One-Piece Additive Hole Gripper for Weight Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hole grippers are complex, heavy, and difficult to manufacture, with many individual components and limited customization options, which makes them inefficient and costly.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight, customizable hole gripper with a one-piece body made from additively manufactured layers of plastic, featuring a compressed air connection, an elastic deformable Balgab cut, and a connecting section that supplies compressed air to the Balgab cut.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional hole grippers use multiple individual components and metal parts, then structural strength and reliability are improved, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual components (housing, pneumatic drive, bellows) into a single integrated body made of elastomeric material. The one-piece construction merges the functions of structural support, pneumatic actuation, and gripping elements into a unified component, reducing assembly complexity while maintaining structural integrity through the material's inherent properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs elastomeric materials with specific durometer ratings (e.g., 40-70 Shore A) to create a composite-like structure within a single material. The material composition is engineered to provide both structural strength for load-bearing and elastic deformability for gripping, replacing traditional metal-composite constructions.
2Strength
If conventional hole grippers use metal components for housing and pneumatic drive, then structural strength is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional metal mechanical systems with an elastomeric-based system. The flexible material inherently provides both structural support and mechanical actuation functions, eliminating the need for separate metal housing and pneumatic components. This substitution significantly reduces weight while maintaining the necessary strength through the elastomer's viscoelastic properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes changes in material parameters (durometer, hardness, elasticity) to achieve different functional requirements within the same component. By selecting elastomeric materials with specific mechanical properties, the design achieves structural strength equivalent to metal while maintaining the weight advantages of polymer materials.
3Reliability
If conventional hole grippers are manufactured using traditional methods, then manufacturing reliability is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs additive manufacturing with controllable material parameters (viscosity, curing characteristics, layer thickness) to achieve reliable production of complex geometries. By optimizing these manufacturing parameters, the process achieves consistent quality and structural integrity while simplifying the manufacturing workflow compared to traditional multi-step fabrication methods.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces the number of individual parts, assembly time, and weight, while enabling easy customization and low production costs, resulting in a more efficient and effective hole gripper.
Implementation Method 1
an elastically deformable (expandable) bellows section (28) that is inflatable under the application of compressed air
Implementation Method 2
under the application of compressed air for clamping (e.g., force-fitting and/or form-fitting) in a component hole
Implementation Method 3
a (e.g., elongated) connecting section (18) with a connecting channel (20) that interconnects the compressed air connection (16) and the bellows section (28) for supplying compressed air
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~6
Figure 7~8
AI summary
The invention relates, inter alia, to a hole gripper (10) comprising a compressed air connection (16), an elastically deformable bellows section (28) which can be inflated under compressed air pressure to clamp in a component hole (14) of a component (12), and a connecting section (18) with a connecting channel (20) that connects the compressed air connection (16) and the bellows section (28) for supplying compressed air from the compressed air connection (16) to the bellows section (28). The compressed air connection (16), the connecting section (18), and the bellows section (28) are integrally connected to one another in one piece.