An end effector for the packaging industry comprises has a frame, a bridge on top of the frame, a rack and pinion assembly, actuation rods, carrier assemblies, and vacuum ports. The rack and pinion assembly is configured to be operatively connected to a robot's rotatable shaft, and to the actuation rods. The actuation rods are fixedly connected to one or more of the carrier assemblies. As the robot's shaft rotates, the rack and pinion assembly is actuated, which actuates the actuation rods, which causes the carrier assemblies fixedly connected to the actuation rods to move longitudinally along the frame. Each carrier assembly includes a carrier block and at least one pick-up member. Each carrier block has at least one arm with a grabber to cooperate with an adjacent arm with grabbers of an adjacent carrier block(s) of the same subgroup.

A modular vacuum gripper having a first plate, a second plate provided with at least one downstream orifice, framework members, assembly device for assembling the first plate, the second plate and the framework members, at least one upstream orifice situated on one of the walls of the vacuum gripper, sealing device, vacuum generation device adapted to suck out the air contained inside the vacuum gripper via the upstream orifice, and at least one deformable element extending over the second plate so as to form a sealed contact surface with the part when the air contained inside the vacuum gripper is sucked out.

Device (1) for loading a sea container (51) with an elongated heavy product or a row of heavy products via an open front side of the sea container. The device comprises a vehicle comprising a frame (3) and further comprises an engaging unit (11) provided with engaging elements, and moving means for moving the engaging unit up and down relative to the frame. The engaging unit comprises a subframe which is provided with an elongated lifting arm (12) which extends at least substantially horizontally and which has a free end which is oriented in the direction of movement, on the underside of which lifting arm a number of engaging elements are provided over at least part of the length of the lifting arm in at least one row extending in the longitudinal direction of the lifting arm. The invention further provides a method for loading a sea container with an elongated heavy product or a row of heavy products via an open front side of the sea container, using a device according to the invention, as well as a method for unloading a sea container.

Device (1) for loading a sea container (51) with an elongated heavy product or a row of heavy products via an open front side of the sea container. The device comprises a vehicle comprising a frame (3) and further comprises an engaging unit (11) provided with engaging elements, and moving means for moving the engaging unit up and down relative to the frame. The engaging unit comprises a subframe which is provided with an elongated lifting arm (12) which extends at least substantially horizontally and which has a free end which is oriented in the direction of movement, on the underside of which lifting arm a number of engaging elements are provided over at least part of the length of the lifting arm in at least one row extending in the longitudinal direction of the lifting arm. The invention further provides a method for loading a sea container with an elongated heavy product or a row of heavy products via an open front side of the sea container, using a device according to the invention, as well as a method for unloading a sea container.

A material lifter comprising a vacuum pump, a frame containing the vacuum pump, an arm located on each of two opposing sides of the frame, each arm including—an upper end—pivotally connected to the frame, a cylinder located on each of the two opposing sides of the frame including an end connected to the frame and an end connected to a respective arm, a vacuum pad located on each of the two opposing sides of the frame—and removably connected to a respective arm, the vacuum pads being moveable along the arm to a first location and a first orientation and a second different location and a second different orientation, wherein as the cylinders extend and retract the arms pivot toward and away from one another between a first position and a second different position and the vacuum pads remain in a same orientation during the pivot.

A gripping equipment for lifting apparatuses of the type comprising: a rigid supporting framework which is adapted to be fixed/attached to the lifting apparatus; one or more manually-operated gripping members that are firmly fixed on said rigid supporting framework and are adapted to grasp and hold a specific object to be moved; a revolving joint which is interposed between the rigid supporting framework and the lifting apparatus and which allows said rigid supporting framework to rotate with respect to the lifting apparatus about a substantially vertical, first rotation axis; and at least one adjustment assembly which is interposed between the revolving joint and the rigid supporting framework or between two rigid elements of said rigid supporting framework and allows the position/orientation of said rigid supporting framework with respect to the vertical to be manually adjusted.

A multi-axis gantry system comprising a multi-axis gantry apparatus and vacuum system, and method for repositioning is disclosed. The multi-axis gantry system comprises a frame. The frame includes a plurality of curved base members, a first rail, a second rail, a bridge slidably moveable along the first rail and the second rail, a carriage including an end effector, and a first plurality of pucks and a second plurality of pucks. The vacuum system comprises a vacuum controller, a first vacuum source and a second vacuum source. Each of the first and second vacuum sources is in fluid communication with one or more pucks of the first and second pluralities of pucks. The frame is reconfigurable from a first configuration mountable on a first work surface to a second configuration mountable on a second work surface that may be different from the first work surface.

Systems and methods for vacuum extraction for material sorting applications are provided. In one embodiments, a vacuum object sorting system comprises: a vacuum extraction assembly that includes at least one vacuum extractor device having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the at least one vacuum extractor device is configured to convert a controlled compressed air stream into a channeled vacuum airflow entering the inlet and exiting the outlet; and an object recognition device coupled to sorting control logic and electronics, wherein the controlled compressed air stream is controlled in response to a signal generated by the object recognition device; wherein the at least one vacuum extractor device is configured to capture a target object identified by the sorting control logic and electronics utilizing the channeled vacuum airflow, and further utilizing the channeled vacuum airflow, to pass the target object through the inlet and outlet to a deposit location.

The invention relates to a handling device (1), having a drive carriage (2) that is movable relative to a carrier (3), wherein a scissor lift (7) having a plurality of scissor-lift members (8) is arranged with its first end on the drive carriage (2), wherein a carrier plate (11) that is movable relative to the drive carriage (2) by means of the scissor lift (7) is arranged at the second end of the scissor lift (7), wherein: a gripping tool is arranged on the carrier plate (11), the scissor-lift members (8) are hollow throughout and are sealingly interconnected in order to actuate the gripping tool by means of a gaseous medium.

The invention relates particularly to a vacuum lifting device comprising a sensor system for the direct or indirect determination or estimation of the type and/or weight of goods gripped or to be gripped by a suction means of the vacuum lifting device.