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Help holding Miniature part by Vacume Cup

alextnnr

Plastic
Joined
Feb 9, 2017
I am lifting a small part weighing a few grams with a 5mm diameter silicon suction cup. Given the small size of the part I can't make it bigger. The cup is deflecting about 10 degrees when the part is held on its side due to gravity.

What should I do to reduce it? I can't touch the edges of the part or leave any marks on any surface.

I could make a miniature custom metal vacuum chuck like the one below.

vacum chuck arm tooling.jpg


Does anyone have a suggestion for an off the shelf part?
 
Shmalz, Festo and Coval all make suction cups with built in "leveling pads", i.e. rubber bumpers inside the cup that it sucks the part up against to help prevent what you are seeing. Not sure if they are available in that small of a diameter, but worth asking.
 
The nozzles of a pick and place machine are built exactly like you want, off the shelf, and 5mm is a HUGE part in that world. Suction cup seal around the edge, solid rubber bumper towards the center to keep everything precisely in place.

GSM 125F Frontlit Nozzle (.125" ID) would be where I would start in my parts box, but there's more stuff there than you really need. You really just need the tip.

Count On Tools are the go-to guys for this sort of thing, custom or standard.

Count On Tools Contract Machining, SMT Pick and Place Machine Parts, and PB Swiss Tools
 
Thanks all. I had tried to find a part with leveling pads but couldn't find one below 15 mm. Thanks Comatose for the suggestion; it looks exactly like what I need.
 








 
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