Videos – See FIPA in Action

Many FIPA components used by our sales partner Dentec (www.dentec.pl) at the Plastpol 2017!

Our sales partner impressively demonstrated various product handling systems for the plastics industry. With 5 different grippers, Dentec has demonstrated how to use the FIPA Thermalon vacuum cups as well as the sprue grippers. ID grippers and a customized vacuum cup were also used.

In the manufacturing sector and in logistics, lifting and tilting heavy loads is often still part of a typical working day. The FIPALIFT Expert tube lifter which effortlessly moves for example paper rolls offers an effective solution.

The example from the packaging industry shows how FIPA uses solutions to enable new applications for the FIPALIFT tube lifter.

Household appliance surfaces in the white goods sector require special measures in the manufacturing process. Robust plastic films in varying material thicknesses are used to protect sensitive sheet metal from scratches. Foilpuller GmbH (http://www.foilpuller.de/) in Bobingen, a company armed with a wealth of experience in automation technology, has for the first time succeeded in mastering the automated removal of film from sheet metal. The patented process saves costs and reduces reject rates.

In developing the End-of-Arm-Tooling the company worked closely with FIPA. An outstanding service life with a great holding force, non-slip properties and the absence of paint-wetting impairment substances (PWIS) and silicone are the pre-conditions for the reliable handling of sheet metal. The FIPA gripper system is equipped with two sizes of large vacuum cups for sheet metal handling. Compact ejectors with air-saving function generate the vacuum for the vacuum cups. The cycle time varies between 30 and 45 seconds per unit, depending on the type of sheet metal.

K 2016 presents the entire range of services in the industry: from state-of-the-art technology through pioneering innovations to visionary developments. Among other things, FIPA will present the latest vacuum gripping systems for automated handling in the plastics industry.

We do have the solution!

A combination of vacuum-operated lifting cylinders and suction cups allows coded discs to be picked up safely.

The coded discs are safely removed from the storage stack and transported to the testing site within a short cycle time of less than 3 seconds.

The testing system was designed for STVision (USA).

The de Man Automation+Service GmbH & Co. KG (http://www.deman.de/en) provides solutions tailored to individual customers in the areas of robotics, material flow and material handling technology. Thanks to its new packaging line for the secondary packaging of products, the company can respond to the requirements of customers with the utmost flexibility. The various components can be added together to form a customer-specific system or also purchased individually. In the complete version, the packaging line comprises the components “Peacock” carton erector, “Hawk” carton packer, “Sparrow” carton sealer, “Parrot” labeller, “Heron” palletiser, “Pelican” pallet wrapper and “Master-Owl” control system.

High cycle output

A central component of the new packaging line is the “Heron” palletiser, this ensuring perfectly packed pallets. Depending on the goods to be palletised and development of the robot cell with pallet and intermediate layer magazines, “Heron” attains a cycle output of up to 30 cartons a minute.

Abrasive products

The handling of abrasive cardboard packaging for secondary packing places high demands on the vacuum cups. With the sturdy Varioflex® vacuum cups, FIPA has a component in its portfolio that corresponds precisely to the requirements of handling systems for cardboard packaging.

FIPA Varioflex® vacuum cups prove their effectiveness in practical tests

At the Supplier Show for Mechanical Engineering FMB, de Man tested the sturdy FIPA Varioflex® vacuum cups live on the “Heron” palletiser and found them to be extremely effective.

The unique merit of the bellows cups made from the composite material Varioflex® is the use of a wear-proof special polyurethane with two levels of material hardness. The sealing lip in 30° Shore A is supple and durable. The body in 60° Shore A is very stable and exhibits a tremendous resetting force.

The “Association for Robots in Architecture”, a community of interest from Vienna, is dedicated to the creative use of industrial robots for the novel production of works of art and innovative architecture. In workshops the design freedom when working with items made of foam board is enabled with designers, architects and artists.

The vacuum grippers from FIPA have been found to be ideal for this because they securely hold the resulting item made of porous foam board during hot wire cutting.

This example shows how items made of porous material are manufactured.

FIPA designs and implements complete gripper systems based on a modular gripper assembly in accordance with the individual requirements of the customer. The gripper shown in the video was custom-developed for the robot manufacturer YASKAWA Motoman and enables the fully automated handling of packaged products. The bellows vacuum cups used, which are made of the Varioflex® material, provide excellent holding force, even at high accelerations, and a long service life thanks to the extremely wear-resistant composite material. The sealing effect of the soft sealing lip is also ideal for rough, uneven product surfaces, such as cardboard packaging.

FIPA crane technology provides a comprehensive range of solutions for transporting different sized, heavy loads from A to B. Monorail tracks with and without curved elements, single-girder or overhead cranes with telescopic bridges and various trolleys for travelling along and perpendicular to the crane girder allow for ergonomic handling of sacks, cartons, sheet metal and barrels. The modular construction kit system can be implemented independently or as part of a FIPA service package.

Fitted with a customised gripper from FIPA GmbH, a gantry robot removes plastic parts with delicate surfaces from an injection moulding machine. The plastic parts are gripped and sucked vertically. The robot aligns the gripper system horizontally before the parts are placed onto a conveyor. The grippers then open and the sprues fall into a collecting container.

The gripper system consists, above all, of sprue grippers fitted with sensors, Thermalon® vacuum cups free of paint wetting impairment substances (PWIS) or mould release and grippers with HNBR-gummed jaws. The low-wear vacuum cups have been optimised to handle hot plastic workpieces without leaving markings. The cups can withstand temperatures of 160 °C and do not leave markings behind so the plastic parts can be painted or coated afterwards.

Grippers with HNBR-gummed jaws pick up the workpieces gently. Sensors fitted to the grippers enable the overriding control to monitor the entire gripping process.

