Transcript Air Grippers in glass industry

AirPicker &
AirGripper
Overview
What are we here for?

Become acquainted with your Firestone support team

Learn how a Firestone product’s construction contributes to
its performance characteristics, and what options exist

Learn the basics of Firestone products’ performance and how
to apply these to specific application situations

Learn the key factors to consider when advising your
customers about Firestone products’ use (Do’s and Don’ts)

Learn what information to gather and how to communicate it
to Firestone in order to get the best assistance we can
provide.
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Introduction
Firestone Air Pickers® and Air Grippers™ are unique solutions for non-marring,
delicate handling end effector applications
Air Picker with robot demonstration
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Product
Introduction
Air Picker
AirPickers

Inflatable bladders
that EXPAND
OUTWARD.
Generally used to
grip the inner surface
of an object.
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Air Gripper
AirGrippers
 Inflatable bladders
that EXPAND
INWARD. Generally
used to grip the outer
surface of an object.
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AirPicker
Construction
Construction
Fabric Reinforced rubber
bladder swaged onto a metal
body.
2 stainless steel clamp rings
Body is machined stainless
steel plated steel or aluminum
Air passage drilled through the
center of the body
Mounting depends on size
Threaded hole machined into
the body
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Construction
Fabric Reinforcement
Firestone AirPicker end effectors use fabric reinforcement to allow for use of higher
pressures and controlled inflation diameters.
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Construction
Air Picker Body Materials
1.
2.
3.
P006 – P009, Stainless Steel, threaded OD, ID
air inlet
P010 – P025, Steel, less cost, 2 air inlet holes, flexible design
P035 – P045, Aluminum, light weight, 3 mounting holes, 2 air inlet
holes, flexible design
Air Picker Clamp Rings
•
All sizes are Stainless Steel
1.
2.
3.
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Fabric structure
•Longitudinal
nylon cords supply the
strength to hold the high forces
caused by air pressure over a large
surface area.
•Lateral
cotton “pick cords” hold the
nylon cords together during
processing.
•Once
the AirPicker is inflated, the
cotton cords break allowing the
bellows to flex to its full diameter.
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Preconditioning
Preconditioning of fabric reinforced parts should be done to all
fabric reinforced rubber parts!
 Prior to preconditioning the rubber sleeve will not inflate to
the full diameter shown in the catalog.
 In order to break pick cords, inflate unrestricted at
maximun recommended working pressure for 30 cycles.
 DO NOT hold pressure for an extended period when
preconditioning.
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Identification
Style number stamped into body
Look at parts in sample case
P007
P055
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Optional Accessories
Nose Cone
Prevents wear on
the tip
Fits on both Metric
and Imperial Air
Pickers
Available for
P010 – P055
Catalog PGDG Page 18
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Optional Accessories
Wear Sleeve
Reduces wear
on the sides
Fits both Metric
and Imperial Air
Pickers
Available as standard option for
P014 – P055
For P006 to P010“Improvise” with surgical tubing
Catalog
page 18
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AirGripper
Construction
Construction
Rubber Bladder Swaged
onto aluminum body
2 stainless steel clamp
rings
4 mounting holes drilled
into aluminum body,
tapped along the outside
diameter with a single air
passage
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Construction
Air Gripper Body Materials
All Air gripper end effectors have
identical mounting
configurations.
4 Equally spaced mounting holes
along the outside diameter
1 air passage provided as
inlet/outlet
Air Gripper Clamp Ring Materials
• All sizes are Stainless Steel
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Construction
Air Gripper All Rubber Bladder
No fabric reinforcement
Lower operating pressures
“Triangulates” on expansion
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Construction
Rubber Bladder Material
Both air pickers and AirGrippersend-effectors use a combination
of different elastomers and fabric reinforcement to provide the
best possible end-effector for specific applications.
NEOPRENE
is the standard rubber material.
SILICONE
is the recommended only in high
temperatures applications. Sacrifices
significant life due to poor abrasion and
tear resistance.
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Advantages and
Precautions
Advantages
Conform to any shape
Multiple size work pieces handled
with one end effector
Delicate handling
Non-marring contact
No lubrication required
Long life in a dusty environment
(no sliding seals)
Self centering (AirPickers only)
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Precautions
Preconditioning (AirPicker only) – Discussed previously
Avoid contact with sharp objects at all times whether inflated
or un-inflated
Air pressure should be regulated to insure that the bladder
cannot be over inflated
Do not leave AirPicker or AirGripper inflated for long periods
of time
Do not inflate to full operating pressure un-restricted except
