The invention relates to a gripping device comprising carriages or pivot arms, which carry gripping elements, wherein the carriages or pivot arms are mounted and guided in a base bodybetween an opening and a closing positionand are drivable by means of at least one cylinder-piston unit. According to the invention, a switching module is mounted on the base body. The switching module comprises at least one pressure medium connection and at least one electrical connection, the electrical connection comprising both load and control lines. At least one electrically controllable valve, which is switching a pressure means, and at least one electronic controller for implementing external and internal control signals are arranged in the control module, wherein the internal control signals originate from at least one sensor which detects at least one physical characteristic variable of the carriage(s) and/or the cylinder-piston unit at least in or on the base body. The present invention relates to a gripping device that can be adapted to at least one machine control system with a minimum interconnection and programming effort.

A conveyance apparatus includes two clamp mechanisms. Each of the clamp mechanisms is configured to freely change its state among a fully clamping state, a semi-clamping state, and a non-clamping state. When an object is delivered from a first clamp mechanism that is holding the object to a second clamp mechanism, the second clamp mechanism is brought into the semi-clamping state to temporarily hold the object. Then, the first clamp mechanism is brought into the non-clamping state and the second clamp mechanism is brought into the fully clamping state.

An automation component or clamping device includes a basic housing, at least one jaw movably guided in a jaw guide of the basic housing, and a piston movably guided in the basic housing, wherein the piston has a piston surface, wherein the piston is coupled in terms of movement to the jaw, and wherein a piston rod extending on the piston transversely with respect to the piston surface, wherein the centroid of the piston surface is spaced apart from the central longitudinal axis of the piston rod.

The invention relates to a loading system (LS) for an optical machine, that has a carrier (TR), which can be moved in a movement plane (x-y) by way of two linear guide units (LF1, LF2). At least one holder (H1, H2, H3) for a workpiece, block piece and/or tool is mounted on the carrier, which holder can be moved in a transverse direction (z), which is perpendicular to the movement plane. The linear guide units are designed and arranged in the manner of an H gantry or cross gantry, with two stationary drive motors (AM1, AM2) for driving a tension element (ZG) in the same direction or in opposite directions, which tension element is movably arranged on the linear guide units in an H shape or cross shape and is fastened to the carrier.

A dental milling machine has idle receptacles arranged in a storage chamber for storing a plurality of blanks. The blanks each are placed without frame as a frameless blank in the idle receptacles. A transfer device with a transport arm is arranged in the storage chamber. A work chamber adjoins the storage chamber. A transfer opening is arranged between work chamber and storage chamber. The transport arm grips a frameless blank stored in the storage chamber and moves it through the transfer opening into the work chamber. A workpiece holder arranged in the work chamber receives the frameless blank from the transport arm. The workpiece holder grips the frameless blank by a receiving rim of the frameless blank. The workpiece holder, for milling the frameless blank in the work chamber by a milling tool, holds by a clamping action the frameless blank at the receiving rim.

A muntin bar fabrication system can be used to efficiency produce a wide variety of different types of muntin bars, allowing the fabrication of both standard and custom muntin bar assemblies for doors, windows, and other fenestration products. In some examples, the fabrication system includes a muntin bar stock storage assembly that holds multiple different types of muntin bar stock. The system also includes a muntin bar stock extraction device that extracts one of the different types of muntin bar stock from the storage assembly and conveys the extracted muntin bar stock to a feed device. The feed device feeds the extracted piece of muntin bar stock into a cutting system that includes a multi-axis cutter. The cutting system that performs one or more cutting operations on the extracted muntin bar stock so as to fabricate one or more individual muntin bars from the extracted muntin bar stock.

A machining system includes a robot arm for changing a workpiece or inspecting a machined workpiece, and a probe that is attached to a distal end portion of the robot arm via a force sensor, where the robot arm is controlled such that the probe is arranged at a predetermined measurement position in contact with a side surface of a tool holder, where detection values of the force sensor are obtained over a predetermined period of time in a state where a main spindle is performing rotation operation, where an attached state of the tool holder is determined based on the detection values obtained over the predetermined period of time.

A muntin bar fabrication system can be used to efficiency produce a wide variety of different types of muntin bars, allowing the fabrication of both standard and custom muntin bar assemblies for doors, windows, and other fenestration products. In some examples, the fabrication system includes a muntin bar stock storage assembly that holds multiple different types of muntin bar stock. The system also includes a muntin bar stock extraction device that extracts one of the different types of muntin bar stock from the storage assembly and conveys the extracted muntin bar stock to a feed device. The feed device feeds the extracted piece of muntin bar stock into a cutting system that includes a multi-axis cutter. The cutting system that performs one or more cutting operations on the extracted muntin bar stock so as to fabricate one or more individual muntin bars from the extracted muntin bar stock.

A workpiece conveying apparatus for a pressing machine includes: a first arm supported so as to be rotatable within a substantially horizontal plane; a second arm supported on the first arm so as to be rotatable within the substantially horizontal plane; a workpiece holding device supported on a distal end side of the second arm so as to be rotatable within the substantially horizontal plane; a first arm drive mechanism configured to drive the first arm to rotate; a second arm drive mechanism configured to drive the second arm to rotate with respect to the first arm; a workpiece holding device rotation drive mechanism configured to drive the workpiece holding device to rotate with respect to the second arm; and a tilt drive mechanism configured to drive the workpiece holding device to rotate with respect to the second arm.

The invention relates to a method for loading and unloading an internally toothed workpiece or a workpiece that is to be provided with internal toothing into/out of a clamping position, in which the workpiece, which is held by a retaining device, is brought into the clamping position by means of a conveying movement so that said workpiece, when clamped, has internal toothing cut by a gear cutting tool that occupies a cutting chamber and, after cutting, said workpiece, which is held by the retaining device, is returned from the clamping position in a return movement, wherein, prior to cutting, the retaining device is permitted to carry out an evasive movement that is different from the return movement/reverse conveying movement and that frees the cutting chamber, or the cutting chamber is already kept free of the retaining device as soon as the clamping position is reached.