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Piab, a global expert in smart vacuum automation, is expanding its suction cup portfolio with the introduction of the BLFF 42 and BLFF 55 cups, the first commercially released sizes in the new BLFF (Bellow Long Flexible Fit) family. BLFF stands for “bellow, long, flexible fit” and reflects the series’ unique combination of reach, stability and adaptability to different objects.
Engineered stability with flexible gripping
The BLFF cups have been developed to solve a classic trade‑off in vacuum handling: stability versus flexibility. Their design combines a rigid bellow structure with a soft, over‑molded lip, allowing the cup to grip both heavy and delicate objects while remaining extremely stable under acceleration. When fully compressed under vacuum, the cups behave like a compact “hockey puck,” resisting elongation and minimizing sway of the load, which supports higher accelerations and throughput compared to typical multi‑bellow cups.
Optimized for logistics, warehousing and parcel handling
The BLFF 42 and BLFF 55 are designed for demanding mixed‑item applications such as logistics centers, warehouses and parcel sorting hubs, where object sizes, shapes and materials vary from pick to pick. The cups are particularly well suited for systems that operate at higher vacuum levels and flows, enabling robust handling in fast, automated environments.
Two initial sizes, three hardness levels
The first introduced sizes are 42 mm and 55 mm, which expand slightly when actuated to approximately 45 mm and 56 mm in diameter, respectively, ensuring a secure grip envelope on the product surface. Both sizes are available in three material hardness levels – soft, medium and hard – allowing users to tailor cup behavior to object type, acceleration profile and vacuum system characteristics. Color coding makes it easy to distinguish hardness levels and mix stiffnesses across larger grippers or zones to fine‑tune performance.
Durable, recyclable material and long service life
BLFF cups are molded in a TPE material that is both extremely durable and fully recyclable, supporting Piab’s sustainability ambitions and customers’ environmental targets. Despite a thin, compliant lip, internal wear testing has demonstrated very high resistance to abrasion, with failure modes more likely to be long‑term compression set than physical wear‑through, contributing to long service life and reduced maintenance.
Flexible fittings and smart accessories
The BLFF 42 and 55 cups support a wide range of fitting sizes to match different machine interfaces, including quarter‑inch, three‑eighths and half‑inch options for the 55 mm version, in both male and female configurations. A modular feature unit can be configured with a 40‑micron high‑flow filter and/or a sense valve, helping protect vacuum systems from contamination and enabling intelligent detection in suitable applications.
