System and method for picking single sheet of material for further processing

A method of picking a single material sheet from a support member, the method comprising:

• aligning a gripping member above the support member, wherein the gripping member comprises a pair of spaced apart pinching members movably coupled with a main frame, and each pinching member includes an exposed gripping surface that is substantially planar and that faces an exposed surface of the single material sheet;
• moving the gripping member toward the exposed surface of the material sheet such that the gripping surfaces of the pinching members engage a portion of the material sheet;
• moving the pinching members for the gripping member toward each other while the pinching members engage the portion of the material sheet so as to pinch the portion of the material sheet between the pinching members;
• and
• moving the gripping member away from the support member while the pinching members for the gripping member pinch the portion of the material sheet so as to vertically displace the material sheet from the support member.