Gripping with the help of heat and cold

The so-called polygripper can be mounted on robot arms and grip and carry workpieces of various materials. At its heart is a double-layered blank consisting of an aluminum sheet and an applied special polymer. This material reacts to heat and cold: when the blank is heated, the polymer deforms and in seconds nestles around tiny imperfections that even smooth materials such as glass or metals have. Once the blank has cooled, the workpiece adheres and can be repositioned. If the blank is then heated again, it is released.

The thermoplastic polymer is a discovery of the Department of Plastics Engineering at the University of Kassel. The technically sophisticated connection between aluminum and polymer was developed by the Department of Separating and Joining Manufacturing Processes (tff). The start-up company eta opt, founded by a graduate of Kassel University, is bringing the product to market. The state of Hesse funded the development of the polygripper with around 327,000 euros as part of its LOEWE initiative.

In contrast to previous industrial gripping methods, such as those using compressed air or icing, the polygripper can be used universally; the material of the workpiece plays virtually no role and even small gripping surfaces are sufficient. The gripping system is particularly suitable for industrial production lines that manufacture different products, since changeover times are eliminated. Compared to compressed air-based processes, the energy savings are up to 70 percent. Prototypes of the polygripper already exist, and eta opt now wants to bring the product to market within a year.

The university's tff department (headed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Böhm) conducts research in the fields of manufacturing, production and automation technology, as well as welding, bonding, machining and blasting. The Department of Plastics Engineering (Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Peter Heim) combines the main research areas of materials engineering, plastics process engineering, and joining technology and material composites. Engineering is one of the major focus areas of the University of North Hesse.

Support for start-ups "from the first flash of inspiration".

The company eta opt was founded in 2015 by Dr.-Ing. Christoph Pohl, a graduate and former employee of the University of Kassel. It is based in the Science Park, where young companies from the university's environment can gain a foothold in the market and grow. "We basically support promising ideas and start-ups from the first flash of inspiration," is how Chancellor Dr. Oliver Fromm, who is responsible for knowledge transfer on the university's executive board, describes it. "The success story of eta opt exemplifies how consulting, initiating networks, arranging grants and funding programs, and collaborating with the research community surrounding our university can pay off. Added to this here was generous funding from the state, which also enables young companies to tackle capital-intensive developments."

The State Offensive for the Development of Scientific and Economic Excellence LOEWE is a program with which the state of Hesse has been strengthening its research landscape and funding outstanding collaborative scientific projects since 2008. One of the funding lines supports cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises and universities in applied research.

The Science Park on the campus of the University of Kassel is a project of the university and the city of Kassel and is currently home to around 20 young companies from the university's surrounding area. It was already largely booked up shortly after its inauguration in 2015.

Contact:

Sebastian Mense
University of Kassel
Communications, Press and Public Relations
Tel.: +49 561 804-1961
E-mail: presse[at]uni-kassel[dot]de
www.uni-kassel.de
 

Sascha Mechtold
University of Kassel
Department of Cutting and Joining Manufacturing Processes
Tel.: +49 561 804-7695
E-mail: s.mechtold[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

Dr. Christoph Pohl
eta opt GmbH
Tel.: +49 561 953 797 10
E-mail: info[at]etaopt[dot]de