What is disclosed is a robot gripper having a receiving area which is configured to be connected to an industrial robot, and having at least one suction unit which is configured to be connected to a vacuum source. The suction unit comprises a suction surface on which a preferably plate-shaped workpiece, which preferably consists at least in sections of wood, wood materials, plastic, aluminum or the like, can be held by means of negative pressure. The suction unit comprises a substantially straight pressing edge in an edge section. The robot gripper further comprises an actuator configured to tilt the suction unit about a first tilt axis relative to the receiving area.

A method of forming a component includes providing a work-piece blank from a formable material. The method also includes engaging the work-piece blank with a transfer device. The method additionally includes austenitizing the work-piece blank in the transfer device via heating the blank to achieve austenite microstructure therein. The method also includes transferring the austenitized blank to a forming press using the transfer device. The method additionally includes forming the component via the forming press from the austenitized blank and quenching the formed component. A work-piece blank transfer system includes a transfer device having clamping arm(s) for engaging, holding, transferring, and releasing the work-piece blank. The transfer device also includes a heating element configured to austenitize the work-piece blank via heating the blank to achieve austenite microstructure therein. The transfer system additionally includes an electronic controller programmed to regulate the heating element and the clamping arm(s).

A workpiece transport unit including a pair of arms, an opening/closing mechanism configured to open and close the pair of arms in a horizontal direction, a pair of first placement surfaces provided at the pair of arms and configured for a first workpiece to be placed thereon, and a pair of second placement surfaces provided at the pair of arms and configured for a second workpiece to be placed thereon.

A method of adjusting a position of a blank entering a furnace includes measuring a position of a heated blank exiting the furnace, recording one or more offset values from a nominal value of the heated blank exiting the furnace, calculating a revised position of a subsequent blank entering the furnace as a function of the one or more offset values, and adjusting a position of the subsequent blank entering the furnace as a function of the one or more offset values. The position of the heated blank exiting the furnace can be measured with an electronic vision system, a robot can adjust the position of the subsequent blank, and offset value(s) can be an elapsed furnace operation time, a number of heated blanks that have exited the furnace, and a physical dimension between an actual position of the heated blank and the nominal value of the heated blank.

An automatic processing system includes a base or platform, on which a loading station is mounted, adapted to house one or more trolleys having workpieces to be processed, a magazine adapted to pick up at least one work piece at a time from the loading station and to transport it to a centering device adapted to receive the workpiece and to place it in pick-up position by a robot, and a unloading station where the processed pieces are positioned.

Proposed is a transfer system for presses, having at least two fastening units arranged opposite one another, wherein each of the fastening units in each case has a first fastening region. The transfer system further has a press transfer unit, consisting of two movement arms arranged opposite one another, as well as a crossbar connected thereto for receiving and for transporting, i.e. including setting down, a workpiece. Each of the movement arms has a first drive unit connected to the first fastening region, a first lever arm, a second drive unit, and a second lever arm. The first lever arm is connected at a first end thereof or between the first and a second end to the first drive unit, and at the second end thereof to the second drive unit. The second lever arm is rotatably connected at a first end thereof to the second drive unit, and is movably connected with a second end thereof to the crossbar. In addition, at least one energy-storing element is provided for each movement arm, which energy-storing element is formed and arranged in such a way that its force or a force component thereof points in the acceleration direction of the crossbar with or without workpiece. In an embodiment c1, a second fastening region is provided on the fastening unit, and the energy-storing element is connected directly or indirectly with a first end thereof to the second fastening region, and is fastened on a second end thereof at a specified region of the movement arm. In an additional or alternative embodiment c2, the energy-storing element is fastened with a first end to the first lever arm and with a second end thereof to the second lever arm.

A method and system for handling beam-cut parts (202) cut out of a piece of material, the method comprising the steps of: receiving the beam-cut piece of material from beam-cutting equipment (102), the beam-cut piece of material being situated on a supporting structure (116); and gripping at least one part of the beam-cut piece of material, or gripping the beam-cut piece of material, or gripping a section of the beam-cut piece of material including at least one part of the beam-cut piece of material or gripping a remainder of the beam-cut piece of material with the at least one part removed, by means of at least one gripper (110, 112) controlled by a gripping robot (106, 108).

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 method of manufacturing a press-formed product includes: a heating step; a transportation step; and a pressing step. The transportation step includes: using claws of a pair of first arms to support the lower surface, at both ends, of a first heated workpiece and lift the workpiece; using claws of a pair of second arms to support the lower surface, at both ends, of a second heated workpiece and lift the workpiece; transporting the first heated workpiece with the lower surface supported, at both ends, by the claws of the pair of first arms and the second heated workpiece with the lower surface supported, at both ends, by the claws of the pair of second arms, where the first and second heated workpieces overlap each other in the direction normal to the sheet surfaces; driving the pair of first arms to lower the first heated workpiece to a pressing location on a press machine; and driving the pair of second arms to lower the second heated workpiece to a pressing location on the press machine.

A method of manufacturing a press-formed product includes a heating step, a transportation step, and a pressing step. At the heating step, workpieces are heated while a first workpiece W1 is placed on a first group of struts 3 extending upward from a tray body 2, and a second workpiece W2 is placed on a second group of struts 3 to be located above the first workpiece W1 and overlap it. At the transportation step, the second workpiece W2, while located above the first workpiece W1 and overlapping it, is transported, together with the tray body 2, from the heating device 14 to the lifting location. At the lifting location, the second workpiece W2 is lifted upward by the transportation device 46 and the first workpiece W1 is lifted by the transportation device 46 before they are transported to their respective pressing locations.