for preconditioning
Inflating AirPicker to diameter larger than recommended will
shorten the life
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Precautions
If rubber bladder is cold, inflate several times to warm it up or
it might not reach the expected full expansion
Holding force will be reduced if the bladder is coated with any
lubricant (including water)
Insure that the rubber bladder is not contacted by chemicals
that will cause damage to the material
Direct sunlight and high temperatures will also damage the
rubber
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Precautions
Maximum Recommended Working Pressure
AirPicker and AirGripper end effectors should not be used
beyond their maximum recommended working pressure.
Max Pressure varies depending on fabric reinforcement and
rubber material
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Precautions- Chemical Compatibility
For more information you can log into the DuPont web site for a much more extensive list.
www.dupontelastomers.com/tech_info/chemical.asp
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Precautions
Media
 air or any inert gas are acceptable
Temperature
 Neoprene -18ºC → 74ºC
 Silicone -30ºC → 160ºC
Contact surface
 Should be smooth and dry
 Wet surfaces will decrease the grip on the work piece
 For rough surfaces, use a wear sleeve
Storage
 Store in a dark, dry area at room temperature
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Precautions
Working diameter
 Stay towards the mid-point of the working diameter range, if
possible
 If close to the minimum working diameter range, use a nose
cone
 If close to the maximum working diameter range, try a wear
sleeve and the next larger size
Unrestricted inflation
 If done repeatedly, will damage the part
 Rubber could take on a “memory” and not return to the
uninflated dimension
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Precautions
Repeated unrestricted Inflation will prematurely damage the end effectors
Cycle life can be as low as 1000 cycles
Maximum recommended pressure drops to half
Protective rubber sleeve or a casing is recommended if required
unrestricted inflation
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AirPicker/AirGripper vs Mechanical
The diameter of an Air Picker can increase by almost twice as
much as its deflated diameter.
You can regulate the amount of air pressure inside a picker
or gripper. Allows for a softer touch on delicate objects such
as wine glasses.
Air P & G’s have a larger contact surface than mechanical
grippers (higher load capacity). This has been proven in
applications handling freshly molded test tubes.
Can handle objects from 8,5 mm to 100 mm.
Usually less expensive than mechanical grippers.
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Basic Catalog
Use
Air Pickers® and Air Grippers™
Design Guide
Introductory Brochure
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Quick Selection Guide
Quick selection page
gives you the chance
to narrow down your
choice before going to
the data pages in the
catalog
Page 22 PGDG
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Catalog Data Pages
P014 Catalog Page 26
Part Options
Dimensions
Lifting Capacity vs
Diameter and
Pressure
Working diameter versus pressure
with and without wear sleeve
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Product Range
Standard product range
Various sizes, shapes and
custom designs
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Why do you
care?
Plastic Wrap Handling
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Roof Tar Paper (Ice Shield)
Open video
from folder
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Large insulator
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Selection
Process
Selection
Selection procedure
 Design Parameter Worksheet, catalog pages 39-40
 Selection Guide & Index, catalog page 22
 Individual Data Page, determine pressure
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Selection
What do you need to know?
 Total load required
 Available air pressure
 Width and depth of contact surface (ID or OD)
 Object material
 Environmental conditions
 Cycle rate
 Response time required
 Special requirements
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Design Parameter Sheet
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Selection
Application Example # P1:
Load = 4,5 kg
Diameter = 25 mm ID
Available air pressure = 7 bar
Work piece is dry and smooth and contact area is 76 mm long
Environmental conditions = operating at room temp
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Quick Selection Guide
Look in the selection
guide to determine the
part or parts that will
fill the requirements
Page 22 PGDG
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Quick Selection Guide
P014 will lift
between 3,0 and 7,4
kg at a diameter of
20 to 27 mm
P017 will lift
between 3,5 and
10,4 kg at a diameter
of 23 to 32 mm
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Catalog Data Page
P014 Catalog Page 27
Part Options
Dimensions
Lifting Capacity vs
Diameter and
Pressure
Working diameter versus pressure
with and without wear sleeve
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Selection
P017 Catalog Page 28
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Selection
Pressure for P014 –
Above 5 bar
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Selection
Pressure for P017 –
less than 4 bar
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Selection

