Hardware

Collet

A collet is a segmented, sleeve-like clamping device that grips cylindrical workpieces or tools by contracting uniformly around them when axially compressed, typically by a tapered nut or drawbar. Collets provide high concentricity and grip strength with fast changeover, making them standard in CNC spindles, lathes, and robotic tool changers. In robot end-of-arm tooling, collet-style mechanisms grip shafts, fasteners, and pegs where precise centering matters.

Why it matters for physical AI

Precise, repeatable workpiece holding underpins machine-tending and assembly automation, and collet-based fixtures reduce the pose uncertainty that learned insertion and fastening policies must otherwise absorb.