For the quick and safe gripping of all types of workpieces, the vacuum specialist J. Schmalz GmbH in 72293 Glatten offers a wide range of suction pads, with and without corrugations and made from various materials.

All of these, and particularly the bellows-type suction pads with their corrugations, are to a certain degree flexible so that they can adapt themselves automatically to variations in the height of the objects to be handled. However, there are some applications, such as handling of metal sheets or furniture components, where the suction pads have to be positioned at different heights in certain positions. In such cases, further components from the modular Schmalz system, namely spring plungers and the related mounting elements, are needed to permit the vacuum gripper systems to be adapted to the existing conditions with further conversion work.

At the trade fair MOTEK 2004 in Sinsheim, Schmalz now presents a new spring plunger, the spring plunger with flexible holder, Type FSTF, which is particularly suitable for applications with varying workpiece heights. This robust and compact holder can be mounted easily on aluminium beams from the Schmalz product range and other commonly used supporting systems with the aid of a sliding block and a clamping screw. The suction pad is connected with the aid of a ¼“ female thread or a ½“ male thread. The special feature of this spring plunger is that the asymmetrical plastic guide block can be turned and rotated to provide a wide range of adjustments. This injection-moulded guide block is very robust and has excellent mechanical properties. The guide for the spring plunger is integrated directly into the plastic holder, which means that it is protected against dust and dirt.

Particularly in woodworking and sheet-metal applications, where there is a lot of dust and chips or scale and oil residues, respectively, the robust and reliable spring plungers with flexible holders FSTF ensure a high process reliability and the maximum technical availability of the material handling system.