The P017 is a snug fit, and may hit the edge of
the work piece – consider a nose cone.
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Selection
If work piece is rougher than
the customer thought, consider
a wear sleeve.
This will add to the OD of the
Air Picker.
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Selection
Protective
Sleeves
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Application
Examples
Applications
Pick and Place
 Plastics and glass industry
 Gears
 Tubes and cylinders
Leak Testing
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Applications
Variety of work
pieces
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Applications
Air Pickers with toothpaste
tubes
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Applications
Air Grippers with Sake bottles
Typical setup for
manufacturing & packaging
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Applications
Special large AirPicker
for ceramic insulator
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Applications
Special large Air Picker for ceramic insulator
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Applications
Air Pickers with
odd shaped
glassware
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Applications
AirPickers & AirGrippers in glass industry
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Applications
Air Pickers & nose cones for plastic bottles
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Applications
Air Pickers & nose
cones, whiskey bottles
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Applications
Air Grippers in glass industry
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Applications

Air Picker and Air Gripper demonstration
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Applications

Silicone Air Grippers
with test tubes
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Applications
Tip:

Use multiple standard products instead of
specials to accommodate larger diameters
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Example
3 Air Pickers and a perfume bottle
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Applications

6 Air Pickers & wear sleeves, circuit board
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Precautions
Repeated unrestricted Inflation will prematurely damage the end effectors
Cycle life can be as low as 1000 cycles
Maximum recommended pressure drops to half
Protective rubber sleeve or a casing is recommended if required
unrestricted inflation
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Example
3 Air Pickers inside large diameter peanut jar
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Custom Designs
Custom Designs
See catalog pages 16 - 17
Larger and smaller products are available
Fabric reinforced Air Grippers are available
Longer lead times
Higher cost, sometimes double
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Custom Designs

Large Air Grippers, for
grapefruit packing
• Stacked Air Pickers, more
contact area, more load.
See Catalog page 16.
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Custom Designs
World’s smallest Air Picker: P005
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Custom Designs

One of the largest
AirPickers: P165
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Custom Designs

Questions to ask:
 Weight of the work piece
 Height of the work piece
 OD/ID of the work piece
 Material of the work piece
 Temperature of the atmosphere
 Picture/drawing of the work piece
 Contact with the work piece: water, solvent, etc.
 Flash, kick, flange, etc. on work piece
 How does the picker/gripper move
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Rebuild
Program
Rebuild
Why?

Generally, less than the cost of a new part

Especially beneficial on custom designs, or if the
end user modifies the body of the part
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Rebuild

Obtain RGA from Customer Service

Send parts to Greg McNamar in Arnhem

Parts are sent to Bridgestone Japan

Parts sent back to Greg

Greg sends rebuilt parts back to customer or end-user

Cost is about 75% of standard new part cost

Approximately 8-10 weeks turn around (12 week max)

Spare parts are strongly recommended for the end user
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Summary

Air Pickers and Air Grippers are end effectors

Many advantages and precautions, see beginning of the catalog

Easy selection procedure
 Design Parameter Worksheet, catalog pages 39-40
 Selection Guide & Index, catalog page 22
 Individual Data Page, determine pressure

Available options:
 Nose Cones and Wear Sleeves page 18
 Rebuild Program
 Specials (Stacked, low profile, grippie) pages 16-17

Variety of applications, limited by imagination
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Questions?
Quiz Time
The End
(of this presentation)