A large manipulator including an extendable folding boom. The extendable boom includes a turntable that is rotatable about a vertical axis and boom segments pivotable at folding joints about folding axes in relation to an adjacent boom segment or the turntable via respective drive assemblies. The extendable boom further includes rotary angle sensors configured to detect folding angles between adjacent boom segments or between one of the boom segments and the adjacent turntable. The extendable boom further includes an inclination sensor arranged at a last of the boom segments forming a boom tip and a computing unit configured to establish an elastic deformation of the extendable folding boom based on the detected folding angles and the inclination of the last boom segment.

A numerical control device according to the present disclosure includes: a read control unit which reads a plurality of blocks of a machining program in order; an internal processing section which performs internal processing in accordance with a block read by the read control unit; an operation control section which generates a command signal for a machine tool based on results of internal processing; an output block discrimination section which discriminates whether the block read by the read control unit is an output block including an output command, or an internal processing block not including the output command; a reference block discrimination section which discriminates whether the internal processing block is a reference block including a command to reference information which is inputted externally; and a standby processing section which in a case of the internal processing block being the reference block, causes the internal processing section to stop the internal processing in accordance with the reference block, until execution of control of the machine tool completes based on the output block which is written nearest prior to the reference block.

An automated calibration system for a workpiece coordinate frame of a robot includes a physical image sensor having a first image central axis, and a controller for controlling the physical image sensor adapted on a robot to rotate by an angle to set up a virtual image sensor having a second image central axis. The first and the second image central axes are intersected at an intersection point. The controller controls the robot to repeatedly move back and forth a characteristic point on the workpiece between these two axes until the characteristic point overlaps the intersection point. The controller records a calibration point including coordinates of joints of the robot, then the controller moves another characteristic point and repeats the foregoing movement to generate several other calibration points. According to the calibration points, the controller calculates relative coordinates of a virtual tool center point and the workpiece to the robot.

A method and a system for sensing fine changes in processing/equipment measurement data are provided. A data change sensing method according to an embodiment of the present invention extracts a part on the basis of a statistical distribution of reference data and comparison data, calculates a target range on the basis of a specification, and discriminates data, included in the target range, among the extracted reference data and comparison data so as to determine data changes. Therefore, fine changes in measurement data for processing or equipment can be sensed in a manufacturing process, thereby enabling pre-estimation of potential quality variability of products and quick preemptive actions for preventing quality degradation.

A workpiece processing system (1) includes a transfer robot (3), a control device (4) controlling operation of the transfer robot (3), and an operating part (5) performing a teaching operation to the transfer robot (3). The control device (4) has an approach point setter (6) setting in advance an approach point as a reference point for the transfer robot (3) to start operation to a workpiece processing device, a first program generator (7) generating a first program defining the operation of the transfer robot (3) from an operational zero point for the transfer robot (3) to the approach point, a second program generator (8) generating a second program defining the operation of the transfer robot (3) after the approach point based on the teaching operation, and a robot controller (9) controlling the operation of the transfer robot (3) in accordance with the first program and the second program.

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.

The disclosure provides methods for calibrating processing machines for the production of 3D components by irradiation of powder layers, wherein the processing machine includes a scanner device for positioning a laser beam in a processing field in which a height-adjustable construction platform for the application of the powder layers by sweeping at least two, e.g., three markings, e.g., in the form of spherical retroreflectors, which are applied on the construction platform and/or on a preform , by the laser beam, detecting laser radiation reflected back from the markings into the scanner device , determining actual positions of the markings , determining deviations of the actual positions of the markings from setpoint positions of the markings, and calibrating the processing machine by correcting the positioning of the laser beam and/or the position of the construction platform using the determined deviations. The disclosure also relates to associated processing machines.

The method can include measuring the tridimensional positions of a reference feature for a first at least three different angular positions of the reference feature around the first rotation axis and a same first reference angular position around the second rotation axis, the reference feature being fixed relative to the component; and measuring the tridimensional positions of the reference feature for a second at least three different angular positions of the reference feature around the first rotation axis and a same second reference angular position around the second rotation axis.

A numerical control device according to the present disclosure includes: a read control unit which reads a plurality of blocks of a machining program in order; an internal processing section which performs internal processing in accordance with a block read by the read control unit; an operation control section which generates a command signal for a machine tool based on results of internal processing; an output block discrimination section which discriminates whether the block read by the read control unit is an output block including an output command, or an internal processing block not including the output command; a reference block discrimination section which discriminates whether the internal processing block is a reference block including a command to reference information which is inputted externally; and a standby processing section which in a case of the internal processing block being the reference block, causes the internal processing section to stop the internal processing in accordance with the reference block, until execution of control of the machine tool completes based on the output block which is written nearest prior to the reference block.

Disclosed are systems and methods to provide a method for calibrating a touchscreen coordinate system of a touchscreen with an industrial robot coordinate system of an industrial robot for industrial robot commissioning and industrial robot system and control system using the same. In one form the systems and methods include attaching an end effector to the industrial robot; (a) moving the industrial robot in a compliant way until a stylus of the end effector touches a point on the touchscreen; (b) recording a position of the stylus of the end effector in the industrial robot coordinate system when it touches the point of the touchscreen; (c) recording a position of the touch point on the touchscreen in the touchscreen coordinate system; and calculating a relation between the industrial robot coordinate system and the touchscreen coordinate system based on the at least three positions of the end effector stylus and the at least three positions of the touch points.