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OT-2026-000021553

Single cup vacuum gripper, pump fed, sustained blow-off before set-down

Published
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Classification
Robotics & Automation › End Effectors › Vacuum Grippers
Also classified in
Vacuum Generation, Vacuum Safety Systems, Sealing and Suction Pads
Document SHA-256
4a18a100acccb536ad4c8e94420de34c2ee833d59f52cbd2f0d38935cf50bd5c

Abstract

A suction-cup vacuum gripping tool comprising one mounting flange, one suction cup, one vacuum pump and one blow-off valve. When the suction cup reaches the workpiece, the suction cup is evacuated by the vacuum pump. Before the workpiece reaches the set-down position, the workpiece is blown off by the blow-off valve while the workpiece is above the receiving surface. The arrangement is a proposed configuration composed from a typed library of mechanism blocks derived from published patents; it has not been constructed.

1. Purpose and arrangement

[0001]This disclosure describes a suction-cup vacuum gripping tool: one suction cup carried on a mounting flange, fed by a vacuum pump. It is arranged for clearing the face at release. One concrete embodiment is described; every connection is stated with the medium it carries, and the operating sequence is given as conditions on named operations.

2. Components, construction and connections

[0002]One mounting flange. The mounting flange carries the whole assembly and presents the bolt pattern that meets the robot.

[0003]One suction cup. Each suction cup presents a sealing lip to the workpiece and is evacuated through its own connection. The suction cups are of the oval form.

[0004]One vacuum pump. The pump draws the circuit down mechanically and adds its own mass to the moving assembly.

[0005]One blow-off valve. The blow-off valve drives compressed air back through the circuit to the face, which clears the face instead of waiting for the circuit to refill. The blow-off is a sustained blast. The blow-off pulse is given before set-down.

[0006]The suction cup is carried on the tool side of the mounting flange.

[0007]The vacuum pump is fixed to the tool side of the mounting flange.

[0008]The suction cup is connected to the pump inlet line by a single vacuum line, so that the face is evacuated through that line.

[0009]The blow-off valve is connected to the circuit at the pump inlet line, so that compressed air can be driven back through the circuit to the face.

[0010]The robot side of the mounting flange is bolted to the robot flange.

[0011]The pump motor is supplied from the electrical supply of the cell.

[0012]The blow-off valve is fed from the compressed air supply of the cell.

[0013]The blow-off valve is switched by the cell controller.

3. Operating sequence and conditions

[0014]

  • When the suction cup reaches the workpiece, the suction cup is evacuated by the vacuum pump.

[0015]

  • Before the workpiece reaches the set-down position, the workpiece is blown off by the blow-off valve while the workpiece is above the receiving surface.

[0016]

  • The workpiece is held until the blow-off valve has opened the circuit.

[0017]The cell controller commands the blow-off valve; no sensor drives an actuator directly.

4. Parameters and operating assumptions

[0018]Parameter values of this embodiment: form of the suction cup: oval (sets the shape of the contact area and the behaviour of the lip on a curved workpiece); material of the suction cup: polyurethane (sets the friction at the lip and the tolerance of the lip to oil and heat); drive medium of the vacuum pump: electric (sets the supply the pump motor needs from the cell); duration of the blow-off valve: a sustained blast (sets how quickly the face clears and how much air each release costs); timing of the blow-off valve: before set-down (sets whether the pulse assists a drop release or clears the face after set-down).

[0019]The workpiece is released while it is still above the receiving surface and falls the remaining distance onto it. This sequence is for a workpiece and a receiving surface that tolerate that drop, for example a part released into a container or onto a conveyor; the drop height is set by the application and is not fixed here.

[0020]The blow-off is a sustained blast: the valve stays open for the whole release so that the face is cleared of dust and the workpiece is pushed positively away.

5. Provenance and status

[0021]This document is an original combination composed from a typed library of mechanism blocks. Each block was derived from a published patent and carries typed connection points, the parameters its source states, and its own construction and operating description. The combination described here is proposed and has not been constructed. The published documents behind the blocks used in this arrangement are US-10549431-B2, US-11427405-B1, US-2016214812-A1, US-8132312-B2; their text is not reproduced, and the description above is generated from the structure of the combination.

Publication information

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Citation

OpenTechnical Publication OT-2026-000021553, “Single cup vacuum gripper, pump fed, sustained blow-off before set-down,” published September 17, 2026 at 08:15:39 UTC, https://opentechnical.org/p/OT-2026-000021553.

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Published through OpenTechnical, which means it has been made publicly available here. It is not a statement that the design has been built, tested or independently validated. Content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. See the publication policy.