A New Aerodynamic-Traction Principle for Handling Products on an Air Cushion

This paper introduces a new aerodynamic-traction principle to handle delicate and clean products, such as silicon wafers, glass sheets, or flat foodstuffs. The product is carried on a thin air cushion and transported along the system by induced airflows. This induced airflow is an indirect effect of strong vertical air jets that pull the surrounding fluid. This paper provides a qualitative explanation of the operating principles and a description of the experimental device. First experimental results with active control are presented. The maximum velocity and acceleration that can be obtained for the considered device geometry meet the requirements for industrial applications.