EOAT · Grippers · Prototype · Low-volume · Production

Additive Production for Robotics

A custom gripper for every job — printed in days, not machined in weeks. For the end-effector that’s bespoke to every deployment, and the part that changes with every iteration. Nylon’s strength-to-weight replaces metal EOAT and improves on it — lighter on the arm, consolidated into fewer parts, tuned to the cell.

Get an instant quote → Cell down? Talk to us

Robotics 3D printing UK · custom gripper manufacturing · 3D printed EOAT · soft robotic grippers · ESD-safe jigs

Overview

It usually starts with one awkward part

Every deployment needs a different gripper. The design changed again after last week’s trial. A cell is down because an end-effector cracked and the replacement is twenty days out on a machine shop quote. Different parts, same problem — it is bespoke, it keeps changing, and the robot cannot work without it. That is the call we take every day.

RYSE 3D is a UK polymer additive manufacturer — FDM, SLS, SLA, MJF — that makes the part, finishes it, inspects it and ships it: one roof, one team you can hold to account. From a garage in 2017 to a UK factory and two King’s Awards, we make the parts that keep robots working.

RYSE 3D production floor in Shipston-on-Stour with industrial 3D printers producing robotics tooling

● On-site finishing & A-class paint — smoothing, blasting, polishing, dyeing and paint, all in-house.
● Inspection & 3D scanning on-site — parts verified to tolerance before they ship.
● Real engineering materials — bio-based PA11 and flexible TPU through to carbon/glass-filled PA, PPA-CF and PET-CF.
● Bespoke pellet-fed printers, built in-house for production output.

Facility	8,000 sq ft, Warwickshire, UK
Production printers	100+ machines
Production programmes	25+
Express lead time	1–3 days on FDM, SLS and SLA
Components in service	2.5m+
Quality process	PPAP 1–4 approved

What we run for robotics teams

The parts that keep robots working

These are the jobs we run for robotics and automation teams every week — bespoke, fast-changing parts on the processes that suit each one. Send us yours and we will spec it the same way.

Close-up of a 3D printed black nylon robotic gripper jaw assembly produced by RYSE 3D

End-effectors & grippers

SLS / MJF PA12 · dimensionally inspected in-house · customised per cell

Grippers and end-of-arm tooling in nylon — strong, light and consolidated into fewer parts. We replace worn or broken metal EOAT on demand, often within days, so the cell keeps running.

3D printed lattice-structured soft gripper fingers in flexible TPU, made by RYSE 3D

Soft grippers & compliant pads

SLS TPU 90A / MJF TPU 01 · flexible · one-off geometries

Soft, compliant grippers and contact pads for delicate or irregular parts — complex elastomer geometries produced without tooling, tuned to the handling task.

Row of 3D printed black nylon line-side jigs and work-holding fixtures produced by RYSE 3D

Jigs, fixtures & guides

FDM / MJF · light & fast · easy to replicate

Line-side jigs, work-holding and assembly guides — lighter and quicker to make than machined tooling, and simple to revise as the line changes.

3D printed black nylon sensor mount and cover fitted to robot cell equipment, manufactured by RYSE 3D

Housings, covers & mounts

MJF / SLS · SLA ESD options · durable end-use

Sensor mounts, robot covers and electronics enclosures in durable isotropic nylon — ESD-safe SLA grades where static matters, finished and ready to fit.

Robotics is design-iteration-heavy and bespoke per deployment — a natural fit for additive. Grippers, EOAT, jigs, housings and mounts, prototyped fast and produced in low volume without tooling. Tell us the part and the task, and we will tell you the process that fits.

What you get

We’re not a print shop — we’re the production line for EOAT and robot parts that are bespoke, fast-changing and have to work

Two people usually sign this off, so here is what each of you walks away with.

For engineers

● EOAT that replaces metal — nylon, carbon/glass-filled PA, TPU for soft grippers: strong, light, and faster on the arm. Not hobby plastic.
● Tolerances you can sign off — ±0.3 mm up to 100 mm, then ±0.3 mm on the first 100 mm plus ±0.1% for every 100 mm beyond, inspected in-house.
● Geometry metal can’t match — consolidated grippers, integrated channels and lightweighting, optimised per deployment.
● A straight answer on process — we tell you what fits, and what doesn’t.

