What is an Industrial Manipulator?
Industrial manipulators are pneumatically-balanced manual lift assists. Material handling manipulators allow an operator to lift and position a part as if it were an extension of his/her hands. They are the high-speed, high-performance manual material-handling solution. Industrial manipulators render the load virtually weightless from the point of view of the operator, making it simple for the operator to lift, lower, or otherwise move the product. Normally, there are no up or down push buttons, allowing the operator to concentrate on moving the load quickly without focusing on the use of buttons. Unlike a crane, industrial manipulators can help to support a load that might be offset from the axis of the end effector allowing products to be handled outside their center of mass.
What Can Industrial Manipulators Do?
- They can reach into enclosed spaces (such as a vehicle)
- They can reach under obstructions
- They offer greater placement precision than is possible with a crane
- Generally, industrial manipulators offer faster cycle times than cranes
- They can allow single operators to lift large loads that would otherwise require 2-3 workers
- They allow operators to remain in an upright position, reducing strain from repetitive movements
End Effectors
The end effector is an important component of the manipulator system; no industrial manipulator is complete without one. An end effector will consist of handlebars, gripper and rotation components and the cost of the end effector is roughly equal to that of the articulated arm. While the articulated arm is stocked on the shelf, the end effector must be custom-designed to best suit the part that is being lifted. At Givens Engineering, we mass-manufacture stock end effector components, such as handlebars, grippers, bearing assemblies and rotation units. We perform extensive research and test all of these items to ensure our products are performing optimally.
Types of Industrial Manipulators
Brake Press Manipulators
Brake press manipulators use a patented end effector that moves a sheet through a brake press. The brake press manipulator is a style of industrial manipulator that allows one operator to perform the tasks efficiently that would normally be performed by two.
Slide-Column Manipulators
The Side-Column manipulator is a product designed by Givens Engineering to provide a rigid column with high mobility. It combines the best features of manipulators with the great travel of a crane. Slide-column manipulators are particularly helpful when it comes to larger loads, minimizing the swinging that would normally make it difficult to place a load.
Specially-Mounted Manipulators
At Givens Engineering, we can create custom and specially-mounted manipulators to suit your unique projects.
Crane Mounted Manipulators
Our specially-mounted manipulators can be mounted on a G-Rail crane to allow for exceptional travel with all the benefits of an industrial manipulator arm.
Givens Engineering Manipulator Models
We have 5 standard models of manipulators available in increasing moment capacities (in general, the model numbers refer to thousands of inch-pounds of moment capacity).
- Model TA5
- M35
- M60
- M120
- M250
