Overview

Large J Brackets are used to install curtain wall facades on the edge of buildings. Typically, this requires a human to install these metal brackets hanging off the side for each bracket. Raise Robotics is developing a robot to complete these dangerous and repetitive tasks. Thus, a solution is needed to hold onto these brackets so they can be fastened to the side of the building.

My task was to design a gripper that can be used to grab and place the J bracket from the bracket’s loading position into its placement position.

Solution

I designed a modular gripper intended for easy prototyping and iteration. It is made from 4 aluminum plates that can be waterjet or plasma cut with minimal material waste, and adhered or welded together. I also designed the gripper to have a modular gripping surface. I created a rubber gripping surface that can be screwed onto the gripper brackets as shown in the assembly drawings. A different part made of different materials or different surface textures can easily be designed with holes in the correct places to replace this rubber pad.

Modular Bracket Gripper