Robot Hardware Is Our Specialty. End-of-Arm Tooling Is Where We Move Fastest.
We Know Robot Hardware, Right Down to the Fingertips
Fathom makes robot hardware. We don’t design your grippers, build your tool changers or take over your final assembly. We make the machined, turned, formed, printed and molded parts inside and around them, and we’ve been doing it for robot manufacturers long enough to know where end-of-arm tooling stalls.
It usually stalls at the details. Every new workpiece, SKU or packaging change creates another round of fingers, plates, brackets and pneumatic routing that has to fit before the cell can run. Our engineers review those parts for manufacturability before we quote them, then turn revisions quickly through one team, so your tooling keeps pace with your customers instead of holding up their lines.
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Task-specific parts, turned fast.
Quick-turn CNC fingers, jaw inserts, adapter plates, vacuum plates and sensor brackets, with additive fit checks while the workpiece is still changing. Every revision moves through the same team without a new supplier search.
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Lighter tooling that protects cycle time.
We combine additive light-weighting, machined precision interfaces, urethane contact pads and sheet-metal covers in one build. Less mass at the wrist leaves more payload and speed for the robot.
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From hand-fit prototype to repeatable kit.
Production-intent drawings, controlled revisions and inspection evidence turn a pilot tool into 10, 50 or 200 identical sets. Spares and replacement pads follow on the same documentation thread.
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Domestic and documented.
Seven U.S. facilities with ISO 9001:2015, AS9100D and ITAR registration (certifications vary by location). Material traceability, lot control and safe-edge finishing are built into every order.
Your Robotics Team
Ian Bossung
Jake Delury
Finger and Jaw Sets That Keep Pace With Every New Workpiece
Fingers, jaws and contact surfaces are the first parts to change when a gripper moves from demo parts to a customer’s real workpieces, and each change has to hold tolerance, protect the product surface and stay matched as a set. Fathom builds machined fingers, jaw inserts, compliant pads, fingertip molds, pins, bushings, spacers, finger links, sensor carriers, vacuum cup brackets, suction adapters and small wear components, from prototype sets and 10 to 100 pilot sets to recurring replacements.
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Machined fingers and jaw inserts: High-precision CNC fingers, jaws and finger links with burr-free edges and controlled surface finish, from Austin, TX and Minneapolis, MN.
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Pins, bushings and pivots: Precision turned pins, bushings, spacers and gripper pivots, tracked as paired parts through every revision, from Elk Grove, IL.
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Compliant contact surfaces: Urethane-cast and molded pads, fingertip molds and additive fit-check fingers for safe product contact, from Hartland, WI.
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Thin flats and flexures: Photochemically machined shims, spring-like flats and sensor carriers with no burrs or heat-affected edges, from Newark, NY.
Vacuum Tooling That Seals Right on Every Line in the Rollout
Vacuum plates, cup arrays and manifolds decide how a robot handles boxes, bags, sheets and molded parts, and small errors in flatness, port alignment or cup spacing show up as dropped picks and leaks on the line. Fathom builds vacuum plates, suction cup mounts, pneumatic manifolds, valve and regulator brackets, air-channel plates, tubing clamps, quick-change blocks, lightweight structures, protective covers and setup fixtures that repeat from the first tooling set to the last.
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Vacuum plates and manifolds: CNC-machined plates, air-channel blocks and manifolds held to flatness, thread quality and port-alignment requirements, from Austin, TX and Minneapolis, MN.
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Covers and lightweight structures: Sheet-metal covers, brackets and lightweight frames that protect pneumatics without adding wrist mass, from Denver, CO.
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Fit checks, details and test fixtures: Additive prototypes, urethane details, molded accessories and pressure and fit-check fixtures, from Hartland, WI.
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Repeat accessories at fleet volume: When deployments grow into hundreds or thousands of brackets, clamps and adapters, Fathom Edgeworks sources stable, non-sensitive accessories through the same Fathom team.
Changeover Hardware That Lines Up the Same Way at Every Site
Flexible lines need one robot to switch between grippers, sensors, dispensers and inspection heads without rebuilding the wrist, which puts constant pressure on datum control, bolt patterns and wear resistance. Fathom builds wrist adapter plates, robot-side and tool-side plates, alignment pins, bushings, precision spacers, cable and air pass-through covers, storage racks, docking plates, brackets and changeover fixtures, with serialized inspection for multi-site deployment.
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Wrist, robot-side and tool-side plates: Precision CNC plates with controlled flatness, concentricity and bolt-pattern accuracy, from Austin, TX and Minneapolis, MN.
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Alignment pins, bushings and spacers: Turned details that keep changeovers repeatable cycle after cycle, from Elk Grove, IL.
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Storage racks and docking hardware: Sheet-metal tool racks, docking plates and pass-through covers, from Denver, CO.
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Precision shims and shields: Photochemically machined shims and shields that hold coating and plate stack-ups without burrs, from Newark, NY.
