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

摘要

The application of automation for handling non-rigid products is limited due to the lack of suitable endeffectors. The majority of end effectors used for handling electromechanical parts in industry are noteasily applicable, because non-rigid products (particularly food products) have a somewhatunpredictable and unstable behaviour which arises from their individual physical properties. Endeffectors based on multiple fingers are difficult to control in real time when dealing with non-rigidmaterials, 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 consistsof 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 flow between the nozzle(s)and product surface, thereby creating a vacuum which levitates the product. Guidelines will beprovided for the design of a non-contact end effector that is suitable for the handling of a specificmaterial in a practical handling application. A design and development procedure and the concept ofa non-contact end effector handling system will be explained. Conclusions drawn from theexperimental results will be discussed.