Vacuum ejector + suction cups
For flat, non-porous objects nothing beats suction: no grasp planning, no finger geometry, just a cup and a venturi. The standard end effector for cardboard and sheet goods.
The role it plays
The end effector is what the task actually touches and it usually deserves more thought than the arm. Grasping divides into force closure (fingers), form closure (soft, compliant) and adhesion (vacuum, magnetic). Soft hands for variety, parallel jaws for speed, vacuum for flat non-porous parts.
Typical use: Carton handling, sheet metal, glass, PCB pick-and-place.
What the numbers actually mean
The headline figure is -60 to -90 kPa (venturi ejector) (vacuum), with 10 – 100 mm bellows or flat as the next most load-bearing number (cup sizes). At $150 in the end effectors tier it sits in the mid range: enough money that you should plan the mounting and wiring before ordering, but not so much that one mistake ends the project.
How it compares
Same subsystem, closest alternatives. The primary spec column is usually the one that decides it.
| Part | Price | Primary spec | Second spec |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vacuum ejector + suction cupsPneumatic gripper | $150 | -60 to -90 kPa (venturi ejector) | 10 – 100 mm bellows or flat |
| Robotiq 2F-85Adaptive parallel gripper | $5.8k | 85 mm (0 – 85 mm opening) | 20 – 235 N adjustable |
| Robotiq Hand-ECompact parallel gripper | $4.7k | 50 mm | 20 – 185 N |
| Fin Ray soft gripper (printed)Compliant gripper | $20 | TPU 95A (printed) | single linear actuator or servo |
| Electro-permanent magnetic gripperMagnetic gripper | $300 | 100 – 1000 N (size dependent) | ferrous only |
Where it shows up
It is a component-level choice rather than a defining part of a named platform — pick it for the subsystem it serves, not to match a reference build.