Device for gripping layers of products

A gripping device to be mounted to a palletising or depalletising robot for gripping a set of products arranged in the form of at least one layer on a container, said gripping device comprising a chassis to which are mounted:

• a suction plate comprising side faces forming bearing surfaces and a lower face which forms a substantially horizontal plane when the gripping device is mounted to the robot, said suction plate being connected to a first pumping device and having vacuum openings and being arranged so that its lower face comes into contact with a layer of products by a displacement of the gripping device, and
• a side skirt of a flexible material forming a strip surrounding said side faces of the suction plate
• wherein the side skirt is configured to move from a rest position in which it is at a distance from the at least one layer of products to a working position in which it is in contact with the at least one layer of products and the bearing surfaces of the suction plate and in which the side skirt forms with the plane a closed vacuum volume above and to the sides of the at least one layer of products, the suction plate being vertically movable with respect to the side skirt to adapt the vacuum volume to the height of the at least one layer of products to be gripped by the gripping device.