Vacuum Technology

Vacuum handling for the masses

Sat, 11 May 2013 21:33:00 +0000

By Mason Nicholson, Schmalz Inc.

Large-area vacuum grippers are built to move pallet loads of products.

Reliable handling plays a key role in automated production processes, whether moving individual components, packaging materials, or finished goods. Regardless of the product, the goods need to be transported quickly and safely, without damage, and with a cost-efficient handling system.

Grippers allow for high-speed testing

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 18:04:00 +0000

Automation specialist PCE Automation Ltd., Beccles, England, offers a unique high-speed machine for testing medical inflation check valves. The one-way valves are used by the medical device industry to inflate or deflate balloons or cuffs, which are built into critical airway management devices such as endotracheal tubes, tracheostomy tubes and urology catheters.

Bellows grippers provide safe and gentle means of handling fragile work pieces

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 21:09:00 +0000

Handling fragile workplaces, such as drinking glasses, plastic or glass bottles, and other items with circular openings can be tricky. DHEB series of bellows grippers from Festo can be used across a variety of processing and manufacturing industries to avoid breakage and make smooth, controlled transfers.

DHEB grippers employ flexible bellows that expand in diameter when actuated by an integral pneumatically driven piston, to securely grip the interior surface of a
work piece.

Vacuum ejectors

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 19:25:00 +0000

EKPP, EKP, and EMM series ejectors conserve energy without compromising cycle times. Featuring automatic pressure regulation, they reduce compressed air usage by up to 50% per work piece, regardless of its porosity. EMA and EKP-LSE series achieve savings of up to 97% for airtight work pieces.

Vacuum goes to work

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:51:00 +0000

Simple, compact, air-powered venturi-type vacuum pumps can — and have — overcome many of the application limits of mechanical pumps.

CBW Automation, Fort Collins, Colo., a manufacturer of high-speed automated retrieval systems uses vacuum and suction cups to grip and transport products coming out of plastic-injection molding machines. The OEM had been using rotary vane pumps to generate vacuum for the machine, but designers wanted a more energy efficient solution — and one with less required maintenance. An efficient and reliable vacuum source is critical for serving high-production machines, so designers switched to venturi-type air-driven pumps.

Brushless dc compressor

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 15:44:00 +0000

Thomas 2220 series brushless dc oil-less air compressor is designed for medical and other applications requiring a compact, lightweight compressor with variable output. It is small — 3.77 in. high × 2.64 in. wide × 4.70 in. long — and weighs only 1.48 lb (0.7 kg).

Squeeze energy savings from pneumatic systems

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:01:00 +0000

Industrial machines designed to run efficiently and save energy are undoubtedly important considerations in manufacturing today. The reasons not only include rising energy prices and the need to hold down production costs, but also an increasing awareness of the environmental impact on an organization’s sustainability.

These issues should not be the responsibility of only production-floor personnel. Machine and system designers and financial managers have a stake in this as well. Energy can be saved eliminating leaks, system design, and advanced machine diagnostics.

Clean and quiet with air amplifiers

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 16:58:00 +0000

When air, vapors, or light materials must be moved easily and inexpensively, air amplifiers provide a simple solution. These devices use the Coanda effect — the tendency of a fluid stream to be attracted to a nearby surface — to create air motion in their surroundings. Using a small amount of compressed air as their power source, air amplifiers pull in large volumes of surrounding air to produce high-volume, high-velocity outlet flows up to 25 times their consumption rate.

Raising the bar on compressor efficiency

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 19:07:00 +0000

By Dusty Smith, P.E. Pneu-Logic Corp., Portland, Ore.

Pre-emptive control is key to lower compressed-air costs.

Compressed air is an expensive resource. For each dollar’s worth of electricity used to produce compressed air, as little as 10 to 15% of that energy may be used on the factory in the form of compressed air. As energy costs increase, plant operators need to become sensitive to how much energy and money can be wasted if compressor operation is not tightly controlled, and even the smallest air leaks are not repaired.

Vacuum system takes the cake

Wed, 02 May 2012 17:03:00 +0000

By David Haynes, Senior Sales Engineer, Vaccon Co. Inc., Medway, Mass.

A commercial baker makes innovative use of vacuum flow to handle delicate sponge cakes.