A method and an apparatus for detecting and correcting a spatial position of a workpiece held in a positioning device, wherein a machining head having at least one sensor and position sensor is fed into at least one measuring position. Contactless sensing of an actual position of a measuring point of the workpiece is carried out at the measuring position using the machining head and the sensed actual position is compared with an expected nominal position and deviation values between the actual position and the nominal position are ascertained. The ascertained deviation values are compared with an admissible tolerance value and the machining head is fed to a contour when the ascertained deviation is within the admissible tolerance value, or the machining head and the workpiece are oriented with respect to one another and to the contour such that a deviation of the actual position is within the admissible tolerance values following orientation.

A system and method for calibrating a manufacturing machine that includes a leveling device including a machine base interface to a manufacturing machine, a support system that comprises of a set of linearly actuating supports, a workpiece interface, and wherein actuation of supports collectively adjusts the orientation of the workpiece interface with two degrees of angular freedom; and a calibration system with sensors configured to measure the orientation of the workpiece interface.

A method and apparatus for machining a part for an assembly. First sensor data is acquired for a surface of a first part from a first sensor system. Second sensor data is acquired for a set of existing holes in a second part from a second sensor system. A surface model of the surface of the first part is generated using the first sensor data. First offset data is computed based on a nominal model of a third part that is nominally positioned relative to the surface model within a three-dimensional virtual environment. Second offset data is computed for the set of existing holes using the second sensor data. Overall offset data is generated using the first and second offset data, wherein the overall offset data is used to drill a set of holes in the third part for use in fastening the third part to the second part.

The invention relates to a method for correcting a predetermined cutting path for cutting a metal blank from a metal strip continuously transported in a transport direction x with the following steps:

Simultaneously determining a first x coordinate x1 and a first y coordinate y1 of a point on a surface of the metal strip with respect to an x and a y reference;
Determining a second coordinate y2 of the point with respect to the y reference at precisely the time when the metal strip has been moved in the transport direction x by a predetermined first distance dx1 with respect to the first x coordinate x1;
Determining a first y correction value K.sub.y1 by taking the difference between the first y coordinate y1 and the second y coordinate y2; and
Using the first y correction value K.sub.y1 to correct the cutting path coordinates describing the predetermined cutting path.

A method of machining an elongate workpiece extending along a longitudinal axis and shaped to be supported rotationally instably about the longitudinal axis includes sensing a rotation of the workpiece about the longitudinal axis, thereby yielding a sensing result; and machining the workpiece at the machining station at least partly in dependence of the sensing result.