A production system for automated assembly of vehicle components, in particular for automated assembly of structural components of an aircraft or spacecraft. The production system includes vehicle components with status sensors that can determine status data of the respective vehicle component, positioner units to grip the respectively associated vehicle component at mounting points and move the respectively associated vehicle component into an assembly position, a position-measurement system to determine the assembly position of each vehicle component, force sensors to determine at least one of reaction forces and moments of each gripped vehicle component at the mounting points in the assembly position, and a computer-based control system in data communication with the vehicle components, the positioner units, the position-measurement system and the force sensors, and configured to control the positioner units based on determined status data, the determined assembly positions and the determined reaction forces and moments of the vehicle components.

A production line includes a plurality of cells provided along the production line so that components are transferred through the plurality of cells to produce products. The plurality of cells includes at least one first cell including an automatic work machine configured to perform work on the components, and at least one second cell provided next to the at least one first cell and constructed such that the components are capable of being repaired or ejected from the production line at the at least one second cell.

A radiating structure assembly system includes a movable conveyor that supports fixtures. Work stations are spaced about the conveyor such that the fixtures are moved sequentially to position the fixtures at the plurality of work stations. A first work station includes a loading assembly for loading the radiating elements on the fixtures. A second work station includes a first automated vertical assembly machine for mounting a first printed circuit board to the radiating element. A third work station includes a second automated vertical assembly machine for mounting a second printed circuit board to the radiating element to create a dipole assembly. A holding device is movable with the conveyor aligns and supports the first and second printed circuit boards relative to the radiating element. A fourth work station includes an unloading assembly for removing the dipole assembly from the conveyor.

In a system for automatically manufacturing a pipe spool, when information on a pipe spool is input to a control unit, manufacturing of a spool pipe by cutting an original pipe, processing of a spool pipe, processing of a connection member, manufacturing of a straight pipe spool by welding a spool pipe to a connection member, and manufacturing a three-dimensional spool by welding a straight pipe spool to the other straight pipe spool or a connection member may be automatically performed by a sensor, an automatic device or a robot included in each process and the control unit connected to each of the devices.

In a component-mounted-board production line in which an automatic exchanging device moves along a row of multiple component mounters, each component mounter is provided with a power supplying section that supplies power wirelessly. The automatic exchanging device is provided with a power receiving section that receives electric power supplied wirelessly from the power supplying section of the component mounter that the automatic exchanging device is facing, a monitoring section that monitors whether a person or object has entered a monitoring area around the automatic exchanging device, and a safety circuit section that turns off the power supply to a motor that is the driving source of the automatic exchanging device but continues supplying power to the monitoring section and the like when the monitoring section detects that a person or object has entered the monitoring area.

A system and method for forming a foundation truss for a box spring or mattress foundation frame includes a first truss rail assembly station having a series of block feeders, a top rail hopper and a filler strip hopper that received stacks of truss components such as blocks, top rails and filler strips and feed such truss components into stacked registration. The stacked truss components are moved into engagement with a series of staplers that secure the filler strips, top rails and blocks together to form first truss rail portions, which are then fed to a second truss rail assembly station where a bottom rail is automatically applied thereto.

A carriage on which a workpiece is supplied and which is transported by a transport path has a reference member that is a reference for positioning of the workpiece. The carriage also has a fixing unit, whose motion is controlled by a control unit provided outside the carriage, that fixes the workpiece. The workpiece, which has been positioned in a first direction on the carriage and has not yet been fixed by the fixing unit, is pressed in a second direction against the reference member by a positioning unit, in which the second direction intersects with the first direction, and the workpiece is positioned on the carriage in the second direction.

A system for manufacturing a part is provided. The system includes a gantry, a first mobile arm and a second mobile arm, at least one conveyor and at least one sensor. The gantry has a first member and a second member disposed opposite the first member so as to define an opening. The first and the second mobile arms are disposed on the first and the second members, respectively. The at least one conveyor is operative to move the part through the opening so as to position the part within access of the first and the second mobile arms. The at least one sensor is operative to guide the first and the second mobile arms to one or more areas of the part. The first and the second mobile arms are operative to perform a manufacturing process on the part at the one or more areas.

A fastening system for fastening a fastener to a workpiece, includes a movable carriage on which the workpiece is placed, a coordinate detection unit configured to detect a position of the fastener temporarily tightened onto the workpiece as coordinates in a coordinate system of the movable carriage, a storage device configured to store the coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit, and a retightening device configured to determine a position of the fastener based on the coordinates stored in the storage device and retighten the fastener that is at the determined position.

A method of assembling a manufactured item without a guide rail and an assembly system are provided. The method includes disposing a base item on an unmanned independent vehicle system, moving the unmanned independent vehicle system to an assembly station, and attaching an additional item to the base item. The assembly system includes a number of unmanned independent vehicle systems, each unmanned independent vehicle system having at least one wheel. Each unmanned independent vehicle system is configured to be loaded with a base item. A number of assembly stations are provided, each being configured to complete at least one assembly operation. Each unmanned independent vehicle system is configured to independently move to multiple of the assembly stations to have a different assembly operation performed at each assembly station, resulting in additional items being attached to each base item to form each manufactured item.