Dixon Valve: Metal ID Gripper Jaws

A Place for Metal

Dixon Valve has long used Markforged composite 3D printers to manufacture End of Arm Tooling (EOAT) for their many robotic arms. However, they could not replace grippers that held abrasive surfaces. The threads that these grippers hold quickly wear out printed composite parts, which while strong have the same surface hardness of thermoplastic. By printing the grippers with the Metal X, Dixon valve achieves the same advantages that 3D printing affords without sacrificing part durability.