GRABO’s technology and technical specifications

GRABO incorporates multiple patents and technological innovations developed by engineers at Nemo Power Tools over the course of several years. This page summarizes some of the product’s unique technical capabilities.

1. Adhesion to rough surfaces

Traditional suction cups are only capable of creating a good seal with flat, clean and airtight surfaces such as glass. However, GRABO’s unique seal allows the tool to adhere to rough and etched surfaces. The maximum surface roughness which GRABO can attach to depends on the exact “Profile roughness parameters” (The geometry of peaks and valleys in a material surface), and is generally limited to an amplitude of about 2.5mm (0.1 inch). This capability allows GRABO to create a seal with the majority of patterned tiles, pavers and construction materials.
roughness surface grabo application
grabo for porous material

2.Download Spec sheets:

3. Keeping a seal against porous materials.

A porous surface is any surface which allows gas to flow though it. Many construction materials are porous to varying degrees. Most common porous construction materials are: wood, concrete, rock, gypsum boards and many ceramics and tiles. Standard “suction cups” can not hold porous materials for more than a few seconds, even if the surface is flat enough to create a seal. A vacuum cavity on top of a porous material will quickly fail as air seeps in through the material.

GRABO overcomes this and allows secure adhesion to these materials by constantly pumping out a large volume of air at a rate greater than the diffusion rate of air though the surface. The physics behind the calculation of flow rates through different materials is both complex and interesting.

The flow rate required from GRABO to keep a strong vacuum seal against a porous surface, is generally described by a formula of generalized Murray’s law:

where the X is the ratio of mass variation during mass transfer in the parent pore, the exponent α is dependent on the type of the transfer. For laminar flow α = 3; for turbulent flow α = 7/3; for molecule or ionic diffusion α = 2; etc

The flow rate is than multiplied by the surface area under the seal for a given pressure differential, which results in the flow rate and power requirement from GRABO’s internal electric pump.

However, as interesting as the engineering is, users of GRABO do not need to worry about the science. All you need to know, is the GRABO is designed to work well on some of the most common porous materials in the industry.

* For specific max lifting force capabilities, refer to the table “Lifting force under different conditions” table at the bottom of this page.

grabo for stone

GRABO components

Your GRABO includes the following main components:

Nemo-GRABO-diagram-1-scaled
Charging the Battery
  1. Connect the mains plug of the battery charger to an electrical outlet.
  2. Connect the charger to the battery.
The battery begins charging as soon as it is connected to the charger, and stops charging as soon as it is full. A red light on the charger indicates that the battery is being charged. Once the battery is fully charged, the charger LED will change to green.
Charge Grabo battery-scaled
Replacing the Rubber Foam Seal
  1. GRABO’s double foam seal is a patented soft sealing system, designed for sealing rough uneven surfaces as well as provide high friction and strong adhesion to many different materials. The seals are consumable rated to last 3,000 cycles under normal use, and can easily be replaced if they wear out. Check your seals regularly and replace them if any damage is visible.
  2. Remove the rubber foam seal that has become worn or damaged by pulling it out of the vaccum cup base. Use a flat screwdriver or knife to carefully pull the seal out from its plastic base. Pulling on the black foam directly will likely cause it to tear.
  3. Gently press the new rubber foam seal into position, ensuring that it fits snuggly and securely.
replace grabo rubber foam seal

NEMO GRABO specification

nemo-grabo
grabo-design

Specification:

Model/SKU NEMO GRABO / NG-2B-FB
Battery 14.8VDC 2600mAh Li-ion
Rated Power 16W
Charger Input Voltage 100-240VAC 50/60Hz
Battery Charging Time ~2hrs
Non-Stop Running Time (Full Charge) 1.5hrs
Running Cycles (On Full Charge) 900 ON-OFF cycles of 10 seconds
Stand-by Mode (Charge Hold) 30 days
Pump Service Life 100000+ ON-OFF cycles / 800+ hrs continuous
Rated Air Flow 0.7cfm (20 L/min)
Maximum Vacuum Rate 11.6Psi (0.8 Bar, 80 kPa)
Maximum Lifting Capacity 375Lbs (170 kg)
L x W x H 12.1 x 7.37 x 4.91” (297 x 181 x 121 mm)
Net Weight (With Battery) 3.3Lbs (1.6 kg)
Working Temperature 32°F~140°F ( 0°~60 °C )
Applicable Surface Type Peak/valley heights less than 0.1” (3mm), arc less than 5°

Lifting Capacity:

Max Lifting Force
This table provides a rough estimation of the max perpendicular adhesion force and max parallel adhesion force on different materials. These values may vary depending on material and surface conditions.

