A gripper truck assembly for moving a workpiece with respect to a machining station includes a gripper truck; a gripper arm extending from a proximal end connected to the gripper truck to an opposite distal end; a gripper including at least one jaw moveable between a closed position for gripping the workpiece and an open position for releasing the workpiece, wherein the gripper is connected to the distal end of the gripper arm by a joint configured to permit a rotation of the gripper; a hydraulic gripper actuator accommodated in the gripper arm and operatively connected to the gripper for actuating the at least one jaw of the gripper between the open position and the closed position; a gripper rotation actuator for actuating the rotation of the gripper with respect to the gripper arm about the gripper rotation axis.

The invention relates to a bending device (2) for bending a rod-like or tubular workpiece (4), comprising a bending machine (6), which has a bending head (8), which is designed for bending the workpiece (4) in a forming process, and a control means (24), which controls the operation of the bending machine (6), a robot (10), which comprises a multi-joint arm (11) which can be adjusted by motors, having a gripper end (12), which is designed for gripping and holding the workpiece (4), and a control unit (22), which is designed to control the operation of the robot (10), wherein the control means (24) is designed to control the bending machine (6) and the robot (10) during the bending process. The control unit (22) of the robot (10) is switched, at least during the bending process, to a slave mode in which it receives control commands from the control means (24) of the bending machine (6), and the control means (24) of the bending machine (6), during the bending process, continuously issues setting specifications for the motor-adjustable multi-joint arm (11) and the gripper end (12) to the control unit (22) of the robot (10) which has been switched to slave mode and thereby controls the robot (10) to introduce the workpiece (4) into the bending head (8), to stabilize the workpiece during the forming process and to remove the workpiece from the bending head (8) after the forming process.

An automated transforming tooling system apparatus and method for shuttling a workpiece to and from an industrial operation. The system includes a workstation for complementarily engaging and securing the workpiece, and at least one holder removably secures at least on end effector tool to the workstation. At least one transfer bar is movably positioned with respect to the workstation. At least one automated transforming tooling assembly is connected to the transfer bar and has a plurality of links adjustably connected by motorized joints to automatically position the automated transforming tooling assembly. An automated tool changer is connected to the automated transforming tooling assembly and releasably engages the end effector tool between a disengaged position, wherein the end effector tool is disengaged from the automated tool changer, and an engaged position, wherein the end effector tool is engaged by the automated tool changer.

A production installation for producing workpieces from sheet metal by reshaping includes a bending machine, a support table defining a support plane, and a manipulation device having a support arrangement and a holding arrangement. The holding arrangement has interacting upper and lower holding units. The support arrangement has a separate upper support unit and a separate lower support unit, wherein the upper holding unit is arranged on the upper support unit, and the lower holding unit is arranged on the lower support unit. In an open insertion position of the manipulation device for the sheet metal to be accommodated therein, and in a loading region in front of the bending machine, the upper support unit, together with the upper holding unit, is arranged entirely above the support plane, and the lower support unit, together with the lower holding unit, is arranged entirely below the support plane.

A workpiece conveyance device includes a base body disposed adjacent to a press machine, a pair of first arms, a pair of second arms, and a first holding portion and a second holding portion independent of each other. Each of the first holding portion and the second holding portion includes a plurality of holding members configured to hold a workpiece W. The first holding portion includes a first support member, a second support member, and an absorption member. The second support member movably supports the first support member along an intersection direction. The absorption member allows movement of the second support member caused in the intersection direction relative to the first support member, and makes it possible for the second support member to return to an initial position in the intersection direction relative to the first support member.

A pattern matching unit carries out a pattern matching between a photographed image obtained by photographing a workpiece with a monocular camera and a first plurality of models having a plurality of sizes and a plurality of angles, and selects a model having a size and an angle with the highest degree of matching. A primary detection unit detects a position and an angle of an uppermost workpiece based on the selected model. An actual load height calculation unit calculates an actual load height of the uppermost workpiece based on a hand height. A secondary detection unit re-detects the position and the angle of the uppermost workpiece based on a model having a size and an angle with the highest degree of matching selected by carrying out a pattern matching between the photographed image and a second plurality of models selected or newly created based on the actual load height.

The subject disclosure relates to a machine apparatus. The machine apparatus may perform work on one or more work pieces. The machine apparatus may be augmented or reconfigured to work on a plurality of different work pieces in specific and unique configurations.

A rack storage unit for use in an automation system for a storage of work pieces and/or work piece pallets and/or tools, which includes a base frame with a rack stand and two rack side parts arranged at a distance from one another, wherein facing surfaces of the rack side parts are provided with interfaces for mounting placement devices. It is provided that the base frame is produced as a one-piece cast body from artificial stone, and that the interfaces are held by adhesive force as separately formed insert parts in the facing surfaces of the rack side parts.

Provided is a workpiece conveying apparatus including: two SCARA robots each including: a raising and lowering frame supported on a stationary frame so as to be movable in an up-and-down direction, the stationary frame being mounted to extend along a width direction orthogonal to a workpiece conveying direction of a passage space for conveying a workpiece; a first arm supported on the raising and lowering frame through intermediation of a first joint; a second arm held through intermediation of a second joint; a first arm driving mechanism configured to drive the first arm to rotate; and a second arm driving mechanism configured to drive the second arm to rotate; raising and lowering mechanisms arranged to correspond to the two SCARA robots, respectively, and configured to enable the corresponding raising and lowering frames to mutually independently move in the up-and-down direction; a cross arm; and a cross bar unit.

A workpiece conveying apparatus includes: two SCARA robots each including a first arm supported on a raising and lowering frame through intermediation of a first joint, a second arm supported through intermediation of a second joint, a first arm driving mechanism configured to drive the first arm to rotate, and a second arm driving mechanism configured to drive the second arm to rotate; a raising and lowering mechanism for the two SCARA robots; a cross arm configured to couple distal ends of the second arms; a workpiece holding unit configured to releasably hold the workpiece; shifting devices provided to the cross arm and configured to shift a drive-side shifting member; and sliding devices provided to the workpiece holding unit and configured to shift the tool holder by an operation of causing the driven-side shifting member to be driven by the drive-side shifting member.