding objects.
Caution
The vacuum gripper is NOT intended for applying force against objects or surfaces. The product is intended for installation on a robot or other automated machinery and equipment.
Info
Always comply with local and/or national laws, regulations and directives on automation safety and general machine safety.
The unit may be used only within the range of its technical data. Any other use of the product is deemed improper and unintended use. UFACTORY will not be liable for any damages resulting from any improper or unintended use.
Installation
The following subsections will guide you through the installation and general setup of xArm Vacuum Gripper.
- The Scope of Delivery Section
- The Mechanical Installation Section
- The Electrical Setup Section
Warning
Before installing:
Read and understand the safety instructions related to the xArm Vacuum Gripper. Verify your package according to the Scope of delivery and your order info. Have the required parts, equipment and tools listed in the requirements readily available.
Installing:
Satisfy the environmental conditions. Do not operate the xArm Vacuum Gripper, or even turn on the power supply, before it is firmly anchored and the danger zone is cleared.
Scope of Delivery
General Kit
A Vacuum Gripper Kit generally includes these items:
- xArm vacuum gripper
- Cross countersunk head screws M6*8 (2)
- M5 sealing plugs 5
- DP 6 suction cup 5
- DP 15 suction cup 5
- DP 30 suction cup 5
Mechanical Installation
xArm Vacuum Gripper installation steps:
- Move the robotic arm to a safe position. Avoid collision with the robotic arm mounting surface or other equ ipment;
- Power off the robotic arm by pressing the emergency stop button on the control box;
- Fix the vacuum gripper on the end of the robotic arm with 2 M6 bolts;
- Connect the robotic arm and the vacuum gripper with the vacuum gripper connection cable.
Note:
- When turning on the vacuum gripper connection cable, be sure to power off the robotic arm, to set the emergenc y stop button in the pressed state, and to ensure that power indicator of the robotic arm is off, as to avoid robotic arm failure caused by hot plugging;
- Due to the length limitation of the vacuum gripper connection cable,the vacuum gripper interface and the tool IO interface must be in thesame direction;
- When connecting the vacuum gripper and the robotic arm, be sure to align the positioning holes on the two ends of the interface. The male pins of the connecting cable are relatively thin to avoid bending the male pins during disassembly.
Electrical Setup
Power and communication are established with the xArm Vacuum Gripper via a single vacuum gripper connection cable. The vacuum gripper connection cable provides a 24V power supply to the xArm Vacuum Gripper and enables IO communication to the robot control box.
Warning
Power must be off before connecting the xArm Vacuum Gripper and the robotic arm via the vacuum gripper connection cable.
Pinout Interface
The xArm Vacuum Gripper is connected to the tool end of the robotic arm via a
12 pin connector
| Pin sequence | Function |
|---|---|
| 1 | 24V |
| --- | --- |
| 2 | 24V |
| 3 | GND |
| 4 | GND |
| 5 | 485-A(no use) |
| 6 | 485-B(no use) |
| 7 | Digital Input 0 |
| 8 | Digital Input 1 |
| 9 | Digital Output 0 |
| 10 | Digital Output 1(no use) |
| 11 | No Connect(no use) |
| 12 | No Connect(no use) |
Control
Use xArm Studio to Control xArm Vacuum Gripper
- Enter [Settings]-[End Effector]
Select the end effector: xArm Vacuum Gripper
- The self collision prevention model of the vacuum gripper can be turned on by clicking the button.
- When “TCP payload compensation” is turned on, the default TCP payload will be changed to the TCP payload parameter of the vacuum gripper.
Control xArm Vacuum Gripper
- Control the vacuum gripper in the live control
Control Method:
- By clicking the [Open]/[Close] button, you can control the opening and closing of the vacuum gripper.
- Control the vacuum gripper through Blockly
xArm Vacuum Gripper.Blockly
The role of this program: execute this program to control the vacuum gripper to suck the target object at the specified position, and then place the target object at the target position.
Note:
- When the vacuum gripper is installe d on the robotic arm, the TCP Payload of the vacuum gripper should be set in the Blockly program. When the total weight of the vacuum gripper changes after the object is sucked, a new TCP Payload needs to be set.
Use Python-SDK to Control xArm Vacuum Gripper
The interface of controling vacuum gripper
- arm.set_vacuum_gripper(True, wait=False) #open the vacuum gripper
- arm.set_vacuum_gripper(False, wait=False) #close the vacuum gripper
The download link of the Python SDK:
https://github.com/xArmDeveloper/xArm-Python-SDK
Use ROS-SDK to Control xArm Vacuum Gripper
Please refer to Section 5.7.8 in the ReadMe file attached to the ROS package to control the vacuum gripper.
xArm ROS SDK link :
Use Modbus-TCP Communication Protocol to Control xArm Vacuum Gripper
This section mainly explains how to control the xArm Vacuum Gripper by using the M odbus TCP protocol through xArm control box.
Modbus TCP Communication Format
Modbus TCP:
Modbus protocol is an application layer message transmission protocol, including three message types: ASCII, RTU, and TCP. The standard Modbus protocol physical layer interface includes RS232, RS422, RS485 and Ethernet interfaces, and adopts master / slave communication.
