Systems and methods for reconfigurable, fixtureless manufacturing are provided. Material handling robots grasp and move parts within an assembly area to adjoin one another in a predetermined orientation. While the parts remain grasped and suspended within the assembly area, out of contact with any fixtures, work surfaces, jigs, and locators, a machine vision system performs an alignment scan to determine locations of datums on the parts which are transmitted to a controller for comparison against stored virtual datums for a subassembly comprising the joined parts. The location of the datums are transmitted to a joining robot which joins the parts to form the subassembly. The machine vision system performs an inspection scan of the datums on the parts after joining.

A system for monitoring alignment of a second component relative to a first component includes a camera, and a controller including a processor and a nontransitory memory. The controller is configured to receive a first captured image from the camera when the second component is in a predetermined position relative to the first component, receive a selection of a region of interest (ROI) in the first captured image, identify a visible feature of the second component within the ROI of the first captured image, receive captured images from the camera during a subsequent operation, identify a second captured image when the second component is expected to be in the predetermined position relative to the first component, and determine if the second component is in the predetermined position relative to the first component based on the second captured image and the identified visible feature of the first captured image.

A 3D printing and assembly system includes a 3D printer having a build volume; a robotic arm configured to access both within the build volume and outside of the printer. The printing and assembly system and a 3D computer hardware system are connected to both the printer and the robotic arm. An assistive object outside of build volume and accessible by robotic arm is identified. A 3D object assembly to be generated by the printer is identified. The assistive object and the object assembly is real-time analyzed, using the computer hardware system, to generate interdependent sequential instructions for the printer and the robotic arm. The already-generated object is positioned within the build volume using the robotic arm with the sequential instructions for the robotic arm. The object assembly is 3D printed by 3D printing around the already-generated object using the sequential instructions for the 3D printer.

A manufacturing system manufactures a rotating assembly by attaching a plurality of attached target members in a circumferential direction of a rotating main body portion. A storage member capable of storing the plurality of attached target members is placed on a stand. A measurement device measures a physical amount of the attached target member An attachment device attaches one attached target member to a predetermined position in the circumferential direction of the rotating main body portion based on the physical amount measured by the measurement device A transfer device transfers the attached target member.

An automated wire insertion machine for inserting wires into grommet cavity locations of an electrical connector includes a controllable wire insertion robot and a processor to generate pre-generated plug maps based upon an original plug map of the grommet cavity locations and to control the wire insertion robot based upon one pre-generated plug map to insert the wires into the grommet cavity locations. The pre-generated plug maps are generated by defining a range of potential error of the grommet cavity locations that includes at least one of a potential rotational error and a potential translational error, defining an acceptable tolerance of the grommet cavity locations that includes at least one of an acceptable rotational tolerance and an acceptable translational tolerance, and calculating offset values of the grommet cavity locations based on the range of potential error and the acceptable tolerance, thereby generating the plurality of pre-generated plug maps.

A device and method for automated computer controlled manufacture of assemblies composed of discrete linked product segments includes reciprocating product segment grippers having surface features engageable with the product segments, at least one robotic manipulating device whereby the product segments may be engaged by the product segment grippers.

A robot apparatus includes: a robotic arm provided with a robotic hand capable of changing its position and its orientation by using joints; a visual sensor which measures a position or an orientation of a gripped object gripped with the robotic hand at a measurement teaching point; and a control device. The control device controls the position or the orientation of the gripped object when the gripped object is attached to an attachment target object at a corrected teaching point corrected based on a measurement result by the visual sensor. In this case, the control device determines a measurement teaching point, where the measurement with the visual sensor takes place, such that a driving direction of each of the joints from the measurement teaching point to the corrected teaching point is set to a definite driving direction.

A tooling system for assembling a hybrid vehicle transmission includes a positioning device, support structure, gripper, clutch actuator, rotational actuator, and controller. The positioning device positions a hybrid module relative to a transmission housing. The gripper grips an input shaft of the hybrid module. The clutch actuator actuates the clutch of the hybrid module. The rotational actuator rotates the gripper about an assembly axis. The controller controls operation of the clutch actuator, positioning device, gripper, and rotational actuator such that an operation is performed that includes the clutch actuator actuating the clutch, the gripper gripping the input shaft of the hybrid module, the rotational actuator rotating the gripper to rotate the input shaft of the hybrid module relative to an input shaft of the transmission module, and the positioning device translating the hybrid module toward the transmission module to seat a housing of the hybrid module on the transmission housing.

A robot includes a robot arm, a force sensor, and a control unit configured to control the operation of the robot art. The control unit initializes the force sensor while the robot arm is moving at uniform speed. It is preferable that the control unit initializes the force sensor while the robot arm is moving at the uniform speed and the amplitude of a detection value of the force sensor is smaller than a threshold.

Systems and methods for assembling structural components are disclosed. The systems and methods consider a sequence, operations of the sequence, and an approach vector in placing structural members (including structural members with pre-attached fasteners) for assembling structural components.