Inflatable cylinder

These end effectors offer the user a wide range of advantages over traditional pick and place work holding devices. Simply by varying the air pressure in the picker or gripper, the user can conform the end effector to the diameter that is being handled and the force being applied to the workpiece. This is especially critical in applications with sensitive, thin-walled, or fragile objects. The object being picked up does not have to have a circular configuration. Since it has an elastomer bladder construction, it will conform to any shape. Each picker or gripper can work with a wide range of diameters and workpiece weights. Firestone offers a wide range of standard configurations and sizes of AirPickers™ and AirGrippers™ end-effectors to meet most industrial applications. Special AirPickers™ and AirGrippers™ end-effectors can be, and in many cases already have been, developed to meet specific needs of a particular customer.