We developed this new tool for handling 2 different oblong pails for the robot we had installed in a detergent plant in Tennessee in 2004. One set of 5 large vacuum cups is designed to pick up five 4.6 gallon pails and place them length-wise on a 48" X 40" pallet. For a different batch of 2.6 gallon pails, a set of 5 smaller vacuum cups placed parallel to the larger cups is designed to pick up the smaller pails and place them cross-wise on the same size pallet.
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| In this picture, the bank of vacuum cups for the 4.6 gallon pails are shown being tested with smaller pails. (The customer had not yet taken delivery on the new oblong pails.) The bank of vacuum cups for the 2.6 gallon pails can be seen parallel to the larger cups.
In the picture showing the bottom of the pickup head, note that the frame of the tool is fabricated of aluminum extrusions. This provides for easy adjustment or changes to the tool. The rails shown lengthwise serve to stablize the pails when the vacuum cups pull the pails up against the rails. This is important when high accelerations and decelerations are used to maximize the througput rate.
In the top view, one of the vacuum generators (blue) can be seen at the near end of the tool. The second vacuum generator is located at the far end of the tool. A total of 4 solenoid valves are on the tool: two to activate the 2 vacuum generators and two to admit compressed air to the vacuum headers to break the vacuum when the pails have been placed on the pallet. This also maximizes the throughput rate by minimizing the time involved in moving away when the pails have been deposited.
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