"Every crisis offers opportunities - and we seize them. Not to 'somehow' get through the coronavirus crisis, but to emerge from it stronger," said Dr. Kurz Schmalz, Managing Partner of Schmalz, summing up the situation. The coronavirus pandemic affects all companies, but you also have to be able to recognize opportunities. There is a lot to do for grippers in particular at the moment. "Our systems are particularly challenged right now, for example when handling food in distribution centers or when gripping medical products," Schmalz continues.

The challenge is to overcome the crisis together. According to the Managing Director, the company secured the supply chain at an early stage. In addition, new channels such as live chat and video consultation were further expanded in order to maintain personal contact with customers and users. These will continue to be used to provide information about new products from the spring.

Fast bin picking

One of the new products is the 3D-R vision and handling set. The system includes all accessories for an efficient "reach into the box". The user is supplied with all the necessary components ready for connection, including the connection set suitable for the robot type, the ECBPi electric vacuum generator, a gripper including extension for connecting the appropriate suction cups as well as the 3D camera system and the software. This allows the system to be set up and controlled and the reach into the crate to be planned without collisions.

Schmalz has developed the ready-to-connect bin-picker SBPG independently of the vision and handling set; vacuum generation is already integrated here. It was designed primarily for stationary handling tasks with collaborative robots. According to the company, the high suction volume ensures a secure grip even with non-dense parts - even with unsorted and chaotically accumulated parts. The quick-change unit for suction cups and actuators provides even more flexibility when gripping. A swivel module is optionally available for the SBPG, which increases the robot's reach. The gripping process is continuously monitored via the intelligent VSi vacuum and pressure switch.