Product manual

Model #RB3-065/035 21 R20140519
Figure 18
When choosing the appropriate contact depth for a target object, be
careful to use only the minimum depth needed to achieve reliable
grips. Driving an object deeper into the gripper to generate
unnecessarily high grip forces will serve to decrease the life of the
balloon membrane.
Vacuum-hardening to grip the object:
After contact and deformation of the gripper is complete, vacuum-
harden the gripper (open the valve connected to the gripper’s grip
port). Longer evacuation times make the gripper harder and result
in better grips, however some objects can be gripped without full
hardening. In general, a minimum of 15 inHg vacuum is required to
grip easier objects, with 20 inHg or even 25 inHg being preferable for
more difficult objects. Figure 9 will help you estimate what grip time
you may need, and achieving a minimum grip time for your target
object will require some tuning. In some applications it is also possible
to begin evacuating the gripper before or during contact with the
object so that grip times as short as zero-seconds may be achieved.
Once the gripper is vacuum-hardened, you may close the valve
connected to the grip port; the gripper will automatically seal to
maintain its vacuum level.
Your model #RB3-065/035 VERSABALL® Gripper does not contain
any sensors. If grip confirmation is required, we recommend using
computer vision to sense whether the object has been picked up –
either by the object’s absence from its previous location, or by pointing
the gripped object directly at the camera with the gripper. Pointing a