Clamp

A clamp for holding containers with a gripping force, comprising two gripping arms that are pivotably supported about a common or two separated axes in opposite direction and exhibit clamp structures at one end, a force accumulator which is functionally operative between the gripping arms and arranged at the axis side facing the clamp structures, closing levers configured as extensions of the gripping arms towards the other axis side, a closing cam rotatably arranged between the closing levers for acting on the gripping arms, at least one closing lever being actuatable by the closing cam upon rotation of said closing cam via an arm which acts with a free end on the closing cam and which is constructionally separated from the gripping arm and the closing lever thereof, and via an elastic deformation area,

• wherein said arm is positively coupled for joint pivotable movement of said arm, said gripping arm and said closing lever via a positive coupling comprising at least one mutual abutment area arranged on at least one of the arm that acts on the closing cam or one of the gripping arm and the closing lever, respectively,
• the deformation area being a section of the arm configured in the form of a bending rod,
• the section extending between the at least one mutual abutment area arranged at an axis side facing the closing cam and the free end of the arm which acts on the closing cam, and
• a defined deformation space between a stop on the closing lever and the section at least in a substantially undeformed state of the section,
• the deformation space being matched to a maximum grip width variation among the containers to be held such that independently of grip width variations upon rotation of the closing cam, each container is held with the same gripping force until the stop abuts the free end of the arm, the section thereof being deformed by bending while further increasing forces directly transmitted between the closing lever and the closing cam, exempting the section from transmission of excess forces.