A gripping machine for an article includes a machine frame, first and second drive means associated with the machine frame, a support platform of the article, movable with respect to the machine frame by the first drive means along a direction of displacement, and holding members, arranged about the direction of displacement to delimit therebetween a gripping plane or space of the article, at least one holding member being movable radially by the second drive means between a holding configuration and a release configuration of the article, and vice versa. Electronic control means control the first drive means so that the support platform is located at one or more predefined axial positions and the second drive means so that, in the holding configuration, at least one holding member is moved continuously towards the article to actively clamp the article.

There is proposed a method for examining the clamping state of a tool holder or tool which is clamped in a tool clamping device of a rotor unit of a motor-driven machine tool unit, with the spacing of the sensor head from a component of the rotor unit being measured, with a recording of at least one time and/or position-related sequence of the spacing values measured with the sensor head, wherein for improved integration of the method the recording of a first and a second time and/or position-related sequence is carried out during an acceleration of the rotation of the rotor unit with respect to the stator unit, in particular when the rotor unit is started up, wherein the time and/or position-related information of the sequence vectors of the first and/or second sequence is scaled using the respective associated current speed (v.sub.0).

A system and apparatus is disclosed for controlling a restraining force applied to a panel. The apparatus includes a die, a binder supporting the panel against the die, and a punch used to draw the panel into the die. A restraining element is disposed on one of the die and the binder that engages a surface of the panel and applies a restraining force onto the panel. A strain gauge is disposed inside at least one of the die and the binder that engages a surface of the panel to measure the restraining force applied to the panel. The level of restraining force applied by the restraining element onto the panel is controlled based upon the restraining force measured by the strain gauge.

A plurality of detection valves (12 and 13) are provided to a housing (1), and at least one air passage (14 and 15), which communicatively connects the detection valves (12 and 13) to each other in series, are provided to the housing (1). One or some of the detection valves (12 and 13) are each configured as a throttle detection valve (13) including a throttle passage (56a).

A spindle nose for a machine tool spindle. The spindle nose has a longitudinal axis and a receiving end at which a conical receiving area opens. The receiving area tapers conically away from the receiving end in the direction of the longitudinal axis for receiving a tool shaft cone. A circumferential wall surrounds the receiving area and forms a circumferential contact edge. The contact edge has flat contact surfaces on which contact surfaces of the tool shaft cone rest when the tool is clamped in the tool spindle. The spindle nose defines blind receiving bores leading perpendicularly to the flat contact surfaces and which end below the flat contact surfaces. The contact edge is divided into at least four segments with the same angle. At least one receiving bore is formed in each of the segments. A sensor is arranged in each receiving bore.

System for measuring misalignment of a tool (2) in a press device (1), the tool (2) comprises at least a first part (3) and a second part (4), which are movable relative to another in a guided manner by means of guide means comprising at least a guide pillar (10) provided in the first part (3) which is led in a guide bush (12) provided in the second part (4), wherein the system comprises measuring means (20) provided to detect misalignment of the tool (2). According to the invention, the measuring means (20) are mounted directly at the guide means.

An air rest button system comprising a body element and a plunger element configured to accept a rest button. The plunger element generally is configured to be inserted into a base in the top of the body element. The plunger element in turn has a bore or hole therein configured to receiving an air rest button, which may be substituted for other air rest buttons, facilitating the modularity of the present system.

A machine tool includes: a tool holder which includes a key groove; a spindle drive unit which includes a spindle key that can be fitted into the key groove of the tool holder and a spindle and which removably holds the tool holder; a tool exchanger which includes a grip key and a grip that holds the tool holder at a fixed position with respect to the spindle; and a numerical controller which controls the tool exchanger so as to fit and remove the tool holder with respect to the spindle, and the numerical controller controls the spindle drive unit such that when the tool holder is fitted to the spindle, in a state where the key groove of the tool holder is inserted in the spindle key, the spindle is rotated to press the spindle key to the key groove so as to determine the phase of the tool holder with respect to the spindle.

A method of monitoring a tool clamping device mounted on a machine spindle, the clamping force of which tool clamping device is generated by a spring assembly which exerts a force in the direction of the clamping position on an actuating element actuating the clamping or the release of a tool or tool holder. In the method, the spring force and the displacement of the actuating element are continuously measured during the release and/or clamping of a tool or tool holder and recorded as functions of the time. These recorded functions are used to identify at least one parameter characteristic for the status of the tool clamping device. Based on the spring force and the displacement over time, a spring characteristic curve is plotted in the form of the spring force as a function of displacement, the analysis of which spring characteristic curve provides information about a number of characteristic parameters.

A tool-mounting-state estimation system includes: a measuring tool including a body section having a tapered external surface common with a tapered external surface of a tool and a vibrating source that is mounted on the body section and that generates vibration; a sensor that is provided on a spindle for drawing the measuring tool thereinto so that the tapered external surface of the measuring tool comes into close contact with a tapered internal surface of the spindle and that detects the vibration generated by the vibrating source when the vibration propagates towards the spindle via the tapered external surface and the tapered internal surface; and an estimation unit for estimating a mounting state of the tool on the basis of the vibration detected by sensor.