Importance

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Abstract

An article piercing end effector for an industrial robot. The end effector includes a mounting bracket designed to be coupled to the arm of a robot. Positioned on the bracket is an actuator that is coupled to and controls the movement of a first plate. The first plate is supported by two guide rods coupled to the actuator. The first plate includes a plurality of pairs of opposed forks removably mounted to its underside of the first plate. Positioned below the first plate is a second plate with a plurality of holes generally aligned with the tips of each of the pair of opposed forks. The second plate is fixedly attached to the mounting bracket by standoff rods. When the first plate is moved by the actuator toward the second plate, the forks extending from the first plate travel through the holes in the second plate, which holes are chamfered for easy operation. The tips of the forks thus move towards each other to pierce items of interest, such as baked goods positioned below the second plate. The pierced items are thus held by the pairs of opposed forks and may be moved from one location to another. To remove the items from the end effector, the first plate is moved away from the second plate, causing the forks to be removed from the items as the items come in contact with the bottom surface of the second plate.

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First Claim