Schmalz is a market leader in vacuum automation and ergonomic handling systems. The products of this global player are used in logistics applications, the automotive industry, the electronics sector and furniture production. Its range of components for vacuum automation includes suction cups and vacuum generators, complete gripping systems and clamping solutions for holding workpieces. When it comes to materials handling, Schmalz offers innovative and above all customized handling solutions for industry and trades in the form of vacuum lifters and crane systems.

For example, Schmalz has developed customized solutions for companies that manufacture or supply conservatories, awnings and other weather protection systems. Handling packages that can be up to seven meters long and weigh 200 kilograms poses a particular challenge for these businesses. In the past, this work has usually been done on an exclusively manual basis - but Schmalz has now designed various solutions to meet different requirements. For awnings manufacturer Erhardt, for instance, Schmalz combined its JumboErgo 200 vacuum tube lifter with a column-mounted jib crane. Boxes are held securely on the six-meter-long jib by twelve bellows suction cups on a four-meter crossbeam.

However, requirements at Schedler Sonnenschutz-Logistik - which among other things handles logistics for Erhardt - were even more complex, as the company works with packages from several manufacturers in different dimensions, weights and cardboard qualities. In this case, Schmalz opted for a large-scale overhead crane system as the ergonomic solution for moving the packages, which can measure up to seven meters in length. The packages are actually handled by two Jumbo Low-Stack vacuum tube lifters combined with various multiple suction cups that can be safely and intuitively controlled using a flexible operator handle.

J. Schmalz GmbH (72293 Glatten, Germany)
Website: www.schmalz.com/en