SMC ZPT08BUK15-B5-A8 | ZP Series Basic Bellows Vacuum Pad 8mm Vertical Inlet With Buffer Urethane Rubber 15mm Stroke

The SMC ZPT08BUK15-B5-A8 is a bellows type vacuum pad from the ZP series, featuring an 8mm pad diameter with urethane rubber construction, vertical vacuum inlet, and 15mm buffer stroke. The bellows design ("B" pad shape prefix) adds a convoluted flexible section between the pad lip and the mounting body, providing built-in angular compensation that enables reliable vacuum sealing even when the pad approaches the workpiece at a slight angle or when the workpiece surface is slightly curved or tilted.

When should you use a bellows pad instead of a flat pad? Bellows type pads are the optimal choice whenever the workpiece surface orientation cannot be guaranteed to be perfectly parallel to the pad approach axis. Common scenarios include: picking parts from bulk trays where components may be slightly tilted, handling curved or contoured surfaces such as molded plastic housings, and applications where the robotic arm's Z-axis may not achieve perfect perpendicularity to the work surface. The bellows action effectively increases the pad's angular tolerance, dramatically improving first-pass pick reliability.

The urethane rubber material ("U") delivers excellent abrasion resistance and mark-free properties, making this pad ideal for handling polished, painted, or coated surfaces where NBR might leave visible contact traces. Urethane provides reliable sealing within 0°C to +60°C operating conditions. The 15mm buffer stroke ("K15") adds shock absorption to the bellows compliance, creating a dual-stage approach system that handles both angular and height variations simultaneously.

The "B5" fitting and "A8" buffer body specifications size this assembly for compact 8mm class tooling integration. This pad is RoHS compliant and part of SMC's ZPT series with diameters from 2 to 125mm, six materials, and four pad designs.