Industrial Automation: Custom 3D-Printed ESD Grippers and Tooling

Custom ESD gripper for a collaborative robot cell

In industrial automation, selecting the right materials and gripping solutions is critical to production continuity.

When handling batteries and circuit boards, even a small electrostatic discharge can compromise the final product, leading to scrap, line downtime and a direct increase in production costs. In these applications, reliability and process control are top priorities.

3DRap Factory’s industrial additive manufacturing overcomes these limitations, enabling components and tooling to be produced directly from digital files, quickly and cost-effectively.

The challenge

A manufacturer of batteries and circuit boards approached 3DRap Factory to improve production efficiency and process reliability within a collaborative robot cell.

The conventional grippers previously used did not adequately protect the components:

• even a small electrostatic discharge could damage the products
• the weight of CNC-machined solutions slowed the cobot’s movements
• every modification required substantial time and investment

The new solution needed to be:

• lightweight and suitable for a cobot’s movements
• precisely matched to the components’ geometry
• capable of dissipating electrostatic charges
• quick and cost-effective to produce
• free from the need for additional treatments or coatings

The 3DRap Factory solution

3DRap Factory designed and manufactured a custom gripper, produced through industrial 3D printing with an ESD polymer.

The design was tailored to the various battery and circuit board formats to be handled. ESD materials allowed controlled dissipation of electrostatic charges, protecting sensitive components without additional processing.

With additive manufacturing:

• the working prototype was produced in just 3 days
• the gripper’s overall weight was significantly reduced
• the solution integrated seamlessly into the existing collaborative cell

A new approach: the value of modularity

Adopting 3D printing introduced a new approach: modularity and design flexibility.

The gripper is no longer a fixed, final component. It becomes an adaptable tool that can be modified as production requirements evolve. Changes to product geometry or format can be addressed directly in the digital file, without mold costs or delays.

Results achieved

• Full protection of electronic components
• From concept to working prototype in 3 days
• 60% lower costs compared with a CNC-machined metal gripper
• Reduced weight, enabling faster cobot operation
• Less wear on moving parts

Benefits for the customer

• Greater production process reliability
• Reduced line downtime
• Lower maintenance costs
• Increased production efficiency
• Full integration into the existing collaborative robot cell

Why choose 3DRap Factory

With over 10 years of experience in industrial additive manufacturing, 3DRap Factory supports automation companies by:

• designing custom solutions
• providing series production without minimum batch requirements
• optimizing processes and tooling
• eliminating the need for molds and conventional CNC machining

3D printing goes beyond prototyping: it enables flexible, fast and competitive industrial production.

This project demonstrates how the combination of modular design, additive manufacturing and engineering expertise can deliver a real competitive advantage.

Thanks to the work of 3DRap Factory, the customer obtained a more agile, cost-effective and sustainable solution, showing how thoughtful innovation can turn a simple cart into a strategic production asset.