A wire electrical discharge machine acquires measured dimensions of a test workpiece that has been machined with a wire electrode inclined at a given angle with respect to a running direction in which the wire electrode runs; and calculates, based on the measured dimensions, first actual information indicating an actual holding position at which the wire electrode is actually held at a first die guide for guiding the wire electrode to a workpiece, and second actual information indicating an actual holding position at which the wire electrode is actually held at a second die guide for guiding the wire electrode sent from the workpiece, and, when necessary, the wire electrical discharge machine rewrites first information and second information stored in a storage unit to the calculated first actual information and second actual information.

A wire electrical discharge machine acquires measured dimensions of a test workpiece that has been machined with a wire electrode inclined at a given angle with respect to a running direction in which the wire electrode runs; and calculates, based on the measured dimensions, first actual information indicating an actual holding position at which the wire electrode is actually held at a first die guide for guiding the wire electrode to a workpiece, and second actual information indicating an actual holding position at which the wire electrode is actually held at a second die guide for guiding the wire electrode sent from the workpiece, and, when necessary, the wire electrical discharge machine rewrites first information and second information stored in a storage unit to the calculated first actual information and second actual information.

The invention discloses an orientation apparatus for drilling machinery comprising an orientation device provided with a casing with fastening means for coupling the orientation device to the drilling machinery, and detection means in data communication with electronic means provided in the casing configured to determine the relative orientation of the orientation device with respect to true north, and an interface device in data communication with the orientation device and configured to display directional information of said orientation device which enables the axial alignment of the drilling machine with respect to the axial axis of a hole to be drilled. The invention also discloses a method for orienting drilling machinery in the oriented drilling of a well hole

One embodiment of the present invention can be characterized as a method for controlling a multi-axis machine tool that includes obtaining a preliminary rotary actuator command (wherein the rotary actuator command has frequency content exceeding a bandwidth of a rotary actuator), generating a processed rotary actuator command based, at least in part, on the preliminary rotary actuator command, the processed rotary actuator command having frequency content within a bandwidth of the rotary actuator and generating a first linear actuator command and a second linear actuator command based, at least in part, on the processed rotary actuator command. The processed rotary actuator command can be output to the rotary actuator, the first linear actuator command can be output to a first linear actuator and the second linear actuator command can be output to a second linear actuator.

One embodiment of the present invention can be characterized as a method for controlling a multi-axis machine tool that includes obtaining a preliminary rotary actuator command (wherein the rotary actuator command has frequency content exceeding a bandwidth of a rotary actuator), generating a processed rotary actuator command based, at least in part, on the preliminary rotary actuator command, the processed rotary actuator command having frequency content within a bandwidth of the rotary actuator and generating a first linear actuator command and a second linear actuator command based, at least in part, on the processed rotary actuator command. The processed rotary actuator command can be output to the rotary actuator, the first linear actuator command can be output to a first linear actuator and the second linear actuator command can be output to a second linear actuator.

When measuring the position of a workpiece fixed to a table of a machine tool: rotary feed axes of the machine tool are pivoted such that an upper surface of the table faces in the direction of a line of sight of a camera, and an image of the workpiece is captured; the rotary feed axes are pivoted such that a side surface of the table faces in the direction of the line of sight of an image capturing device, and an image of the workpiece is captured; and the position of the workpiece is measured on the machine tool on the basis of the captured images.

A control device for a machine tool to efficiently and successively produce a plurality of different-shaped products is provided. In the control device, each driving shaft of modules is assigned to different control systems. The device includes a multi-system program storage part for storing a plurality of multi-system programs to machine a workpiece in different shapes, a multi-system program dividing part for dividing the multi-system programs into machining programs, a divided program storage part for storing the divided machining programs individually, a system-based program storage part for storing the machining programs each corresponding to each of the control systems, and a machining program selection part for selecting a predetermined machining program from the divided program storage part in accordance with the machining step to be performed and for alternately storing the selected machining programs in two program storage parts of the system-based program storage part for the respective control systems.

A control device for a machine tool to efficiently and successively produce a plurality of different-shaped products is provided. In the control device, each driving shaft of modules is assigned to different control systems. The device includes a multi-system program storage part for storing a plurality of multi-system programs to machine a workpiece in different shapes, a multi-system program dividing part for dividing the multi-system programs into machining programs, a divided program storage part for storing the divided machining programs individually, a system-based program storage part for storing the machining programs each corresponding to each of the control systems, and a machining program selection part for selecting a predetermined machining program from the divided program storage part in accordance with the machining step to be performed and for alternately storing the selected machining programs in two program storage parts of the system-based program storage part for the respective control systems.

One embodiment of the present invention can be characterized as a method for controlling a multi-axis machine tool that includes obtaining a preliminary rotary actuator command (wherein the rotary actuator command has frequency content exceeding a bandwidth of a rotary actuator), generating a processed rotary actuator command based, at least in part, on the preliminary rotary actuator command, the processed rotary actuator command having frequency content within a bandwidth of the rotary actuator and generating a first linear actuator command and a second linear actuator command based, at least in part, on the processed rotary actuator command. The processed rotary actuator command can be output to the rotary actuator, the first linear actuator command can be output to a first linear actuator and the second linear actuator command can be output to a second linear actuator.

One embodiment of the present invention can be characterized as a method for controlling a multi-axis machine tool that includes obtaining a preliminary rotary actuator command (wherein the rotary actuator command has frequency content exceeding a bandwidth of a rotary actuator), generating a processed rotary actuator command based, at least in part, on the preliminary rotary actuator command, the processed rotary actuator command having frequency content within a bandwidth of the rotary actuator and generating a first linear actuator command and a second linear actuator command based, at least in part, on the processed rotary actuator command. The processed rotary actuator command can be output to the rotary actuator, the first linear actuator command can be output to a first linear actuator and the second linear actuator command can be output to a second linear actuator.