Multiple Bellows Suction Cups

Multiple Bellows Vacuum Cups for Flexible Packaging & Uneven Products

Multiple bellows vacuum cups are designed for applications where maximum flexibility, height compensation and gentle product handling are required. Featuring multiple convolutions within the cup design, these vacuum cups can compress significantly during product pickup, making them ideal for handling uneven surfaces, flexible packaging, delicate products and applications where product height varies.

Compared to single bellows vacuum cups, multi-bellows designs offer greater flexibility and adaptability. They are commonly used in food packaging automation, pouch handling, bag handling, carton loading systems, consumer packaged goods production and robotic pick-and-place systems where reliable sealing and gentle handling are critical.

What Is a Multiple Bellows Vacuum Cup?

A multiple bellows vacuum cup contains two or more bellows sections that allow the cup to compress and extend during operation. This increased flexibility enables the cup to compensate for differences in product height, uneven surfaces and positioning variations while maintaining a reliable vacuum seal.

The additional bellows also help reduce impact forces when the cup contacts the product, making them particularly suitable for delicate packaging materials and products that may be damaged by excessive contact force.

Why Use Multiple Bellows Vacuum Cups?

• Excellent Height Compensation: Adapts to varying product heights and uneven surfaces.
• Gentle Product Handling: Reduces impact forces on delicate products.
• Improved Flexibility: Handles irregular, curved and flexible products more effectively.
• Better Packaging Performance: Ideal for pouches, bags and flexible packaging materials.
• Enhanced Robotic Tolerance: Allows greater variation in robot approach position.
• Reliable Sealing: Maintains vacuum grip on products that may not be perfectly flat.

Available Materials

• NBR Rubber: Durable general-purpose material suitable for a wide range of industrial applications.
• Silicone Rubber: Flexible compound offering excellent temperature resistance and packaging compatibility.
• FDA Compliant Silicone: Suitable for food processing and food packaging applications.
• Metal Detectable Silicone: Designed for food manufacturing facilities where contamination detection is required.

Multiple bellows vacuum cups are available in diameters ranging from 20 mm to 90 mm, covering applications from lightweight packaging to larger handling systems.

Applications for Multiple Bellows Vacuum Cups

• Flexible food packaging
• Pouch handling systems
• Bag and sack handling
• Flow wrap packaging
• Consumer packaged goods
• Carton loading automation
• Robotic pick-and-place systems
• Food processing equipment
• Irregular product handling
• Products with varying heights

Why Multiple Bellows Cups Are Popular in Food Packaging

Food packaging applications often involve products that are soft, flexible or inconsistent in shape. Bags, pouches and packaged products frequently have wrinkles, folds and varying product heights that make handling difficult with rigid vacuum cups.

Multiple bellows vacuum cups provide the flexibility needed to conform to these surfaces while maintaining a secure vacuum seal. Their ability to gently compress also helps reduce damage to packaging materials during high-speed automation processes.

Multiple Bellows vs Single Bellows Vacuum Cups

Single bellows vacuum cups offer moderate flexibility and are suitable for many general automation applications. Multiple bellows vacuum cups provide significantly greater stroke length and height compensation, making them better suited for highly variable products, flexible packaging and applications where product position may vary.

The trade-off is that multiple bellows cups may be less stable under high side loads than flat or single bellows designs. Selecting the correct cup depends on the application requirements and product characteristics.