A method of manufacturing a chain (1), such as a cutting chain for a chain saw, includes providing or pre-assembling a plurality of chain sub-units (10). At least a sufficient property and/or a sufficient functionality of each chain sub-unit (10) are tested. A head-to-tail coupling is combined with the plurality of chain sub-units (10) provided with the sufficient property and/or sufficient functionality of the testing step to make a chain (1) of a predefined length.

A riveting apparatus for application and riveting a rivet to a component of an article being processed in a work region of the riveting apparatus is provided. The riveting apparatus includes a rivet insertion device for insertion of the rivet into the component and a riveting device for the riveting of the rivet.

A manufacturing apparatus that includes a conveyance device that moves a stage, where an electronic device shaped by multiple layers is placed, in X-axis and Y-axis directions. A first shaping unit, a second shaping unit, and a component mounting unit are arranged within a range in which the stage can move. The manufacturing apparatus performs additive manufacturing of the electronic device on the stage by performing a sequential movement of the stage to respective working positions of different units. As a result, in this manufacturing apparatus, a workpiece on the stage does not have to be removed and repositioned during each work process such as shaping by a first shaping unit, shaping by a second shaping unit, and electronic component mounting by a component mounting unit.

The disclosure relates to a system having a handling device which is a rail-bound vehicle having a travel unit movable in a longitudinal direction of the system or a handling device fixed at a location with a travel unit movable about its own axis, a lifting unit of a stacker crane movable in a vertical direction, and a load receiving unit which can be movable and/or rotatable in a transverse direction, wherein the load receiving unit has an interface for fastening a lifting tool that is configured such that the lifting tool or a part of the lifting tool can be automatically changed or removed, with the handling device having a releasable latching device in whose closed state the lifting tool or its changeable part is secured against loss.

The invention relates to a device, system and method of automated manufacture comprising: delivering a workpiece with a delivery device; receiving the workpiece with a receiving device, the delivering of the workpiece and the receiving of the workpiece being electronically synchronized; processing the workpiece with a processing tool while the workpiece is on the receiving device; transferring the workpiece to a completion device, the ejection of the workpiece and the transferring of the workpiece being electronically synchronized. In particular the workpiece may comprise: a platform with mounts supporting a first component in a selected orientation; and a locating surface, the method comprising: engaging and disengaging the locating surface of the workpiece with releasable connectors on the delivery device, on the receiving device and on the completion device.

Disclosed herein is a tooling plate for conveying a plurality of work parts to be assembled on an assembly line, the tooling plate including a platform, a supporting element fixed on and protruding from a surface of the platform, and one or more interfacing elements configured to be attached in a removable way to the supporting element, and configured to support at least a portion of a work part from the plurality of work parts when the one or more interfacing elements is attached to the supporting element. A shape of the interfacing element matches a portion of a shape of the portion of the work part, so that the tooling plate can be configured to convey, successively, different sets of work parts by only changing interfacing elements on the supporting element, from one set to another set, without changing the platform.

Disclosed herein is a platform for conveying a plurality of work parts in a sequence of manufacturing stations, the platform being mobile and including an inclined surface, and a set of two elements, one element of the set extending along a first plane and another element of the set extending along a second plane, an intersection of the first plane with the inclined surface defining a first direction, an intersection of the second plane with the inclined surface defining a second direction, the first direction and the second direction delimiting an angular sector, so that a work part placed on the inclined surface within the angular sector is driven by its weight downwards with respect to a slope of the inclined plane towards an intersection of the first direction and the second direction.

A nozzle station installation device capable of installing multiple nozzle stations, which hold multiple suction nozzles that are used in an electronic component mounting machine, in a nozzle cleaning device or the like, is provided. The nozzle station installation device is provided with multiple reference bases, and intermediate bases that are provided to be attachable and detachable on each of the multiple reference bases and on which multiple nozzle stations are capable of being placed, positioning sections which position intermediate bases are provided at a common position on the multiple reference bases, a positioning and fixing device that positions and fixes each of the multiple nozzle stations to be attachable and detachable is provided on each of the multiple intermediate bases, and 2D codes are disposed in a fixed positional relationship with the positioning sections in each of the multiple nozzle stations.

A reconfigurable autonomous workstation includes a multi-faced superstructure including a horizontally-arranged frame section supported on a plurality of posts. The posts form a plurality of vertical faces arranged between adjacent pairs of the posts, the faces including first and second faces and a power distribution and position reference face. A controllable robotic arm suspends from the rectangular frame section, and a work table fixedly couples to the power distribution and position reference face. A plurality of conveyor tables are fixedly coupled to the work table including a first conveyor table through the first face and a second conveyor table through the second face. A vision system monitors the work table and each of the conveyor tables. A programmable controller monitors signal inputs from the vision system to identify and determine orientation of the component on the first conveyor table and control the robotic arm to execute an assembly task.

A production line includes at least one electronically controlled assembling station in which a chain conveyor device moves a plurality of part transporting pallets to be assembled in continuous movement along the production line. In one example, each assembling station includes an implement dedicated to the assembly station and freely movable in the assembly station along the transport direction of the pallets for use by an operator to execute manual assembling operations on the parts transported by each pallet. In one example, the production line assembling station further includes a plurality of automated drawers containing components for use in the manual assembly operations and a human machine interface accessible by the operator. In one example, the chain conveyor chain includes front and rear hook units to engage the pallet for movement along the production line. The rear hook unit moves from a pallet engaged position to an optical beam interception position when the pallet is confronted with an obstacle preventing movement of the pallet along with the chain. When the rear hook unit is positioned in the optical beam interception position, an electronic control system generates a command signal which stops the conveyor device.