Piab 6-Pack Gripper Review: Specs, Price and Applications
The Piab 6-Pack Gripper is a vacuum end-of-arm tool built to pick beverage six-packs wrapped in cardboard without leaving marks. It was developed for automated packaging and palletizing of bottles, particularly beer and beer-based mixed drinks.
Mechanical grippers often cannot grip such packs by the bottle caps, because the caps are frequently sealed with an aluminium or paper banderole that would be damaged. Piab's answer is to hold the pack from the top through its cardboard, using rectangular suction cups that contact the six-pack in three places.
Quick Verdict
A well-thought-out beverage gripper. Decentral COAX ejectors give redundancy, load supports protect thin cardboard, and exchangeable cheeks adapt it to different pack sizes.
Piab 6-Pack Gripper at a Glance
Specification | Details |
Tool type | Vacuum gripper for six-packs |
Contact | Rectangular suction cups at three points |
Load support | Integrated in each cup to protect thin cardboard |
Manufacturing | 3D printed |
Format change | Exchangeable cheeks for different six-pack sizes |
Vacuum generation | One decentral COAX ejector per suction cup |
Release | Automatic blow-off pulse that also cleans ejector, channels and cup |
Data | Vacuum process data available for Industry 4.0 interfaces |
Price | Request a quote |
Design and Operating Principle
Thin cardboard wrap is easily pulled into a suction cup and creased, which both marks the pack and causes leaks. Each rectangular cup in the 6-Pack Gripper therefore has an integrated load support that limits how far the cardboard can be drawn in, keeping the surface flat and the seal stable.
Vacuum is generated by a separate COAX ejector at each cup instead of one central pump. If contamination blocks one ejector, the other two continue to hold the load, which is a meaningful safety margin when moving glass bottles at palletizing speeds.
An automatic blow-off pulse releases the pack quickly and, at the same time, cleans the ejector, channels and cup. That self-cleaning effect helps in breweries, where dust and product residue are common.
3D printing allows the body to integrate air channels and the cup layout in a light structure, and exchangeable side cheeks stabilise the six-pack and adapt the gripper to other pack formats.
Integration and Selection
Confirm the pack dimensions and wrap material, then choose the cheek set for each format. Provide clean compressed air to the COAX ejectors and connect vacuum monitoring to the robot or PLC.
Where Industry 4.0 interfaces exist, use the vacuum process data to trend leakage and plan maintenance before grip quality degrades.
Industry Applications
Industry | Typical use |
Brewing | Palletizing beer six-packs |
Beverages | Handling mixed-drink packs |
Packaging | End-of-line case handling |
Co-packing | Handling cardboard-wrapped multipacks |
Functional Uses
Top-gripping six-packs through cardboard
Mark-free handling
Redundant vacuum per cup
Self-cleaning blow-off
Pros and Cons
Advantages
No marks on cardboard wrap
Redundant decentral ejectors
Exchangeable cheeks for formats
Process data for monitoring
Limitations
Purpose-built for six-packs
Needs compressed air
Numeric payload data must come from Piab
Who Should Consider the Piab 6-Pack Gripper?
The 6-Pack Gripper suits breweries and beverage packers automating the palletizing of cardboard-wrapped multipacks.
Price and Availability
Price: Request a quote. Piab prices the 6-Pack Gripper by configuration, options and quantity. Budget for the complete solution, including mounting, vacuum or air supply, valves, sensors and commissioning, rather than the component alone.
Further Reading
Piab 6-Pack Gripper FAQ
What is the Piab 6-Pack Gripper designed for?
Handling cardboard-wrapped beverage six-packs without marks, especially beer and mixed drinks.
Why not grip the bottle caps?
Caps are often sealed with aluminium or paper banderoles that mechanical grippers could damage.
How is vacuum generated?
One decentral COAX ejector per suction cup.
What happens if one ejector clogs?
The other two continue to hold the load.
Can it handle different pack sizes?
Yes, exchangeable cheeks adapt it to different six-pack sizes.
How much does it cost?
Request a quote from Piab.
