Increase of energy efficiency in vacuum handling systems based on biomimetic principles

Vacuum handling is a widespread technology in automated production systems for gripping of workpieces. Unfortunately, this solution accounts for a considerable share of industrial energy consumption. This consumption is mainly due to the losses in the involved steps like air compression, distribution, vacuum generation and gripper suction. However, the energy efficiency of vacuum handling systems is still relatively unexplored. The consortium partners are working together in the BiVaS project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). In this project, the drawback of high energy consumption is approached by the development of an energyefficient ejector, a biomimetic suction gripper as well as on system integration and the development of energy-efficient operating strategies and their energetic balancing in order to reduce the consumption of compressed air by 20 %. This reduction will be quantified experimentally in a pilot plant benchmark, where a realistic handling process is developed and examined. This paper shows the state of the art focusing on energy consumption of vacuum handling technology and the behaviour of the involved components during different handling operations. Furthermore, first biomimetic concepts and an estimation of the increase of energy efficiency will be presented for the running project.