Vacuum Gripper Sizing Calculator

Enter your part mass, robot acceleration, mounting orientation, and vacuum level. Get the required holding force, minimum cup area, and recommended cup count — instantly, using the industry-standard sizing formula.

1. Part details

Weight of the part being lifted. Do not include tooling or cup weight.
How the part is picked up. Horizontal (flat surface pickup) is most common.

2. Robot motion

Maximum acceleration during the pick-and-place move. Typical cobots: 1–5 m/s². Use 3 m/s² if unknown.
1.5 = clean, dry, flat surface. 2.0 = slightly oily or uneven. 2.5 = challenging surface or high speed. Schmalz recommends ≥2.0 for most industrial applications.

3. Vacuum system

Vacuum pump output. Typical industrial: 600–800 mbar (60–80% vacuum). Venturi generators often achieve 600–700 mbar. Full atmospheric = 1,013 mbar.
How many cups you plan to use. The calculator will show if this is sufficient, or recommend a minimum count.

Sizing results

—
Required holding force (N)
—
Min. total cup area (cm²)
—
Min. cups needed (at selected size)
—
Your configuration status

Sizing formulas used

F_required (N) = m × (g + a) × safety_factor   [horizontal orientation]
F_required (N) = m × g × safety_factor + m × a   [vertical — shear + normal]
F_required (N) = m × (g + a) × safety_factor × 1.1   [overhead — gravity added]

A_min (mm²) = F_required ÷ (vacuum_level_mbar × 0.001)
A_min (cm²) = A_min_mm² ÷ 100

where: g = 9.81 m/s², m = part mass (kg), a = acceleration (m/s²)

Common cup areas (approximate):
Ø30 mm cup ≈ 7.1 cm²  |  Ø40 mm ≈ 12.6 cm²  |  Ø50 mm ≈ 19.6 cm²  |  Ø60 mm ≈ 28.3 cm²  |  Ø80 mm ≈ 50.3 cm²

Further reading