Currently, I am using the AL5D arm for my project. I need the gripper to clamp the bucket - for digging purposes. However, I’m afraid that during the process of digging, the bucket may slip off from the gripper.
As i need the gripper to clamp other tools, I do not want the bucket to be attached to the gripper permanently. Therefore, can someone recommend me some items or materials to use which can improve the grip of the gripper-bucket? Preferably some strips/layers which i can stick on the clamping surfaces of the tools to further enhance the clamping/gripping strength.
Thanksss
P.S: i would appreciate if you can tell me the name of the suggested items as well.
You could make a custom bucket that has a “T” handle. The gripper would grip below the top of the “T” so that as the bucket scoops and wants to be pulled out of the gripper, the flat part of the “T” would prevent this from happening. You could epoxy a piece of “I” beam on the bucket.
The best way to hold on would be to add a small hole on the center of each side of the gripper fingers, that would mate up with two small cylindrical appendages added to the sides of the block on the digger part. Friction by itself is difficult to get to work.
If you replace that square block with a plastic or metal “I” beam, you can epoxy it in the middle of the scoop. The “I” beam needs to have the flanges so that the gripper can grip between the flanges —>]<— This would prevent the grip from slipping. the closer the fit, the better.
You could make the block on the bucket the ~same hight as the gripper, then put a flat top on the block (something similar to a piece of craft stick) such that the gripper would slide in underneith the top and grip the block. If the outside ends of the top piece were angled up slightly, then the gripper could be self aligning to the block as the gripper closed. I’d use pieces of the rubberized mesh cloth (used under rugs to keep them from sliding) glued to the sides of the block and the gripper gripping surfaces.
