A system is disclosed for providing dynamic vacuum control to an end effector of an articulated arm. The system includes a first vacuum source for providing a first vacuum pressure with a first maximum air flow rate, and a second vacuum source for providing a second vacuum pressure with a second maximum air flow rate, wherein the second vacuum pressure is higher than the first vacuum pressure and wherein the second maximum air flow rate is greater than the first maximum air flow rate.

A transfer robot transfers workpieces while sucking upper surfaces of the workpieces. The transfer robot includes a first hand body attached to a first robotic arm, a second hand body attached to a second robotic arm, a first suction part attached to the first hand body, and a second suction part attached to the second hand body. The first suction part has a pair of suction bodies, the pair of suction bodies extending in a horizontal first direction and separated from each other in a horizontal second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The second suction part has at least one suction body extending in the first direction, and the one suction body is changeable in an entering amount into an area between the pair of suction parts of the first suction part according to a relative movement of the second hand body in the first direction.

In an example method, a NWM molding blank, including a non-woven material held in compression by a binder, is placed in a separable mold, and heated to a melting temperature of the binder. The molding blank expands, forming as an intermediate NWM object a NWM molded object with a 3D geometric form. The intermediate NWM object is cooled through a temperature band with an upper boundary and a lower boundary, and further cooled to a solidifying temperature of the binder. The upper boundary is above the solidifying temperature and the upper boundary is lower than the binder melting temperature. While in the temperature band, the mold is separated, rendering accessible an exposed surface of the intermediate NWM object. The object is then transported to a contoured forming surface of a forming base, by an actuatable arm having an end effector gripping the exposed surface via vacuum suction, lifting the object from the mold and placing the object on the contoured forming surface. Optionally, the end effector contact surface includes a final forming feature. The actuatable arm compresses the intermediate NWM object against the contoured forming surface, and the optional end effector final forming feature and continues compressing until cooling to the solidifying temperature.

An end effector is disclosed for an articulated arm. The end effector includes a valve assembly including a plurality of supply channels, each supply channel including a supply conduit, a pressure sensor in fluid communication with the supply conduit, and a supply conduit plug. The supply conduit is in fluid communication with a vacuum source. During use, each supply conduit is either at vacuum such that the pressure within the supply conduit is substantially at a vacuum pressure, or is at a pressure that is substantially higher than vacuum pressure because the supply conduit plug has moved to block a portion of the supply conduit. The pressure sensor of each supply conduit provides a pressure sensor signal responsive to whether the pressure in the conduit is either substantially at vacuum or is at a pressure that is substantially higher than vacuum.

A system is disclosed for providing dynamic vacuum control to an end effector of an articulated arm. The system includes a first vacuum source for providing a first vacuum pressure with a first maximum air flow rate, and a second vacuum source for providing a second vacuum pressure with a second maximum air flow rate, wherein the second vacuum pressure is higher than the first vacuum pressure and wherein the second maximum air flow rate is greater than the first maximum air flow rate.

A system is disclosed for providing dynamic vacuum control to an end effector of an articulated arm. The system includes a first vacuum source for providing a first vacuum pressure with a first maximum air flow rate, and a second vacuum source for providing a second vacuum pressure with a second maximum air flow rate, wherein the second vacuum pressure is higher than the first vacuum pressure and wherein the second maximum air flow rate is greater than the first maximum air flow rate.

A suction gripper head includes at least one carrier and a soleplate for resting against an item to be lifted. The soleplate is arranged in the bottom portion of the carrier. The head comprises a foam body having a suction path arranged therein between the soleplate and an outlet orifice of the gripper head for connection to a suction block, the foam body thus acting on its own, over at least a portion of the path, to form the separation between air sucked through said path and the outside of the gripper head, such that the air that is being sucked comes directly into contact with the foam of the foam body.

A suction pad includes a body and a sponge member. The body includes a negative pressure chamber, and a plurality of communication passages communicating with the negative pressure chamber. The sponge member includes a plurality of cavities opening toward a workpiece. The cavities communicate with the negative pressure chamber through the communication passages, and flow passage adjustment valves for adjusting a flow passage area are arranged in the communication passages, respectively. The suction pad further includes a pressure detection port for detecting pressure in at least one cavity among the plurality of cavities.

A suction pad includes a body and a sponge member. The sponge member made of a material having a semi-open and semi-closed cell structure includes a plurality of cavities opening toward a workpiece, a tubular stopper attached to the body is disposed in each of the cavities of the sponge member, and a suction passage formed in each stopper communicates with a negative pressure chamber formed in the body. The height of the stopper is set to a dimension that prevents the sponge member from being compressed to a maximum compression amount and allows the sponge member to be compressed until the sponge member exhibits airtightness.

A robot system includes two arms, each having a hand at an end thereof, and a controller to control operation of the arms. The hand has an openable and closable holder. The controller includes hand-number determining circuitry to determine the number of hands used to hold a holdable object based on the size of the holdable object, and hold controlling circuitry to control the holder of one of the hands to open so as to hold the holdable object by an inner surface of the holder, when the number of hands to be used is one, and control the holders of the two hands to close so as to hold the holdable object by outer surfaces of the two holders, when the number of hands to be used is two.