Looking for answers about vacuum technology, End-of-Arm-Tooling, or lifting solutions for industrial automation?
Our FAQ section is designed to help you quickly find clear and practical information on how our products and technologies can optimize your processes.
Whether you want to improve efficiency, enhance safety, or integrate smart handling solutions into your production line, you’ll find expert insights and guidance right here.
Why gripper Technology?
Answer:
No matter what gripping element you need, we have the right component for almost every handling task in our product range. Whether sprue grippers, grippers for direct assembly, gripper fingers, parallel or angular grippers, internal grippers, magnetic grippers, Bernoulli vacuum cups and special grippers – it is always worth taking a look at our gripper portfolio. Our gripper specialists will be happy to help you with any questions you may have.
What does "single-acting" or "double-acting" mean?
Answer:
Single-action grippers or air nippers are automatically restored to the initial position by a compressed spring, i.e. it is sufficient to apply compressed air to operate the gripper or the air nipper.
Double-action grippers or air nippers have separate compressed air connections for opening and closing. They are especially suited for short duty cycles as they do not rely on the reset time of a return spring.
What is the service life of FIPA grippers?
Answer:
The service life of a gripper is dependent on the application to a large extent (property of the work-piece, cycle time, ambient temperature, etc). However, using the Hartcoat® coated aluminum housing and the Hartcoat® coated gripper jaws, our grippers have demonstrated that they are highly robust and wear-resistant. As a result, they often have significantly longer service life, as compared to others made of steel or brass, which are completely uncoated or those whose housing alone is coated.
Is the FIPA gripper system compatible with other manufacturers?
Answer:
All our fixtures have been designed very universally and can be used with several extrusion systems. By using clamp diameters of 10, 14 and 20 mm, the gripper components are also interchangeable with those of other manufacturers. Our universal channel nuts offer the maximum level of flexibility. They facilitate the integration of our other gripper components in all framing systems available in the market.
Are the quick-change systems compatible with systems from other manufacturers?
Answer:
Our quick-change systems with the dimensions of 60, 100, 160 and 250 mm (square) as well as 50, 90 and 150 mm (round) are compatible with most systems of other manufacturers.
Which valves are required to operate the grippers or cutters?
Answer:
A 3/2-way valve is required for single-action grippers or air nippers. A 5/2-way valve is required for double-action grippers or air nippers.
Which cutting inserts are needed for cutting copper and steel?
Answer:
The areas of application for cutting pliers are diverse. Which cutting insert is suitable for cutting which material can be found in the product specifications of the corresponding cutting pliers in our web store.
Which cutting pliers should I use for my application?
Answer:
The areas of application for cutting pliers are diverse. Which cutting insert is best suited for cutting which material can be found in the technical data of the cutting inserts in our webshop.
Are the sliding blocks already included with the gripper components?
Answer:
Yes, all connectors and clamps are mounted and delivered complete with the channel nuts. The channel nuts are also available separately as spare parts.
Are there spare parts kits for grippers and air nippers?
Answer:
There are spare part kits available for most of our grippers and air nippers that facilitate easy replacement of worn out parts.
What are tube lifters?
Answer:
Tube lifters differ fundamentally from other classic lifting tools, where the processes of slinging and lifting are carried out separately. Whereas with a tube lifter, suction and lifting, are done in one go. This ensures a pleasant workflow, relieves employees and protects their health.
How does a tube lifter work?
Answer:
Holding and lifting of the loads is realised by a vacuum. The lifting procedure is realised using a spiral tube, the so-called lifter tube; the load-carrying equipment is mounted at the end of this tube. The load-carrying equipment mostly also functions with a vacuum, but can also be mechanical.
The suction foot, also called a vacuum cup, is placed on the load to be moved, e.g. a carton, the air in the suction foot and in the lifter tube is evacuated, the lifter tube folds together like an accordion, the load sticks to the suction foot and is lifted. If the vacuum is reduced, the load is lowered again.
The vacuum is generated by a side channel blower, a vacuum pump or a multi-chamber ejector (venturi nozzle), depending on the application. Control of the tube lifter is by an operating component at the bottom of the vacuum lifter; this is used for one-hand lifting, lowering, suction and releasing of the load.
These properties permit very rapid ergonomic and fluid load handling for the greatest possible efficiency.
How safe is a tube lifter? What happens, for example, in the event of a power failure?
Answer:
The suction area of the load-carrying equipment and the diameter of the lifting tube are matched to each other in such a way that the lifting force of the suction foot (vacuum cup) or the vacuum gripper is always larger than the lifting tube. If you were to try to lift a load that exceeds the capacity of the suction foot, this load would never be lifted in the first place.
A power failure also presents no danger; if the vacuum supply were to fail for such a reason, a non-return valve ensures safe, slow and controlled lowering before the load can fall off.
A tube lifter (vacuum lifter) is thus a safe system that is far better in this regard than other lifting equipment.
In which industries can I use a tube lifter?
Answer:
Our tube lifter is a very universal piece of equipment, and even the standard version has a wide range of application possibilities, so that the same unit can be used to master a wide range of tasks.
This means that all areas of internal logistics from goods receiving to production, warehousing and goods despatch are served and that problem-free material flow is guaranteed.
With partially different load-carrying equipment we can move a large variety of types of goods, such as sacks, boxes, cartons, plates, sheets, windows, doors, glass panes, barrels, beverage crates and canisters. Virtually any application can be considered. Tube lifters can be used in any conceivable sector; these systems are often found in producing companies, such as in sheet metal processing, carpentry, window manufacture, breweries and in all types of logistics companies, as well as in all companies that have to control their material flow in the course of their internal logistics.
Are there also special versions for the food sector?
Answer:
For use in the food processing industry, above all for direct contact with foodstuffs, we can offer tube lifters with metal parts largely made from stainless steel, which are thus easy to clean. In addition, we can offer food grade vacuum cups made from silicone that have been approved in accordance with EU1935/2004 and FDA.
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sales@fipa.com
089/99616294
Freisinger Str. 30
85737 Ismaning
