5-Axis Machined 6061 Aluminum End Effector Finger with 0.008mm Pad Coplanarity for Robot Gripper Jaw Assembly

This finger is the contact end of a small-part assembly robot: a contoured aluminum body that reaches into a fixture, grips a connector or a housing, and carries a sensor in a pocket behind the grip surface. Two details decide whether it works on a production line: how flat the wear pads sit relative to each other, and how closely the contoured tip matches the part it picks.

The body is machined on a five-axis centre so the contour, the pad seats, the sensor pocket and the dowel holes are cut without re-fixturing. Steel pads are dowel-pinned into seats held to ±0.01 mm, then ground after assembly so the working surfaces are coplanar to 0.008 mm, not just the seats they sit in.

1. Model and reach review. We check the contoured tip against the 3D model, the pad layout, the sensor pocket depth and the cable route, and confirm the finger reaches the pick point without collision, then quote within one working day.
2. Material verification. 6061-T6 stock is checked for grade and temper; steel pad stock is checked for hardness before machining.
3. Stress relief and datuming. The blank is stress relieved and faced, and a single datum scheme is fixed for contour, pads and dowels.
4. 5-axis roughing. The contour and the weight-relief pockets are roughed with constant stepover, keeping cutter load even around the curved tip and leaving 0.4 mm for finishing.
5. 5-axis finishing. The contour is finished to 0.02 mm of the model and the pad seats to ±0.01 mm, with rib thickness held above 1.5 mm so the finger does not flex under grip load.
6. Sensor pocket and wire slot. The pocket is machined to ±0.02 mm depth with a 1.5 mm minimum wall, and the wire slot is deburred so a cable cannot chafe through its insulation.
7. Pad fitting. Steel pads are dowel-pinned and screwed into their seats, match-marked to the body, then ground in place so the working faces reach 0.008 mm coplanarity.
8. Anodizing and verification. Clear anodizing with pad seats masked, then CMM for contour and dowel position, a coplanarity check on the assembled pads, and a first article report with the match-mark record.

Machining three pad seats to the same depth does not make three pads coplanar. Each pad has its own thickness tolerance, each screw pulls it down slightly differently, and a dowel that is 0.005 mm off lifts one corner. The only reliable route is to machine the seats, fit the pads, and then grind the working faces as an assembly, measuring the result on a surface plate or CMM.

That sequence also makes replacement practical: pads are match-marked to the body, so a worn pad set can be re-fitted and ground without scrapping the aluminum finger. For a cell running three shifts, that is the difference between a consumable and a capital item.

Contour, pad layout, sensor type and pocket, cable route, mounting interface, material and coating are built to your model. One finger is a normal order with no tooling charge and no setup fee, and the prototype follows the same assembly and coplanarity check as a batch. If the model leaves too little wall behind a sensor pocket, our engineer returns a DFM note before machining.

• NDA before models. Mutual non-disclosure is signed before models, drawings or samples are released.
• No public reference. Confidential end effector parts never appear in samples, catalogues, website photos or trade fairs.
• Separated cell. Sensitive work runs with named operators and project-coded programmes.
• Data control. Models stay on an access-controlled server; coating and grinding partners receive specifications only.

Dongguan Changxinda Precision Technology Co., Ltd has produced custom machined parts since 2008, with four-axis and five-axis machining centres, turn-mill lathes, CNC lathes and milling machines on site. The company employs 90 to 102 people, holds ISO 9001:2015 certification, serves more than 200 customers, exports 50 to 60 percent of output and records annual sales of USD 10 to 20 million.

• Confirmed dates. Prototypes 4 to 7 working days, batch orders 12 to 20 working days after drawing approval.
• Repeat orders skip setup. Programmes, fixtures and coplanarity records stay on file.
• Reserved machine time. Blanket orders are scheduled into fixed monthly slots.
• Early warning. If material, anodizing or pad grinding threatens the date, you hear it before it is missed.
• Dispatch evidence. Photos, inspection report and packing list before shipment.

• Consumer Electronics: phone, tablet and laptop housings, heat sinks, camera brackets, VR/AR headset structural parts, smart wearable shells
• Automation & Industrial Equipment: automation fixtures, jigs, module frames, transmission sliders, motor mounts, sensor housings, conveyor line parts
• Semiconductor & Vacuum Equipment: vacuum chambers, vacuum fittings, precision equipment bases, thermal isolation and insulation parts, inspection fixtures
• Medical Devices: surgical instrument bases, diagnostic instrument housings, endoscope components, aesthetic device structural parts (medical-grade aluminum and stainless steel)
• Automotive: new energy motor housings, battery end plates, sensor brackets, lamp structural parts, tuning parts, hydraulic valve blocks
• Aerospace & UAV: aircraft structural parts, drone frames, landing gear parts, avionics instrument housings (lightweight precision parts)
• Optics & Photonics: optical lens barrels, lens mounts, light source heat sinks, camera module brackets, inspection optical benches
• Communications: 5G heat dissipation cavities, filter parts, signal adapter structural parts, telecom equipment housings
• Robotics: robot arm joint parts, robot bases, reducer housings, AGV structural parts
• Instrumentation: test equipment housings, precision gauge bases, flow meter parts, laboratory equipment accessories

Each finger is packed with its pad set fitted and match-marked, bagged with desiccant and seated in a foam tray so the ground pads cannot touch the tray walls. The tray fits a five-layer export carton with part number, quantity and batch code. Sea freight ships on fumigation-free plywood pallets; neutral cartons are available.