For buyers

● Parts on time, every time — 2.5m+ components in service, 1–3 day express on FDM, SLS and SLA when a cell is down.
● One supplier, not five — print, finishing and inspection under one roof.
● A programme you can defend — PPAP 1–4, ISO 9001, Cyber Essentials, full traceability, NDA-compliant.
● Iteration to production — redesign and reprint in days, then scale into low-volume end-use without tooling.

3D printed nylon robotic gripper jaws holding a machined metal part, produced by RYSE 3D

Robotics sectors we support

Industrial roboticsCobotsAMR / AGVPick-and-placeAutomation integratorsRobotics startupsWarehouse & logistics

Send us the CAD → No CAD? Send us the part

What we run

Tell us the part. We’ll tell you the process.

Nobody orders “an SLS part”. They order a gripper that has to do a job and perform. We run all four major processes, so your part goes on the one that performs, not the one machine we happen to own.

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SLS · Selective Laser Sintering

Tooling-free functional nylon. Max build 165 × 165 × 300 mm, up to 500 × 500 × 750 mm for PA12-CF. PA12, PA12-GF, PA12-CF, PA11 (bio-based), TPU 90A. Best for durable functional parts with fine features, and TPU 90A for flexible end-use. 1–3 days express, 5–7 days standard.

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FDM · incl. large-format

Engineering-grade & large parts. Max build 500 × 500 × 900 mm (340 × 320 × 340 mm for PPA-CF). PA6-CF, PA12-CF, PA6/12-CF COPA, PA6-GF, PPA-CF, PET-CF, PC-FR, PETG-CF, ASA, ABS. Ideal for large, fibre-reinforced end-use parts, jigs, fixtures and tooling. 1–3 days express, 5–7 days standard.

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SLA · Stereolithography

High-detail, rigid & flame-retardant. Max build 353 × 196 × 350 mm. Ceramic-Filled, Black PU, Flame-Retardant (UL94 V0), ESD, Clear, Flexible 80A. Best for ESD-safe jigs and trays for electronics handling, stiff ceramic-filled tooling and high-detail masters. 1–3 days express, 5–7 days standard.

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MJF · Multi Jet Fusion

Durable functional end-use. Max build 380 × 284 × 380 mm. PA12, PA11 Gen2 (impact-tough), TPU 01 (flexible). Finished bead-blasted grey, through-dyed black or vapour smoothed. Best for end-use parts, jigs, fixtures and clip features. Lead time 5–7 working days, standard only — there is no express tier on MJF.

Cell down?

If the line is stopped, say so. FDM, SLS and SLA run 1–3 day express; MJF is a 5–7 working day process with no express tier. We will put the part on whichever one gets the robot moving again.

Where we fit

When we run your parts, here’s where they land

Additive earns its place when the part is bespoke, the design keeps changing, or a cell is down and you needed it yesterday. For robotics OEMs, integrators and startups — cobots, AMR/AGV and automation — that is most of the parts on the system.

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End-effectors & grippers

SLS / MJF PA12. Strong, lightweight grippers and EOAT that replace metal and improve on it — consolidated, customised per deployment, dimensionally inspected in-house.

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Soft grippers & pads

SLS TPU 90A / MJF TPU 01. Flexible, geometrically complex soft grippers and contact pads for delicate or irregular parts — compliant handling moulding can’t produce one-off.

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Jigs, fixtures & guides

FDM / MJF. Line-side jigs, work-holding and assembly guides — lighter and quicker to make than machined tooling, and simple to revise as the line changes.

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Welding & high-temp tooling

SLA Ceramic-Filled. Stiff, heat-tolerant welding fixtures and ceramic-filled tooling for higher-temperature processes.

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Housings, covers & mounts

MJF / SLS · SLA ESD. Sensor mounts, robot covers and electronics enclosures in durable isotropic nylon — ESD-safe SLA grades where static matters, finished and ready to fit.

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Functional prototypes

All four processes. Iterate on form, fit and function before you commit a penny to tooling, then scale into low-volume end-use.

Robot cells fitted with 3D printed nylon grippers and line-side tooling supplied by RYSE 3D

Robotics is design-iteration-heavy and bespoke per deployment — a natural fit for additive. Grippers, EOAT, jigs, housings and mounts, prototyped fast and produced in low volume without tooling. Got one of these on your desk now? Send it over — you will get a price back, not a sales call, at our instant quote tool.

