An automatic or semi-automatic preparation system process is provided for forming a medicament solution from a vial containing one of a liquid and a non-liquid material.

A robot gripper includes a main gripper body that has a connection flange designed to secure the rotational gripper to a tool flange of a robotic arm; a base element that is mounted on the main gripper body such that it can rotate about a first rotational axis by a first rotational joint able to be adjusted automatically by a first drive motor; a first gripper finger mounted such that it can rotate about a second rotational axis aligned parallel to the first rotational axis, relative to the base element, by a second rotational joint which can be adjusted automatically by a second drive motor; and at least one additional gripper finger. The second rotational joint is configured to adjust the first gripper finger individually, using the second drive motor, independently of the at least one additional gripper finger.

A fluid powered gripper can include a body, a bore, a first finger, a second finger, and a piston. The body can include a central bore coaxial with a central longitudinal axis of the body. A bore fluid inlet can be fluidly coupleable to the central bore. The first finger can be rotatable about the body. The second finger can oppose the first finger and the second finger can be rotatable about the body. The piston can be disposed in the central bore. The piston can be powered by a fluid to move between a first position and a second position. The first finger and the second finger can be closed in the first position and open in the second position.

For handling blanks, semi-finished products or finished products in an automated production processes, a gripping device (3) is provided that has a gripper (4) that is assigned a stripper (5), with the stripper having at least one stripping element (6). The stripping element (6) can be moved as required past the gripper (4) in a stripping movement between a starting position and an end position in order to remove bodies (2) possibly interfering with the gripping process from a gripping region of the gripper (4). This occurs in particular when the gripper (4) has already gripped a body (2) to be gripped.

End effectors and methods for gripping a curvilinear sheet of material are disclosed herein. The curvilinear sheet of material defines a first sheet side having a curvilinear first side topography and a second sheet side having a curvilinear second side topography. The end effector includes a negative mating shaped first sheet-engaging surface configured to operatively support the first sheet side and having a curvilinear first sheet-engaging surface topography that corresponds to the curvilinear first side topography. The end effector also includes a second sheet-engaging surface configured to operatively support the second sheet side and having a curvilinear appropriately mating negative shaped second sheet-engaging surface topography that corresponds to the curvilinear second side topography. The end effector further includes an actuation mechanism configured to selectively transition the end effector between an open orientation and a gripping (converging) orientation. The methods include methods of utilizing the end effectors.

The invention relates to a transport device (38) for transporting a workpiece (23) between a clamping chuck (22) and a workpiece carrier (30). The transport device (38) comprises a gripper arrangement (39) with a pivot arm (40). One end of the pivot arm (40) is supported on the machine tool (20) and, in particular, a machine slide (25) via a first pivot drive (41) so as to be pivotable about a first pivot axis (S1). On the other end, the pivot arm (40) supports a second pivot drive (42) that defines a second pivot axis (S2). A workpiece gripper (43) is supported so as to be pivotable about this second pivot axis (S2). The two pivot axes are inclined by 45 relative to each other. A workpiece (23) held by the workpiece gripper (43) has a workpiece longitudinal axis (W) that extends in a first position (I) of the workpiece gripper (43) at a right angle with respect to the pivot axis (S1). In a second position (II) of the workpiece gripper (43), the workpiece longitudinal axis (W) is oriented parallel to the first pivot axis (S1). The workpiece longitudinal axis (W) of the workpiece (23) held by the workpiece gripper (43) is inclined by 45 relative to the second pivot axis (S2).

A precision clamping assembly has a body, two clamping arms, and a drive device. The body has a first direction, a second direction, a chamber formed in the body, and an opening formed through an outer side of the body along the second direction and communicating with the chamber. The clamping arms are pivotally and movably connected to the body, and each clamping arm is disposed in the chamber and has a pivot end and a clamping end extended out of the body via the opening. The clamping ends are selectively moved toward or away from each other along the second direction and selectively moved same or opposite from each other along a third direction. The drive device is connected to the body and the two clamping arms, and has two driving sets disposed in the body and respectively connected to the two clamping arms.

A slide rack gripper apparatus is provided that simultaneously conveys a plurality of glass slides in the protection of a slide rack within a digital slide scanning apparatus. The slide rack gripper apparatus conveys the plurality of glass slides from a slide rack carousel to a scanning stage for processing. The slide rack gripper includes a first motor attached to a base configured to drive a finger mount attached to the base along a first linear axis. The slide rack gripper apparatus also includes a second motor attached to the finger mount and configured to drive opposing gripper fingers attached to the finger mount along a second linear axis. The second motor is also configured to drive individual gripper fingers along a third linear axis to move the gripper fingers toward each other and away from each other to grasp or release a slide rack.

A tube picking mechanism is suitable for use in an automated, ultra-low temperature (e.g., 80 C.) storage and retrieval systems which stores biological or chemical samples. The samples are contained in storage tubes held in SBS footprint storage racks that are loaded into trays located within an ultra-low temperature freezer compartment (80 C.). The tube picking mechanism includes a picking head and a cache that can accommodate sample tubes and vials of different sizes and diameters

The present invention provides a holding mechanism capable of well preventing misalignment of a workpiece even if the outer diameter of the workpiece is changed when the workpiece is supported at three points by a flat face and a V-shaped groove. Additionally, the present invention provides a holding mechanism of a transfer device capable of stably detecting a chucking error of holding claws for a workpiece.