ROBOTIQ EPick Operation and maintenance manual

Robotiq EPick Vacuum Gripper
for CB-Series Universal Robots
Instruction Manual robotiq.com | leanrobotics.org
Original Notice
© 2021 Robotiq Inc.

Revisions 5
1. General Presentation 7
1.1. Gripper nomenclature 7
1.2. Object picking 9
1.3. Setup and control 9
2. Safety 11
2.1. Warning 12
2.2. Intended Use 13
3. Installation 15
3.1. Scope of Delivery 15
3.2. Required Tools and Equipment 18
3.3. Environmental and Operating Conditions 18
3.4. Mechanical Installation 19
3.5. Electrical Setup 27
3.6. Testing the Gripper with the Robotiq User Interface (RUI) 31
3.7. Installation for Universal Robots 32
3.8. URCap Package 33
4. Software 42
4.1. Overview 42
4.2. Vacuum Gripper register mapping 44
4.3. Robot output registers & functionalities 44
4.4. Robot input registers & status 48
4.5. Vacuum Gripper behavior 51
4.6. Control logic 56
4.7. Modbus RTU communication 56
4.8. Control over Universal Robots with URCap 63
5. User Interface 74
6. Specifications 75
6.1. Technical dimensions 75
6.2. Mechanical specifications 88
6.3. Electrical specifications 99
7. Maintenance 101
EPick - Instruction Manual
2

7.1. Vacuum Gripper cleaning 102
7.2. Periodic inspection 103
8. Spare Parts, Kits and Accessories 105
9. Troubleshooting 109
9.1. Communication 109
9.2. Vacuum Gripper verification 111
9.3. I/O Coupling Troubleshooting 112
10. Warranty 114
10.1. I/O Coupling Warranty 116
11. Harmonized Standards, Declarations and Certificates 117
11.1. Original EC declaration of incorporation 117
11.2. Applied standards 118
12. Contact 119
3

EPick - Instruction Manual
4

Revisions
Robotiq may modify this product without notice, when necessary, due to product improvements, modifications or changes in
specifications. If such modification is made, the manual will also be revised, see revision information. See the latest version of this
manual online at: support.robotiq.com.
2021/06/04
lUpdate of section 4.3 Robot Output Registers & Functionalities
lUpdate of section 3.1 Scope of Delivery
lUpdate of section 3.6 Installation for Universal Robots
lUpdate of section 6.2 Mechanical Specifications
lUpdate of section 6.2.2 Center of Mass and Tool Center Point
lUpdate of section 8. Spare Parts, Kits and Accessories
2020/04/14
lUpdate of Specification and Warranty sections
Revision 2019/12/04
lUpdate of the Vacuum Gripper firmware
lUpdate of the Vacuum Gripper behavior and modes
lUpdate of the Vacuum Gripper Toolbar
Revision 2019/10/10
lAddition of the Electrostatic Discharge section
lUpdate of the I/O Coupling sections
Revision 2019/08/15
lAdd of Multiple Vacuum Gripper sections
Revision 2019/07/30
Addition of Wrist connection Kit (I/O Coupling) section
2019/06/14
Initial release
EPick - Instruction Manual
5

Copyright
© 2016-2021 Robotiq Inc. All rights reserved.
This manual and the product it describes are protected by the Copyright Act of Canada, by laws of other countries, and by
international treaties, and therefore may not be reproduced in whole or in part, whether for sale or not, without prior written
consent from Robotiq. Under copyright law, copying includes translation into another language or format.
Information provided by Robotiq in this document is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, no responsibility is assumed
by Robotiq for its use. There may be some differences between the manual and the product if the product has been modified after
the edition date.
The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice.
6

1. General Presentation
The terms “Gripper”, "EPick Gripper", "EPick Vacuum Gripper" and "EPick" used in the following manual all refer to the Robotiq
EPick Vacuum Gripper. The Robotiq EPick Vacuum Gripper is a robotic peripheral designed for industrial applications. The
vacuum is generated with an electric vacuum pump. Its design makes it a unique robotic end-of-arm tool to quickly pick, place and
handle a large range of parts of varying sizes and shapes.
Info
The following section presents the key features of the Gripper and must not be considered as appropriate to the
operation of the Gripper. Each feature is detailed in the appropriate section.
Info
The following manual uses the metric system. Unless specified, all dimensions are in millimeters.
1.1. Gripper nomenclature
1.1.1. EPick Gripper
The EPick Gripper is a vacuum Gripper that generates a vacuum with an electric vacuum pump.. It is equipped with one or multiple
suction cups. Each suction cup can be adapted to your application and grasping needs. The EPick Gripper is compatible with the
Robotiq standard coupling interface.
Fig. 1-1: Robotiq EPick Gripper
EPick - Instruction Manual
7

Info
Please refer to the Scope of Delivery section subsection and the Spare Parts, Kits and Accessories section for details on
standard and optional parts.
1.1.2. Suction Cup System
A Robotiq Suction Cup System can be installed directly under the Vacuum Gripper. Each Robotiq Suction Cup System includes a
bracket, a manifold, air nodes, port plugs, bumpers, tubing and additional suction cups.
Fig. 1-2: Suction cup system
Info
Please refer to the Installation section for more information on how to integrate the Suction Cup System to EPick.
Info
Please refer to the Scope of Delivery section subsection and the Spare Parts, Kits and Accessories section for details on
standard and optional parts.
Tip
The owner can use a custom bracket or a mounting plate. The bracket or mounting plate can be installed directly under
the manifold.
8

EPick - Instruction Manual
1.2. Object picking
The EPick Gripper allows:
1. Main unit suction cup
2. Auxiliary system with multiple suction cups
Warning
Object picking causes the compression of the suction cup(s) , which can result in pinching points between the gripper
and the load. Avoid presence of body parts in this zone during operation.
Warning
Before picking any new object or material in autonomous mode, always check that the resulting vacuum level is sufficient
to ensure safe gripping, in order to prevent dropping or ejection of the load.
1.2.1. Main unit suction cup
In order to use only one suction cup, the single cup can be mounted right in the port of the vacuum generator.
1.2.2. Auxiliary system with multiple suction cups
A standard Suction Cup System can be attached to the EPick Vacuum Gripper. The bracket normally holds two or four suction
cups (corresponding to the four ports of the manifold).
Any unused manifold port should be blocked with a mating plug to avoid air leakage.
Other custom mounting options can also be used to benefit from a multiple suction cups solution
Caution
Custom brackets and plates must meet the required technical specifications (refer to the Technical dimensions section
subsection).
1.3. Setup and control
The Vacuum Gripper is powered and controlled directly via a single device cable that carries 24 V DC power and Modbus RTU
communication over RS-485.
Info
Please refer to the Electrical Setup section subsection for wiring information, and to the Software section for the control
of the Vacuum Gripper.
In order to be used, the EPick Gripper has to be connected to a Gripper coupling which provides both the mechanical and
electrical connectivity to the Gripper.
9

Info
Please refer to the Mechanical Installation section for more information on mounting the Vacuum Gripper onto the
coupling. Refer to the Technical dimensions section for the technical drawing, and refer to the Spare Parts, Kits and
Accessories section for a list of the available couplings.
The EPick Gripper boasts an embedded object detection feature which uses indirect sensing measurements. The system thus
indicates if the workpiece has been dropped or if the Gripper failed to grasp the workpiece.
Info
For more information regarding the object detection feature, please refer to the Software section.
10