A cutting apparatus includes a rotatable holding table having a rectangular holding surface, a cutting unit having a cutting blade mounted to a rotatable spindle, and a sensor unit detecting a tip of the cutting blade entering between a light projection section and a light reception section. The sensor unit has an upper end located to be lower than a lower end of the holding table in a Z direction and is located below the axis of the spindle or an extension region of the axis, and when short sides of the rectangular holding surface are set parallel to a Y direction, an upper side of the sensor unit is opened to allow the cutting blade to enter between the light projection section and the light reception section.

A monocular vision six-dimensional measurement method for high-dynamic large-range arbitrary contouring error of a CNC machine tool of the present invention belongs to the field of dynamic error detection of machine tools, and relates to a six-dimensional measurement method for high-dynamic large-range arbitrary contouring error of a CNC machine tool using a monocular vision measurement technology with short-time stroboscopic illumination and a priori standard plate. The method designs a measurement fixture and a measurement system, and uses a monocular vision pose algorithm to improve both the visual measurable dimension and range of interpolated contour in combination with priori knowledge. In light of the principle of error distribution, a small field of view is used to enhance the measurement accuracy of the coded primitives in the images. Then, by traversing all the acquired images using the proposed method, we can obtain the six-dimensional motion contour; and the six-dimensional contouring error caused by the imperfect machine interpolation can be computed by comparing the measured contour with the nominal one. The method enhances the measurable dimension of the vision technology through the monocular vision pose algorithm in combination with a datum transformation method, and realizes the six-dimensional measurement of large-range arbitrary contouring error of the CNC machine tool under the small field of view.

An apparatus and method for supporting and severing an object of interest is described and which includes a frame for positioning an object of interest which is to be severed; a cutting device which is selectively mounted in spaced relation relative to the frame; a multiplicity of orientation units mounted on the frame and which are adjustable, as to length, to maintain the object of interest in a predetermined orientation while being severed; and a controller operably coupled to each of the cutting device, and orientation units, so as to effect an optimal severing of the object of interest while maintaining the object of interest in a given planar orientation on the frame.

A projection system includes a projection device that projects drawings individually onto a plurality of work spots in a work site. The projection device includes a driver that changes an orientation of the projection device. When drawings are individually projected onto a first work spot and a second work spot in a stated sequence, and the second work spot is outside a projection angle that is projectable by the projection device, the driver changes the orientation of the projection device to include the second work spot within the projection angle after work at the first work spot is finished. The first work spot and the second work spot are included in the plurality of work spots.

A method produces a component, particularly a body component for a vehicle, or a component composite consisting of several components. The steps include forming a metal plate in a forming tool, particularly in a deep-drawing die, producing a reference marking at a predefined location of the metal plate, rough positioning of the formed metal plate by a positioning device such that the reference marking is situated in a predefined space area, identifying the reference marking of a position recognition device, such as a camera system, the position recognition device generating position data corresponding to the position of the reference marking, positioning of a first fixing element at the location of the reference marking based on the position data by an electronically controlled positioning device, and connecting the first fixing element with the formed metal plate, particularly by welding.

In a self-detecting apparatus for workpiece-origin, a mobile machine tool having the self-detecting apparatus, a method for self-detecting the workpiece-origin, the self-detecting apparatus is equipped to the mobile machine tool and includes a vision sensor and a transmitting unit. The vision sensor obtains a point image marked to the workpiece, and detects a position of a workpiece-origin based on coincidence of focuses of the points. The transmitting unit provides an information obtained by the vision sensor to the mobile machine tool. The mobile machine tool is moved to the workpiece-origin, so as to coincide the focuses of the points, based on the provided point image obtained by the vision sensor.

A servo tuning device adapted to a multi-axis machine tool at least having two linear axes and a rotation axis used for a moving base and a working platform to move relatively along the two linear axes and the rotation axis. The servo tuning device includes a reflection component, a photoelectric sensor and a processor. The reflection component is configured to be disposed on one of the moving base and the working platform and has a reflection surface. The photoelectric sensor has a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element facing the reflection surface. The photoelectric sensor is configured to be disposed on the other one of the moving base and the working platform. The processor records information of relative movement between the photoelectric sensor and the reflection surface for calculating a loop gain value used for tuning a servo setting of the two linear axes or the rotation axis.

A cutting apparatus includes a rotatable holding table having a rectangular holding surface, a cutting unit having a cutting blade mounted to a rotatable spindle, and a sensor unit detecting a tip of the cutting blade entering between a light projection section and a light reception section. The sensor unit has an upper end located to be lower than a lower end of the holding table in a Z direction and is located below the axis of the spindle or an extension region of the axis, and when short sides of the rectangular holding surface are set parallel to a Y direction, an upper side of the sensor unit is opened to allow the cutting blade to enter between the light projection section and the light reception section.

A water jet material cutting system includes a table configured to receive work piece. The cutting system further includes a bevel head for cutting the work piece. A positioning apparatus controls the relative position and orientation of the bevel head with respect to the work piece. A controller is configured to control the positioning apparatus. A height sensor attached to the positioning apparatus determines a standoff height of the bevel head relative to the work piece.

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.