Abstract: A vacuum lift clamp device for sidehandling of one or two paper rolls (21), for use in connection with ordinary fork lift trucks equipped with a vacuum pump device (23) , and having a curved carrying plate (1, 2, 3) e.g.

Abstract: An articulated robot including a vertical rod secured with lockbolts at the end of its arm which is fixed to a screw fastening unit by means of an upper bracket and a lower bracket. The robot further includes a studbolt parallel to the vertical rod at the lower end of the arm. Two nuts are mated with the studbolt to compress the lower bracket. Releasing the lockbolt and rotating the nuts clock-wise or counter-clockwise causes the vertical rod to easily slide to adjust the height of a screw fastening unit from workpieces of different types without having the operator hold the screwing unit by hand.

Abstract: A device can be applied to a lifting and/or transporting unit for the controlled support of loads by generating a vacuum in one or more suction pads. The device includes a vacuum gauge measuring the vacuum level in at least one of the suction pads and safely controlling movement of the device. A safety system prevents erroneous dropping of the suspended load. The suction pads for gripping the load can be mounted on a holding frame which can be changed and/or lengthened for accommodating various types of loads.

Abstract: A wafer chuck assembly having an elevator for accepting a wafer and placing it precisely on a platen without changing its spatial orientation.

Abstract: A commodity retrieval and storage arrangement which includes shelves for storing a plurality of like configured commodities. A movable carriage is vertically and horizontally displaceable along the shelves and carries apparatus for engagement with the commodity selected, apparatus for transferring the selected commodity to the carriage and apparatus for securely holding the selected commodity to the carriage. After transfer of the commodity to the carriage, the carriage may be moved to a commodity processing area.

Abstract: An electronic parts mounting apparatus using a band carrier for feeding electronic parts incrementally, the carrier being a strip having many recesses disposed at equal intervals each holding an electronic part and a tape covering the recesses. The apparatus has a support for horizontally supporting the carrier with the coating tape on the top side; a separator for separating the tape from the carrier; and a pickup device for picking up the electronic parts one by one from the recesses in the carrier and by carrying the electronic parts and placing them in position on a circuit board for continuously and stably mounting the electronic parts on the circuit board.

Abstract: A lifting device comprising a tube (A) sealed at both ends or a pipe similarly closed at both ends. Both tube (A) and pipe are compressible in the axial direction. By regulating the vacuum in the space defined by the tube (A) or pipe, the length of the tube or pipe can be regulated, thus raising or lowering goods connected to the tube (A) or pipe. An arrangement is provided to permit rotation of the tube in relation to its support, and to act as a vacuum check valve.

Abstract: A machine for assisting in the support of a load. A suction head having a downwardly facing opening supports the load. A conduit is connected to the hollow interior of the suction head and suction is impressed on the conduit so that the load can be held at the opening. A cable supports the suction head. A pressure cylinder is provided with a piston connected to urge the cable upwardly to support the suction head and the load. Fluid under pressure can be supplied to the cylinder at two selected pressures, one selected pressure being sufficient to substantially counterbalance the weight of the load and of the suction head, the other selected pressure being a lesser pressure sufficient to substantially counterbalance the weight of the suction head. A pressure operated switch is connected to be actuated by pressure in the conduit. Operation of the switch impresses the first selected pressure on the cylinder when the opening in the suction head is closed by the load and there is a reduced pressure in the conduit.

Abstract: An apparatus for sequentially picking up small elements one at a time comprising a hollow needle having an opening near its free end, and a tube sliding over the needle in a rapid oscillating motion to dislodge unwanted elements clinging near the needle opening. The apparatus can move between a position in which the needle is connected to a vacuum source dips into a receptacle to pick up one of the elements contained in the receptacle and a position in which the needle is connected to a pressure source allows the element to drop to a reception position.

Abstract: The invention relates to suction prehension devices without flap valves. In particular, it relates to a suction prehension device without flap valve of the type including a case (1) connected to a suction cluster and whose base (5) is constituted of a perforated plate having on its exterior face a layer of porous material (3), such as a plastic material foam having, facing the perforations of the said plate, openings (4,6) passing through it from one side to the other, characterized in that the internal surfaces of the openings (4,6) is covered by a sealing or semi-permeable layer (12). Preferably, the sealing or semi-permeable layer (12) is constituted of a bituminous or rubbery coating.

