3D-printed silicone grippers automate fruit handling with cobots

Automation in the fruit trade faces particular challenges: products are delicate, shapes vary widely, and working environments are often designed around manual processes. At Fruit Logistica 2026, the Fraunhofer IAPT demonstrates how additive manufacturing can help bridge this gap. At the center of the presentation is a collaborative robot with a flexible gripper arm that takes over gripping, sorting, and packing of different types of fruit while safely working alongside humans.

At the core of the system is a silicone gripper manufactured additively, which combines suction and finger-gripping mechanisms in a single tool. The soft material properties allow gentle handling of pressure-sensitive fruit while simultaneously meeting the requirements of the food industry. Thanks to additive production, the geometry of the gripper can be adapted to specific tasks without the need to change tools. This reduces setup times and simplifies integration into existing processes.

The gripper is complemented by modular sensor technology. Depending on the application, distance sensors or camera-based systems are used, which capture the shape, size, and position of the fruit using computer vision and AI. This data feeds into an adaptive gripping process that adjusts the cobot’s movements in real time. As a result, even irregularly positioned or differently sized products can be handled reliably.

According to Fraunhofer IAPT, the approach is intended to take over physically demanding and repetitive tasks, thereby helping to address labor shortages. At the same time, humans remain part of the process, as the cobot is designed for direct collaboration. The institute supports companies from requirements analysis through the design of 3D-printed grippers to integration into existing robotic systems.

The use of additively manufactured silicone grippers illustrates how 3D printing provides functional advantages in automation. Flexible materials, rapid adaptability, and low system complexity make the technology a practical option for the fruit trade and comparable industries.