Category Components for handling
handling award for flexible gripper pad
The third prize of the handling award in the category components for handling and assembly went to Formhand. The company entered the competition with a highly flexible gripper for the universal handling of objects.
Flexible handling technology makes an important contribution to efficient production. The young company Formhand has developed a product of the same name, a type of gripper cushion that handles different components. It is a combination of a granulate-filled cushion with a low-pressure suction cup.
The number of grippers required for various industrial components can be reduced by 60 to 70 percent by forming clusters and using the Formhand technology. The technology presented also makes it possible to redesign handling processes that were previously designed for rigid grippers; there is further potential for savings and increased efficiency in process optimization. The shaped hand can also be used for handling textiles and in intralogistics.
These grippers are a radical innovation in the industrial world, as they deliberately use flexible elements in a rigid production environment, say the inventors. This rethink creates technical advantages and more customer benefits. On contact with an object, the shaped hand cushion clings to the contours of the component. When gripping, the volume flow causes the granulate to compact, thereby maintaining the contour of the object and stabilizing its position.
Previous handling systems require precise positioning of the grippers, so it is necessary to think about handling in advance during component development in order to obtain sufficient gripping points; with the forming hand, gripping points no longer need to be planned. pb
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