Electromagnetic Gripper kit for Dobot Magician E6

Quick Answer: The Electromagnetic Gripper kit for Dobot Magician E6 is an end tool that holds parts with an electromagnet, switched on and off by the robot controller. It picks up ferromagnetic items such as steel washers, plates and blocks, and is used to teach magnetic material handling and digital output control on the Magician E6 cobot.

Magnetic Picking and Its Limits

When current flows through the coil of the electromagnetic gripper, its iron core becomes a magnet and attracts any steel or iron part it touches. Switch the current off and the field collapses, releasing the part. For the robot program this is the simplest possible tool: one output turns the magnet on and the same output turns it off.

The limits teach as much as the tool itself. The magnet ignores aluminium, brass, copper, plastic and wood, so a mixed tray becomes a sorting exercise in which the gripper separates ferromagnetic parts from the rest. Holding force depends on contact: a flat steel plate pressed squarely against the face holds well, while a thin, curved or rusty part touching at one edge may drop. Some parts keep a little residual magnetism and cling for a moment after switch-off, which students can observe and allow for.

Holding force, face size and the electrical supply the electromagnet needs depend on the model supplied, and should be confirmed for the parts you plan to use.

Applications

• Sorting mixed metal and non-metal parts, with the magnet picking out only the ferromagnetic ones
• Pick-and-place of flat steel parts where jaws would have nothing to grip
• Physics links: comparing magnetic attraction for iron, steel, nickel-plated and non-magnetic metals
• Digital output practice, switching the magnet on and off at the right points in a sequence

Specifications

Care & Handling

• Keep the electromagnetic gripper face clean and flat; grit or metal swarf between face and part reduces the holding force sharply.
• Keep it away from phones, bank cards, hard drives and watches while it is energised.
• Do not leave the magnet energised for long periods without a part, as coils warm up under continuous current.
• Keep loads small and supervise lifting so that a dropped steel part cannot fall on hands or feet.

Why Choose LabEquip

Vocational and engineering courses add the electromagnetic gripper when they want students to handle sheet-metal-style parts or to see how tool choice depends on material. LabEquip lists it with the Dobot Magician E6 and the other E6 end tools in the Stem Kits category. Use the contact page to confirm the model and quantity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which materials can the electromagnetic gripper pick up?

Only ferromagnetic materials, mainly iron and most steels. It will not lift aluminium, copper, brass, plastic, wood or glass, and some stainless steels are only weakly magnetic or not magnetic at all. Test a sample part first if you are unsure.

Why does a part sometimes stay stuck after the magnet is switched off?

Some steels keep a small residual magnetism, and a thin film of oil can also make parts cling. A short pause after switch-off, or a small shaking move, lets the part drop cleanly.

What affects the holding force?

Contact area, flatness, material thickness and cleanliness. A thick, flat, clean steel part held squarely against the face is gripped firmly; a thin, curved, painted or rusty part touching at an edge is held weakly.

How is the magnet controlled in a program?

The robot controller switches it with an output signal: on at contact, off at the drop point. That makes it a clear introduction to digital outputs and timing in robot programming.

When is an electromagnet better than a gripper or suction cup?

For flat steel parts such as plates and washers, which jaws cannot grasp and whose holes or edges may stop a suction cup from sealing. It is also useful for separating steel parts from non-magnetic ones.

Is the gripper safe to use near electronics?

Its field is strongest at the face and falls away quickly, but keep phones, cards and storage media away while it is energised, and never test it by touching it to electronic equipment.

Last Updated: September 2026