Do you have questions?

Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions about our technology

Technology in general

Gecomer® Technology is based on the so-called gecko effect: Geckos can even move upside down with the help of millions of tiny hairs on their feet. They use the principle of adhesion and the intermolecular Van der Waals forces. Our special polymers replicate the fine hairs on the gecko’s feet to grip and hold different components reliably without external energy.

Our technology covers a wide range of applications.

Industrial sectors:

E-mobility, life science, optics, electronics, microelectronics, photonic

Component size and composition:

from a few µm to m
from smooth to air-permeable, non-magnetic surfaces
lubricant-free components with sensitive surfaces

Example components:

Battery and fuel cell components, ampoules, displays, wafers, fiberglass mats
Microscopic components, microlenses, SMD, microelectronics, MEMS, optical fibers, capacitors, transistors

Application environment:

Application in lubricant-free environment, clean room, high performance plants and vacuum

With increasing use, airborne particles (aerosols) can settle on the gripper surface, depending on the cleanroom class. Various automatable options are available for cleaning: Cleaning tape, ionized air blast or wet chemical cleaning.

Our grippers have been tested in up to 2.5 million gripping cycles under harsh process conditions without observing any significant loss of adhesion force. In order to make a more precise statement, our experts need further process parameters from you.

The adhesive force of our grippers is strongly dependent on the material and the surface condition of your object. When used on glass, 1-2 kg holding force per cm2 gripping surface can be assumed, depending on the gripper type. Conventional vacuum grippers can achieve a maximum holding force of 1 kg with the same gripping surface.

Our core competencies lie in the design of adhesive structures and the construction of suitable carriers and release mechanisms. We will be pleased to advise you on integration.

Macrohandling

You can test your application free of charge in a feasibility study in SCHUNK’s CoLAB. Send an e-mail with your request to adheso@de.schunk.com.

Our grippers leave no scratches or residue on your workpiece surface.

Microhandling

Our microgrippers enable safe and precise pick and place applications of components from over 1 cm to under 10 μm.

Your system should have a minimum positioning accuracy of 5-20 μm, depending on the gripper size.

The positioning accuracy is not determined by our gripper, but by the positioning accuracy of your system. With our patented detachment mechanism, positioning accuracies of less than 1 μm can be achieved.

The object surface is touched to pick up the component. The detachment mechanism is initiated by applying higher forces. These forces range between 1 mN and 100 mN and can be increased up to several N.