A pneumatic device for transporting a substrate during a manufacturing operation is described. The pneumatic device can include multiple suction assemblies for securely coupling the substrate to the pneumatic device. The vertical position of the suction assemblies can be varied so that when vacuum is applied through the suction assemblies to the substrate, the substrate is in a bent configuration when secured to the pneumatic device. When the pneumatic device is used to lift the substrate off a stack of other substrates, the bending of the substrate reduces the surface area contact and likelihood of inadvertently removing additional substrates from the stack of substrates.