A Bernoulli principle based flexible handling device for automation of food manufacturing processes

The application of automation for handling of non-rigid or semi rigid food products are limited due to the lack of a suitable or appropriate gripper. Most of the currently existing grippers are not suitable for handling food products in manufacturing processes due to the characteristics or texture of food which are often delicate, easily marked or bruised, adhesive and slippery. In this paper, a flexible, multi-functional gripper for handling variable size, shape and weight of unpacked food products is proposed and discussed. The prototype gripper operates based on Bernoulli principle of generating a highspeed flow between the gripper plate and the product surface thereby creating a vacuum that is used to lift and subsequently move the product. The basic working principle of the handling device together with the experimental results of the feasibility of the proposed device is presented. The experimental results suggest that the Bernoulli principle based handling device can be used to lift food of different texture and shape. However the device faces difficulty in lifting food with smooth surfaces.