From sawmills to furniture construction – the area gripper FMHD is frequently used in wood working. Schmalz developed its area gripper FMHD to allow particularly narrow, heavy, or extra long sections to be lifted quickly and safely.
 
Solid wood materials such as cross laminated timber (CLT) exceed previous design limits for wood. Thanks to its high static load-bearing capacity, CLT has long been used for industrial prefabricated houses. Architects can position doors and windows more flexibly as well as design higher ceilings and wider supports. New formats also mean new possibilities. J. Schmalz GmbH therefore increased the range of applications for its existing area gripper FMHD with an extra wide quick-change system, third suction row, and oversized gripper construction.
 
Three Variants, Three Strengths
 
The area gripper FMHD-3R22 has a suction cell grid with three rows and allows handling of narrow slots with a width of 35 millimeters or more. The area gripper FMHD-250 has a wider suction plate for an increased lift capacity. With 3,500 N, its holding force is almost double that of the 3R22. The maximum gripper length is 2,492 millimeters for both variants. The FMHD-2R28 provides greater lengths and can be up to 3,500 millimeters long and handle workpieces with a width of 50 millimeters or more. All three variants have an integrated vacuum reservoir and three-section design. Schmalz thus increases suction force and energy efficiency while also reducing maintenance work. Unstacking in layers or transferring porous and warped workpieces is easy – even in dusty sawmills.