Vacuum grippers in hygienic design for food applications

Aimed at improving the competitiveness of the domestic food industry, the DIL strives for integration of robotics as productivity factor in food processes. One challenge in this field is the gripping technology that can be used for various food products. Hygiene issues have top priority today and each food handling process requires specifically adapted solutions. For example, common vacuum grippers are hardly suitable for soft and easy to bend products such as meat because liquids or product residues, e.g. meat fluid, blood or bone fragments, may get into the vacuum system and contaminate the gripper and the operating environment. Such a processing situation requires solutions that comply with hygienic design requirements while eliminating the above mentioned disadvantages.

At this point, the DIL is introducing two exciting new vacuum grippers developed by the DIL’s Robotics Platform. These systems have passed the laboratory tests successfully and are now ready for practical application.

The gripping systems consist of a main casing and exchangeable suction cups to suit the different gripper diameters and geometries thus allowing an easy adjustment to the respective application. Each gripper is generating its own vacuum using compressed air. The lifting capacity can be amply adjusted via the pressure level of the compressed air and via the surface area of the gripping cup. This allows to handle a number of different products with soft surfaces from which product particles may come of and be sucked in. The specific benefit of the grippers that are made completely of food-grade stainless steel is that they can be disassembled via a bayonet coupling without the need of any tools.

The HDHV gripper (figure 1) is in particular suitable for very dense food pieces that allow the application of a high vacuum. Due to the special design, a final vacuum of >90% can be achieved within the fraction of a second by cleaned compressed air (0.2-0.45 MPa). Integrated washing channels allow to clean the system actively after each use.

The HDHF gripper (figure 2) is suitable for pieces whose surfaces are partly air-permeable or from which particles can get detached. The function of the system will not be impaired by very large contaminants. The integrated vacuum system is operated with compressed air in the range of 0.2-0.45 MPa and will yield a final vacuum of approximately 60%. For cleaning, the gripper can be immersed into a washing liquid. The functional principle itself cleans the gripper. But it is also possible to clean it actively while still in place.

Interested companies have the chance to test the DIL robots’ suitability and to investigate the performance of the different systems. However, we are also available for advising you on the use of common gripping systems in your specific production process.

Contact partners at DIL are:

Bernhard Hukelmann
Phone: +49 (0)5431.183-186
E-Mail: b.hukelmann@dil-ev.de

Dr. Knut Franke
Phone: +49 (0)5431.183-144
E-Mail: k.franke@dil-ev.de