News about Vacuum Technology for Automation

Digitalization is transforming industry. It is changing processes and business models, and it is requiring some companies to seek completely new strategies: in their daily work, in their contact with customers and above all in product development. For Schmalz, a specialist in vacuum automation, digitalization presents opportunities and challenges in equal measure. A quick glance in the product catalog shows how the company is already taking advantage of these many opportunities. Many of the solutions for networked factories have been in use for years. Schmalz therefore benefits from its “domain knowledge,” or knowledge relating to practical applications. The company also has plenty of ideas for new business models.

The platform-independent SICON Gateway connects IO-Link-enabled actuators and sensors from different manufacturers to MES/ERP systems and supplies valuable data from the production process to the cloud. The Gateway was developed by the company GPS Gesellschaft für Produktionssysteme GmbH (Association for Production Systems). GPS has been part of the Schmalz Group since the beginning of the year.

48,624 wooden pieces make up the 2,308 square meter roof of the new Arch-Tec-Lab at the ETH university (Eidgenössischen Technischen Hochschule) in Zurich. The curved roof structure for this architectural marvel was provided by the company ERNE AG Holzbau. To ensure that the roof was manufactured with high dimensional accuracy, this Swiss company used a gantry robot from Güdel together with vacuum technology from Schmalz. The specialist for timber construction thereby showed how modern production technologies can be successfully combined with renewable materials. “Without the robots we would not have been able to complete this project so quickly,” says Thomas Wehrle, a member of the management board at Erne.

Schmalz is extending its portfolio of efficient vacuum solutions for fully automatic handling in the wood-working industry with the area gripping system FMHD. This gripper is robust, particularly easy to maintain, and – by virtue of its integrated vacuum reservoir – uses very little energy.

The electrical vacuum generator ECBP from J. Schmalz GmbH represents a new generation of intelligent vacuum generators that do not require compressed air. The ECBP has an integrated interface for connection to grippers and robots, and is particularly suited for use on lightweight robots in mobile robotics as well as for stationary handling tasks.

Reduction of start of operation times by up to 75% - With the help of the Schmalz Service App, the vacuum and pressure switch VSi can be commissioned without extensive parameterization by means of a comprehensive operating manual.

The transport of goods with sensitive surfaces requires a gentle touch. With that in mind, J. Schmalz GmbH has developed a special cover for its vacuum area gripping system FXP/FMP. It can be used, for instance, to grip even very thin glass gently and without scratching. The gripping system can also use the protective cover made from a special mesh in cleanroom applications.

In order to load metal sheets into presses quickly and reliably, you need to have a good grip of the situation. This is why Swiss material flow specialist Güdel AG relies on Schmalz vacuum components: Powerful vacuum grippers combined with intelligent vacuum generators make for short machining times. During machining, the vacuum generators record relevant process data and make it available via a range of communication channels. This allows Güdel to lay the foundations for predictive maintenance, thus preventing costly downtime.

Rarely before has automation technology experienced such a fundamental transformation than at present—massively influenced by increasing digitization of all areas of value creation. It begins with the ordering of goods, which increasingly takes place online. These developments bring new challenges for the shipment of goods and especially for the handling technology needed to carry it out. Gripping systems are taking on a key position as the interface to the product: If they do not function reliably, even the most sophisticated automation processes in the warehouse may stall.

Schmalz’s new series of magnetic grippers are designed to handle ferromagnetic workpieces and feature high holding forces and excellent temperature resistance. These grippers make it easier to handle ferromagnetic workpieces such as perforated plates, laser-cut parts or sheet metal with drill holes and apertures. Custom connection options ensure that there is always a surface on the product that is suitable for gripping.