A gripper head adapted to grip, hold and release a piece of cloth, including a first part and a second part with respective conveyor belts, an actuator, such as a hydraulic actuator, a pneumatic actuator or a motor, connected with the second part and configured for turning the second part relative to the first part to apply in a cloth nipping position a first clamping force on a piece of cloth, and a controller connected with the actuator and configured to control the actuator for the second part to selectively apply in a cloth nipping position a second, higher clamping force when the conveyor belts are temporarily stopped with a nipping zone filled by a portion of the piece of cloth.

A device for handling elements comprises a shank provided with a stop; a rod which is longitudinally movable and rotatable with respect to the shank, comprising a flap at one end thereof, so as to define a clamp between the stop and the flap for gripping an element. A method comprises placing elements separated by at least one slit on a surface; inserting a tip of a shank provided with a flap inside the slit; placing a stop in contact with an upper part of the element; rotating the shank, holding the element on the upper part by the stop and on a lower part by the flap; and separating the element.