A vacuum suction pen which can always be held squarely above a work being done notwithstanding the orientation of a component to be fitted to the work includes a penholder, a pen head, a connecting mechanism, and a suction cup. The suction cup is at an end of the pen head away from the penholder and made of rubber for soft handling. The connecting mechanism is coupled to the penholder and the pen head, and comprises a connecting member, the connecting member comprises a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion, the first connecting portion is disposed in the penholder, the second connecting portion is coupled to the pen head, and the pen head can be rotationally disposed on the penholder. A method for using the vacuum suction pen is also provided.

A suction cup is provided, including: a cup body, including a sucking face, the cup body defining an axial direction perpendicular to the sucking face; a pump, connected to an end of the cup body opposite to the sucking face, the pump including a first passageway, a direction in which the first passageway extends and the axial direction forming an included angle therebetween; a movable handle, slidably disposed within the first passageway, including a piston.

An ergonomic frame-filler placement tool is manually operable to supply a vacuum fluid flow at a distal end of the tool that can be used by a worker to pick up and hold a piece of frame-filler material to the distal end of the tool, which enables the worker to manipulate the tool to position the piece of frame-filler material over a desired location of a fuselage mandrel and then manually stop the vacuum fluid flow at the distal end of the tool to position the piece of frame-filler material at the desired location on the mandrel.

Embodiments described herein provide for devices and methods for retaining optical devices. The devices and methods described herein provide for retention of the substrate without contacting sensitive portions of the substrate. The devices and methods utilize retention pads or vacuum pins to contact the exclusion zones i.e., inactive areas of the substrate to retain the substrate and prevent the substrate from moving laterally. Additionally, a holding force retains the substrate in the vertical direction, without contacting the substrate. The methods provide for adjusting the devices to account for multiple geometries of the substrate. The methods further provide for adjusting the devices, such as adjusting a gap between the optical device and a suction pad, to alter the holding force of the devices on the optical devices.

A clamping system and method useful in miter edge fabrication. Two separate units, each including a vacuum plate may be placed on separate slabs. The units may be connected with a knuckle that can be rotated to provide connection of the slabs in a variety of angles. The units are vacuum sealed to the slabs. The vacuum plates may include various sections of varied sizes to connect to different sized slabs. When the knuckle is locked, a worm gear will provide for lateral movement, relative the knuckle, to provide precision fitting of slabs.

An extended frame portable vacuum grip device is provided having a rigid unitary support frame with elongated base and peripheral support wall that can define an open chamber at a face of the device for vacuum grip connections. A plurality of corresponding components can be combined to form independent vacuum grip regions within the open chamber extending along the length of the support frame. A plurality of ports can be defined through the base along its length that can each operatively connect with a corresponding pump. A plurality of closed-loop gaskets can each mate with corresponding portions of the base and support wall within the open chamber to act as vacuum seal members and define independent vacuum grip regions. A corresponding support frame for each gasket can help retain the independent arrangement and enhance seal actions of the gasket. The grip device can include structural reinforcements for reducing applied stresses.

A driver device may comprise a housing and a hole located on the housing. The hole may comprise a sealing lip. The driver device may comprise a bit holder located within the housing, and a bit socket located on the bit holder. The bit socket may be aligned with the hole, such that inserting a bit into the bit socket also inserts the bit into the hole. The driver device may comprise a spring located within the bit socket. The spring may cause an inserted bit to partially exit the hole in the absence of an external force pushing the it against the spring. The driver device may comprise a vacuum component connected to the housing, and a vacuum chamber within the housing.

A self-holding drilling system utilizes a vacuum gripping base and an air extraction pump to apply a holding force toward an object surface while maintaining surface-ward pressure on a drilling apparatus mounted therein. The pump extracts air from two discrete, but coupled volumes: a volume associated with the vacuum gripping base and a volume related to one or more piston tubes mounted transversely to the vacuum gripping element and movably coupled to the drilling apparatus. The surface area of the piston tubes is less than the surface area of the vacuum gripping base, which ensures the holding force is sufficient to prevent the drilling system from lifting from the object surface while also ensuring a driving force on the drilling apparatus is always less than the holding force. Thus, the operation of the drilling apparatus automatically drills into an object surface without requiring manual pressure on the drilling apparatus.

Apparatus for use in handling windscreens for example for installation in a vehicle, includes a windscreen anchor assembly comprising a windscreen anchor device and a support arm extending away from the windscreen anchor device. A mount assembly is provided for supporting the windscreen anchor assembly. The mount assembly includes a mount structure for engaging with the support arm such that the support arm can slide bodily in its longitudinal direction with respect to the mount structure.

A vacuum gripper comprises a rigid base element and a loop-shaped vacuum seal element. The base element has first and second opposite sides. The seal element is attached at least indirectly to the second side and protruding therefrom in a direction away from the first side. The seal element comprises a contact surface that at least partially contacts with an object surface and an encircling surface oriented transversely to the contact surface so as to define a chamber. The seal element is elastically deformable at the contact surface to enable conforming to the object surface when pressed thereagainst. The vacuum gripper comprises an air extraction means mounted to the first side to be in fluid communication with the chamber through the base element, and configured to continuously extract air from the chamber to cause the contact surface to be urged towards and grip the object surface when pressed thereagainst.