Direction/Material Perpendicular Hold perpendicular-hold Parallel Hold parallel-hold
Glass 375Lbs(170 kg) 265Lbs(120kg)
Ceramic Tiles 375Lbs (170 kg) 265Lbs(120 kg)
Metal 242Lbs (110 kg) 242Lbs (110 kg)
Plastic 220Lbs (100 kg) 220Lbs (100 kg)
Wood 220Lbs (100 kg) 143Lbs (65 kg)
Rough Slate 176Lbs (80 kg) 176Lbs (80 kg)
Rough Concrete 176Lbs (80 kg) 176Lbs (80 kg)
Dry Wall 165Lbs (75 kg) 143Lbs (65 kg)

GRABO PRO-Lifter 20 Specifications

GRABO PRO-Lifter 20
GRABO PRO-Lifter 20 design

Specification:

Model/SKU GRABO PRO-LIFTER 20 / GP-1Li-FB
Battery 14.8VDC 2600mAh Li-ion
Rated Power 16W
Charger Input Voltage 100-240VAC 50/60Hz
Battery Charging Time ~2hrs
Non-Stop Running Time (Full Charge) 1.5hrs
Running Cycles (On Full Charge) 900 ON-OFF cycles of 10 seconds
Stand-by Mode (Charge Hold) 30 days
Pump Service Life 100000+ ON-OFF cycles / 800+ hrs continuous
Rated Air Flow 0.7cfm (20 L/min)
Maximum Vacuum Rate 11.6Psi (0.8 Bar, 80 kPa)
Maximum Lifting Capacity 375Lbs (170 kg)
L x W x H 12.1 x 7.37 x 4.91” (297 x 181 x 121 mm)
Net Weight (With Battery) 3.3Lbs (1.6 kg)
Working Temperature 32°F~140°F ( 0°~60 °C )
Applicable Surface Type Peak/valley heights less than 0.1” (3mm), arc less than 5°
Additional Features Pump stops automatically at maximum vacuum rate ( 11.6Psi / 0.8 Bar )

Lifting Capacity:

Max Lifting Force
This table provides a rough estimation of the max perpendicular adhesion force and max parallel adhesion force on different materials. These values may vary depending on material and surface conditions.

Direction/Material Perpendicular Hold perpendicular-hold Parallel Hold parallel-hold
Glass 375Lbs(170 kg) 265Lbs(120kg)
Ceramic Tiles 375Lbs (170 kg) 265Lbs(120 kg)
Metal 242Lbs (110 kg) 242Lbs (110 kg)
Plastic 220Lbs (100 kg) 220Lbs (100 kg)
Wood 220Lbs (100 kg) 143Lbs (65 kg)
Rough Slate 176Lbs (80 kg) 176Lbs (80 kg)
Rough Concrete 176Lbs (80 kg) 176Lbs (80 kg)
Dry Wall 165Lbs (75 kg) 143Lbs (65 kg)

GRABO H Specifications

Grabo H Model
Grabo H design

Specification:

