Abb Automation Gmbh

Abb Flexible Automation, Inc.

Scott K Haddix

Robert Scott Grams

Carl F Holter

Scott R Smith

A device for mechanically gripping, transporting, loading and unloading cylindrical containers of various sizes for attachment to a robotic arm. The containers may be bottles including drinking water bottles. The device includes a plurality of gripping mechanisms for gripping the containers. Support pins are also provided for supporting the rotational motion of full bottles. A system for efficiently removing empty containers from racks and simultaneously loading full containers is also disclosed.

Device for mechanically gripping and loading cylindrical objects

An end effector for use with a robot and capable of removing cases from a stack of cases and emptying the selected case of substantially flat, folded articles. The end effector includes a main body designed to be coupled to the robot. A case gripper is mounted on the bottom of the main body. A flattened articles gripper is also coupled to the main body and includes a vacuum chamber with two blades. A dunnage gripper is mounted on one of the sides of the main body. In use, the case gripper picks a full case from a pallet of cases and moves that case to an unloading station. There, the end effector is rotated so that the blades of the flattened articles gripper can be inserted into the case. With the blades inserted, vacuum is supplied to the flattened articles gripper to hold the articles against the gripper. Then, the end effector with the articles is moved to a regripping station where the articles are temporarily placed and regripped. So grasped, the articles are moved to a second station where the flattened articles are fed into an automated processing line. This process continues until an entire pallet of cases has been emptied. The dunnage gripper is used to remove sheets of material placed between each level of cases in the stack of cases and to remove empty cases from the unloading station.

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Waukesha, WI, United States of America

Scott K Haddix