A mobile manipulator robot for retrieving inventory items from a storage system. The robot includes a body, a wheel assembly, a sensor to locate a position of the robot within the storage system, an interface configured to send processor readable data to a remote processor and to an operator interface, and receive processor executable instructions from the remote processor and from the operator interface, an imaging device to capture images of the inventory items, a picking manipulator, first and second pneumatic gripping elements for grasping the inventory items, and a coupler configured to mate with a valve to access a pneumatic supply for operating at least one of the first or second pneumatic gripping elements. The robot is configured to transition the valve from a closed condition to an open condition and selectively place one of the first or the second pneumatic gripping elements in communication with the pneumatic supply.

A food product handling device is provided. The food product handling device can include a movable loading head having a plurality of rails and a vacuum system operatively associated with the head. In addition, a plurality of suction devices carried by the head and configured to pick up and transport a food product as the head is moved can be provided. A plurality of mounting blocks can be slidably coupled to the rails where at least one suction device is coupled to each mounting block. An actuating device can be operatively associated with the mounting blocks such that each mounting block is configured to slide between a first position and a second position.

A feeding unit to feed a component in an automatic manufacturing machine; has: at least one holding head designed to receive and hold the component; a closed curved guide arranged in a fixed position along an application path; an equipment supporting the holding head and provided with at least one slide coupled to the guide by a plurality of wheels; a linear electric motor, and a movable slider electro-magnetically coupled to the stator and is rigidly connected to the slide. The guide has, on the surface in contact with the wheels, a first transverse profile having a concavity or a convexity; the wheels have, on the surface in contact with the guide, a second transverse profile, which has a convexity or a concavity, and generates, with the first profile, a shape coupling between the guide and the wheels, which forbids a transverse movement of the slide relative to the guide.

A feeding unit to feed components in an automatic manufacturing machine; the feeding unit has: a plurality of sucking holding heads, which are each designed to receive and hold a corresponding component; a closed curved guide, which is arranged in a fixed position along the application path; a plurality of equipment, each supporting a corresponding holding head and provided with at least one slide, which is coupled to the guide so as to freely slide along the guide by means of a plurality of wheels; a suction chamber, which is mounted so as to rotate around a rotation axis; and a flexible connection system, which pneumatically connects the suction chamber to each holding head.

A transfer device for transferring eggs from a conveyor belt to egg packaging, the transfer device includes a frame with at least one mounting plate of a mounting element, on which mounting plate a plurality of suction lifting elements that can be connected to a suction apparatus are mounted. The suction lifting elements are mounted on the mounting plate so as to be movable in the plane of the mounting plate by motorized or hydraulic means between a suction position and a release position.

Packaging apparatus and methods include a plurality of article grippers driven by independently controlled motors in an end-of-arm tooling (EOAT), for picking articles, grouping articles, adjusting group pitch and placing article groups in packages where incoming articles and packages are continuously or intermittently moving and without motion of the entire EOAT in the direction in which articles and packages are picked and moved. Hole healing and incoming product registration apparatus and methods are disclosed.

An apparatus for picking, placing, and forming a composite charge over a complex geometry tool comprises a first frame, a second frame, and a plurality of dynamic mechanisms. The first frame is formed from rigid material and includes a first frame member that forms at least a rectangular perimeter. The second frame is formed from flexible material and includes a second frame member that forms at least a rectangular perimeter. Each dynamic mechanism is connected to the first frame and the second frame and located along the perimeters of the first frame and the second frame. Each dynamic mechanism includes a length-variable component positioned between the first frame and the second frame, with at least a portion of the dynamic mechanisms configured to vary a length of the length-variable component for the second frame member to conform to the shape of the complex geometry tool.

A robotic handling system includes a transfer chamber and a robot arm disposed within the transfer chamber with an end effector having a longitudinal axis. The end effector includes a first wafer pocket defined within the end effector at a first location and a second wafer pocket defined within the end effector at a second location along the longitudinal axis. A first chamber, coupled to the transfer chamber, is reachable by the first wafer pocket and by the second wafer pocket. A second chamber, coupled to the first chamber, where the first chamber is positioned between the transfer chamber and the second chamber, and the second chamber is reachable by the first wafer pocket but not the second wafer pocket.

A feeding unit to feed a component in an automatic manufacturing machine, which has at least one holding head designed to receive and hold the component; a conveyor to cyclically move the holding head along an application path; and a rotation station arranged along the feeding path and in which the holding head rotates relative to the equipment and around a rotation axis to vary the orientation of the component. The conveyor has a closed curve guide arranged in a fixed position along the application path; and an equipment supporting the holding head and provided with at least one slide coupled to the guide so as to freely slide along the guide. An actuation system controls rotation of the holding head around the first rotation axis and has a cam and a cam follower roller, which can be coupled to the cam and mechanically connected to the holding head.

A handling apparatus and a processing system for pharmaceutical containers, for example vials, syringes, carpules or ampules. The handling apparatus includes two or more holding elements via which a container can be gripped in each case and of which at least one holding element can be selectively moved back and forth along a movement direction, and a spacing changing device for transferring the holding elements from a first relative position into a second relative position, and vice versa, in which the holding elements have a spacing from one another which differs from the spacing in the first relative position.