DEVICE FOR TAKING UP, TRANSPORTING, POSITIONING AND ASSEMBLING A FLEXIBLE, PLANE WORKPIECE

摘要

PCT No. PCT/CH87/00165 Sec. 371 Date Jul. 19, 1988 Sec. 102(e) Date Jul. 19, 1988 PCT Filed Dec. 3, 1987 PCT Pub. No. WO88/04271 PCT Pub. Date Jun. 16, 1988.A gripper for handling limp workpieces has piercing needles slanting downward on translatable needle bars. Slots in the needle bars slant parallel to the needles and engage stationary pins for constraining the needles to move axially. The needles mutually cross after piercing the workpiece to trap a portion thereof between themselves and a baseplate, thus gripping the workpiece securely without stressing or deforming it. An adjustment thimble with a venier scale limits the piercing depth of the needles. A rectangular housing facilitates juxtaposition of a number of such grippers, which may be conjointly controlled.