What Is a Vacuum Tweezer?
A vacuum tweezer is a device that uses a vacuum to attract and handle objects. There are two main types of vacuum tweezer: one is a vacuum tweezer with a spatula-shaped tip used to handle silicon wafers in the form of disks used in the semiconductor industry.
The other type is a vacuum tweezer with a tapered tip and an air intake at the tip, which is used for handling small objects. A vacuum tweezer is used for handling beads and jewelry, which are hard to grip with ordinary tweezers because of their hard edges.
Uses of Vacuum Tweezers
Vacuum tweezers are used to transport semiconductor silicon wafers because we do not want to damage the surface where chips are formed. For this reason, vacuum tweezers that can adhere to the backside of the wafer and lift it are useful.
The vacuumed spatula-like tip is pressed against the backside of a flat silicon wafer for suction, but care must be taken because if the tip is damaged and leaks at this time, the suction force will be insufficient and the wafer will fall off.
Vacuum tweezers for handling small objects are used not only for making jewelry but also for repairing precision instruments such as cameras and watches, plastic models, and for handling contact lenses.
Principle of Vacuum Tweezers
Vacuum tweezers are always equipped with a vacuum pump, which is used in combination with the vacuum tweezers. The main body of the vacuum tweezers and the vacuum pump are connected by a hose. When air is sucked in by the pump, it is also sucked out of the vacuum tweezers.
The vacuum tweezer creates a vacuum between the vacuum tweezer and the object so that the vacuum force will suck the object in and keep it from leaving the vacuum tweezer.
Once a vacuum is created between the object and the vacuum tweezers, the object will not separate from the vacuum tweezers. It is necessary to stop the suction and return the vacuum to atmospheric pressure in order to pull the object away. This is done at the touch of a button.
However, in the case of small jewelry or other objects, they may stick to the tip of the vacuum tweezers and not separate from the tip of the tweezer even after the suction has stopped. In such cases, there is a type of vacuum tweezer called a release vacuum tweezer that has a blowout function to expel air from the tip, which pulls the object away from the tweezer.