A measuring apparatus comprises an industrial robot and a sensor fastened to a movable arm of the robot. A calibration body comprises a calibration element, a carrier, and an alignment element rigidly arranged relative to the carrier. The alignment element interacts with a counter piece provided on a carrying structure. Data specifying the pose of the calibration element relative to the alignment element are encoded in an encoding zone which may be embodied as a data matrix code. The calibration body is initially aligned on the carrying structure with the aid of the alignment element and the counter piece. The sensor then approaches the encoding zone to read the data encoded therein. Subsequently, the pose of the calibration element relative to the carrying structure is determined using the previously read data. Finally, the pose of the calibration element is measured by the sensor to calibrate the measuring apparatus.

A numerical controller enabling prediction of a machining time considering a machine delay occurring in a machine. The numerical controller configured for predicting a reference machining time corresponding to a machining time not considering acceleration/deceleration of an predicting the number of times of acceleration/deceleration of the axis in machining storing information related to a deviation time corresponding to a difference between an actual machining time corresponding to a machining time required for actual machining by the machine and the reference machining time predicted in the machining, calculating a correction time for correcting the reference machining time based on the number of times of acceleration/deceleration predicted and the information related to the deviation time stored, and calculating a predicted machining time obtained by correcting the reference machining time using the correction time.

A method for mounting an electronic component onto a circuit board. The method may include preparing a mounting device including a rotatable mounting head, a holding means to hold the electronic component, a component recognition camera, a memory device, and a microcomputer, the electronic component being mounted onto the circuit board based on a result of performing recognition processing with respect to an acquired image, determining a mid-operation instruction action mode at start of a production operation, executing an instruction of obtaining an offset value relative to a rotation center of the rotatable mounting head and storing the offset value in the memory device at a time interval according to the determined mid-operation instruction action mode, and executing the instruction at a longer time interval when the instruction has continuously met a required accuracy more than once.

A spindle phase indexing device for a machine tool is equipped with a guide rail detachably or fixedly attached to a table, a phase indexing jig configured to travel on the guide rail and which includes a first fitting part, a cutting tool including a second fitting part configured to be fitted with the first fitting part, and a controller configured to store therein a phase of a spindle at a point in time when the first fitting part and the second fitting part are fitted together. The first fitting part and the second fitting part are formed such that rotation of the cutting tool is constrained when the first fitting part and the second fitting part are fitted together.

A manufacturing system for fabricating a three-dimensional article includes a housing, a sensor within the housing, a coater, a removable powder module (RPM) with a platen, a laser system, and a controller. A method of operating the manufacturing system includes installing the RPM into the housing, forming pillars onto the platen, positioning the top surfaces of the pillars a distance D below a build plane, installing a calibration plate onto the top surfaces of the pillars, and then calibrating the laser system using the sensor. The sensor can include one or more of an optical sensor and an acoustic sensor.

Systems and methods for calibrating an instrument having a tool and a work surface. An exemplary instrument may comprise a support member including a conductive surface. The instrument also may comprise a fluid-transport device including a conductive tube having an open end. A drive mechanism of the instrument may include a motor operable to drive movement of the surface and the tube relative to one another along an axis and into contact with one another. A circuit of the instrument may include a voltage source and the tube. A control module may be configured to calibrate a relationship between the drive mechanism and a position of the tube and/or surface along the axis based on a sensed change in an electrical property of the circuit that occurs when the tube and the surface contact one another.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of setting up a work piece based on a vision is present. The method of setting up a work piece based on a vision comprises: calculating a start point of a work piece from the image of a work piece within a vision screen formed by a camera; capturing an image when a tool is captured in the vision screen; and calculating an offset value of the tool from the captured image.

Disclosed are systems and methods to provide a method for calibrating a touchscreen coordinate system of a touchscreen with an industrial robot coordinate system of an industrial robot for industrial robot commissioning and industrial robot system and control system using the same. In one form the systems and methods include attaching an end effector to the industrial robot; (a) moving the industrial robot in a compliant way until a stylus of the end effector touches a point on the touchscreen; (b) recording a position of the stylus of the end effector in the industrial robot coordinate system when it touches the point of the touchscreen; (c) recording a position of the touch point on the touchscreen in the touchscreen coordinate system; and calculating a relation between the industrial robot coordinate system and the touchscreen coordinate system based on the at least three positions of the end effector stylus and the at least three positions of the touch points.

A system is provided that can automatically calibrate or define a home or initial position of a moveable component of an industrial machine. During the calibration procedure, an actuator may be operated in a low speed and/or low torque mode to drive the component until the component contacts a mechanical stop. This provides a hard-stop of the component's movement while the actuator attempts to further drive the component, which creates a stall condition of the actuator. A control system monitors that actuator's performance characteristics and is configured to identify an anomalous performance characteristic(s) value that corresponds to the actuator's stall condition as a triggering event. When the control system identifies the triggering event, it defines the component's position as a null point and determines a zero point to define an initial operational position of the component as a function of the null point.

A control device includes a first statistical processing unit a second statistical processing unit and a movement control unit. The first statistical processing unit acquires relative positions of the object calculated by the visual sensor and performs statistical processing on the acquired relative positions of the object. The second statistical processing unit acquires from the position sensor relative positions of the holding device corresponding to each of the relative positions of the object calculated by the visual sensor, and performs statistical processing on the acquired relative positions of the holding device. The movement control unit performs feedback control of the moving device based on the relative positions of the object and the relative positions of the holding, device and performs alignment of the object with the target position while moving the object closer to the target position.