- 2F-85: 85 mm stroke, 235 N grip force, ±0.05 mm repeatability — the most-deployed cobot gripper globally.
- 2F-140: 140 mm stroke (wider parts), 125 N grip force — for larger or irregular parts.
- Hand-E: IP67, 400 N grip force, 50 mm stroke — industrial washdown and heavy-duty machine tending.
- EPick: electric vacuum generator, up to 35 kg hold, no compressed air required.
- All Robotiq grippers are UR+ certified with native PolyScope URCap — plug in, install plugin, start programming within minutes.
Company Overview
Robotiq was founded in 2008 in Quebec City, Canada, and has become the dominant EOAT supplier for the collaborative robot market. The company's strategic bet was early and deep UR+ certification — when Universal Robots became the market leader, Robotiq's plug-and-play integration made it the path-of-least-resistance gripper choice.
Robotiq was acquired by a private equity group in 2022 and merged with other automation brands under the Robotiq umbrella. Their product line covers grippers, vacuum, force/torque sensing, and palletizing software (Robotiq Palletizing Solution).
As of 2026, Robotiq grippers are installed on over 50,000 robot arms. They support UR, FANUC, ABB, Yaskawa, Doosan, and Techman robots through robot-specific connection kits and software adapters.
2F Adaptive Grippers (2F-85 and 2F-140)
The 2F (2-Finger) series are underactuated parallel grippers — two fingers, one motor, spring-loaded knuckles that conform partially to the part shape. "Adaptive" means the fingers can grasp a wider variety of shapes than a rigid parallel gripper without requiring separate jaw inserts.
| Spec | 2F-85 | 2F-140 |
|---|---|---|
| Stroke (open width) | 0–85 mm | 0–140 mm |
| Max grip force | 235 N | 125 N |
| Gripper weight | 0.9 kg | 1.0 kg |
| Repeatability | ±0.05 mm | ±0.1 mm |
| Closing speed | 20–150 mm/s programmable | 30–170 mm/s programmable |
| IP rating | IP54 | IP54 |
| Communication | RS-485 / UR tool flange | RS-485 / UR tool flange |
| Price (September 2026) | ~$4,500 | ~$5,000 |
Choose 2F-85 vs 2F-140
- 2F-85: Best for parts under 85 mm diameter or width — small machined parts, bottles, boxes, electronics enclosures. Higher grip force (235 N) makes it better for heavy parts (up to ~5 kg with appropriate friction).
- 2F-140: Best for larger or irregular parts — wide boxes, pipes, bags, deformable parts. Lower grip force means it is better for fragile items. The wider opening allows it to handle parts the 2F-85 cannot reach around.
Fingertip Options
Robotiq sells a range of fingertip inserts for both 2F models: flat, angled, pinch, curved, soft (foam), and needle-nose. Custom fingertip design is also common — Robotiq publishes CAD templates for 3D-printing custom inserts. Finger inserts significantly expand the range of parts a single gripper can handle.
Hand-E Industrial Gripper
The Hand-E is Robotiq's industrial-grade parallel gripper — fully enclosed, IP67, designed for machine tending in coolant-rich environments. Unlike the 2F series, the Hand-E has a fixed rigid jaw design (no finger articulation) with interchangeable fingers.
| Spec | Hand-E |
|---|---|
| Stroke | 0–50 mm |
| Max grip force | 400 N |
| Gripper weight | 1.1 kg |
| Repeatability | ±0.05 mm |
| IP rating | IP67 |
| Jaw material | Anodised aluminium (standard) or stainless (food option) |
| Price (September 2026) | ~$5,500 |
The Hand-E's 400 N grip force and rigid jaw design make it suitable for machine tending applications where parts are heavy and predictable in shape. The 50 mm stroke is narrower than the 2F-85 — it is designed for cylindrical parts (shafts, slugs) and rectangular workpieces with consistent dimensions, not irregular parts. Paired with custom CNC jaws, it handles precision-machined components reliably in chip-laden environments.
EPick Vacuum Gripper
The EPick is an electric vacuum gripper — it uses an integrated electric vacuum pump rather than compressed air. This makes it suitable for facilities without compressed air, or where compressed air at the wrist would require extensive plumbing.
| Spec | EPick |
|---|---|
| Max holding force | up to 35 kg (depending on cup size and vacuum level) |
| Vacuum cups | Customer-supplied (M5 fitting, supports standard Piab/Festo/SMC cups) |
| Pump power consumption | ~25 W during active suction |
| Gripper weight | 0.9 kg |
| IP rating | IP54 |
| Blow-off | Built-in solenoid for active part release |
| Price (September 2026) | ~$3,500 (cups not included) |
The EPick is best for flat, non-porous surfaces — PCBs, sheet metal, glass, plastic panels. It is not suitable for porous, oily, or highly curved surfaces. The electric pump is slightly noisier than a passive venturi, but avoids the air consumption and compressor dependency of pneumatic vacuum systems. See our Vacuum Gripper Selection Guide for sizing formulas.
