The industry faces the challenge of producing responsibly, flexibly, and efficiently at the same time. The development of new products and the necessary manufacturing concepts must be realized much faster today and be adaptable in terms of variants and variables. The industrial metaverse creates a virtual, interoperable digital space for this purpose. Here, automation concepts can already be planned, extensively tested, and optimized – much faster and more comprehensively than ever possible in the real world. Virtual simulation not only accelerates the development of new products and systems but also reduces commissioning times, production interruptions, and complex corrections. SCHUNK also utilizes this to develop new digital components and advance technological progress in all areas of automation.
Digital Twins for Flexible Production
At the beginning of every simulation is the digital twin, a digital representation of a real object or process. It allows for the real-time simulation of new processes and the interaction of the involved process components. In developing realistic digital twins, SCHUNK follows a five-stage plan: Each stage brings the components and assemblies from clamping technology, gripping technology, and automation technology closer to the perfect digital representation.
This includes not only the electrical properties and interfaces of the products but also their physical behavior, such as force, friction coefficient, or wear. The company has already digitally described the complete physical behavior of initial products, including new mechatronic parallel and centric grippers. SCHUNK sees significant added value primarily in the further development of its AI-based components. The AI of the HERMES-AWARD-winning 2D Grasping Kit is trained in the industrial metaverse based on specific tasks to explore new applications in intelligent handling.
Rethinking Virtual Realities
As a technology pioneer, SCHUNK pursues a clear vision: to simplify the entry into automation for its customers. "By simulating automation tasks, we offer them a mature and highly productive solution optimized for their manufacturing tasks very quickly," says Timo Gessmann, CTO of SCHUNK. "Thanks to AI, we can greatly simplify engineering. With the help of digital tools and simulations, all variants can be digitally validated in the shortest time possible."
In developing digital services, SCHUNK relies on technology partnerships. For example, the company uses tools like ISG Virtous or the NVIDIA Omniverse for simulating and planning complex automation projects.
Partnerships like the one with NVIDIA serve as a catalyst for the development of AI-based solutions in the field of simulation and production optimization. Through simulations in the industrial metaverse, SCHUNK creates synthetic data that supports the training of AI models. At the NVIDIA GTC in March 2025, the leading developer conference for artificial intelligence, SCHUNK and Schaeffler presented a simulated assembly application in robotics developed in partnership, where the 5-finger hand SVH developed by SCHUNK inserts screws into a housing. The application demonstrates how the boundaries of intelligent automation can be expanded and utilized for the industry. SCHUNK offers suitable end-of-arm components for every type of robotics, from industrial robotics to cobots and humanoid robotics, as well as the open digital components for this purpose.
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