An apparatus for supporting a workpiece has a frame and a supporting field consisting of end faces of a plurality of supporting pins which are guided parallel to one another in their main extension directions in the frame and which can each be pushed in against a restoring force with respect to the frame. Further, the apparatus has a detection device including a light barrier in order to detect relative positions of at least some of the supporting pins with respect to the frame. A light source and a light sensor of the light barrier are facing one another across the main extension directions of the supporting pins. The light source is divided into a plurality of sub-sources along one side of the supporting field, and the light sensor is divided into a plurality of sub-sensors along another side situated opposite the aforementioned side of the supporting field.

The workpiece support apparatus has: a case member that has an axial center and that is provided to a workpiece support part; a support member that is provided to the case member so as to be movable in the axial center direction and that has one end part projecting outwardly from the case member and supporting the workpiece so as to serve as a projection end part; a suction pad suctions the workpiece; an adjustment device that is provided between the support member and the case member in order to adjust contact pressure of the support member; an air intake path that sets the inside of the suction pad and that provides connection between a sucking port and an air intake port provided to suction and fix the projection end part to the workpiece; and a fixing device that fixes the support member to the case member.

A workpiece support system includes: a plurality of rods that are extendable and retractable in an axial direction; a holder rotatably placed in an upper end portion of each of the rods, to hold a workpiece; a first lock part that keeps an extended/retracted position of the rod in the axial direction; and a position adjustment device including a hand portion configured to hold the rod or the holder, to perform position control of the hand portion. The position adjustment device moves the hand portion, to extend and retract the rod, based on shape data of the workpiece that is recorded in advance, in a state where the rod or the holder is held by the hand portion, and the first lock part keeps the extended/retracted position of the rod extended and retracted by the position adjustment device.

An adjustable workpiece support system includes an adjustable support apparatus, an analysis support point module, a coordinate post-processing module and a control module. The adjustable support apparatus has a group of support devices for supporting a supported workpiece, the each support device being adjustable in height and angle. The analysis support point module is used to import a computer-aided design file of the supported workpiece, and analyze the computer-aided design file to obtain a group of support points of the supported workpiece. The coordinate post-processing module is configured to calculate the support coordinates of the each support device corresponding to the group of support points. The control module is configured to receive the support coordinates of the each support device, and adjust the height and angle of the each support device to support the supported workpiece, so that the amount of deformation of the supported workpiece is the minimum.

A system for supporting workpieces comprises a base and a plurality of support members (1), each support member (1) comprising a plate (11) and means for positioning the plate (11) in relation to the base. In at least some of the support members (1). The means for positioning the plate (11) comprise at least three controllably extendable members (13) arranged for determining the position and inclination of the plate (11) in relation to the base, thereby allowing for controlled positioning of the plate (11) in relation to the base and for controlled inclination of the plate (11).

The machining station can include a table; at least three robots each having a multi-axis mover secured to the table, and a gripper opposite the table, the robots being interspaced from one another on the table; and a controller. The controller controls the robots to hold a workpiece in a coordinated manner. The computer numerical command (CNC) machine-tool system machines the workpiece while the workpiece is held by the robots. The workpiece can be moved into and out from the machining station with a trolley which slidingly engages a trolley path formed within the table.

The low profile of the flexible tooling system disclosed allows for flexible tooling to be added to nearly all CNC machines with an accommodating z-axis height and allows easier relocation of the system from one CNC machine to another. The system includes one or more pods, each of the pods of the system replacing the function of four independent actuators of earlier systems but operating with a shared mechanical frame. Arranging the mechanism into groups of four allows for greater density of part support spacing, minimizes cable requirements, and allows for air, vacuum, and vacuum sensor requirements be localized on each pod. The pods allow for part supports to be spaced as close as 6″ in the x and y axis. An increased variable position assembly density allows for greater flexibility to hold complicated parts.

An adjustable workpiece support system includes an adjustable support apparatus, an analysis support point module, a coordinate post-processing module and a control module. The adjustable support apparatus has a group of support devices for supporting a supported workpiece, the each support device being adjustable in height and angle. The analysis support point module is used to import a computer-aided design file of the supported workpiece, and analyze the computer-aided design file to obtain a group of support points of the supported workpiece. The coordinate post-processing module is configured to calculate the support coordinates of the each support device corresponding to the group of support points. The control module is configured to receive the support coordinates of the each support device, and adjust the height and angle of the each support device to support the supported workpiece, so that the amount of deformation of the supported workpiece is the minimum.

The low profile of the flexible tooling system disclosed allows for flexible tooling to be added to nearly all CNC machines with an accommodating z-axis height and allows easier relocation of the system from one CNC machine to another. The system includes one or more pods, each of the pods of the system replacing the function of four independent actuators of earlier systems but operating with a shared mechanical frame. Arranging the mechanism into groups of four allows for greater density of part support spacing, minimizes cable requirements, and allows for air, vacuum, and vacuum sensor requirements be localized on each pod. The pods allow for part supports to be spaced as close as 6″ in the x and y axis. An increased variable position assembly density allows for greater flexibility to hold complicated parts.

A vehicle body part rack, being used for placing a vehicle body part during assembly or post-treatment of the vehicle body part. The rack includes a base plate and vehicle body part supports arranged on the base plate. Each support has a head, and a supporting rod connected to the head and the base plate. The supporting rod is movable with respect to the base plate and the rack has lateral supports which are able to hold the vehicle body part and to rotate it.