What does Schunk grippers work with?

It works with EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, IO-Link, ATI tool changer, FANUC R-30iB, ABB IRC5, KUKA KR C4, Universal Robots controllers, Yaskawa DX200, Siemens S7-1500.

What should I watch for with Schunk grippers?

Wide model range means careful selection against actual part geometry and worst-case sizes. Electric versions cost more than comparable pneumatic units and add cabling. Custom fingers are often needed for irregular or cosmetic part shapes. Fieldbus option must be ordered at the factory to match the target network. Grip force sized for a nominal part may fail on a hardened, oiled, or coated variant. Settle time between grip command and confirmed part-present affects achievable cycle time. Cable routing on wrist-mounted electric grippers can bind through J6 rotation if not planned.

End effectors

Schunk grippers

German-made parallel, angular, and centric grippers covering a wide range of payloads, widely used for precision part handling and assembly.

Schunk's gripper lineup runs from small precision electric parallel grippers for laboratory and light assembly work, through heavy pneumatic units built to move castings, up to modular adhesive and magnetic tooling for special jobs. The company also builds a broad line of tool changers and centering shanks that pair with the grippers.

In a cell, Schunk grippers usually attach to the robot flange either directly or through an ATI tool changer or Schunk's own coupler. Electric versions expose position, force, and status over EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, or IO-Link, so the robot program can read grip confirmation and part-present flags directly.

Pneumatic Schunk grippers are the workhorse for high-cycle, high-force jobs where the added cost of an electric drive doesn't pay off. Electric versions earn their price on part families with varying sizes, where a servo-controlled stroke replaces multiple air-cylinder end positions and shim adjustments.

Selection is mechanical first. Stroke has to cover the widest and narrowest part in the family with some margin, gripping force has to hold the part through the worst acceleration in the cycle time target without crushing it, and finger design has to match part geometry. Custom fingers are common on non-trivial parts.

Compatibility limits are modest. Electric units need the right fieldbus option ordered from the factory, and the software function blocks Schunk ships work best with major PLC brands like Allen-Bradley ControlLogix and Siemens S7-1500. Older cabling on legacy electric grippers can bind through a wrist rotation if the routing wasn't planned.

Commissioning pitfalls: undersized grip force chosen for a nominal part that then fails on a hardened or oiled variant, finger tips that mark cosmetic surfaces because nobody put a soft insert on them, and cycle-time budgets that don't account for the settle time between the grip command and confirmed part-present.

Typical uses: precision assembly with electric parallel grippers on a Universal Robots UR5e, heavy machine tending on a FANUC R-2000iC/165F, and fixture pickup during CNC machine tending using a quick-change coupler between multiple end-of-arm tools.

Related integrations

onrobot grippers robotiq 2f gripper ati tool changer

Common questions

What does Schunk grippers do?: German-made parallel, angular, and centric grippers covering a wide range of payloads, widely used for precision part handling and assembly.
What does Schunk grippers work with?: It works with EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, IO-Link, ATI tool changer, FANUC R-30iB, ABB IRC5, KUKA KR C4, Universal Robots controllers, Yaskawa DX200, Siemens S7-1500.
What should I watch for with Schunk grippers?: Wide model range means careful selection against actual part geometry and worst-case sizes. Electric versions cost more than comparable pneumatic units and add cabling. Custom fingers are often needed for irregular or cosmetic part shapes. Fieldbus option must be ordered at the factory to match the target network. Grip force sized for a nominal part may fail on a hardened, oiled, or coated variant. Settle time between grip command and confirmed part-present affects achievable cycle time. Cable routing on wrist-mounted electric grippers can bind through J6 rotation if not planned.