A seal for a vacuum lifter and method of manufacture wherein the seal has a continuous unbroken outer fluid resistant skin of elastomer which forms a boundary around a homogeneous cellular structure with no interior seams or joints.

An end effector device and system for suction-based grasping of bagged objects that can include a body structure with a vacuum line opening and an object engagement region, the vacuum line opening being configured to couple at least one pressure line of a vacuum pressure system to a defined internal channel of the body structure; the body structure comprising an internal structure that defines a concave inner chamber with a chamber opening at the object engagement region; and the internal structure comprising an array of inlets positioned along at least one wall of the concave inner chamber, wherein each inlet defines an opening in the body to the defined internal channel. The body structure may additionally include a suction cup system that comprises a flexible sealing lip at the object engagement region; wherein the chamber opening being positioned within a grasping region of the sealing lip.

An end effector device and system for suction-based grasping of bagged objects that can include a body structure with a vacuum line opening and an object engagement region, the vacuum line opening being configured to couple at least one pressure line of a vacuum pressure system to a defined internal channel of the body structure; the body structure comprising an internal structure that defines a concave inner chamber with a chamber opening at the object engagement region; and the internal structure comprising an array of inlets positioned along at least one wall of the concave inner chamber, wherein each inlet defines an opening in the body to the defined internal channel.

Described is a suction cup for automated gripping operations, such as for lifting of objects, is disclosed, wherein a rim portion of a lip of the suction cup is made of a first polymeric material having a first lower hardness as compared to a second hardness of a second polymeric material of an inner, central portion of the lip. The first and second polymeric materials of the lip of the suction cup disclosed are bonded to each other with an overlap. The bonding can be accomplished by injection moulding of the suction cup.

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.