How can I install my Robotiq 2 finger gripper on the Kuka IIWA media flange?

Catherine_Bernier

This is a question that some of our clients are asking us, so here is how you can install your Robotiq 2 finger gripper on the Kuka IIWA media flange.

Mechanical
To install the 2F-85/140 on the Kuka media flange, you need the AGC-CPL-062-002 coupling with all the accessories.

Communication
Ethercat is definitely the way to go with the IIWA, as, once the gripper wiring is sorted, you can just use the X65 EtherCAT port on the Sunrise cabinet to connect to the Robotiq controller, configure the inputs/outputs in WorkVisual, and be good to go in Sunrise OS.

Here is a schematic for how we've wired up the gripper using the in-arm routed cabling.

We actually use ports X34 and X35 on the media flange for the power and 485 +/- signals, since this allows us to use the X76 connection at the base of the IIWA arm, which is for external power/data connections.

X651 is directly connected to the robot controller's X650 port and allows for powering and communicating with EtherCAT devices at the media flange.

Since the gripper itself communicates with RS485, we only need to use the shielded pair for the serial comm. If the gripper natively understood EtherCAT, we could just use the media flange ports connected to X651.

Hope this helps.

YJW

Hi Catherine,
Many thanks for this answer.
Sorry if this is a silly question as I am new to KUKA iiwa and Robotiq gripper. 
I wonder if you would know what would be the communication for the I/O Pneumatic Media flange?
And I do not have a X76 at the base. If this is the case, it would be essential to connect through X65, right?
Thx!
YJW

hkourtev

Hi I am at Rutgers University and trying to do the same. I do have an X76 port but I cannot figure out what this type of connector is called in order to order it. I have contacted Kuka but they still haven't gotten back to me. I just need the name of the connector so I can order it from Digikey, Mouser or somewhere else. Thanks in advance!

zobotics

hkourtev said:

Hi I am at Rutgers University and trying to do the same. I do have an X76 port but I cannot figure out what this type of connector is called in order to order it. I have contacted Kuka but they still haven't gotten back to me. I just need the name of the connector so I can order it from Digikey, Mouser or somewhere else. Thanks in advance!

X76 is the connector on your Robot's base, the signal passes inside the robot from X76 to X34, if you don't have X76 just use a cable that goes from the gripper to its controller.

zobotics

YJW said:

And I do not have a X76 at the base. If this is the case, it would be essential to connect through X65, right?

X76 is the connector on your Robot's base, the signal passes inside the robot from X76 to X34, if you don't have X76 just use a cable that goes from the gripper to its controller.
X65 is the Robot's Ethercat port. You should use an RJ45 cable to connect the robot controller to the gripper's controller, not the gripper itself.

hkourtev

zobotics said:

hkourtev said:

Hi I am at Rutgers University and trying to do the same. I do have an X76 port but I cannot figure out what this type of connector is called in order to order it. I have contacted Kuka but they still haven't gotten back to me. I just need the name of the connector so I can order it from Digikey, Mouser or somewhere else. Thanks in advance!

X76 is the connector on your Robot's base, the signal passes inside the robot from X76 to X34, if you don't have X76 just use a cable that goes from the gripper to its controller.

Thank you however my question about the name of the connector or its type still remains unanswered and an answer would still be helpful. I have made my own connector but I would like to purchase the correct one. Kuka cannot be the only one in the world that uses this type although it seems impossible to find (mostly because I don't know what to call it).

bcastets

Mechanical
To install the 2F-85/140 on the Kuka media flange, you need the AGC-CPL-062-002 coupling with all the accessories.

Just a little update. The coupling AGC-CPL-062-002 have been replaced by the coupling GRP-CPL-062. This new coupling is 3mm thicker. Slight changes might be done on the robot program and TCP settings.