Giving Vacuum Power Grips A Smooth Assembly Process
Posted on 04/13/2017 | by The Orbitform Blog Team
Vacuum cup lifters and other vacuum powered lift assist devices are used to help people safely elevate hard to handle items such as glass plates, plastics, sheet metal, laminates, stone slabs and appliances. It is critical that the suction generating pumps powering the vacuum cups are well sealed in order to generate the suction pressure required to do the job.
A manufacturer of vacuum power grips came to Orbitform for help enclosing a tube that is part of the suction generation portion of their material handling equipment. Orbitform worked with the customer to develop an improved product assembly process utilizing an articulating roller head mounted to an Orbitform B-310 bench top orbital riveting machine. The custom designed rollers rolled a lip from outside to inside on the tube in order to capture a groove on the mating component (plunger). The roller forming process replaced a much more time consuming, lower quality, and difficult to replicate brazing process. The assembly process involved a pressure pad coming down to push the components together before the rollers were brought down to the correct vertical position. Finally, the rollers articulated inward to push or roll the edge of the tube.
The change from brazing to roller forming also eliminated several cooling, washing, and drying steps in the assembly process.
Orbitform developed the roller forming process many years ago by exchanging the orbital forming head on an orbital riveting powerhead with a roller head. Over time the roller forming heads have been improved to allow for not just static roller forming but articulating roller forming and roller forming to a force and a forming to a distance with process monitoring.
Many traditional circular or tubular staking, crimping, welding, and brazing applications can be improved via the Orbitform roller forming process. We’d love to take a look at your product assembly application in order to determine how we could help you and your assembly process.
If you think this type of assembly process could help your manufacturing operation, please contact us by clicking here.
Orbitform products are designed, manufactured, and built in our 120,000 sq ft manufacturing facility, located in Jackson, Michigan. Orbitform is a 100% made in the USA Design and Build Manufacturer of World-Class Riveting, Forming and Fastening Solutions. Since 1984, Orbitform has been delivering assembly solutions to manufacturers worldwide. Our engineers and lab technicians have tackled over 8,000 assembly applications. Orbitform offers a wide range of solutions, to provide you the product, process, or service that’s right for your application. Put our experience and expertise to work for you. Orbitform… solutions delivered.