Model/SKU GRABO H / NGH-1B
Battery 11.1VDC 2000mAh Li-ion
Rated Power 16W
Charger Input Voltage 100-240VAC 50/60Hz
Battery Charging Time ~2hrs
Non-Stop Running Time (Full Charge) 1hrs
Running Cycles (On Full Charge) 340 ON-OFF cycles of 10 seconds
Stand-by Mode (Charge Hold) 25 days
Pump Service Life 100000+ ON-OFF cycles / 800+ hrs continuous
Rated Air Flow 0.5cfm (15 L/min)
Maximum Vacuum Rate 11.6Psi (0.8 Bar, 80 kPa)
Maximum Lifting Capacity 330Lbs (150 kg)
L x W x H 12.1 x 7.37 x 4.91” (297 x 181 x 121 mm)
Net Weight (With Battery) 2.6Lbs (1.2 kg)
Working Temperature 32°F~140°F ( 0°~60 °C )
Applicable Surface Type Peak/valley heights less than 0.1” (3mm), arc less than 5°

Lifting Capacity:

Max Lifting Force
This table provides a rough estimation of the max perpendicular adhesion force and max parallel adhesion force on different materials. These values may vary depending on material and surface conditions.

Direction/Material Perpendicular Hold perpendicular-hold Parallel Hold parallel-hold
Glass 375Lbs(170 kg) 265Lbs(120kg)
Ceramic Tiles 375Lbs (170 kg) 265Lbs(120 kg)
Metal 242Lbs (110 kg) 242Lbs (110 kg)
Plastic 220Lbs (100 kg) 220Lbs (100 kg)
Wood 220Lbs (100 kg) 143Lbs (65 kg)
Rough Slate 176Lbs (80 kg) 176Lbs (80 kg)
Rough Concrete 176Lbs (80 kg) 176Lbs (80 kg)
Dry Wall 165Lbs (75 kg) 143Lbs (65 kg)

GRABO Version Comparison Chart

Grabo model-Nemo Grabo Model GRABO PRO-LIFTER 20 Model grabo-h
Model NEMO GRABO GRABO PRO-LIFTER 20 GRABO H
FUNCTIONAL PARAMETERS
Battery 14.8VDC 2600mAh Li-ion 14.8VDC 2600mAh Li-ion 11.1VDC 2000mAh Li-ion
Rated Power 16 W
Charger Input Voltage 100-240VAC 50/60Hz
Battery Charging Time ~2hrs
Non-Stop Running Time (Full Charge) 90 Min 90 Min 60 Min
Running Cycles (ON-OFF Cycles of 10 Seconds On Full Charge) 900 900 340
Stand-by Mode (Charge Hold relates to battery, not to the pump) 30 Days 30 Days 25 Days
Pump Service Life (Charge Hold) 100000+ ON-OFF cycles / 800+ hrs continuous action
With Automatic OFF Switch No Yes No
Rated Air Flow 0.7cfm ( 20 L/min ) 0.7cfm ( 20 L/min ) 0.5cfm ( 15 L/min )
Maximum Vacuum Rate 11.6Psi ( 0.8 Bar, 80 kPa )
PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS
Maximum Lifting Capacity 375Lbs ( 170 kg ) 375Lbs ( 170 kg ) 330Lbs ( 150 kg )
L x W x H 12.1 x 7.37 x 4.91" ( 297 x 181 x 121 mm ) 12.1 x 7.37 x 4.91" ( 297 x 181 x 121 mm ) 12.1 x 7.37 x 4.91" ( 297 x 181 x 121 mm )
Net Weight (With Battery) 3.3Lbs ( 1.6 kg ) 3.2Lbs ( 1.5 kg ) 2.6Lbs ( 1.2 kg )
Working Temperature 32°F~140°F ( 0°~60 °C )
KIT
Gauge Type Mechanical With Protective Rubber Cover Smart Digital Pressure Sensor No Gauge
Number of Batteries 2 1 1
Charger Multi Socket Charger
Number of Seals 2 in Total 2 in Total 1 in Total
Warranty 1 Year Basic Warranty as outlined on WWW.THEGRABO.COM 1 Year Basic Warranty as outlined on WWW.THEGRABO.COM 1 Year Limited Warranty as outlined on WWW.THEGRABO.COM
Miscellaneous Use for all surface types, without automatic stop function, without display and electronic pressure gauge Use for all surface types, with automatic stop function at 11.6Psi, with digital display and electronic pressure gauge Use for all surface types, with smaller battery, without automatic stop function, without display and pressure gauge, without strap eyelets

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