Compressed air powers the jaws of these grippers for general purpose picking and placing. The jaws stay parallel as they open and close, like elevator doors, to grab parts. You’ll also need gripper fingers—choose ready-to-use fingers (sold separately) or machine your own to grip complex shapes.

External force and internal force describe how hard the gripper can squeeze your part at the fingertips, also called the gripping distance. The less friction there is between the part and fingers, the more force you’ll need to lift a part. Typically, you’ll need a force that’s about 10 times the part’s weight, but an oily part might need a force about 20 times its weight. However, air pressure and finger length also affect the ideal force. Click on a part number and select "Product Detail" to view a chart that shows how external or internal force changes as the gripping distance changes.