For over 30 years, Farason Corporation has designed and supplied custom automation and robotic systems to manufacturers, delivering over 900 systems to North America, Asia, South America, and Europe. Farason added Markforged 3D printers to expand its design and production capabilities, fulfilling its promise to customers to provide unique solutions tailored precisely to their individual challenges. Farason Corporation employees developed a mechanical gripper with a custom sleeve for a robotic automation solution in the packaging process.

The automation concept included a robotic arm with a mechanical two-way gripper that grasps the neck of a plastic bucket, locates and aligns the thread. The bucket is then lifted, pivoted into position, and the contents are tipped into the next phase of product sorting.

The initial design of the gripper began with a 3D model of the jaws that close around the neck of the transport container. The surface of the jaws' undersides corresponded to the thread. However, testing of the tool revealed that its properties and performance could still be improved.

The prototype was able to grasp the bucket and position it under the robot for filling. However, some bags were lost between the bucket opening and the hopper of the collection container.

"We're able to quickly produce new iterations and add this custom over-the-shelf flange, which helps contain the bags," continued Design Support Engineer Christian Weder. "Normally, such a feature would be impossible." He explained that the rapid production of this shape in a suitably lightweight and robust material would not be possible without Markforged's 3D printers, especially at the low volumes required to produce such customized solutions.

Once the design was finalized, one more step was needed to get the parts into production. The project's designer, Richard Cook, R&D support engineer at Farason, pointed out that while the Onyx prototypes were suitable for testing, even with a strong base material, 3D printing alone wasn't the right approach. "They would be too rubbery," Cook said. "Between the boom and the length of the part, all that solid material is held on a tiny pad with small screws in the gripping mechanism." This part was solved by adding Markforged's fiber reinforcement.

The Farason team used Markforged X7 continuous-fiber printers to create the production-ready parts for shipment to the customer. "With just a few layers of carbon fiber, we were able to prove to the team that this was the right material," said Cook. "Reinforcements underneath the screws and washers to secure everything, along with the carbon fiber added along the entire length of the finger, ensured the part remained strong and robust, resisting bending. We printed a set of these, and the team was absolutely delighted with them." The resulting gripper tool was also a hit with the customer: robust enough to allow slight flexion to accommodate movement and positioning, and stiff enough to perform the required tasks.

Advantages of Markforged

• Cheaper parts available within hours instead of days.
• Manufacturing complex features (the asymmetric funnel cuff) that would not be possible to manufacture cost-effectively on-site.
• 3D printing allows the team to optimize additive manufacturing solutions during testing.
• Continuous fiber reinforcement enables the targeted reinforcement of parts, making them light yet robust for use.

 "We're able to quickly produce new iterations and add this custom over-the-top flange that helps contain the bags. Normally, such a feature would be impossible."