The challenge
Freshly packaged bagels are soft, and the bags they sit in are soft too. Handling them at line speed means solving two problems at the same time: hold the bag securely enough that it does not shift in transit, and apply so little compression that the product inside keeps its shape.
Our customer needed a tool that could lift multiple bagel bags from trays and place them into packing trays without deformation. Because bags are compliant and inconsistent from unit to unit, a single rigid gripping strategy was never going to work reliably.
Our solution
The bagel picking tool is the most complex assembly in this set. It integrates both mechanical and pneumatic gripping mechanisms in a single printed structure, with 53 components working together across the tool.
Gentle handling by design
Arms securely support the bagel bags while suction cups lift each bag and place it into the tray. Splitting the job between support and lift is what allows the tool to hold the package firmly without transferring compression into the product. Bags arrive in the tray with minimal deformation.
Food-contact safe material and finish
The tool is printed in Nylon PA12, a food-contact safe material, and finished with blue dye vapour polishing. Vapour smoothing produces a nonporous, hygienic surface suitable for food handling applications, which matters as much for cleanability between shifts as it does for the pick itself.
Why additive manufacturing was the right call
An assembly of this intricacy, combining pneumatic routing, mechanical arms, and a multi position cup layout, would be extremely difficult and expensive to machine. Additive manufacturing made the geometry possible, and made the 36 hour build a single production step rather than a long fabrication and assembly programme.
Full specifications
| Material | Nylon PA12 |
|---|---|
| Machine | EOS P396 |
| Layer thickness | 120 microns |
| Build time | 36 hours |
| Post processing | Blue dye vapour polishing |
| Number of components in the assembly | 53 |
| Tool weight | 7.4 kg |
| Gripping method | Combined mechanical and pneumatic |
Results
Bagged bagels transfer into trays with minimal deformation despite the compliance of both the bag and the product.
Vapour smoothing produces a nonporous finish suitable for food handling and straightforward to clean.
53 components produced as one additive build rather than a long fabrication and assembly programme.
Frequently asked questions
Why combine mechanical and pneumatic gripping in one tool?
Because a bagged bakery product needs two different things at once. Suction lifts the bag, but suction alone lets a soft package swing and shift at speed. Mechanical arms support the bag underneath so the load is carried rather than hung, which is what keeps deformation low during transfer.
Is Nylon PA12 food-contact safe?
Nylon PA12 is a food-contact safe material, and vapour smoothing closes the surface porosity that raw sintered parts have, producing a hygienic nonporous finish. For any specific application we confirm the requirement, since washdown and direct unpackaged contact carry additional conditions.
Why is this tool heavier than the other food grippers?
It carries far more mechanism. 53 components, both mechanical arms and a pneumatic circuit, and a larger footprint. Weight is always traded against function, and here the function required the structure.
How long does a build like this take?
The build itself ran 36 hours on the EOS P396. Total lead time also covers design, customer review, post processing, vapour polishing, and assembly.
Have a similar application?
Send us the part, the payload, and the cycle time. Our engineering team will scope the tool with you and tell you honestly whether additive manufacturing is the right answer for it.