Research of the process of automatic gripping of air-penetrating flexible containers with vacuum during sorting of free-flowing products

The research of the process of automatic gripping of flexible containers made from air-penetrating materials with the help of vacuum for their consecutive filling with free-flowing products has been conducted. Mathematic dependencies for calculation of major parameters of the vacuum gripping devices for flexible containers have been presented and calculations of their bearing capacity have been conducted. Computer modelling of the process for gripping and holding of the objects from air-penetrating materials with the help of vacuum gripping devices has been completed. An experimental device to study the influence of the quantity and diameter of the vacuum grippers on the probability of flexible container gripping has been designed and assembled. The degree of vacuum necessary to reliably hold an empty flexible container made from polypropylene has been experimentally determined. The results confirm possibility of using vacuum gripping devices for automatic manipulation of a flexible container from air-penetrating materials when it is filled with free-flowing products and can be used in structural-parametrical synthesis, tuning and optimization of the parameters for automatic sorting of free-flowing products into flexible containers.