Smc Kabushiki Kaisha

Smc Corporation

Tadasu Kawamoto

Shigekazu Nagai

Shuuzou Sakurai

Akio Saitoh

Masahiko Suzuki

Masahisa Hasegawa

Toru Sugiyama

Teruo Inaba

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing vacuum suction pads, in which, in addition to reductions of contaminant components, the material of vacuum suction pads is subjected to an improved surface treatment which prevents deposition of pad marks on work surfaces and reduces frictional resistance of suction pads on work surfaces to lessen their fatigue. Suction pads of synthetic rubber, to be connected to a vacuum source, are each formed with a thin halogenation-hardened layer at least on a sucking surfaces to be held in contact with a work surface.

Vacuum suction pads, and method for manufacturing same

A motor is integrally mounted on one end of a ball screw over which an engaging block is threaded, and an encoder is integrally mounted on the other end of the ball screw for detecting the rotational speed or angular displacement of the motor. The motor, the ball screw, and the encoder are combined into a unitized assembly as a drive unit. The motor and the encoder are positioned on respective steps of a frame, and detachably fastened to the frame.

Guide rail for an electric actuator

An electric actuator has an elongate base, a power unit and an encoder device which are fixedly mounted on respective opposite ends of the base in confronting relation to each other, a slide table displaceable longitudinally along the base, a ball screw for transmitting rotational power from the power unit to the slide table, and a pair of guide lands integral with the base for guiding the slide table longitudinally along the base.

Electric actuator

An electric actuator has a body with a hole defined therein and an electric motor fixed to an end of the body. The electric motor has a rotatable shaft to which a feed screw is coaxially connected, and a feed nut is threaded over the feed screw. The hole receives an elongate cylindrical tubular member slidably fitted therein which surrounds the feed screw. The feed nut is secured to an end of the tubular member, and a support for feeding a workpiece supported thereon is fixed to the other end of the tubular member. The feed screw, which serves as a drive force transmitting shaft, is protected by the surrounding tubular member from the deposition thereon of dust, dirt, or other foreign matter and hence from unwanted shutdown or breakage.

Electric Actuator

A balancer is installed with a frame directed substantially vertically. When an electric motor is energized, a ball screw shaft is rotated about its own axis, displacing a table mechanism in a substantially vertical direction. Simultaneously, a cylinder in the frame is operated to move a piston substantially vertically. At this time, magnets on the piston and magnets in the table mechanism are magnetically attracted to each other, so that the table mechanism is pulled in the same direction as the piston. Consequently, the burden on the electric motor which is loaded by the weight of a workpiece carried by the table mechanism is lessened.

Balancer

A suction pad assembly for holding a work by suction includes a suction pad and a connector. The suction pad comprises a root part connected to a vacuum and suction source through the connector and a skirt part integrally joined to the root part. The connector has an entirely protrudent part in a noncircular form in transverse section. The root part has a recess into which the noncircularly protrudent part of the connector is fitted. Alternatively, the root part has an entirely protrudent part in a noncircular form in transverse section and the connector has a recess in a noncircular form in transverse section, into which the protrudent part of the root part is fitted. A process for the production of the suction pad assembly comprises forming a skirt part of a suction pad body thinly so as to conform to the shape of the surface of a work and at the same time, forming a recess or protrudent part in or on a root part of the suction pad body; causing the skirt part to conform to the shape of the surface of the work; hardening the skirt part in a state that the skirt part has been caused to conform to the shape of the surface of the work; and then fitting a protrudent part or recess of a connector into or over the recess or protrudent part of the root part to integrate the connector and suction pad body with each other.

Detachable suction pad assembly

Disclosed herein is an apparatus for holding by suction and conveying. The apparatus comprises a pipe joint connected to a vacuum and suction source through a tube; a cylindrical connector connected to a suction pad; and a connecting member through which the pipe joint is coupled to the connector. The connecting member includes a cylindrical member angularly movably surrounding the outer periphery of the connector, and between the cylindrical member and the connector, is provided structure inhibiting the movement of the cylindrical member in a direction of the longitudinal axis thereof.

Apparatus for holding by suction and conveying

Disclosed herein is an apparatus for holding by suction and conveying, making use of a suction pad for holding a work by suction. The apparatus is characterized in that the suction pad comprises a root part to be connected to a vacuum and suction source and a skirt part provided integrally with the root part, and a cushioning part is provided integrally between the root part and the skirt part.

Apparatus for holding by suction and conveying a suction pad constructed

Disclosed herein is a mechanism for locking the angular movement of a suction pad. The mechanism comprises a tubular body fitted to a root part of the suction pad and having a flange; a cover member attached to a moving assembly for displacing the suction pad; a first bush having a slide resistance lower than the tubular body and fitted to the flange of the tubular body; and a second bush having a slide resistance lower than the cover member and fitted to the inside of the cover member. The first bush and second bush are engaged with each other in such a manner that alternating concavities and convexities of the first bush are meshed with alternating convexities and concavities of the second bush, respectively, whereby the displacement of the suction pad in its axial direction is guided, and the angular movement of the suction pad is prevented.

Mechanism for locking angular movement of suction pad

Disclosed herein is a suction pad for attracting and holding a work, which comprises a suction base coupled via a connector to a vacuum suction source, a suction skirt integrally provided in continuation with the base, and a vacuum chamber which is defined inside the suction pad and communicates with the inside of the skirt. In addition, the suction pad includes a plurality of smaller-diameter through holes which cause the vacuum chamber to communicate with a suction surface of the skirt, and partition walls for surrounding the through holes. The partition walls define a number of small vacuum chambers.

Suction pad

Disclosed herein is a suction pad for attracting and holding a work, which comprises a suction base coupled to a vacuum suction source, a suction skirt integrally provided in continuation with the base, and a rib provided in a position near a circumferential end of the suction skirt, the rib being brought into contact with the work when the suction pad attracts and holds the work.

Suction pad for attracting and holding a workpiece

A suction pad for attracting a workpiece under vacuum has a cylindrical base to be connected to a vacuum source, and a skirt integrally joined to the base, for developing a vacuum therein to attract the workpiece. The suction pad can be kept at a temperature suitable for the workpiece, by an electric heater which is controlled in response to a temperature signal from a temperature sensor embedded in the skirt. The suction pad with the controlled temperature does not cause problems which would otherwise result from the different temperatures of the suction pad and the workpiece.

Growing community of inventors

Ibaraki, Japan

Tadasu Kawamoto