New Product: Bernoulli Gripper from Festo enables ‘contactless handling’

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Product Briefing Outline: Festo has introduced a Bernoulli Gripper for transporting delicate work pieces such as solar cells and wafers. The most particular benefit of the gripper is the minimized air consumption which reduces the energy costs. Other essential aspects are little swinging power, high grip force, low-pressure applications and a constant area load.

Problem: During the production of solar cells the wafers have to be transported frequently and with high speed. Due to the fact that wafers are very thin and delicate the gripping is a critical point. Vacuum grippers due to their material use to leave shadows on the wafers which reduce the output of the solar cell. Meanwhile the suction has to be secure to resist forces of speed without breaking the delicate wafer.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Solution: The Festo Bernoulli offers a contactless suction force meanwhile a minimum contact of the wafer with the gripper insert provides the friction needed to guarantee high speed transport without losing the wafer. The gripper offers a variable fine-tuning of the air consumption and suction force so that the wafer does not suffer stress during transport. The gripper does not leave residuals on the surface which could influence the output of the solar cell. The gripper offers high suction forces (>30N on request) and produces at the same time low noise. The design can be easily customized on request to individual requirements and so optimized for each application. The optimized air consumption of the gripper increases the energy efficiency by reducing the energy costs.

Applications: Solar cell and wafer transport.

Platform: Festo offers complete solutions for wafer gripping and transport. The portfolio includes all the components needed from clean air preparation units and valves to handling solutions such as the high-speed H-Portal – customized to the application. 

Availability: Currently available.

Read Next

July 4, 2025
Chinese PV provider Skycorp Solar Group has announced a solar plant acquisition and development strategy following unanimous board approval.
July 4, 2025
Germany’s latest innovation tender has awarded 488MW of co-located capacity, with all the projects being solar PV tied with energy storage.
July 4, 2025
Risen Energy’s mass-produced heterojunction (HJT) modules have reached a cell conversion efficiency of 26.61%, a record figure for the company.
July 4, 2025
The US House of Representatives has passed the final version of the reconciliation bill that is now going to US President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature before its passing.
July 4, 2025
Australian retailer AGL Energy has confirmed its acquisition of South Australia’s Virtual Power Plant (SAVPP) from Tesla.
July 3, 2025
Renewable energy curtailment in Brazil is set to reach 8% across the country, and be as high as 11% in the north-east, by 2035.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK