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OT-2026-000060406

Foam pad vacuum gripper, pump fed, vented after set-down, on a tool changer

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Permanent URL
Classification
Robotics & Automation › End Effectors › Vacuum Grippers
Also classified in
Tool Changers, Vacuum Generation, Vacuum Safety Systems
Document SHA-256
0ad234d61aa7dd5563363d90bccd7fa6f56cca71fea80d3373ffde7f29bce4dd

Abstract

A foam-pad vacuum gripping tool comprising one tool-change interface, one foam pad, one vacuum pump and one vent valve. When the foam pad reaches the workpiece, the foam pad is evacuated by the vacuum pump. After the workpiece has reached the set-down position, the vacuum circuit is vented by the vent valve. 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 foam-pad vacuum gripping tool: one foam pad carried on a tool-change interface, fed by a vacuum pump. It is arranged for controlling the moment of release, holding a workpiece that a rigid lip cannot seal against and exchanging the tool without rewiring the cell. 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 tool-change interface. The tool-change interface splits the tool into a robot side and a tool side, so the tool can be exchanged without dismantling it. The tool-change interface has a mechanical lock.

[0003]One foam pad. The foam pad presents a compliant face to the workpiece; the holding force is spread over the contact area rather than concentrated at a lip. The pad is of closed cell foam.

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

[0005]One vent valve. The vent valve opens the circuit it is connected to towards atmosphere, which ends the grip. The circuit is vented after set-down.

[0006]The foam pad is carried on the tool side of the tool-change interface.

[0007]The vacuum pump is fixed to the tool side of the tool-change interface.

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

[0009]The vent valve is connected to the circuit at the pump inlet line and opens that circuit to atmosphere when it is actuated.

[0010]The robot side of the tool-change interface is bolted to the robot flange.

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

[0012]The vent valve is switched by the cell controller.

3. Operating sequence and conditions

[0013]

  • When the foam pad reaches the workpiece, the foam pad is evacuated by the vacuum pump.

[0014]

  • After the workpiece has reached the set-down position, the vacuum circuit is vented by the vent valve.

[0015]

  • The workpiece is held until the vent valve has opened the circuit.

[0016]The cell controller commands the vent valve; no sensor drives an actuator directly.

4. Parameters and operating assumptions

[0017]Parameter values of this embodiment: locking of the tool-change interface: mechanical (sets what has to be present at the interface for the tool to stay attached); material of the foam pad: sponge (sets the compliance of the sealing face); porosity of the foam pad: closed cell (sets whether air passes through the pad body or only through openings cut through it); drive medium of the vacuum pump: electric (sets the supply the pump motor needs from the cell); timing of the vent valve: after set-down (sets whether the workpiece is released before or after it is supported by the set-down surface).

[0018]The closed-cell foam does not pass air through its body; the face is evacuated through openings cut through the pad into the distribution chamber, and the foam around each opening forms the seal against the workpiece.

[0019]The lock is engaged by a manually operated lever on the interface; no supply crosses the interface for the lock, and tool exchange needs an operator at the tool.

5. Provenance and status

[0020]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 EP-4385681-B1, US-11427405-B1, US-11858125-B2, WO-2008134339-A4; 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-2026-000060406, “Foam pad vacuum gripper, pump fed, vented after set-down, on a tool changer,” published September 17, 2026 at 08:45:21 UTC, https://opentechnical.org/p/OT-2026-000060406.

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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.