Design and operational considerations of a non-contact robotic handling system for non-rigid materials

The application of automation for handling non-rigid products is limited due to the lack of suitable end effecters. The majority of end effecters used for handling electromechanical parts in industry an not easily applicable, because non-rigid products (particularly food products) have a somewhat unpredictable and unstable behaviour which arises from their individual physical properties. End effectors based on multiple fingers are difficult to control in real time when dealing with non-rigid materials, whose behaviour under dynamic and gravitational forces needs to be accommodated. This paper introduces a new material handling system for use in industry. This system consists of a novel non-contact end effector, which has been developed and applied at the University of Salford. The end effector operates on the principle of generating a high-speed fluid Row between the nozzle(s) and product surface, thereby creating a vacuum which levitates the product. Guidelines will be provided for the design of a non-contact end effector that is suitable for the handling of a specific material in a practical handling application. A design and development procedure and the concept of a non-contact end effector handling system will be explained. Conclusions drawn from the experimental results will be discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.