The device lifts. The gripper decides whether it works.
The interface between device and load is almost always a custom solution – and the most common reason a lifting aid goes unused in daily work. Here are the working principles and what matters for each.
- Technical terms
- 16
- Guides
- 4
- Calculators
- 1
A load can be held in three ways: by form fit, where the gripper encloses or reaches under it; by friction, where the clamping force holds it; or by a field – vacuum or magnetism. Each principle has a limit: form fit needs a contour to grip, friction a surface that tolerates the contact pressure, vacuum an airtight surface, a magnet a ferromagnetic material.
Sizing includes the weight of the attachment itself – it counts towards the capacity of the device –, the distance of the load’s centre of gravity from the connection point and the question of what happens when the power fails. Lifting attachments are work equipment in their own right and are inspected periodically.
The questions, answered in full
Grippers & lifting devices
The unit lifts. The gripper decides whether it works.
Read the articleSizing vacuum lifters
Vacuum is the fastest pick-up – as long as the surface plays along.
Read the articleVacuum or mechanical gripper
The gripper is not the accessory. It is the project.
Read the articleInspecting lifting attachments
The device is inspected. The gripper usually is not.
Read the articleEvery term, explained individually
16 Terms- C-hook
- A C-shaped lifting attachment that reaches sideways into an opening – above all into coils, bundles and reels. Because the load ha...
- Expanding gripper
- A gripper entering an opening and clamping from the inside outwards – into sleeves, cores, tubes and bores. It holds without touch...
- Friction locking
- Holding by friction: clamping jaws, suction cups and magnets transmit the load through a contact or holding force. This connection...
- Gripping technology
- Everything that sits between the unit and the load. Four working principles are distinguished: vacuum, friction via clamps, form f...
- Lifting beam
- A beam between hoist and load that distributes the load over several attachment points and brings the sling angle to zero. It prev...
- Lifting device
- A component between lifting equipment and load that is not part of the lifting equipment itself – for example a beam, tongs, a vac...
- Magnetic gripper
- A lifting attachment holding ferromagnetic parts by a magnetic field. Permanent magnets need no power and so cannot fail; electrom...
- Mandrel gripper
- A mount that enters the core of a reel on a cylindrical mandrel and holds the load positively or by expansion. Because the reel is...
- Parallel gripper
- A gripper with two jaws moving in parallel, clamping a part from outside. It is the simplest and most robust design and tolerates...
- Positive locking
- Holding by shape instead of by force: the gripper reaches under a rim, into a hole or around a contour, so the load cannot fall ou...
- Rotation unit
- An axis between device and lifting attachment that rotates the part about one or more axes. What matters is where the axis sits: t...
- Suction cup
- The part that makes contact with the load. The sealing lip decides whether a vacuum lifter works: soft lips compensate unevenness,...
- Surface pressure
- The force per unit area at the contact between gripper and part. It decides whether a mount leaves marks: thin-walled plastic part...
- Turning device
- A lifting attachment rotating a part about a horizontal axis – usually by 90 or 180 degrees. The quality of a turner is decided by...
- Vacuum generator
- The unit generating the vacuum – as an ejector from compressed air or as an electric vacuum pump. Ejectors are small, low-maintena...
- Vacuum lifter
- A lifting device that holds the load by negative pressure against a tight surface. It is the fastest method for cartons, panels, s...
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