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.

Presented are metalworking systems for forming metallic workpieces, methods for making such workpieces and methods for operating such systems, and battery cell tabs bent by a multistage plunger press. A metalworking system includes a plunger fixture that mounts adjacent metallic workpieces, and a plunger head movably mounted to the plunger fixture to move between activated and deactivated positions. A first row of plunger fingers is mounted to the plunger head and moves in one direction to press against and bend one metallic workpiece a predefined bend angle. Likewise, a second row of plunger fingers is mounted to the plunger head and moves in an opposite direction to press against and bend another metallic workpiece another predefined bend angle. The plunger head then moves to the activated position, in tandem with the plunger fingers bending the metallic workpieces, to cause the plunger fingers to bend the workpieces additional respective bend angles.

A system (100) for a sheet metalworking is disclosed. The system (100) comprising a punch (1) connectable to a press (P), wherein the punch (1) is configured with a first electrical terminal (2). A die (3) configured with a die surface (DS), to support sheet metal (SM). A support member (4) movably disposed in the die (1), the support member (4) is provided with a second electrical terminal (5). The support member (4) and the punch (1) contacts a working portion (B) of the sheet metal (SM) at an axis (A-A) to supply electric current to a localized region (LR) of the working portion (B) for sheet metalworking.

A press brake assembly including a crane system and press brake machine for processing a workpiece. The crane system having a workpiece handling mechanism configured to pick and store the workpiece. The crane system allows the crane to move along a plane via longitudinal and lateral rails. The crane also includes multiple swivel points to allow mobility to handle workpieces efficiently. The control system of the press brake machine may control the crane, allowing a single control system to control the press brake assembly.

A method for transferring a workpiece from a first manipulator to a second manipulator by means of a manipulation system in a bending installation having at least one bending machine is provided. Each manipulator comprises first, second, and third manipulator arms, each of which is pivotable about second axes, third axes, and fourth axes and exclusively in a parallel orientation with respect to a first axis of a guide arrangement. The workpiece is grasped by a holding arrangement of the first manipulator. The third manipulator arms are oriented to be opposite and to project towards one another, and the same workpiece is grasped by a holding arrangement of the second manipulator and subsequently released from the holding arrangement of the first manipulator for the direct transfer process. The invention furthermore relates to a manipulation system and a bending installation equipped therewith.

In a bending system and a method for using the same, the bending system includes a bending robot provided between a press brake and a predetermined setting area that is arranged in front of the press brake to assist in bending a workpiece. The bending robot includes a robot hand for holding the workpiece on a pallet that is set in the predetermined setting area. An image pickup unit, which picks up an image of the workpiece on the pallet from an oblique upper direction, is provided above and anterior to the predetermined setting area (SA). A first illumination unit, which illuminates an image pickup area of the image pickup unit, is erected on a left front side of the predetermined setting area. A second illumination stand, which illuminates the image pickup area of the image pickup unit, is erected on a right front side of the predetermined setting area.

The invention relates to a bending press (1) and/or a loading device (2) for loading a bending press (1) with bending tools (5, 6), comprising: at least one tool holder (3, 4; 13, 14) with a rail (7) having an inner profile (8) for receiving and displacing a bending tool (5, 6), at least one internal wall (9) of the rail (7) forming a guide structure (10) extending in the longitudinal direction of the rail (7); and at least one transfer device (15) drivable by a drive (21) for displacing a bending tool (5, 6) within the tool holder (3, 4; 13, 14) and/or between the tool holder (13, 14) of the loading device (2) and a tool holder (3, 4) of a bending press (1), wherein at least one portion of the transfer device (15) is guided by the guide structure (10) formed in the rail (7).

The invention relates to a bending press (11) for bending metal sheets, comprising a top beam (21) and a lower beam (26), and two drawers (31, 31A). Said drawers (31, 31A) are arranged at both sides of the lower beam (26) and are designed to accommodate bending tools and/or parts.

The invention relates to a method for conveying components and to an automated vacuum gripper (1) for components (3), in particular sheet metal parts, comprising a plurality of suction elements (4), which are arranged at a preferably movable support part (5), a first vacuum generator (8) for forming a first vacuum circuit (9), a second vacuum generator (10) for forming a second vacuum circuit (11), at least one switching element connected to a system controller (14) for automated switching of the first vacuum circuit (9) to the second vacuum circuit (11), at least one compressed air supply (15) connected to at least the first and the second vacuum generators (8), at least one sensor device (16, 17), wherein the first vacuum generator (8) is associated with a first predeterminable group (12) of suction elements (4), and the second vacuum generator (10) is connected to a vacuum tank (18) for forming a second vacuum circuit (11), which may be activated in case of emergency and is redundant to the first vacuum circuit (9), and wherein at least one first sensor device is (16) is formed for monitoring the vacuum at least at the first vacuum circuit (9), and at least one second sensor device (17) has an optical sensor for detecting a relative movement of the component (3) during a conveying operation.

The invention relates to an automated vacuum gripper, a feed unit and a method for conveying flat components (3). The vacuum gripper (1) comprises a support part (5), at least one support part element (7), a plurality of first suction elements (4′), which are arranged at the at least one support part element (7) and define a first suction plane; at least one bearing assembly (28) and at least one actuating assembly (29), wherein the at least one support part element (7) is pivotably mounted at the support part (5) by means of the at least one actuating assembly (29) about the at least one bearing assembly (28). The plurality of second elements (4) is arranged at the support part (5) and defines a second suction plane (19). The at least one support part element (7) with its first suction plane defined by the plurality of first suction elements (4′) is pivotable from a standby position that is at an angle relative to the second suction plane into a working position that is congruous with the second suction plane, and vice versa.