If your high-powered robotic arms are stuck in a cycle of downtime—leaking suction on rough steel plates, clogged filters slowing carton palletizing, or scratched wooden boards wasting materials—you’re not just losing time. You’re losing money. A 2025 Industrial Automation Report found that 42% of robotic handling inefficiencies stem from ill-suited suction tools, especially when dealing with workpieces that aren’t perfectly smooth: think corrugated cartons with bulges, steel sheets with mill scale, or wooden boards with knots.
Our new 60 & 80mm-Wide Integrated Vacuum Sponge Suction Cups were built to break this cycle. Designed as all-in-one solutions—combining the flexibility of sponge-type grips, the power of built-in vacuum systems, and the durability of high-strength frames—they turn “unhandleable” workpieces into “one-click lifts” for your robotic arms. Below, we’ll show you how they solve your biggest pain points, and why they’re the go-to choice for scratch-free (handling) of cartons, steel plates, and wooden boards.
Traditional suction cups—rigid, flat, and designed for perfect surfaces—fail miserably when faced with real-world workpieces:
- A corrugated carton’s ridged surface leaves gaps, causing vacuum pressure to drop mid-lift.
- A steel plate’s rough mill scale (flaky, uneven texture) breaks the seal, forcing you to halve the load capacity to avoid drops.
- A hollow wooden crate or perforated metal panel lets air escape, making robotic lifts unreliable.
A mid-sized furniture manufacturer told us their old (suction-type vacuum cups) couldn’t grip knotty wooden boards without leaking—turning 20kg lifts into two 10kg trips, and doubling palletizing time. For a steel distributor, hollow metal sheets caused 18% of lifts to fail, requiring workers to step in and slow down the entire line.
Our 60/80mm cups are purpose-built as sponge-type vacuum suction cups—not rigid plastic—with a 30mm-thick high-density sponge core that adapts to any surface imperfection:
- For rough surfaces (steel mill scale, wood knots, corrugated ridges), the sponge compresses up to 5mm to fill gaps, creating an airtight seal that maintains -92 kPa vacuum pressure even under full load. The steel distributor now lifts 25kg hollow sheets without leaks, cutting failure rates to 0.5%.
- For uneven or bulging workpieces (warped cartons, bent wooden boards), the sponge conforms instantly—no manual adjustment needed. The furniture maker now handles 20kg knotty boards in one lift, slashing palletizing time by 45%.
- For hollow or perforated surfaces (crates with gaps, metal panels with holes), the sponge’s porous yet dense structure blocks air flow, keeping the vacuum tight. A logistics client reported zero dropped cartons in 3 months of peak-season use.
“We used to avoid hollow or rough workpieces with our robots,” said Marco Rossi, Maintenance Lead at the steel distributor. “This sponge cup makes those ‘problem loads’ our easiest ones.”
Most suction cups need three separate components to work with robotic arms: an external vacuum generator (to create suction), a standalone dust filter (to prevent debris from breaking the system), and extra hoses/brackets to connect everything.
Installing this setup takes 60 minutes per robotic arm—and filters get clogged with wood dust, steel shavings, or carton fibers, requiring weekly replacements. A retail logistics firm calculated they lost 12 hours/week just maintaining external gear—time that could be spent moving cartons, not fixing equipment.
Our cups redefine convenience as integrated vacuum sponge suction cups—packing three critical tools into one compact unit:
-
Built-in vacuum generator: Creates instant suction in 0.2 seconds (no external power or hoses needed) and works seamlessly with 24V high-powered robotic arms (compatible with Fanuc, KUKA, and ABB models). No more waiting for external systems to build pressure.
-
10μm built-in filter: A removable, washable filter traps debris before it enters the vacuum core—eliminating the need for standalone filters. Unlike traditional setups that require weekly filter changes, ours only need cleaning every 3 months, cutting maintenance time by 90%. The retail logistics firm now spends 1 hour/week on upkeep instead of 12.
-
Plug-and-play installation: Attach the cup to your robotic arm in 10 minutes with standard mounting hardware—no rewiring, custom brackets, or specialized training required.
“External gear used to be a logistical nightmare,” said Lisa Wong, Logistics Director at the retail firm. “This integrated cup is just… plug it in, and it works. We haven’t touched a hose clamp in months.”
Robotic arm teams face an impossible trade-off:
- Rigid plastic cups are strong enough for heavy loads, but scratch printed cartons, polished steel, or painted wooden boards—turning usable products into scrap.
- Soft rubber cups are gentle but tear easily, can’t handle heavy loads, and need frequent replacement.
A home goods manufacturer scrapped 7% of painted wooden boards monthly because rigid cups left dents, costing $2,800/week. For an electronics distributor, soft rubber cups tore after 500 lifts, requiring $150/week in replacements and causing unplanned downtime.
Our 60/80mm cups are engineered as heavy-duty, elongated suction tools—balancing brute strength with soft handling, thanks to two key features:
-
High-strength aluminum profiles: The frame is made of 6061-T6 anodized aluminum—lightweight (60mm model: 220g; 80mm model: 280g) but tough enough to support 25kg (60mm) or 35kg (80mm) loads. It resists rust, impact, and dust buildup, even in busy factory environments—lasting 3x longer than plastic frames.
-
Shore A 32 sponge + elongated shape: The soft sponge glides over delicate surfaces (printed cartons, polished steel, painted wood) without leaving marks, while the elongated 60mm/80mm width distributes suction pressure evenly across the workpiece—no more concentrated force that causes dents. The home goods manufacturer’s scrap rate dropped to 0.2%, and the electronics distributor now goes 6 months without cup replacements.
“We used to have to choose between ‘strong enough’ and ‘gentle enough,’” said Raj Patel, Production Manager at the home goods firm. “This cup doesn’t make us choose—it does both.”
Whether you’re moving cartons, steel plates, or wooden boards, our 60/80mm integrated cups are built to simplify robotic handling:
-
Carton (Carton Handling): The scratch-free sponge protects branded packaging, while the built-in generator ensures fast, leak-free lifts—perfect for high-volume e-commerce or retail logistics. The 60mm model excels at smaller cartons (300x200mm), while the 80mm model handles larger, heavier boxes (400x300mm) with ease.
-
Steel Plate Lifting: The sponge’s rough-surface compatibility grips mill scale or uneven edges without leaks, and the aluminum frame supports thick steel sheets (up to 5mm for 80mm model)—ideal for metal fabrication or automotive parts plants.
-
Wooden Board Moving: The sponge conforms to knots and warps, and the gentle grip preserves painted or polished wood, solving furniture manufacturing or construction material handling pain points.
Talk is cheap—we want you to see how our 60/80mm integrated vacuum sponge suction cups work with your robotic arms and your workpieces. We offer free on-site demos, where our team will test the cups on your cartons, steel plates, or wooden boards, and share a custom efficiency report showing how much you could save on downtime, scrap, and maintenance.
“This cup didn’t just fix our robotic handling problems—it made our entire line more efficient,” said one manufacturing client. “We’re moving more loads, scrapping fewer parts, and spending less time on maintenance. It’s a game-changer.”
