Handling glass

Mechanical & vacuum grippers

Manipulating glass, especially tableware, presents unique challenges due to the wide variety of shapes and fragility involved. BBK has thus developed a range of loaders and unloaders specifically for cutting machines and rim fire polishing, synchronized with the speed of the production lines.

Taking into account the delicate nature and varying temperatures of glass, our systems can load and unload up to four glasses at a time using mechanical or vacuum grippers. These adaptable grippers are suitable for items ranging from wine glasses and tumblers to vases. To avoid any marks or scratches on the glass, we use specialized contact materials, some of which can also withstand high

The GRIPMAN, a modular lehr unloader

Upstream of our lines, a portal robot is essential for unloading the lehr, handling all types of glass with precision. The GRIPMAN is a modular and robust lehr unloader equipped with mechanical grippers, adjustable to the size of the lehr and the speed of production. Designed to optimize the infeed conveyor of our cutting machines, the GRIPMAN maximizes glass throughput by managing conveyor speed to reduce empty rows in the lehr.

Additionally, the GRIPMAN‘s gripper features an extra axis, enabling unloading without halting the conveyor, further enhancing efficiency. Some of our handling devices also allow for repositioning glass on its bottom or moil, ensuring smooth transitions throughout the production process.