hygienic elastomer gripper - fraunhofer · elastomer gripper for handling sensitive products by...
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Fraunhofer IVV Branch Lab
for Processing Machinery and
Packaging Technology Dresden
Heidelberger Str. 20
01189 Dresden
Contact person
Thomas Weyrauch
Telefon +49 351 43614-61
thomas.weyrauch
@ivv-dresden.fraunhofer.de
www.ivv.fraunhofer.de
F r a u n h o F e r I n s T I T u T e F o r P r o c e s s e n g I n e e r I n g a n D Pa c k a g I n g I V V
HYGIENIC ELASTOMER GRIPPERFor handling sensitive products by robot
Motivation
The automated handling of sensitive
products like non-packed food products
requires a technical solution, which meets
the requirements of both the product itself
and the applicable hygienic standards.
The innovative elastomer gripping technology
offers considerable advantages compared to
traditional, inflexible technologies.
elastomer gripping technology
So-called „flexible fingers“ made of a soft,
flexible material, are the basis of elastomer
grippers.
The flexability of those fingers results from an
inflexible or less flexible side of the material,
which makes sure the fingers bend around
this side when the pressure increased on
the inside. A decrease in pressure makes the
fingers return to their original position.
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elastomer grab techology:
Your advantages at a glance
• Minimising of hygienic risk factors
• Flexible and delicate gripping
• Safe and non-destructive handling
of sensitive foods
• High adaptibility
to a large product range
• High degree of format flexibility
• High productivity rate
Your benefit
Aside from an increase in product safety,
cost reduction through flexible automated
solutions by using individually applicable
industrial robots is of particular interest to
companies which implement such kinds of
solutions into their production process.
Automated processing makes a valuable
contribution to food safety as it increases
reproductivity and excludes the human risk-
and contamination factor from the processing
chain.
The handling of hygienically sensitive
products and raw materials, such as raw meat
or pastry, plays an important part. Typical pro-
blems, such as rolling meat in breadcrumbs,
the packing of poultry parts (breasts and
thighs), the relocation of raw pastry, or the
handling of chocolates with different kinds of
toppings or decors are especially in focus.
Due to its high shape flexibility, the elastomer
gripper technology is equally suitable for the
automated handling process of other highly
sensitive or damageable products.
hygienic-designed link of flexible fingers
(patent pending)
From idea to prototype
In order to ensure a broad acceptance of
the gripper principle in the field of food
processing, it was necessary to combine the
material scientific approach regarding the
elastomers used with the consistent imple-
mentation of a so-called „hygienic design“.
As part of the IGF-project No AiF-FV 404 ZBG
scientists of the Fraunhofer IVV Dresden,
the German Institute for Food Technology
(DIL) and the German Institute for Rubber
Technology have developed the scientific
and technological requirements for the
application of elastomer grippers for the safe
and careful handling of unpacked foods by
robots.
The developed basic principle has been
further developed by the Fraunhofer Institute
IVV Dresden with regard to the applicable
hygienic requirements.
hygienic Design
This innovative elastomer grab meets the
latest hygienic standards and ensures safe
and gentle handling of sensitive products,
thanks to
• Completely enclosed design
• Minimising the „human risk factor“
• Easy cleaning thanks to a clever design
• Cleaning and desinfection without
dismounting the grab
• Safe division between product area
and inner workings of the grabber