Vacuum Conveyor

a pneumatic-mechanical device for transferring sheet materials (paper, sheet metal, and so on). The operating members of the conveyor mechanism are rubber suckers that are connected to a vacuum system. Upon approaching a stack of sheets they draw the top sheet up, separate it from the stack, and move it along a specified path. The suckers are then changed over to atmospheric pressure and release the sheet.

Vacuum conveyors solve the problem of separating a sheet from a stack under production-line conditions. They are used extensively in printing technology (automatic feed), in the punch-press and other industries that operate with sheet materials, and also for light parts such as sheet-metal cans, objects made of plastic and film materials, and so on.