Piab Vakuum GmbH

Piab's new Customizable Bag Gripper (CBG) design tool is a unique software programme that allows customers to design/configure world-class and lightweight vacuum grippers for perfect handling of bags and pouches weighing up to 2 kg. Optimally designed vacuum gripper tools for best-in-class grip on specific bags or pouches can be realised within two minutes.
”Our customers can now design their own unique gripper tools for even the most challenging of applications with bags or pouches that are really very tricky to get a grip on. And it is just a two minute job,” says Josef Karbassi, Vice President of Piab's Automation Division.
The easy-to-use "2 minutes-to-design" CBG tool saves days, or even a week, of engineering work, resulting in huge cost savings for robot/system integrators or end-users needing new vacuum gripper tools for their bag/pouch handling robots. The customised grippers include everything needed for gripping bags or pouches with the highest reliability even at high speed. It comes with fully decentralised (one per cup) dust proof SX12 COAX® vacuum generators, state-of-the-art piGRIP® "bag-lip" suction cups, stabilisers around the cup, and an automatic quick-release function.
Finished with their designs, users click on the "send for a request" button alerting Piab's 3D print gripper team of experts, who will get in touch to confirm the design before starting production using the automatically generated and protected high quality 3D print file. A 3D download is available to customers as well as a unique code for the configured gripper.
 

Piab's Kenos® KCS gripper enables a collaborative robot (cobot) that can handle just about anything, anywhere, at any time. This makes it the ideal ”co-working” tool, especially for small businesses, where flexibility is essential. Originally developed together with a leading cobot manufacturer as a tailor-made automation tool for one customer, the resulting vacuum gripper cobot proved so successful that Piab decided to offer it more widely.

Combining Piab's proprietary air-driven COAX® technology for highly efficient vacuum ejection with an easily replaceable technical foam that moulds itself around any surface or shape, the Kenos® KCS gripper can be used to safely grip, lift and handle any object. Standard interface (ISO) adapters enable the whole unit to be attached to any cobot type on the market and, with a body made in a lightweight 3D printed material, it can be easily moved to perform different jobs in different parts of a production site, warehouse or other setting.

”The KCS is the perfect small business all-rounder. Its modular, plug-and-play design means it can be adapted for universal use within a company,” says Josef Karbassi, Vice President of Piab's Automation Division.

A cleverly designed quick-change system allows the same unit to be fitted with a special gripper for plastic bags. A simple twist and a secure locking mechanism enables the Kenos® KCS gripper to be configured and ready for new tasks within seconds, improving the productivity of operations and reducing system downtime.

”We have also made sure that the KCS gripper is easy to clean and service, with all parts and areas easily accessible. Designed with rounded edges and fitted with an efficient silencer it is safe and user-friendly, making for successful and harmonious human/robot cooperation,” adds Josef Karbassi.

The growing popularity of internet shopping means that an increasing number of parcels of many different shapes and sizes needs to be handled at e-commerce order fulfilment centres, distribution centres and parcel carrier terminals. Piab's ergonomic Vaculex® lifters offer excellent semi-automated handling solutions that take the strain off staff at such units or depots. The flexible and adaptable vacuum lifters enable workers to handle parcels effortlessly, reducing the risks associated with manual handling, such as pain and injuries to the spine, back or shoulders, and repetitive strain injuries.
Growing at annual rates of around 20 percent, retail e-commerce sales are projected to make up nearly 15 percent of the total worldwide retail spending in 2020, a share valued at around $4 trillion. Such forecasts involve many millions of e-customer parcels of varying size, shape and weight. Often loose loaded in trucks, trailers, containers or air cargo compartments, the parcels may have to be picked up and sorted into cages or onto pallets several times before reaching their final destinations.
”It is with great pleasure that we support the logistics and distribution sector's efforts to reduce the risks associated with manual handling. Piab's flexible solutions will solve the majority of applications within a facility, from loading and unloading to re-boxing and returns,” says David Collins, Vice President of Piab's Ergonomic Handling Division.
Enabling efficiency improvements, Vaculex® lifters raise the productivity of logistics chains by guaranteeing a good flow in handling procedures, whilst simultaneously limiting parcel damage that might impact on retail customer satisfaction. The ergonomic lifters can be fitted to either ends of light-weight telescopic conveyors, offered as optional accessories. Vaculex® also offers unique and flexible solutions where ceiling height, narrow and confined areas with limited working space may be an issue.
A complete range of spare parts and helpful accessories, such as a handy remote control, a noise reducing hood and an energy-saving system for automatic pump turn-off during inactivity, coupled with outstanding after-sales support and maintenance, enable customers to rest assured that they will be working with ease before, during and after purchasing a Vaculex® ergonomic lifting solution from Piab.

Successfully solving the problems of using vacuum technology to convey delicate tablets, Piab introduces piFLOW®t, the industry’s first dedicated tablet conveyor. Promising to revolutionise the automated handling of tablets and other fragile and valuable products, the piFLOW®t features innovative and ground breaking new technology (patent pending).

”A controlled low speed, guided entry into the conveyor, and the elimination of all sharp edges are the keys to our success, ensuring that tablets are handled with great care in our conveyors. There will be no more chipped tablets in plants using piFLOW®t,” states Jarno Tahvanainen, Vice President of Piab’s Material Handling division.

Suitable for transporting up to four million tablets per hour, piFLOW®t is primarily targeted at the pharmaceutical industry’s tablets and capsules. However, the tablet conveyor can be used to transport any fragile goods within a processing plant. Coated sweets/candy, roasted coffee beans, and whole nuts are other potential applications.

Eliminating the use of inadequate standard equipment and alternative, often back-breaking, manual procedures, piFLOW®t will safely transfer tablets between the various processing units, such as tablet presses, coating drums, and blister packaging lines, avoiding all risks of damage to the tablets.

At the core of piFLOW®t is the proprietary piGENTLE™, an innovative technology (patent pending) that maintains a gentle tablet flow by regulating the feed pressure of the pump, ensuring that tablets, capsules or other fragile products are handled as delicately as possible. piFLOW®t is an extension to Piab’s popular and high quality range of piFLOW® conveyors for powder and bulk materials, and is specially developed to meet the stringent demands regarding operational safety and hygiene within the pharmaceutical (piFLOW®p), food (piFLOW®f), and chemical (piFLOW®i) industries.

Taking gripping to new dimensions, versatility and productivity

A configurable suction cup that fits most machines and that can be optimized for handling almost all materials. piGRIP®'s different lip types, optimized for various products to lift, ensure the right hardness/softness and sealing capability for your material. Combined with the firm bellows, piGRIP® is stable enough to handle faster accelerations and more high speed lifts as compared to traditional cups.
With traditional single durometer cups, where the lips and bellows are made of the same material, you either have to compromise on the grip or the machine handling speed. That is now history with piGRIP®, the efficient automation innovation from Piab.


piGRIP® hot surface lip

The new released hot surface lip manages high temperatures. Especially good for the injection moulding industry where you need to pick up the product from the mould, that is very hot, for continuing the process cycle. Hence it provides an advantage of shorter cycle time and in many cases less energy spent in the cooling down process.