End-of-Arm Tooling (EOAT)
Built for Production Reliability
True North designs and builds EOAT systems that increase repeatability, reduce downtime, and perform in real manufacturing environments. Whether you need a simple gripper or a multi-function end effector with sensing and compliance, we deliver tooling that’s engineered to run.
- Designed for uptime, safety, and maintainability
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Built to match your robot, parts, and production requirements
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Supported by a team that designs and builds in-house
Built for Manufacturing Floors
CAD + Build + Prove-Out Support
Custom EOAT + Modular Quick-Change Options
Michigan-Based Engineering + Fabrication
Applications
We design and build custom end-of-arm tooling for robotic automation—built around your part geometry, process goals, and production environment. Our EOAT solutions can include vacuum or mechanical gripping, multi-part handling, sensors, compliance features, quick-change tooling, and integration-ready mounting for your robot.
If your tooling has struggled with inconsistent picks, high wear, or frequent adjustments, we focus on designing a solution that is repeatable, durable, and easy to maintain.
Insert Molding
Pins, threaded inserts, plates, and other metal inserts can be tricky, especially done by hand. When done with an EOAT, speed, repeatability, and quality increase.
Runner Degate
Instead of a degate fixture or a beam degater, nippers mounted to the EOAT take advantage of known runner locations from the mold to keep vestiges and tooling costs low.
Part Detection
Parts can be sticky on pins or lifters. Verification through vacuum and/or sensors helps ensure each cycle has run properly.
Part Flexing/Bending
Instead of manually bending parts, use actuation on the tooling to exact degrees and repetitions specified by the part prints.
Part Loading/Palletizing
For automation-heavy shops, using robot programing in concert with tooling allows for parts to be palletized directly from the mold.
Part Presenting to Lasers
EOATs designed to match snorkels on laser marking systems allow for detailed part tracking and better batch isolation down to the mold level.
Location to the Mold
Using either machined locating features or specific part geometry, tooling can be designed for easy alignment to the mold for accurate picks between mold changes.
Tooling Examples
1. Insert Presentation
This tool was kicked off with a fixture designed by True North to present pins for insert molding. This system replaced an older one which was relying on vision cameras to ensure proper insert orientation after the mold had been damaged multiple times by closing on improperly loaded pins. The new system used poke yokes to prevent improper loading in the first place and had a faster cycle time.
Key Features:
- Magnetic pin retention and placement
- Dock and lock to the mold for location
- Rotation of finished part for pin placement in same robot position
2. Clip Installation
Along with a clip-presentation fixture, this tool was kicked off to reduce the space and operators needed to add clips to a part from the mold.
Key Features:
- 6 Clips added to part from EOAT
- Docking to mold for location
- All clips present verified in one signal to robot
3. Runner Degating
This tool was designed to degate a two-shot part by sliding pairs of nippers into the proper position before separating the runners from the part. TPU nesting with integrated cups allowed compact, for non-marking, A-surface contact.
Key Features:
- Two-shot degating (two runners/part)
- Level-compensated sprue gripper
- Allowable nipper adjustment by 5mm each direction
4. "Bucket" Tooling
To save money on what would’ve been a very expensive, gripper-based tool, a “bucket” EOAT was developed to catch the many parts as they were ejected from the mold while still catching the sprues.
Key Features:
- Cost effective part collection for high quantities
- Sprue grip
- Part dump actuation
Deliverables
Part Drawings and CAD Files
Any part of the tooling that is machined, printed, or modified will come with drawings and .step files for you to make replacements with. Typically, we upload these directly to a customer drive for easy access.
Assembly CAD
3D viewing of every tool is available through the latest version of Edrawings for reviews, referencing, and assembly.
Production EOAT Build
Shop-built tooling prepared for integration and run-off. Our tooling matches whatever tubing color, robot pinout, and fitting style standards our customers may have.
Support and Iteration
Refinements after production feedback to improve reliability as well as warranty support for 1 year.
EOAT FAQs
How long does EOAT design and build take?
Our standard timing for an EOAT is around 3 weeks. This allows a week for design and kickoff, a week or so for details to arrive, and a few days to test and ship the tool. Timelines can be expedited up to one or two weeks depending on necessity, and in some unique cases even faster.
How many EOATs have been built by True North?
While we don’t have an exact number, True North is well into the hundreds if not the thousands of EOATs. Over our 25 years of operation many tools have left our doors to help plants make more parts faster.
What do you need to quote an EOAT project?
We prefer to have mold files, part files, and any other relevant information such as max daylight, robot payload, and more. That being said, sometimes all we’ve had to work off of is a picture of the parts with a ruler behind it for scale. This is especially common in takeover work and tooling.
What is True North's "record timing" for a design and build of a custom EOAT?
Once in a blue moon we have a customer in a really tight situation. During one of those we designed, kicked-off, assembled, tested, and dropped off a custom, new EOAT in 2 days.
What industries does True North typically make EOATs for?
Plastic injection molding is by far the largest industry we make tooling for, accounting for 90% or more of robot tooling jobs. That being said, we have made designed or supported EOATs for use in the aluminum extrusion, cardboard, and LED industries.