A machine integrated positioning system shows an operator where to place a raw part in the press brake or other machinery. Further, the operator is informed if the dimensions associated with the raw part are, or are not, correct to produce the planned finished part. The operator is visually shown how the raw part is to be oriented. The operator is informed if the raw part is right-side-up, along with other pre-final placement information. If these and other conditions are not met, the machine integrated positioning system may prevent the press brake and other machinery from cycling.

A positioning apparatus for positioning a tactile or optical roughness sensor, a probe or some other measuring instrument with respect to a workpiece can be secured to a movement device of a coordinate measuring machine. The positioning apparatus has a drive that produces a relative movement between two parts of the positioning apparatus, and an inhibiting device, which inhibits the relative movement between the two parts. For this purpose, the inhibiting device has a first friction element and a second friction element each having unlubricated friction surfaces. The friction surfaces are pressed against one another with a normal force that is not variable during the operation of the positioning apparatus. A coefficient of sliding friction that is less than 0.15 acts between the friction surfaces in the case of dryness and without lubrication. Typically, the inhibiting device is arranged in a flexspline of a strain wave gearing.

A method and a device for contactless assessment of the surface quality of a workpiece (W) according to the angle-resolved scattered light measuring technique comprises an optical sensor (10) which illuminates a measuring spot (14). The intensity of the radiation which is reflected back is detected by means of a line sensor (16), and an intensity characteristic value (Ig) is determined therefrom. A horizontal initial rotation angle () at which the intensity characteristic value is at a maximum is determined. In a measuring operating mode, surface characteristic values are calculated taking into account this initial rotational angle (). The measuring method is defined by extremely high lateral and vertical spatial resolution, extending into the subnanometer range, and by a high measuring speed.

A method generates a nesting plan for controlling a cutting process of a flatbed machine tool for cutting workpieces from a material sheet. The nesting plan includes an overlap-free arrangement of sub-spaces corresponding to the workpieces in a two-dimensional planning space as well as a spatial arrangement of predetermined supported spaces. After each new insertion of a sub-space during nesting, a packing density evaluation and at least one evaluation incorporating the position data of the respective initial position of the newly inserted sub-space in a local search space are performed.

A method of determining pull-out of a cutting tool mounted in a rotatable tool holder includes the steps of rotating the tool holder and thus the cutting tool, machining a work piece with the rotating cutting tool, measuring an axial position of the cutting tool in the tool holder during machining by a position sensor in the tool holder, calculating an axial displacement from an initial position of the cutting tool by the measured axial position, and determining pull-out of the cutting tool when the axial displacement exceeds a threshold value. A rotatable tool holder for a cutting tool, a machine tool system including a rotatable tool holder and use of the tool holder and machine tool system is also provided.

A motor-driven machine-tool unit such as a multi-axis turning head or a motor spindle, having a stator unit and at least one rotor unit that is rotatable about a rotation axis, wherein the rotor unit comprises at least one tool receptacle unit having a tool clamping device that is adjustable in a longitudinal direction of the rotation axis and impingeable with a clamping force, for fixing and bracing a releasably fixable tool, wherein comparatively high requirements are met, in particular, in terms of the accuracy of the machining and/or the reliability in the machining. According to the present invention, this is achieved above all in that at least two clamping force sensors are provided for detecting the bracing of the tool clamping device, in particular the clamping force that is caused in the fixing and bracing.

In a machine tool, when machining is in a steady zone, a rotation phase of a main spindle at the time of measurement in the N-th sampling is calculated, and the calculated rotation phase and the measurement value are recorded in a recording section so as to be associated with each other. The measurement and calculation of the rotation phase of the main spindle at the time of each measurement are continued for plural times of rotations of the main spindle, and thus the measurement values are obtained at various rotation phases, whereby change in drive force during one rotation of the main spindle is finally calculated.

A pallet conveying apparatus includes a first and a second guide rails separated in a vertical direction, an endless first circulation belt provided along the first and second guide rails, a first pallet feeding part configured to convey the pallet by rotating the first circulation belt engaged with the pallet, and a first pallet moving part provided at one end sides of the first and second guide rails, wherein the pallet is engaged with an upper side of the first circulation belt when moving along the first guide rail provided on a vertically upper side while being engaged with a lower side of the first circulation belt when moving along the second guide rail provided on a vertical lower side.

Provided is a method for evaluating tool installation when fastening a tool to a main shaft of a machine tool, wherein the method includes a storage step for storing a reference location of a draw bar at the time when the tool is contacting a mounting seat of the main shaft, in a state in which foreign matter has been removed from the surface of the mounting seat and from the contacting surface of the tool. The method for evaluating tool installation includes a measuring step for measuring a measurement location of the draw bar when the tool is installed on the main shaft, and a determination step for determining the installation state of the tool to be abnormal if a measurement-location error with respect to the reference location exceeds a predetermined determination range.

A clamp device is equipped with a clamp body, a piston rod, a link mechanism, a detection mechanism for detecting a state of rotary motion of a clamp arm, and a determination unit for determining whether a state of clamping exists. The detection mechanism includes a first proximity sensor, and a knuckle joint having a first sloped surface. The determination unit, on the basis of a comparison of an output signal from the first proximity sensor to a clamp threshold value, determines whether a state of clamping exists, and on the basis of a comparison to a clamping force generation threshold value, determines whether a state of generation of clamping force exists.