This machining program generation device is provided with: a storage unit that stores machining conditions for respective tool regions determined on the basis of the number of effective edges in a multi-blade tool; a contact region calculation unit that calculates a tool region which comes into contact with a workpiece during machining on the basis of the shapes of the workpiece and the edge portion of the tool and of a tool path; and a machining program generation unit that generates a machining program on the basis of the tool path and the machining conditions stored in the storage unit in association with the tool region coming into contact with the workpiece.

A method measures an edge of a workpiece by scanning. The scanning is performed by a scanning tool mounted on a moving head of an edge-facing machine while that moving head is moved along the edge to be measured before, during or after an edge facing tool of the edge-facing machine that faces the edge. The method can be performed by an edge-facing machine that includes at least one edge facing tool and that further includes a scanning tool mounted on a movable head of the machine, which head is movable along an edge of a workpiece.

A three-dimensional target capable of serving as a positioning reference, including, on a useful face, a first structure and a second structure. The first structure defines a planar reference face divided up between at least a first portion whose surface is reflective according to a diffuse reflection, and a second portion whose surface is reflective according to a specular reflection, the second portion being divided up according to a series of localized zones positioned in the first portion. The second structure has an inclined face relative to the planar reference face. Applicable to three-dimensional optical measurement of the relative position between a first object and a second object.

In one aspect, a swiss-type machine tool is provided that includes a workpiece holding shaft, a workpiece supporting shaft, and a tool holder associated with the workpiece supporting shaft for holding at least one tool. The machine tool includes a drive operable to rotate the workpiece holding shaft and the workpiece supporting shaft around an axis. The workpiece holding shaft has a work holder configured to secure a workpiece to the workpiece holding shaft. The workpiece holding shaft is axially shiftable relative to the workpiece supporting shaft to adjust a position of the workpiece relative to the workpiece supporting shaft. The machine tool further includes a removable workpiece support, such as a guide bushing, configured to be releasably connected to the workpiece supporting shaft and rotate therewith. The workpiece support slidably contacts the workpiece and permits axial movement of the workpiece relative to the workpiece support.

An apparatus for active contact force control is disclosed. The apparatus can have upper flange on which to mount a production tool. The apparatus can be mounted, via a lower flange, on a multi-axis machine to obtain spatial motion together with the corresponding production tool. The apparatus can comprise a housing inside which can be a linear actuator connected to guides. Mechanical connection between a ball screw and the upper flange can contain a force sensor and at least one spherical joint. The connection between the spherical joint and the upper flange can be formed using a mechanical dissipative element made of elastic dissipative elements and a disc plate positioned between the elastic dissipative elements.

A direct pose feedback (DPF) control method applied to a DPF controlled machine is provided. The DPF control method includes a pose compensation control in addition to the position feedback control. The pose compensation control includes an initiation step, a reference system step, an actual pose calculation step and a position compensation step. The sum of the primary driving value and the compensation driving value is output to the driver of each of the motors. The advantage of the DPF control method is that the existing real-time position control loop in the controller can remain unchanged, while the pose compensation control is added to eliminate tool pose error resulted from geometric errors in the machine. The DPF controlled machine uses a pose measuring mechanism to measure the actual pose of the tool and to compensate the tool pose error. Hence, the DPF controlled machine is free of geometric errors.

A universal tram is provided for aligning machine tools. The universal tram includes a slide rail, featuring a rail along its length, to which a clamping coupler attaches. In turn, the clamping coupler attaches to the indicator holder. The indicator holder is configured to hold an indicator. The slide rail is configured for direct attachment to horizontal and vertical milling machines, for example. Optionally, the universal tram also includes a machine adapter and adapter plate. The machine adapter serves as a base block for positioning a measurement or tramming device on a machine tool to which the slide rail does not directly attach—a horizontal or vertical lathe, for example. The adapter plate allows for the height of the machine adapter to be adjusted by an amount corresponding to the thickness of the adapter plate. Further, a method of using the universal tram is also provided.

A modular two-part welding and processing platform is described. A cart section is capable of rotating around objects such as pipes and cylinders, or of linear travel along plates or the like. This cart section reversibly couples to a processing section supplied for instance with welding apparatus, painting apparatus, cleaning means, analysis means or the like. By means of this two-part device, work pieces can be cleaned, welded, and inspected quickly and accurately. Special marks may be provided on the work piece which in conjunction with sensors and motoring means on the cart, allow for precise positioning of the process head with respect to the work.

The invention discloses an automatic tool aligning system based on a spectral confocal displacement sensor. The system comprises three-dimensional mobile platform, tool aligning component based on the spectral confocal displacement sensor, clamping device, machine tool and the control module. The three-dimensional mobile platform is fixed on the outer side of the machine tool, the tool aligning component is connected with the three-dimensional mobile platform, the clamping device used to clamp the workpiece is fixed on the center of the machine tool through mechanical connection, and the spectral confocal displacement sensor is connected with the control module. After judging the collected working condition data, the control module outputs a control instruction to the three-dimensional mobile platform.

The invention relates to a machine tool (10) with (a) a tool head frame (16), (b) a tool head (18), (c) an axis unit (20) that is fixed to the tool head frame (16) and by means of which the tool head (18) can be positioned in a predefinable position, and (d) a movement device (28) for moving the tool head frame (16). The invention proposes that the movement device (28) comprises (e) a machine frame (12) and (f) a multipod drive (14) which (i) has at least three drive elements (24), (ii) is arranged in the flux of force between the machine frame (12) and the machine tool frame (16), and (iii) has at least two supporting elements (26), which can be brought into a locked state, (iv) wherein the multipod drive(14) is mechanically overdetermined by the supporting elements (26) and the drive elements (24).