Vacuum Cup Question

[Cbrunner]

I'm having an interesting debate with a friend a need help finding the solution.

In our plant are a number of suction cups attached to backing plates. Some of the cups have been vulcanized to the backing plate, some are just glued.

He tells me that it is necessary to have the cups affixed with some form of adhesive in order to support the load.

How does the load transfer through the suction cup to the fixed lifting point - is the size of the backing plate really that important once a seal is made?

I would like help in understanding how this is calculated - can you recommend some reading material?

Thanks
Chris

Chris Brunner
Brunner Equipment LLC

 

[btrueblood]

You could vacuum lift a flat sheet, with a flat metal plate having an o-ring seal around its edge (and a port in the middle to suck through). But, traditional vacuum cups (common example being a toilet plunger) usually stand proud of the lifting fixture, and yes, the load gets transferred through the rubber. Can you post a picture?