A new handling system for textile/clothing industry

The paper proposes a robotized handling system able to grasp and handle limp and soft near 2D materials like natural and synthetic fabrics. The robotic manipulation of these difficult objects without a own defined shape is a needed step to extend automation beyond the fabric parts cutting in clothing and technical garment manufacturing environments by exploiting options of robotics, already in use for most of the manufacturing of automotive electric, electronic and mechanical goods. The handling system was conceived with the objective of grasping parts from the cutting table and forward them singled out and kept flat in a well defined pose to the following manufacturing sections. The robotic system purposely developed is presented: it includes: - a reconfigurable passive hanger; - an innovative vacuum picking module; - a metamorphic robotic gripper. The system architecture and main components are presented. The grasping system was realized and tested within a pilot plant in industrial premises.