Abstract: In loading a press, it is desirable to provide a loading device which can be driven independently of the main driving means of the press and which causes a minimum of surface damage to the blanks being loaded into the press. To achieve this, gripper elements are provided which are coupled to adjustable drive systems controlled by a numerical control unit. The gripper elements are capable of motion in at least two planes perpendicular to each other to remove devices from the stack and carry them along a preselected path into a tool chamber of the press.

Abstract: A loader-unloader system for loading and unloading work pieces, particularly work pieces having thin portions, in a machine tool wherein each work piece is held in position for rotation about a longitudinal axis during which various machine operations may be performed by the tool comprising a loading conveyor adapted to deliver articles in succession to a loading position, an unloading conveyor adapted to receive work pieces, and a loader-unloader assembly. The loader-unloader assembly comprises a track extending along an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the machine, a trolley movable along the track and means for moving said trolley back and forth along the said track. A load-vacuum clamping head assembly is mounted on the trolley, and an unload-vacuum head assembly is mounted on the trolley.

Abstract: A plant for handling cement tiles and similar articles is disclosed which includes a charging station, a roller conveyor for serially moving trays through a first conveying path toward the charging station, two or more switches along the first conveying path within the charging station operable to cyclically stop movement of the trays in steps equal to one of the tray length and a multiple thereof so that the tray sequentially receives two or more stackings of the articles from the charging station.

Abstract: Apparatus for acquiring individual workpieces from a supply of randomly oriented workpieces in a storage bin or the like. The apparatus includes a movably mounted head assembly having a gripper connected thereto by an intermediate flexible support. A sensor generates a control signal responsive to a contact force exerted by the gripper on a workpiece. The gripper operates to grip the workpiece contacted thereby. The flexible support is then retracted to lock the gripper against an abutment surface fixed relative to the head assembly. Operation of the gripper and/or movement of the head assembly may be controlled in response to said control signal.

Abstract: This invention relates to an installation for the removal of surplus matel, especially from a block of cellular concrete utilizing suction means which includes a lever mechanism for lowering a suction nozzle controlled by means of a tension-member sensor consisting of a tension member stretched beneath a net of the suction nozzle, one end of said tension member being provided with a barrel cam co-operating with a limit switch designed for switching off the lever mechanism for lowering the suction nozzle, and simultaneously switching on fans.Moreover, the lever mechanism for lowering the suction nozzle is equipped with an additional emergency switch controlled automatically by means of a shock absorber, switching off the lever mechanism for lowering the suction nozzle in the case of the tension-member sensor being inoperative.

Abstract: An article handling system and, more particularly, a box or container picker system having miniaturized components for detecting the presence as well as the orientation of various sizes of boxes and containers in a pallet layer of product including suction cups and associated pneumatically-operated sensing structure arranged in arrays for detecting the presence or absence of a box or container therebeneath during a cycle and controls for determining the coordinates at which box presence is detected and also for activating those suction heads which are to function to pick a box from a layer of product. The vacuum pickup head including the suction cup has a casing with an interior vacuum chamber controlled by a motor-operated valve member which, in one position, connects an operating negative pressure to a suction cup and, in another position, closes off the negative pressure and connects the suction cup to atmosphere.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method of removing a generally uniform layer portion of fibrous material from the top of a bale of compressed fibrous material and loosening the fibers of the layer portion during the removal thereof by providing a bale of relatively compressed fibrous material having a predetermined upper surface area, providing a suction hood having an overall area corresponding in size generally to the upper surface area of the fibrous bale, creating at least two spaced linear areas of suction across the overall area of the hood while preventing the creation of suction between the two linear suction areas, positioning the suction hood in overlying contiguous relationship to the bale upper surface area whereby the suction draws the fibrous material upwardly across the overall area and loosens the compressed condition thereof to a generally fluffed state through a uniform depth thereof, raising the suction hood to remove a general uniform depth of the loosened fibrous material across generally th

Abstract: A suction device suitable for gripping porous sacks filled with free-flowing particulate materials is disclosed. The device comprises a vacuum chamber with a porous base and a rigid wall extending continuously around the periphery of the base on the side remote from the chamber. In use the device is placed on the sack and suction is applied until the sack and its contents rigidify as the air is drawn out from between the particles, through the porous sack. With the suction device attached to a robot arm, crane hoist or other lifting means, the rigidified sacks can be readily handled, e.g. during palletizing and depalletizing operations. The device may also be adapted for gripping filled sacks which are not naturally porous, for instance polyethylene sacks, by incorporating means, such as a knife, for piercing the sack within the area bounded by the rigid wall. For safety reasons, the piercing means preferably has associated protection which permits piercing of the sack but which shields it at other times.