FT 300-S Force/Torque Sensor
The FT 300-S mounts between the UR tool flange and the gripper, measuring forces and torques in all six axes. It provides data the UR's own joint torque sensors cannot — specifically, the exact force at the tool tip rather than estimated from joint current.
- Use cases: Compliant assembly (searching for holes), surface following, polishing with constant contact force, screwdriving torque verification, part presence detection by weight.
- Specs: ±300 N force range, ±30 Nm torque range, 100 Hz sample rate, ±0.1 N resolution.
- Price: ~$5,000 (September 2026).
The FT 300-S is a UR+ certified product with a URCap that displays live force data in PolyScope and allows force-threshold-based program logic. It is the most common force sensor used in UR assembly and insertion applications.
URCap and Ecosystem Integration
All Robotiq products ship with a URCap (UR+ plugin). Installation steps:
- Connect gripper to UR tool flange via the included cable
- Install the Robotiq URCap .urcap file via PolyScope Installation Manager
- Restart PolyScope — gripper controls appear as native program nodes
- Calibrate open/close positions and grip force using the Setup wizard
- Programme gripper actions by dragging gripper nodes into the robot program
The full setup from unboxing to first grip is typically 30–90 minutes. No external controller, no PLC configuration, no custom code. This integration simplicity is the primary reason Robotiq dominates the UR gripper market.
For non-UR robots (FANUC, ABB, Yaskawa), Robotiq provides connection kits with adapter flanges and robot-specific communication modules. Integration is more complex than on UR and typically requires a robot programmer rather than an operator.
Strengths and Limitations
Strengths
- Industry-leading UR integration — plug-in and programme within an hour, no custom code
- 2F-85 handles a very wide range of part shapes without jaw changes
- Hand-E provides genuine IP67 for machine tending in coolant environments
- EPick eliminates compressed air dependency
- Large community, many tutorial videos, active forum — easy to troubleshoot
- Robotiq Insights software provides gripper utilisation telemetry (cloud)
Limitations
- 2F grippers are slower than pneumatic — 150 mm/s max close speed vs pneumatic < 0.3 s close time
- 2F-85 at 235 N grip force is not suitable for very heavy or very slippery parts without custom fingers
- On non-UR robots, integration is significantly more complex and time-consuming
- 2F grippers wear finger pads over time — replacement fingers are a recurring cost
- Pricing is at the premium end compared to Asian-manufactured alternatives
Pricing Summary
| Product | Price (Sep 2026) | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| 2F-85 | ~$4,500 | General assembly, packaging, machine tending (light parts) |
| 2F-140 | ~$5,000 | Larger or irregular parts, fragile items |
| Hand-E | ~$5,500 | Machine tending, IP67 environments, high-force gripping |
| EPick | ~$3,500 | Flat, non-porous surfaces; no compressed air |
| FT 300-S force sensor | ~$5,000 | Compliant assembly, insertion, force-controlled operations |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Robotiq gripper is best for machine tending?
For CNC machine tending with metal parts and coolant exposure: Hand-E (IP67, 400 N, rigid jaws that match the part geometry). For lighter parts (< 5 kg) in a dry environment: 2F-85 with flat fingers. A common double-gripper setup uses two 2F-85 grippers on a custom bracket — one holds the raw part, one the finished part — allowing load-while-unload operation without a staging area. The bracket adds ~1.5 kg total EOAT weight, which must be factored into the robot's payload calculation.
Do Robotiq grippers work with FANUC or ABB robots?
Yes, but with additional hardware and integration work. Robotiq sells Universal Flange Adapters that mechanically fit standard robot flanges. Communication uses RS-485 or Modbus/TCP via an external Robotiq coupling module. There are no native URCap-equivalent plugins for FANUC or ABB — gripper commands must be written into the robot program as Modbus register reads/writes. This takes 2–4 hours for an experienced programmer. For UR robots, the same setup takes 30–60 minutes via URCap.
How long do Robotiq gripper fingers last?
The factory rubber fingertip pads typically last 500,000–1,000,000 cycles under normal use. In abrasive or high-temperature environments (e.g., metal parts with burrs, hot plastic parts) they may wear faster. Replacement fingertip sets cost approximately $80–$150. Robotiq also sells polyurethane and silicone tip variants for specific environments. The finger mechanism (spring and link) is rated for the product lifetime under normal use.
Sources
- Robotiq 2F-85 and 2F-140 Instruction Manual (2025)
- Robotiq Hand-E Instruction Manual (2025)
- Robotiq EPick Instruction Manual (2025)