The large-area vacuum gripper systems made by the vacuum specialist J. Schmalz GmbH, D-72293 Glatten, are today used for many applications in many different sectors of industry. With the large-area vacuum gripper systems of the FX series, which were introduced a few years a go, Schmalz lived up to its reputation as a "vacuum innovator", setting new standards in the area of goods handling which are still valid today. Both of the current series FXC and FMC are based on bodies made of robust and stiff extruded aluminium profiles. These are available in various lengths and widths and can, if necessary, be combined to form blocks of large-area vacuum grippers. The large-area vacuum gripper systems FXC/FMC are constructed from only a few standardised modules: body, ejector, valve block and sealing mat. With these modules, it is possible to construct individual large-area vacuum grippers which, thanks to the integration of the main functional elements, are very compact. The integration of the vacuum generator into the body, for example, means that there are no externally visible hoses, etc., that the vacuum generator is protected against damage, and that there are fewer protruding edges. In addition, this design requires fewer connecting and mounting elements and the large-area vacuum grippers are lighter, permitting faster and more dynamic motion.

Standard vacuum components for complete gripper solutions

The wide range of freely selectable vacuum generators (ejectors) permits optimal design of the large-area vacuum gripper system for the planned application. Two different valve blocks (flow resistors "SW" as the simple and low-cost variant or check valves "SVK-W" for very short cycle times and higher productivity) are available for the large-area vacuum grippers FXC/FMC. The variant SVK-W combines the performance of check-valve technology with the flexibility of flow-resistor technology and results in a wider range of possible applications with respect to the maximum load, the coverage and the porosity and surface roughness of the workpieces to be handled.

This also permits the problem-free handling of workpieces of widely varying sizes and shapes, regardless of how much of the gripper surface is covered. Even rough and porous workpieces can be gripped quickly and safely, and fast blowing-off of the workpieces is also possible. Both of these features result in shorter cycle times and thus to a reduction of the non-productive idle times during handling. The sealing mats, which can be replaced quickly and easily, are also available in two versions, namely with the holes spaced close together or more widely. This provides the customer with more flexibility when selecting a handling system for a specific task and also means that the large-area vacuum gripper can be converted very easily and quickly for handling of different types of goods. Even more flexibility is provided by the range of five different sizes of the FXC/FMC grippers. It is thus possible to configure the large-area vacuum gripper systems to meet the requirements of all applications.

The ideal combination:
industrial robot and FX large-area vacuum grippers

A Hungarian furniture manufacturer was impressed by these advantages when looking for a solution for the loading of an edge-processing machine with materials. Due to the high planned throughput and the varying dimensions of the furniture components (cut-to-size pieces of chipboard), the responsible persons decided to use an industrial robot from KUKA. After analysis of the workpiece spectrum, the handling procedures and the properties of the parts to be handled. They also selected a large-area vacuum gripper f the type FX-SW made by the vacuum specialist J. Schmalz GmbH, D-72293 Glatten. The reasons for selecting handling with the aid of vacuum were, amongst others, that the pieces to be handled have varying dimensions and a coated surface which must not be damaged, and that the robot must be able to palletise and depalletise the workpieces. This means that the gripper must be very flexible in use – a good reason for picking the FX variant "SW". The vacuum apertures of this gripper are connected via flow resistors to the internal vacuum chamber, guaranteeing short reaction times and a high holding force which increases as the coverage of the gripper increases. Since the vacuum is generated inside the large-area vacuum gripper, there are practically no flow losses and this improves the efficiency even further and permits very dynamic handling of the parts.

Universal and dynamic handling of cut-to-size chipboards

Another useful feature in this respect is that the special foam-rubber sealing mat of the FX-SW easily compensates for small unevenness on the surface of the workpieces, thus permitting fast gripping and safe holding of the parts. Thanks to the design of the large-area vacuum gripper, workpieces of all sizes can be handled with a single gripper system. It is not necessary to change the gripper, which means that there are no set-up or idle times and "round-the-clock production" is possible. Between 6 and 7 loading cycles per minute are possible. Depending on the dimensions and the number of parts gripped per cycle, this means that the robot with the large-area vacuum gripper FX-SW can handle up to 30 sheets of chipboard per minute, sufficient to ensure a continuous supply of materials for the edge-processing machine.