Robotics & Automation worked example

Gripper Force with part weight at the jaws of 2.5 lb: a worked example

Suppose part weight at the jaws falls to 2.5 lb. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimate required gripper force at the jaws from part weight, accel and orientation factor, friction or form-closure factor, and a safety factor.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Part weight at the jaws: 2.5 lb (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 5)
  • Acceleration and orientation factor: 3 g (held at the documented default)
  • Friction or form-closure factor: 3 1/mu (held at the documented default)
  • Safety factor: 2 x (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Required gripper force = part weight x acceleration and orientation factor x friction or form-closure factor x safety factor.
  • Required gripper force works out to 45 lbf at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Base product works out to 22.5 value at these inputs.
  • Multiplier works out to 2 x at these inputs.
  • Factor A x B works out to 7.5 value at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where part weight at the jaws sits at 5 lb and the headline result is 90 lbf, this scenario comes in 50% below the baseline at 45 lbf.
  • It multiplies part weight by an acceleration/orientation factor, a friction or form-closure factor, and a safety factor to produce the minimum gripper holding force in pounds-force. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Required gripper force: 45 lbf (headline result)
  • Base product: 22.5 value
  • Multiplier: 2 x
  • Factor A x B: 7.5 value

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Gripper Force calculator, set part weight at the jaws to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.