Schmalz’s new rim gripper handles rims and wheels effortlessly, safely and without damage

Users from the automotive industry such as the central RONAL Logistics Centre handle rims safely and quickly with the new rim gripper from Schmalz – without heavy physical strain for the employees and without damaging the products.

(PRESS RELEASE) GLATTEN, Germany, 17-May-2021 — /EuropaWire/ — The market leader in vacuum automation and ergonomic handling solutions, Schmalz announces its new rim gripper that can handle rims and complete wheels weighing up to 50 kilograms effortlessly, quickly and, above all, without damage. The new mechanical gripper has a safe operating principle and reminiscent of the trailer mechanism of a well-known slide vehicle for children.

Unlike the children’s vehicle, the cars on our roads have been getting bigger and heavier for years. Rims and wheels are also growing in all dimensions and thus their weight is constantly increasing. In order not to damage the sensitive surfaces when handling rims in production, intralogistics or assembly, they are usually still moved manually. Not an easy task, which also regularly leads to sick leave.

This is where the new rim gripper from J. Schmalz GmbH for the vacuum tube lifter JumboFlex comes to the rescue: with it, one person can handle rims and complete wheels effortlessly, safely and quickly – without heavy physical strain and without damaging the sensitive products. This is because the conically shaped rim gripper is designed without sharp edges. It is made of sturdy plastic and has a large insertion depth. It allows the user to safely handle rims and complete wheels with a weight of up to 50 kilograms and – depending on the centre hole geometry – a wheel hub diameter of 55 to 90 millimetres.

The new rim gripper for the JumboFlex is a purely mechanical gripper solution. The operating principle is child’s play for the user and is reminiscent of the trailer coupling of the well-known red sliding vehicles for children: The rim gripper dips into the central wheel hub opening. When the rim is lifted, the lower movable load-bearing element of the gripper folds out sideways by hooking onto the wheel hub and carries the rim safely. The user can adjust its opening angle to the rim size – this speeds up the gripping process for large hub diameters.

The new rim gripper is available in two versions: as a gripper for horizontal rim and complete wheel handling and as a 2-in-1 rim/tire gripper with an additional hook attached to the side. The user can fold this out if necessary to hook in and move a tyre. This allows him to handle rims and tyres in high cycle times without changing grippers.

SOURCE: Schmalz