Process Tools That Stay Serviceable From Proof of Concept to Plant Rollout
Many end effectors aren’t grippers at all. Dispensing heads, screwdrivers, welding torches, deburring and polishing tools, cutters and sprayers all need hardware that holds tool position, protects hoses and leaves room for maintenance. Fathom builds tool housings, brackets, guards, nozzle carriers, calibration plates, consumable holders, thermal shields, cable and hose guides, access panels, sensor mounts, nests and maintenance aids for proof-of-concept tools and plant-by-plant configuration waves.
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Guards, panels and thermal shields: Sheet-metal guards, access panels and shields built for heat, spatter and chemical exposure, from Denver, CO.
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Housings, brackets and nozzle carriers: CNC tool housings, carriers and calibration plates for repeatable tool positioning, from Austin, TX and Minneapolis, MN.
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Protective and molded details: Additive prototypes, urethane and molded protective parts, consumable holders and maintenance aids, from Hartland, WI.
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Precision thin parts: Photochemically machined screens, filters and shims for dispensing and process modules, from Newark, NY.
Sensor-Rich End Effectors With Room to Route and Service
Force and torque sensors, cameras, proximity sensors and tactile pads are moving onto the tool, and each one needs a stable datum, clean cable clearance and protection from vibration and EMI. Fathom builds sensor carriers, force/torque adapter plates, camera brackets, protective windows, cable shields, EMI and RF-adjacent shields, connector panels, calibration artifacts, inspection nests and service covers, from qualification builds to production cell kits.
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Sensor carriers and adapter plates: Precision CNC carriers, force/torque adapters and camera brackets machined for datum stability, from Minneapolis, MN and Austin, TX.
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EMI shields and cable protection: Photochemically machined shields and thin flats with burr-free edges, from Newark, NY.
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Connector panels and service covers: Sheet-metal panels, covers and cable guards with service access designed in, from Denver, CO.
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Calibration and inspection hardware: Calibration artifacts, inspection nests and serialized, inspection-backed short runs for qualification builds and site configuration waves, from Austin, TX.
Surgical Robotic Tooling With the Precision and Documentation Built In
Surgical, endoscopic and orthopedic robotics depend on miniature mechanisms, precise instrument interfaces and validation hardware that have to be cleanable, traceable and documented from the first R&D build. Fathom builds instrument interface details, precision links, clamps, sensor carriers, sterilization and handling trays, validation fixtures, accessory frames, surgeon training aids, inspection nests and small mechanical components with lot and revision control.
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Precision interface details and links: High-precision CNC links, clamps and interface details from Austin, TX, where our Centex facility is ISO 13485:2016 certified.
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Miniature turned components: Small pins, shafts and mechanism details with tight tolerances and material traceability, from Elk Grove, IL.
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Thin precision parts: Photochemically machined flexures, shims and screens with burr-free edges, from Newark, NY.
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Trays, fixtures and training aids: Handling trays, validation fixtures, accessory frames and surgeon training aids, from Hartland, WI and Ithaca, NY.
Production Cells That Are Ready the Day Your Tooling Is
End-effector builders and integrators need physical tooling around the tool itself, and that hardware is usually scoped last and delivered late. Fathom builds assembly fixtures, calibration rigs, force-test fixtures, vacuum test blocks, leak-test hardware, inspection nests, CMM fixtures, gripper storage racks, line-side carts, packaging inserts and field-service kits, revision-controlled as your gripper family changes.
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Assembly and calibration fixtures: Additive and CNC build fixtures, calibration rigs and CMM fixtures with calibration-ready datums, from Hartland, WI and Austin, TX.
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Test hardware: Force-test fixtures, vacuum test blocks and leak-test hardware built for repeatable results, from Minneapolis, MN.
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Racks, carts and line-side equipment: Sheet-metal gripper storage racks and line-side carts built for daily use, from Denver, CO.
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Validation fixtures and field kits: Fabricated validation fixtures, labeled packaging inserts and complete field-service kits, from Ithaca, NY and Hartland, WI.
Same-Day Answers From the Engineer Who Reviewed Your Print
Fathom isn’t a transactional machine shop or an automated quoting engine. Before your end-effector parts are quoted, a Fathom engineer reviews the print for the details that decide whether the tool works on a real line: mass at the wrist, tolerance stacks on paired fingers and jaws, flatness and port alignment on vacuum plates, sensor datums, cable and pneumatic routing, safe edges, wear surfaces and service access.
That review catches problems before they become a leaking manifold, a pinched cable or a finger that won’t match its mate at first article. It also helps you pick the right process for each part, so a heavy machined block can become a lighter hybrid build without giving up stiffness.
You get a named program contact instead of a ticketing queue, same-day access to an engineer, and revision management, lot traceability and inspection packages built into every order.
Fathom Edgeworks: Built to Support End-of-Arm Tooling Production
Our global sourcing solution provides robotics manufacturers with access to an extended network of U.S. sourcing options through one accountable Fathom team.
Our domestic manufacturing capabilities are built to support end-effector programs, from prototyping through pilot builds to production. That includes everything from precision internal components to ruggedized housings and structural parts, all matched to the right U.S. source.
Fathom Edgeworks also offers affordable overseas sourcing options, which include a guarantee of the lowest landed cost.
