FIPA in Practice: Varioflex® Suction Cup Improves Process Reliability for Removing Injection Molding Parts
CARY, North Carolina – Just released to the market, the new Varioflex® suction cup is are already delivering. Tanne Kunststofftechnik, a long-standing German supplier to the automobile industry, is already using the cups successfully.
The Challenge:
Process reliability was low for Tanne Kunststofftechnik when manufacturing injection molding parts for vehicle interiors. The cause was identified as the suction cups, which did not develop the necessary suction force when removing the injection molding part from the mold undercut. The grained surfaces of the injection molding parts caused micro-leakage and significantly reduced the suction force. The Tanne team was looking for an alternative cup that could reliably grip grained and sometimes curved injection molding parts without loss of suction. Tanne Kunststofftechnik was looking for a partner, who would provide a one-stop-shop solution in a reliable, timely and cost effective manner.
The Solution:
FIPA’s Varioflex® suction cups proved to be the perfect solution to meet the requirements at Tanne Kunststofftechnik:
A very soft sealing lip (30° Shore) sits seamlessly onto dimensionally stable bellows (60° Shore), which prevent lateral bending. The highly flexible sealing lip offers a high holding force, even on uneven surfaces - a benefit that is particularly useful for grained surfaces. Micro-leakage is minimized as the bellows balance out height differences in the components. The dimensionally stable body offers outstanding reset force and enables fast cycle times.
Beyond a precisely performing product, Tanne Kunststofftechnik was impressed with FIPA’s extensive gripper line featuring product from simple suction cups and vacuum generation all the way through customized handling systems. The reliable team of experts at FIPA now at their fingertips sealed the deal.
About FIPA
FIPA Inc. was founded in 2006 as a fully owned subsidiary of FIPA GmbH. As an international company in the fields of vacuum technology and gripper systems, FIPA specializes in the development and distribution of quality products and innovative system solutions for material flow. Founded in 1985, FIPA GmbH’s headquarter is in Ismaning (Munich), Germany. The company has registered continuous growth over the years. For comprehensive information and the latest news, please visit FIPA.com.
