A suction device includes a valve, a piezoelectric pump, and a housing. The valve includes a valve casing and a diaphragm. A first ventilation hole, a second ventilation hole, and a third ventilation hole are formed in the valve casing. The diaphragm is fixed to the valve casing and forms a flow path in the valve casing. The second ventilation hole is opened under atmospheric pressure. The piezoelectric pump has a suction hole and a discharge hole. The discharge hole is in communication with the first ventilation hole. The housing has a cavity. A suction pad is attached to the cavity. The housing forms an enclosed space together with the valve and the piezoelectric pump. The enclosed space is a space that is in communication with the cavity, the suction hole, and the third ventilation hole.

A device for gripping a substrate without contact with which the substrate can be more securely transported. In the device, a housing cap has an air inlet in the upper surface and a lower opening, the lower opening communicating with the air inlet such that air introduced through the air inlet exits through the lower opening. A contour of the lower opening in its vertical cross section is convexly rounded such that the introduced air is guided along a horizontal undersurface of the housing cap. A nozzle is disposed in an inner hollow space of the housing cap, and has an inclined surface such that the width of the nozzle gradually decreases in the direction from the undersurface of the nozzle to the upper surface of the nozzle adjacent to the air inlet. The undersurface of the nozzle is at a predetermined distance from the inner surface of the housing cap. An ultrasonic shaker applies ultrasonic vibration to the housing cap.

This disclosure is directed to automated warehouse facilities that are configured to assemble mixed pallets. The warehouse facilities can include one or more layer handling devices that are configured to remove layers from pallets in a delayering operational mode, and to add layers to pallets in a palletizing operation mode. The warehouse facilities also may include one or more item retrieval devices that are configured to retrieve individual items from storage racks. The warehouse facilities can include other automated devices as well.

Material moving apparatus, systems and methods are presented which can include an air material mover. Airflow through orifices can create a localized vacuum such that the uppermost or top layer of material can be separated from the stack of material. The airflow can interact with the material to produce flutter, which assists in separating lower layers from the uppermost layer. A material gripper can grip the uppermost or top layer of material for removal from the stack and repositioning in a work area.

A suction gripping device for picking up a plurality of substrates which are flat and flexible includes: a base body, which defines a plane; at least one gas suction vacuum module which is arranged on the base body and has at least one gas suction opening configured for withdrawing gas by suction and for generating a first vacuum so as to suction a respective one of the plurality of substrates against the suction gripping device; and at least one gas ejection vacuum module which is arranged on the base body and has a gas ejection opening configured for ejecting gas and for generating a second vacuum so as to suction the respective one of the plurality of substrates against the suction gripping device.

A suction unit, which serves for suctioning an object according to Bernoulli's principle, includes a suction body with an adjoining suction plate, which has a front side facing away from the suction body, and includes at least one entry channel, through which a gaseous medium is introducible through the suction body into a deflection channel, which is delimited on one side by the front side of the suction plate and on another by a deflection head of a deflection unit or by the suctioned object, and through which the gaseous medium is guidable to the outside. The suction plate has in the center a deflection chamber which is adjoined on one side by the at least one entry channel and on another side by a plurality of suction channels which are sunk into the suction plate and extend towards the edge of the suction plate.

System and methods for manipulating and sorting of objects being moved along a conveyor are disclosed, whereby control of the object is achieved through the application of one or more of vacuum, impaling, or mechanical grasping. One embodiment is directed to a robotic arm and vision detection system operable for detecting a target object to be grasped from a stream of objects being moved on a conveyor, and moving a suction head into position over the target object that has been detected on the conveyor, the suction head having a flexible cup section disposed at a distal end thereof, the vacuum item pick-up system/method using high subsonic air flow (e.g., on the order of 60 scfm or more) through a suction cup having a flow opening area large enough that an airflow of 60 scfm does not result in an airspeed exceeding Mach 0.2 under standard conditions of temperature and pressure, and further having a flow opening area whose ratio to cup opening area falls between 0.36 and 1.44 for applying a desired vacuum suction force for grasping the target object. Either as a primary grasping mechanism, or as an optional supplemental grasping mechanism, a piercing mechanism may be inserted into the object and used to manipulate the object in space. Alternate systems/methods for manipulating and sorting objects via hitting, flicking, or pushing are also disclosed.

A wafer suspension fork has a body and a cover. The body has a connection portion having multiple inlets and two arms being symmetrical in shape and protruding from the connection portion. Each arm has a holding surface, a flowing surface, multiple inner and outer inclined holes formed in the holding surface arranged along a protruding direction, an inner flowing channel formed in the flowing surface and communicating with the inner inclined holes and the inlets, and an outer flowing channel formed in the flowing surface and communicating with the outer inclined holes and the inlets. The cover is fixed to a bottom surface of the body. A wafer is able to be suspended and held above the two arms by adjusting pressure of gas flowing out from the inner and outer inclined holes and is able to be moved free from being scratched.

This semiconductor device manufacturing device comprises: a stage; a bonding head; a copying mechanism provided on the bonding head; and a controller that executes the copying process to adjust a facing surface to be parallel to a reference plane by having the facing surface, which is a holding surface or a chip end face, follow the reference plane 110, which is a planar surface of the stage or a substrate. In the copying process, the controller moves the bonding head relative to the surface direction of the reference plane with the facing surface left abutting the reference plane in a state with the copying mechanism switched to a free state, until the axial direction position of the bonding head reaches a stipulated reference position, and when the axial direction position reaches the reference position, switches the copying mechanism to a locked state.

The suction unit (10), which serves for suctioning an object (P) according to Bernoulli's principle, comprises a suction body (16) with an adjoining suction plate (11), which adjoining suction plate (11) has a front side facing away from the suction body (16), and comprises at least one entry channel (13), through which a gaseous medium is introducible through the suction body (16) to the front side of the suction plate (11) into a deflection channel (110), which deflection channel (110) is delimited on one side by the front side of the suction plate (11) and on another side by a deflection head (121) of a deflection unit (12) or which deflection channel (110) is delimited on one side by the front side of the suction plate (11) and on another side by the object (P) when the object (P) is suctioned, and through which deflection channel (110) the gaseous medium is guidable to the outside. According to the invention the suction body (16) is integrally or detachably connected to a suction basket (161) whose inner side (1619) adjoins the suction plate (111) or whose inner side (1619) is spaced apart from the suction plate (111), wherein the suction basket (161) encloses a receiving channel (1600) which has a channel opening (1610) that is dimensioned in such a way that individual objects (P) can be introduced into the receiving channel (1600) or into at least one recess (1611, 1612) on the underside of the suction basket (161).