Flexible Suction Gripper for Unstacking Thin Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing apparatuses for unstacking thin-walled and flexible packaging units, such as food trays or boxes, often fail to properly disengage the products due to friction and misalignment, leading to damage or incorrect positioning during unstacking.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus combines a suction cup with a supporting plate that adjusts to engage and support the planar product parts, allowing for precise and secure unstacking without operator intervention, using flexible suction cup units and an adjustable plate to ensure proper alignment and minimize wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a suction gripper with profile fitting the product is used, then the gripping reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper is divided into a plate component and multiple adjustable suction cup units. The plate provides the structural framework while the suction cups can be independently positioned and adjusted, allowing the system to achieve complex gripping profiles without requiring the entire gripper structure to be custom-shaped for each product type.
Solution Approach 2:
The suction cup units are made adjustable in position, allowing the gripper profile to be dynamically reconfigured for different packaging unit types. This dynamic adjustability enables the same gripper to adapt to various product profiles without requiring multiple fixed-profile grippers.
2Device complexity
If suction cups are positioned without precise alignment, then the device complexity is reduced, but the manufacturing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The suction cup units feature adjustable positioning mechanisms that allow precise alignment to be achieved during operation. This means the system does not require extremely tight manufacturing tolerances during assembly, as the positions can be fine-tuned dynamically to achieve the necessary precision for proper product engagement.
3Device complexity
If the suction cup opening distance is fixed, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The distances between suction cup opening surfaces are made adjustable, allowing the gripper to adapt to packaging units of different sizes and configurations. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the same gripper to handle various product types without requiring multiple fixed-distance gripper configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable suction cup configuration allows a single gripper design to serve multiple functions across different packaging unit types. By adjusting the opening distances and positions, the same gripper can effectively engage various product geometries, reducing the need for multiple specialized grippers.
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
This solution enables efficient unstacking of flexible packaging units without damaging them, allowing for precise positioning and reducing the need for manual handling, while accommodating various types and sizes of packaging units.
Implementation Method 1
a suction cup unit of flexible material for suction-engaging, from the stack, a single product at a planar product part
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
This invention relates to an apparatus and a method for unstacking preformed products (2), for example packaging units, stacked in a stack, these products comprising for example planar parts (4) and projecting parts (3) which are all stacked onto and into each other in line, wherein the method comprises, - placing a gripper with at least a single suction cup unit (51)of flexible material, more particularly a suction mouth thereof, on a planar product part (4) of such a product, - suction-engaging such a product, - conveying the product to a delivery location, and - releasing the product, wherein upon suction the planar product part (4) is pulled against a plate (55) which is part of the apparatus. It has been found that in this way in a suitable manner stacks of flexible and thin-walled packaging units can be unstacked, without the stack being disturbed or the packaging unit taken off being damaged or being picked up in the wrong position.