Benefits of Electric Grippers

The transition to electric gripping isn't simply about changing technologies. It's about reducing the complexity of automation while improving flexibility.

Compared with traditional pneumatic systems, electric grippers can help manufacturers:

• Configure grip force and stroke digitally

• Reduce changeover time

• Eliminate much of the compressed-air infrastructure

• Gain built-in process feedback

• Significantly lower energy and maintenance costs with up to 90%, and get return on investment in as little as 1 year. *

• Lower the total cost of ownership

Why Manufacturers Choose Electric Grippers

Electric grippers allow operators to configure gripping force, stroke, and speed directly in software.

Instead of adjusting regulators or mechanical stops, operators simply load new parameters when production changes. This improves repeatability while reducing setup time between jobs.

For applications such as CNC machine tending, programmable control helps ensure consistent loading and handling across varying workpieces.

Greater Flexibility Across Product Families

Many production environments handle dozens or even hundreds of different parts.

Rather than maintaining multiple dedicated grippers, manufacturers can often use one programmable electric gripper across a broader range of workpieces.

OnRobot offers electric grippers designed for different payloads and applications.

Faster Changeovers

Every mechanical adjustment reduces productive machine time.

Because electric grippers can be reconfigured digitally, operators spend less time changing tooling and more time producing parts.

This is especially valuable for manufacturers running multiple product variants throughout the week.

Lower System Complexity and Total Cost of Ownership

The cost of a gripping solution extends well beyond the gripper itself.

Pneumatic systems typically require compressors, air lines, regulators, valves, fittings, and air preparation equipment.

Electric grippers reduce or eliminate many of these supporting components, simplifying both installation and long-term maintenance.

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Lower Operating Costs

Electric grippers help lower operating costs by using power only when movement is required, unlike pneumatic systems that depend on a constant compressed-air supply.

By reducing energy consumption, removing air-related components, and cutting routine maintenance, electric grippers can substantially reduce the everyday costs of running and maintaining an automation cell.

Key cost advantages include:

• Lower energy use because gripping no longer depends on continuous compressed-air availability reducing energy and maintenance costs with up to 90%*

• Fewer air-related components such as valves, regulators, filters, fittings, and air lines

• Reduced maintenance work from leak checks, pressure tuning, and air-quality management

• Less downtime risk caused by pressure drops, leaks, or worn pneumatic components

• Lower spare-parts inventory because fewer supporting components are required

• Reduced total cost of ownership through lower operating costs across the life of the cell gives you return on investment in as little as 1 year*

_{*Main assumptions:}

_{1)     Electricity prices (kWh, USD) – estimated global average 2023-2026; USD 0.159}

_{2)     Operation: 240 days of operation a year, 8 hours of continuous use per day}

Electric vs. Pneumatic Grippers

Manufacturers evaluating automation often ask one question:

Should I continue using pneumatic grippers or switch to electric?

The answer depends on your production environment.

If you're running the same product continuously, pneumatic gripping might initially be an effective solution.

However, if your production involves multiple product variants, frequent changeovers, or unattended operation, electric grippers can provide significant operational advantages, and over time, the lower energy use, reduced maintenance, and simpler system design will often make electric grippers the better long-term choice.

Customer Success: One Electric Gripper Replaced Six Pneumatic Grippers

Technology claims matter.

Customer results matter more.

Automation Within Reach (AWR), a U.S.-based builder of CNC machine tending systems, needed a solution capable of handling a broad range of customer workpieces without increasing mechanical complexity.

Previously, multiple pneumatic grippers were required to cover different part sizes.

By standardizing on the OnRobot 3FG25, AWR replaced six pneumatic grippers with one programmable electric gripper.

Because gripping force and stroke are controlled digitally, the same gripper can adapt to multiple workpieces without mechanical adjustments.

AWR also developed a dual-3FG25 configuration that unloads a finished workpiece while loading the next blank during the same robot cycle, improving machine utilization and throughput.

The Bottom Line

Electric grippers are not simply pneumatic grippers powered differently.

They represent a shift toward automation that is more flexible, easier to deploy, easier to maintain, and better suited to modern manufacturing.

As the Automation Within Reach example demonstrates, simplifying the automation system can reduce engineering effort, improve uptime, and make future production changes significantly easier.

For manufacturers evaluating their next automation investment, the question is no longer simply:

"Which gripper costs less?"

A better question is:

Which solution creates the simplest, most adaptable automation system over the long term?