An automation apparatus includes a mechanism having a machine coordinate system and configured to work on a work which moves in the machine coordinate system, a sensor configured to successively detect positions of the work as the work moves, and a processor. The processor is configured to calculate a plurality of machine coordinate positions of the work in the machine coordinate system successively based on the positions successively detected by the sensor, and is configured to determine, based on the plurality of machine coordinate positions of the work, a working position at which the mechanism is configured to work on the work.

A manufacturing system for fabricating a three-dimensional article includes a housing, a sensor within the housing, a coater, a removable powder module (RPM) with a platen, a laser system, and a controller. A method of operating the manufacturing system includes installing the RPM into the housing, forming pillars onto the platen, positioning the top surfaces of the pillars a distance D below a build plane, installing a calibration plate onto the top surfaces of the pillars, and then calibrating the laser system using the sensor. The sensor can include one or more of an optical sensor and an acoustic sensor.

A control device of a transfer device has: a mark relative position calculation unit which calculates a relative position of the three compensation marks relative to the cart, based on a captured image of the camera; a posture calculation unit which calculates a posture of the robot arm which arranges the article at the delivery position, based on a relative position of the three compensation marks calculated by the mark relative position calculation unit, and a teaching positional relationship which is taught in advance as a positional relationship between the three compensation marks and the delivery position; a reference positional relationship determination unit which determines whether a mutual positional relationship between the three compensation marks matches with a reference positional relationship set in advance, based on the relative positions of the three compensation marks calculated by the mark relative position calculation unit; and a displacement notification unit which notifies to outside of a possibility of displacement of the three compensation marks, in a case of the reference positional relationship determination unit determining that the mutual positional relationship of the three compensation marks does not match with the reference positional relationship.

Additive manufacturing systems, methods, and computer readable media may be configured to perform a calibration. Calibrating an additive manufacturing system may include comparing a digital representation of one or more calibration marks to a calibration-CAD model that includes one or more model calibration marks, and applying a calibration adjustment to one or more CAD models based at least in part on the comparison. The digital representation of the one or more calibration marks may have been obtained using a vision system, and the one or more calibration marks may have been printed on a calibration surface according to the calibration-CAD model using an additive manufacturing machine. The calibration adjustment may be configured to align the one or more CAD models with one or more coordinates of the additive manufacturing system.

The present invention is provided with: a first processing position (A1) and a second processing position (A2) at which rough processing is performed on a workpiece (W); a third processing position (B1) at which final finishing processing is performed on the workpiece (W) that was processed at the second processing position (A2); flexible vices (7) provided to the first processing position (A1) and the second processing position (A2), the flexible vices (7) securing the workpiece (W) by clamping the same; and a quick clamping device (20) provided to the third processing position (B1), the quick clamping device (20) securing the workpiece (W) by means of a pin. The present invention is also provided with a control unit that controls a rough processing tool for performing rough processing and a final finishing processing tool for performing final finishing processing.

The invention relates to a device (10) for the layered production of a three-dimensional workpiece, comprising: a build space (30) in which the workpiece is manufacturable by selectively solidification of raw material powder layers; an irradiating system (20) which is adapted to selectively solidify the raw material powder layers in the build space (30) by emitting a processing beam; at least one calibrating structure (36); a sensor arrangement (25) which is adapted to detect an irradiation of the calibrating structure (36) by the irradiating system (20); and a control unit (26) which is adapted to calibrate the irradiating system (20) on the basis of detection information of the sensor arrangement, wherein the calibrating structure (36) is arranged outside the build space (30). The invention also relates to a method for calibrating an irradiating system of a device for the layer-by-layer manufacture of a three-dimensional workpiece.

The robot system includes a carriage for supporting a robot. The robot system includes a camera, and a mark disposed in a workspace. The control device includes a position acquisition part that is configured to acquire a position of the mark on the basis of an image captured by the camera, and a determination part configured to determine whether or not the robot is located at a position within a predetermined determination range. When the determination part determines that the position of the robot deviates from the determination range, the display device displays the direction and the movement amount in which the carriage is to be moved.

Disclosed are various embodiments for using fluorescent coatings to aid in robotic handling of items. In one embodiment, an image is captured. An item in the image is recognized from the image based at least in part on a fluorescence of the item relative to its surrounding environment caused by exposure of a fluorescent marking of the item to a radiation source. A robotic arm is operated relative to the item in response to recognizing the item.

Techniques are described for calibrating an optical system in an additive fabrication device using an image of the build surface within the device. These techniques allow calibration to be performed by imaging one or more calibration features generated on (or at) the build surface, which may include illuminated regions of the build surface, regions of the build surface on which solid material has been formed, and/or regions of the build surface to which energy has otherwise been directed thereby making those regions distinguishable from their surroundings. The calibration features may be produced (at least in part) by the optical system to be calibrated. The location of the calibration features within the image may be compared with the intended location of these calibration features, and corrections to the optical system determined based on any differences between the actual and intended locations.

A method determines position data of a platform at a plate of an additive manufacturing device, having scanner optics for scanning a laser. The plate has holes that receive a holder, marks on the plate, and receptors for receiving laser target parts. A first position dataset is obtained with a position of a holder inserted in a hole with respect to the marks. After mounting the plate and inserting the platform into the holder, a laser mark is marked on the laser target parts using the laser at laser mark positions in the scanner optics' coordinate system. A pre-manufacturing image of the support plate is acquired with the laser marks on the laser target parts. A second position dataset having positions of the marks with respect to the laser marks is obtained from the pre-manufacturing image. The position data is determined from the position datasets and the laser mark positions.