End-of-Arm Tooling and Grippers

End-of-arm tooling (EOAT) is any device mounted at the robot wrist to interact with parts — grippers, suction cups, welding torches, cameras. It is often the most application-specific, failure-prone and underbudgeted component of a robot cell.

Key facts about EOAT

Budget 15–30% of total cell cost for EOAT design, manufacturing and integration — not $500 for an off-the-shelf gripper
Vacuum (suction) grippers work on flat, non-porous surfaces; they fail on porous, oily, rough or flexible parts
Electric grippers are programmable for force and stroke; pneumatic grippers are faster and cheaper but need a compressed air supply
Tool changers allow one robot to switch between multiple EOAT types automatically — worthwhile if you run 5+ part types
Use our free vacuum gripper sizing calculator to check cup area and vacuum level requirements

EOAT types at a glance

Type	Best for	Fails on	Typical cost (USD)	Air supply needed?
Vacuum / suction gripper	Flat, smooth, non-porous (sheet metal, cardboard, glass, plastics)	Porous, oily, rough, flexible surfaces	$300–$5,000	Yes (or electric venturi)
Pneumatic parallel gripper	Fast, repeatable two-finger gripping; machine tending; palletizing	Fragile or high-variability parts; no air supply	$200–$2,000	Yes
Electric parallel gripper	Programmable force/stroke; clean rooms; no air supply needed	Very high speed applications (slower than pneumatic)	$800–$5,000	No
Soft gripper	Irregular shapes, food, fragile parts; compliant contact	Very heavy parts; high-speed cycles; oily surfaces	$500–$4,000	Usually yes (air-powered)
Magnetic gripper	Ferrous metal sheet and billets; fast	Non-ferrous, stainless (often), hot parts	$300–$3,000	Varies
Tool changer	Switching between multiple EOAT types; multi-product lines	Not applicable (infrastructure component)	$1,000–$8,000	Yes (typically)

Costs are approximate based on off-the-shelf products from Robotiq, Schunk, Schmalz, OnRobot, and SMC as of September 2026. Custom EOAT typically costs 3–10× more.

How to size a vacuum gripper (quick reference)

The required holding force F (N) = m × (g + a) × safety_factor, where m is part mass (kg), g is 9.81 m/s², a is the robot's maximum acceleration (m/s²), and a safety factor of 1.5–2.5 is applied depending on surface condition and orientation.

Required cup area A (mm²) = F / (vacuum_level × 0.001), where vacuum_level is in mbar (typical industrial vacuum: 60–80% vacuum = 600–800 mbar).

Use our free vacuum gripper sizing calculator to run this instantly with your inputs.

EOAT guides

Vacuum Gripper Selection Guide

How suction grippers work, cup types and materials, sizing with worked examples, and failure modes. Includes a link to the sizing calculator.

Electric vs Pneumatic Gripper: How to Choose

Side-by-side comparison of electric and pneumatic parallel grippers across speed, programmability, cost, and environment requirements.

Robot Tool Changers: When You Need One

How automatic tool changers work, when the cost is justified, and the key specs to check (payload rating, repeatability, utility pass-through).

Soft Grippers for Industrial Robots

Air-powered soft grippers, gecko adhesion, and electrostatic EOAT for fragile, irregular or food-safe applications — with real limitations.

EOAT Products by Brand

Detailed specs, integration guides, and application comparisons for the leading end-of-arm tooling manufacturers.

Robotiq Grippers

2F-85, 2F-140, Hand-E, EPick and FT 300-S force sensor: adaptive fingers, URCap integration, IP67 machine tending.

OnRobot Grippers

RG2, RG6, 2FG7, 3FG15 and VGC10 electric vacuum: One System quick-change, tool changer, force/torque sensing.

Vacuum Gripper Guide

Flat vs bellows cups, venturi vs pump, sizing formula F = m(g+a)×SF, and the ten most common failure modes.

Electric vs Pneumatic Gripper

Force, speed, programmability, cost, and environment: side-by-side comparison with worked selection examples.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common EOAT failure mode?

For vacuum grippers: suction cup wear, torn or cracked cups from contamination or sharp part edges. For pneumatic grippers: worn jaw seals and bent or scored guide rods from off-axis loading. For electric grippers: cable fatigue from repeated flexing, particularly if the cable management is not designed for high-cycle use. Building in quick gripper replacement (tool changer or simple pin-and-clamp mount) dramatically reduces downtime.

Can I use a vacuum gripper on an oily machined part?

With caution. Light oil contamination can be handled with bellows cups (which conform to oily surfaces) and higher vacuum levels, but cutting oil pooling in the cup seat will break the seal. For machined parts with heavy coolant exposure, pneumatic or electric parallel grippers with machined jaws are more reliable. Some applications use both: a vacuum gripper for raw stock loading and a mechanical gripper for finished-part unloading.

How much does custom EOAT typically cost?

Custom EOAT (engineered to your specific part, not off-the-shelf) typically runs $3,000–$30,000 depending on complexity. Simple machined aluminium fingers for a known cylindrical part: $2,000–$5,000. Multi-function EOAT with sensors and tool-change coupling: $10,000–$30,000. Budget custom EOAT at 20–30% of total robot cell cost.

Should I use a 2-finger or 3-finger gripper for round parts?

For round parts (shafts, billets, round bar), a 3-jaw or 3-finger gripper centres automatically without a precision part-presentation nest. A 2-finger gripper can work but requires the part to be presented consistently aligned. For high-mix CNC tending where you handle multiple round diameters, an electric gripper with adjustable stroke (such as Robotiq's 2F series) combined with a 3-finger configuration is often the best compromise.

Sources

Schmalz vacuum technology catalogue 2025, schmalz.com, accessed September 2026
Robotiq EOAT product specifications, robotiq.com, accessed September 2026
OnRobot gripper product range, onrobot.com, accessed September 2026
Schunk gripper catalogue, schunk.com, accessed September 2026