In automation projects, the customer benefits from complete FIPA service. In addition to consultation and the selection of suitable gripper components, our services also include assembly and commissioning at the manufacturing facilities. FIPA can even design the gripper at your request. All that is required is a model and the 3D data of the product being handled.

Tube lifters from FIPA combine speed with sensitivity.

The FIPALIFT Expert, FIPALIFT Smart and FIPALIFT Basic models are selected depending on lifting capacity, and quickly and efficiently lift materials with sensitive surfaces. The lifting process is initiated once the lifting tube attaches itself to the workpiece by means of vacuum cups. This solution uses vacuum technology only. For lowering items, air is released into the lifting tube again. Once the workpiece has been placed down, the tube lifter is automatically disengaged.

Interpack is much more than just a packaging trade show. As the global leader, it is a trendsetting exhibition for the packaging industry and all related processing technologies.

Over the course of seven days in May 2014, FIPA showed the audience just how efficiently the established gripper and suction solutions can handle common tasks in the packaging industry. The new bellows suction cup made of the Varioflex® composite material was one of the stars of the presentation.

The FIPA GmbH launches its new suction cups for the sheet metal handling on the international market: The newly developed generation of suction cups impresses with excellent service lifetimes thanks to high wear resistance with equally high retention force, good absorption of transverse forces and freedom from paint wetting impairment substances (PWIS) or mold release.

The new vacuum cups from FIPA GmbH (http://www.fipa.com) made from the Varioflex® material offer a two-layer construction for optimal sealing and a long cycle life. The robust Varioflex® suction cups cover a wide range of automation applications in which high resistance to mechanical abrasion, oil and ozone is required. The bellows suction cups with 1.5 or 2.5 folds are made from a wear-resistant special polyurethane, which combines a stable body (black, 60° Shore) with a soft, flexible sealing lip (red, 30° Shore).

In Pick & Place technology, all vacuum cups do the same job: picking up and moving parts. Numerous versions of FIPA vacuum cups are used in the manufacture of CDs and DVDs. All of them work together to ensure large batches are produced highly efficiently and reliably in a very short space of time. The vacuum cups made from silicone or vinyl that are selected for the handling hold onto the CDs securely, even at the high speeds typical within the industry, enabling very short cycle times.

The FIPA vacuum grippers generate a secure vacuum for every workpiece. Product layers of diverse sizes, formats, weights and materials from different industries such as the packaging, metal, wood and plastics industries can be handled safely and easily. The series of the FIPA vacuum grippers, which is tailored to customer requirements, is designed for dense and porous materials. The vacuum grippers from FIPA (http://www.fipa.com), which are available in seven different basic formats from 70 x 70 to 1.440 x 200 millimetres, provide low maintenance and high productivity due to quick change of the suction mats without any damage. "In the event that our seven standard formats do not meet the specific requirements of the customer, we can also implement customer-specific solutions quickly," says FIPA CEO Rainer Mehrer.

FIPA Insert grippers are gripper tools for inserts such as threaded bushings. The gripper shapes can be matched precisely to the component that is to be gripped. A simple integration into the overall system using gripper components such as spring plungers or clamps is easily possible.

Precise cut and high process reliability: FIPA GmbH (http://www.fipa.com) has integrated a cutting device in the production lines for precise separation of the sprues of the door trim in medium-sized cars. After the injection molding machine is removed, a stationary cutting system separates the sprues simultaneously. Then the door trim is put down on a conveyor belt. A sensor in the tongs monitors the position of the workpiece and thus ensures high process reliability. FIPA scores with this solution thanks to full service: advice, component selection, setup, operation startup and on-site service all come from one source.

Clean cut and high process speed: FIPA GmbH (http://www.fipa.com) has integrated a cutting station in the production lines for precise separation of the spreader of center pillar trim in medium-sized cars. A robot with a gripper removes the two center pillar trims still connected to each other and moves to the two stationary air nippers. Each cutting tong is moved individually. The pillar trims, which are now separated from each other, are only put down the conveyer belt after the spreader is completely cut off. FIPA scores with this solution thanks to full service: advice, component selection, setup, operation startup and on-site service all come from one source.

Visitors at the interpack 2011 could see for themselves how efficiently FIPA (http://www.fipa.com) quality products and system solutions deal with typical handling issues in the packaging industry. The highlight of the exhibition stand: In an interesting live demo with FIPA vacuum grippers and FIPA customized grippers the public could get its own impression of the flexibility in Pick & Place applications.

The customized vacuum gripper solutions provide consistently strong holding force for automatic handling and win you over with their minimal maintenance costs. FIPA customized grippers are the high-speed alternative to classic vacuum cups. They ensure that you always have your products, in particular the sensitive ones, safely under control, even at high speeds.

There are always good reasons for visiting the FIPA booth. At the Automatica 2010, one of them was our new vacuum gripper, which we presented at the leading trade fair for the very first time.

The FIPA vacuum grippers provide a constant level of vacuum with individual parts such as product layers of the most varied sizes, formats, weight and materials for automated material handling in the packaging, metals, timber and plastics industry.

Moreover, the items showcased at the Automatica included: innovative products from the comprehensive range of FIPA (http://www.fipa.com) for vacuum technology and gripper assembling, such as interchangeable gripper jaws for sprue grippers, Bernoulli vacuum cups, needle grippers, mini expanders, compact ejectors and much more.

Secure vacuum for any work-piece, regardless of size, surface structure or porosity: The FIPA vacuum grippers designed in different basic formats of 70 x 70 up to 160 x 600 millimeters provide a continuously high retention force for automated handling of the most diverse materials.

"In case the seven standard formats do not cover the requirements of the customer, we can quickly realize customized solutions", says Rainer Mehrer, FIPA President and Owner.