Modbus TCP Communication Process:
- Establish a TCP connection
- Prepare Modbus messages
- Use the send command to send a message
- Waiting for a response und er the same connection
- Use the recv command to read the message and complete a data exchange
- When the communication task ends, close the TCP connection Parameter:
- Default TCP Port: 502
- Protocol : 0x00 0x02
On the problem of users using communication protocols to organize data in big endian and little endian:
In this article, data analysis is big endian analysis.
Control of the xArm Vacuum Gripper
- Open/Close the vacuum gripper
Open the Vacuum Gripper| 00 01 00 02 00 08 7F 09 0A 15 00 80 80 43
00 01 00 02 00 08 7F 09 0A 15 00 00 00 44
---|---
Close the Vacuum Gripper| 00 01 00 02 00 08 7F 09 0A 15 00 00 80 43
00 01 00 02 00 08 7F 09 0A 15 00 80 00 44
Please refer to the table below for specific parameters.
IO control on the End-effector
Register：127 (0x7F)
Request
Modbus TCP Header
| Transaction Identifier| 2 Bytes| u16| 0x00,0x01
Protocol| 2 Bytes| u16| 0x00,0x02
Length| 2 Bytes| u16| 0x00,0x08
Register| 1 Byte| u8| 0x7F
Parameters
| Host ID| 1 Byte| u8| 0x09
Address| 2 Bytes| u16| 0x0A,0x15
Parameters1(Open 0) Data:
256.0: Close 0 257.0: Open 0
512.0: Close 1 514.0: Open 1
| ****
4 Bytes
| ****
fp32
| ****
0x00,0x80,0x80,0x43
Response
Modbus TCP Header
| Transaction Identifier| 2 Bytes| u16| 0x00,0x01
Protocol| 2 Bytes| u16| 0x00,0x02
Length| 2 Bytes| u16| 0x00,0x02
Register| 1 Byte| u8| 0x7F
Parameters| State| 1 Byte| u8| 0x00
Get the status of the vacuum gripper
The steps to obtain the vacuum gripper status are shown in the following table:
| Get Status（Request Commands） | 00 01 00 02 00 04 80 09 0A 14 |
|---|
Get Status（Response Commands）
（ The vacuum gripper picked up the object）
| 00 01 00 02 00 06 80 00 00 00 00 01
Get Status（Response Commands）
（ The vacuum gripper does not pick up the
object）
| 00 01 00 02 00 06 80 00 00 00 00 00
Please refer to the table below for specific parameters.
Get the input of the end digital quantity
Register：128 (0x80)
Request
Modbus TCP Header
| Transaction Identifier| 2| u16| 0x00,0x01
Protocol| 2| u16| 0x00,0x02
Length| 2| u16| 0x00,0x04
Register| 1 Byte| u8| 0x80
Parameters| Host ID| 1 Byte| u8| 0x09
Address| 2| u16| 0x0A, 0x14
Response
Modbus TCP Header
| Transaction Identifier| 2| u16| 0x00,0x01
Protocol| 2| u16| 0x00,0x02
Length| 2| u16| 0x00,0x06
Register| 1 Byte| u8| 0x80
Parameters
| State| 1 Byte| u8| 0x00
Parameters1（0）
The end byte indicates the input status. The digit of 0 corresponds to input 0 and the digit of 1 corresponds to input 1.
| ****
4
Bytes
| ****
u8*4
| ****
0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00
xArm Vacuum Gripper Technical Specifications
Vacuum Gripper
Rated Supply Voltage| 24V DC
Absolute Maximum Supply Voltage| 28V DC
Quiescent Current(mA)| 30mA
Peak Current(mA)| 400mA
Vacuum| 78%
Vacuum Flow (L/min)| > 5.6L/min
Weight (g)| 610 g
Dimensions (LWH)| 122.5 91.6 75mm
Payload (kg)| ≤5kg
Noise Level (30cm away)| < 60dB
Communication Mode| Digital IO
State Indicator| Power, Working State
Feedback| Air Pressure (Low or Normal)
After sales Service
After sales policy:
For the detailed after sales policy of the product, see the official website:
The general process of after sales service is:
- Contact UFACTORY technical support (support@ufactory.cc) to confirm whether the product needs to repair and which part should be sent back to UFACTORY.
- After the bill of lading on UPS, we will send the invoice and label to you by mail. You need to make an appointment with the local UPS and then send the product to us.
- UFACTORY will check the product warranty status according to the after sales policy.
- Generally, the process takes around 1 2 weeks except for shipment.
Note:
- Please keep the original pa ckaging materials of the product. When you need to send the product back to get repaired, please pack the product with the original box to protect the product during the transportation.
Official Distributor
- gr@generationrobots.com
- +33 5 56 39 37 05
- www.generationrobots.com
References
- Robotic arm, mobile robot, autonomous robots, ROS robot
- GitHub - xArm-Developer/xArm-Python-SDK: Python SDK for UFACTORY robots, 850, xArm5/6/7, and Lite6.
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