A Gripper for Handling Flat Non-Rigid Materials

This paper deals with the concept, design, construction and experimental results of a gripper dedicated to the handling of flat non-rigid materials (NRMs). A consistent review in end-effector technology for NRMs has been made through this study. Based on a number of functional requirements a gripper is proposed with two moving finger-like attachment points and its performance is assessed experimentally. The final design study and construction of the gripper are presented. A set of experimental results of the gripper’s performance and a discussion is provided.