Technical guides: gripping for press lines
Direct answers to the questions of maintenance and process engineers, taken from the AMG catalogues.
Which suction cup should I choose for handling sheet metal and stamped parts?
For oiled sheet, the CVL suction cup in NBR nitrile 55 Shore A is suitable: this material has excellent resistance to oils. You then choose the shape (round or oblong, flat or bellows), the thread (male or female 3/8G) and the diameter according to the lifting force you need, given for each part number.
What parts make up a square (polar) gripper for a press line?
An AMG polar gripper is built around a central arm that mounts in the interface of the robot or transfer. Aluminium-profile antennas are fixed to this arm and carry the suction-cup supports (ball-joint supports or spring-axis supports). Brackets, T-plates and wedges complete the assembly; each part has its own part number and can be replaced separately.
Which gripper interface should I choose: G1, G2 or G3, manual or automatic?
The model depends on the press and the central arm: G1 for very large presses and G2 for large presses (50 × 50 arm, large sheets), G3 for medium presses (40 × 40 arm only, small sheets). The automatic version has the same functions and useful dimensions as the manual one, but clamping and positioning are driven by two cylinders.
Which spare parts for a blank destacker at the head of a press line?
An AMG destacker tooling consists of beams (6 or 10 positions, 40 × 40 profile), arms (40 × 40 or 50 × 50, standard or reinforced), suction systems designed for destacking and a holder for a double-blank detection probe. For lengths not listed, contact AMG.
Which aluminium profiles should I use to build gripper tooling?
AMG offers square aluminium profiles (30 × 30, 40 × 40, 50 × 50, standard or reinforced) and round ones (Ø 25, Ø 40, Ø 60, Ø 75), in 3 m and 6 m lengths. They are joined with connectors and threaded plates that slide into their grooves (8 mm on the 40 × 40, 10 mm on the 50 × 50, 14 mm on the Ø 75).
How do I replace a worn or broken part of a press-line gripper tooling?
AMG tooling is modular: central arm, antennas, supports, suction cups and accessories each have their own part number and are replaced one by one, without changing the whole gripper. Find the part number in the catalogue or on the part's page, then send it with the quantity: AMG Automations replies with a price and a lead time.