Right part, right process

Additive isn’t the right answer for every part, and we’ll always tell you so

The value is putting your budget where additive genuinely beats moulding: lower cost at your volumes, real design freedom, and parts in days instead of tooling lead-times. Small parts stay ahead to high volumes — up to around a million a year; bigger or more complex parts suit additive up to roughly 100,000, then moulding takes over. Most robotics work sits comfortably on the additive side.

Where additive wins for you

✓ Tooling can’t be justified for bespoke or per-deployment parts — skip it entirely.
✓ Lighter EOAT — less arm load, faster cycles, consolidated parts metal can’t match.
✓ Speed — a broken gripper replaced in days, not twenty-day machine-shop lead-times.
✓ Bespoke-per-deployment grippers and tooling, customised every time.
✓ Iterate to low-volume end-use on the same process, no retooling.

Where we’ll tell you straight

● Load-bearing metal parts — we are polymer, so for high-load joints or frames we will point you the right way.
● True high volume of one part? Moulding may win on unit cost — we will be upfront and bridge you if useful.
● Need a specific certification? We hold ISO 9001, Cyber Essentials and PPAP 1–4 — tell us your standard and we will be straight on what we can meet.
● Not sure where your part lands? Send us the CAD and we will tell you honestly — the right process, the real cost, and where we can save you money. No charge.

Send us the CAD, no charge →

FAQ

Robotics 3D printing FAQ

Can a 3D printed gripper replace a machined metal one?

In most handling applications, yes — and it usually improves on it. Nylon and carbon/glass-filled PA give the strength-to-weight that takes load off the arm, which means faster cycles, and additive lets you consolidate a multi-part metal assembly into one piece with integrated channels. Where a joint or frame is genuinely high-load, we are polymer and we will say so.

How fast can you replace a broken end-effector?

FDM, SLS and SLA run a 1–3 day express lead time, so a cracked gripper can be back on the arm in days rather than the twenty-day lead time a machine shop typically quotes. MJF runs 5–7 working days, standard only — there is no express tier on that process. If the line is stopped, tell us — we will put the part on whichever process gets the robot moving again.

Can you print soft or compliant grippers?

Yes. SLS TPU 90A and MJF TPU 01 produce flexible, geometrically complex soft grippers and contact pads for delicate or irregular parts — compliant elastomer geometries that moulding cannot produce as a one-off, tuned to the specific handling task.

Do you make ESD-safe jigs and trays for electronics handling?

Yes — ESD-safe SLA is the grade for electronics handling jigs, trays and fixtures where static is a risk, and we use it on sensor mounts and enclosures for the same reason. Tell us the application and we will confirm the grade.

Can you make heat-tolerant welding fixtures?

Yes — stiff ceramic-filled SLA suits welding fixtures and tooling for higher-temperature processes. For higher-temperature FDM parts we also run PPA-CF. Tell us the temperature the fixture will actually see and we will match the grade to it.

Can you produce a different gripper for every deployment?

That is exactly what additive is for. There is no tooling, so a bespoke gripper per cell or per part costs no more than a repeat of the last one, and revisions after a trial can be reprinted in days. Many robotics teams run us as a standing supply line across their whole project pipeline.

Do you handle low-volume production, not just one-offs?

Yes. The same process that makes the prototype makes the production run, so there is no retooling step between them. Small parts stay economical against moulding up to around a million a year, and larger or more complex parts to roughly 100,000 — above that we will tell you moulding wins and bridge you while a tool is cut.

How do I get a robotics part quoted?

Upload your CAD to our instant quote tool for pricing from a single gripper up to 100,000 parts, or contact us — including posting us a broken part to 3D-scan and reverse-engineer. You can also request material samples before you commit to a spec.

Ready when you are

The parts that keep robots working.

Custom grippers, EOAT, soft pads, jigs and mounts — printed, finished and inspected under one UK roof, with 1–3 day express on FDM, SLS and SLA when a cell is down.

Get an instant quote → Cell down? Talk to us

Printed, finished and inspected at our own ISO 9001 facility in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire. Call us on 024 7736 0144 or request a free sample pack.