What Is a Vacuum Pad?
A vacuum pad is a component that is part of a conveyor system and directly touches the workpiece (product to be conveyed) for suction.
Vacuum ejectors are used to create a near-vacuum pressure inside the pad, and the pad is designed to use that force to suction the workpiece. It is also called a vacuum pad or suction pad.
A vacuum pad directly contact workpieces of various materials and shapes, so there is a wide variety of vacuum pad in various sizes, shapes, and materials according to the type of workpiece, conveyance environment, required holding power and durability. A vacuum pad is a very important part because selecting the right vacuum pad can improve production efficiency and reduce costs in some cases.
Uses of Vacuum Pads
Vacuum pads are used in conveying systems in manufacturing and logistics.
Workpieces conveyed with vacuum pads include pressed steel sheets for automobile bodies, hot stamping forged steel sheets, sheet glass, plastics, semiconductors, corrugated boxes, blister packs, thin films, food products, and wood, and are used in a wide range of industrial fields.
Vacuum pads are required to have diverse characteristics depending on the environment in which they are used, such as high coercive force for heavy workpieces such as steel, heat resistance for hot stamping hot forging and glass manufacturing sites, and ESD resistance for semiconductor manufacturing sites.
Features of Vacuum Pads
When the vacuum ejector creates a near-vacuum condition inside the vacuum pads, the pressure between the pad and the workpiece becomes lower than the ambient atmospheric pressure. This generates a suction force proportional to the differential pressure and the suction area.
There are three types of vacuum pads shapes: flat, oval, and bellows.
The flat type is used for workpieces with flat surfaces. Flat pads are characterized by their high holding power, but there are also pads with grooves on the suction surface to further increase holding power. Oval-shaped pads can be used for long and thin workpieces such as substrates, or workpieces with a small suction area such as pipes, etc., and are characterized by the ability to suction workpieces in a short time. The bellows type is used for workpieces of varying height and is characterized by its ability to compensate for the height of the workpiece.
Vacuum pads materials include nitrile rubber, polyurethane rubber, silicon rubber, and fluorine rubber.
Nitrile rubber has high oil resistance, making it suitable for transporting thin steel plates for car bodies covered with oil film. Conductive nitrile rubber and conductive silicon rubber are suitable for semiconductor manufacturing plants and other sites where static electricity is not desired, fluorine rubber has high chemical resistance for transporting chemicals, and strong polyurethane rubber is suitable for heavy workpieces.