Theoretical and experimental study of the performance of flat suction cups in the presence of tangential loads

Suction cups are used extensively throughout the packaging industry, as well as most other fields of robotics. In this present work, by means of a theoretical and experimental approach, the minimum value of the vacuum force and the adhesion coefficient able to guarantee the grasp and movement of the object with suction cups have been studied. Using a special test rig, experimental measurements regarding the slipping conditions obtained by stressing plates grasped by a flat suction cup with tangential forces and torque have been carried out. The experimental results have been compared with those obtained from a theoretical model in two suction cup–object contact pressure hypotheses (edge contact and full contact).