Application Solutions for the Plastics Industry
The most common application in the plastics industry is the removal of plastic parts, often hot, from the injection moulding machine. This is where the vast selection of FIPA cups comes into its own especially with temperature-resistant materials which enable subsequent painting of parts. Heat resistant components with soft-touch surfaces can extract plastic parts that have not yet fully hardened with damaging them.
In addition, many of these parts will be subsequently painted, so it is important that options are available that do not include any adhesive-repellent materials (e.g. silicone) on the surface of the vacuum cups.
Product Recommendations for the Plastics Industry
HBNR vacuum cups
When working with plastic parts at elevated temperatures, HBNR is often the first choice for a cup material. HBNR is an excellent wear-resistant material that is heat resistant up to 160°C and low marking. Because it is made with no material that repels adhesives (such as silicone), it is ideal for situations where the parts will be painted.
The HBNR vacuum suction cups are available in several different models, including bellows vacuum cups, flat vacuum cups, and oval vacuum cups. The SKH-B1 cups have 1.5 fold bellows to compensate for differences in height and to adapt to product surfaces that may not always be flat or even. Along similar lines, the SKH-B2 bellows vacuum cups have 2.5 folds to accommodate even greater variation in part height and uneven surfaces. This design also provides very gentle handling due to the cushioning of the bellows.
The HBNR family of vacuum cups also includes the SFK flat vacuum cups. These are designed with a short lift for working exclusively with plastic parts with flat surfaces and, because the suction lip is virtually vertical and thus provides the largest active vacuum suction surface feasible, they also provide outstanding suction power. In addition, because the suction lip is practically vertical, the SKF flat vacuum cups require a minimum amount of working space.
Also in the HBNR line of cups are the SKH-O oval vacuum cups with a narrow width. These flat vacuum cups can successfully grip ribbed surfaces because of their narrow width and their oval design facilitates the handling of very narrow products. In addition, SKH-O oval vacuum cups have greater suction power than dimensionally equivalent round vacuum cups.
Varioflex bellows cups
The Varioflex bellows cups are made from a special polyurethane material and are available in two different degrees of hardness: 60° Shore A black, 30° Shore A red. The sealing lip itself is soft to provide for optimal sealing. These bellow vacuum cups offer very good retention force, promise an excellent service life, and support both high process reliability and short cycle times. Their operating temperature is 10 – 50 °C. The SP-BX1 has 1.5 folds and adapts well to uneven product surfaces while the SP-BX2 provides even more adaptability, including angle and height adjustments.
Thermalon Vacuum Cups
HBNR is not the only material that FIPA uses to manufacture vacuum cups. The Thermalon vacuum suction cups offer similar heat resistance to HBNR but boast even less potential marking of materials. Like HBNR, Thermalon is also made from a material that will not transfer adhesive-repelling substances that could make painting difficult later on.
There are two varieties of bellows vacuum cups available in Thermalon: the SKT-B1 with 1.5 folds (which works well with uneven product surfaces) and the SKT-B2 with 2.5 folds. The SKT-B2 provides an excellent combination of features: adaptation to very uneven surfaces, accommodating to a wide range of angles and heights, and very gentle handling of products.
The SKH-O line of products are oval vacuum cups designed to grip ribbed surfaces and very narrow products, both thanks to the narrow width of these oval cups. The oval shape and narrow width also provide these cups with much greater suction than can be achieved with round vacuum cups of equal width.
Also manufactured using Thermalon are the SKT-F flat vacuum cups that are made with a very flexible single sealing lip. Thanks to their low internal volume, these vacuum cups are quite energy efficient.
The Benefits of Using FIPA Solutions for Handling Plastics
- Vacuum cup solutions are made from temperature resistant materials to facilitate handling plastic parts at a wide range of temperatures, including typical temperatures for parts upon removal from injection moulding machines
- Vacuum suction cups are available in materials that will not adversely affect the ability of the part to be painted later on
- Bellows designs can handle a wide range of heights and surface angles
- There are three different material options for vacuum cups: HBNR, Thermalon, and polyurethane