Just in time for this year’s international technology trade fair for sheet metal processing ‘EuroBlech’ in Hannover, the inventor of metal bellow coupling – the JAKOB Antriebstechnik GmbH – present a groundbreaking new development – the pneumatic gripper rail coupling there is! ‘The requirements of modern coupling systems are diverse,’ Arno Worn, developer at JAKOB Antriebstechnik know Dr. ing.. ‘You have to be easy on the one hand, on the other hand but also extremely stiff and self-locking exciting running.’ They must also be electrically monitored and enables intuitive to use. Previous systems rely on hydraulic or electromechanical locking solutions. ‘ Just as retrofit solution, but these designs have disadvantages in relation to the Economy ‘, so Dr. Worn. Basically, it is advisable to operate of the automatic couplings already on the system to use existing media.

‘Hydraulic has proved here very maintenance-intensive, and expensive.’ Finally, extra pumps and pipes are needed. ‘All in all is a rather expensive story.’ The couplings are, however, powered by electric motors, a completely different scenario emerges. So, the electric drives increase the weight of the coupling. ‘Problems occur when it comes time to a blackout’, explains the developer. ‘Due to the required high gear ratios, a loosening of the coupling is difficult.’ The gripper rail couplings from JAKOB Antriebstechnik without these disadvantages and guarantee as a highly dynamic transport and a precise setting of the parts. The axial and vertical separation systems are offered by rail. The type there is can be adapted to all common gripper rail sections. In addition to the pneumatic automatic variant, there are in the portfolio still a manual mechanical version of the coupling systems.