The term end effector is particularly at home in the fields of automation, industry and Factory 4.0 as well as robots. An end effector is the tool or "handpiece" at the end of a robot arm. It is the part that comes into direct contact with the working environment and performs tasks such as gripping, welding, cutting or assembly.
You can imagine the end effector as the hand of a robot: Depending on the task, it can have different shapes and functions. For example, there are end effectors that are specially designed to carefully grip glass bottles without damaging them, while others ensure that heavy car parts are placed precisely.
In modern manufacturing, the right end effector has made many work processes faster, safer and more efficient. This allows companies to react more flexibly when their production or the products in demand change.
An illustrative example: In a car factory, a robot equipped with an end effector is used to hold doors and attach them to the car with millimetre precision. This not only saves time, but also significantly increases precision.
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