This simulator runs a Cartesian gantry through a complete pick-and-place cycle. The order of moves matters, and so does the grip: jaw force and friction must be able to carry the payload's weight plus the extra load from lifting. Change the settings and watch the sequence succeed, or stop at the grip check.
• A 3D gantry and carriage, parallel-jaw gripper, payload, pick nest and place nest, with indicators for each sequence phase: approach, lower, grip, lift, transfer, lower, release, retract and return. • Controls for time per phase (0.6-2 s), payload mass (0.1-2 kg), normal force per jaw (5-50 N), jaw-to-part friction coefficient (0.1-0.8) and a forced grip-confirmation fault. • Readouts for the current phase, tool horizontal position and height, available friction hold, peak required holding force, the capacity-to-requirement ratio and whether the part was placed. • A successful preset (16 N available hold against about 6.11 N required) and an insufficient-grip preset that stops at the grip check.
Friction hold is Fhold = 2μN for two jaws. The lift uses the smooth profile s(u) = 3u² - 2u³ over a height of 0.4 m, which has a peak acceleration of 6h/Tphase². The required force is Frequired = m(g + apeak), so shorter phases and heavier payloads raise the requirement. If the hold does not exceed the requirement, or if the grip-confirmation fault is on, the sequence stops before lifting and the part stays in the source nest.
Motion is prescribed, not simulated with motors. The grip check is conservative and uses peak lift acceleration only; there is no jaw compliance, contact dynamics or trajectory optimization. One trial moves one part and stops, and restart resets it.
While the gripper accelerates upward, the jaws must support the part's weight plus the force needed to accelerate it, m(g + a). Ignoring acceleration would understate the required grip force, especially for fast phases.
The available hold is 2μN: the friction coefficient times the normal force on each of the two jaws, summed. Raising either the coefficient or the jaw force increases the hold capacity.
The sequence halts at the grip check before the lift begins, leaving the part in the pick nest. This lab enforces the rule that the robot must not move a part it is not confirmed to hold.
No. Gantry motion is prescribed and smoothed, and the lab does not model motor dynamics, jaw compliance or trajectory optimization. It is meant to show the sequence logic and the grip-force margin.