Scalable area gripper, system, and method for a material handling process for composite manufacturing

An automated material handling system for a material handling process in composite manufacturing, the automated material handling system comprising:

• a material in a form of a ply to be picked up and removed from a work surface;
• a robot with an end effector;
• a scalable area gripper system comprising:
• a scalable area gripper having a structural frame and a plurality of variable vacuum zones coupled to the structural frame, each variable vacuum zone comprising:
• (i) three or more vacuum ports;
• (ii) two movable barrier elements that are closed and impermeable, and nonintersecting;
• and
• (iii) an actuator assembly configured to move each of the two movable barrier elements across the three or more vacuum ports, to cause the three or more vacuum ports to go between a closed state and an open state, and wherein a number of the three or more vacuum ports is greater than a number of the two movable barrier elements;
• and
• a control system coupled to the scalable area gripper;
• and
• a vacuum system coupled to the scalable area gripper, the vacuum system having a vacuum source to provide air flow through the three or more vacuum ports in the open state,
• wherein the scalable area gripper system is configured to adjust one or more of the plurality of variable vacuum zones, to each provide an adjusted vacuum zone that corresponds to a corresponding identified section of the material in the form of the ply section having a start portion and an end portion, and the two movable barrier elements are moved by the actuator assembly to the start portion and to the end portion, respectively, to adjust the adjusted vacuum zone, and further wherein the scalable area gripper system is configured to position each adjusted vacuum zone adjacent to its corresponding identified section of the material in the form of the ply, and is configured to activate the adjusted vacuum zone, to pick up and remove the material in the form of the ply from the work surface during the material handling process in the composite manufacturing.

A method for picking up a ply in a material handling process for composite manufacturing, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a scalable area gripper system comprising:
• a scalable area gripper having a structural frame and a plurality of variable vacuum zones coupled to the structural frame, each variable vacuum zone comprising:
• (i) three or more vacuum ports;
• (ii) two movable barrier elements that are closed and impermeable, and nonintersecting;
• and
• (iii) an actuator assembly configured to move each of the two movable barrier elements across the three or more vacuum ports, to cause the three or more vacuum ports to go between a closed state and an open state, and wherein a number of the three or more vacuum ports is greater than a number of the two movable barrier elements;
• and
• a control system coupled to the scalable area gripper;
• coupling the scalable area gripper to a vacuum system and to an end effector attached to a robot;
• identifying, with the control system, a plurality of sections of the ply;
• identifying, with the control system, a start portion and an end portion of each identified section of the ply, based on ply boundaries of the ply;
• adjusting one or more of the plurality of variable vacuum zones, to each provide an adjusted vacuum zone that corresponds to its corresponding identified section of the ply, and the two movable barrier elements are moved by the actuator assembly to the start portion and to the end portion, respectively, to adjust the adjusted vacuum zone;
• positioning the adjusted vacuum zone adjacent to its corresponding identified section of the ply;
• activating the adjusted vacuum zone to provide air flow, with the vacuum system, through the three or more vacuum ports along the adjusted vacuum zone;
• and
• picking up the ply, with the scalable area gripper, from a work surface, during the material handling process for the composite manufacturing.