The machine tool includes modules and a control portion. Each of the modules includes a main spindle for holding a workpiece and a tool post for holding a tool. The tool is used to machine the workpiece held by the main spindle. The control portion is configured to control to restrict a parallel execution of predetermined machining for the workpiece and machining affected by the predetermined machining and to permit an execution of machining other than the restricted machining.

Applied within an automated robotic manufacturing system that includes additive manufacturing capabilities, methods and enabling devices are disclosed for achieving precise multi-dimension positional alignment among a plurality of diverse took that are involved in collaboratively constructing a solid object. The enabling devices according to various embodiments include an automatically deployed contact sensing probe and a tool center point sensor that detects contact with tools in multiple axes. At least one disclosed method advantageously utilizes both sensing devices in complement.

A control device for a machine tool to produce a plurality of different-shaped products efficiently and successively is provided. In the control device, each driving shaft of modules is assigned to different control systems. The device includes a multi-system program storage part for storing a plurality of multi-system programs to machine a workpiece in different shapes, a multi-system program dividing part for dividing the multi-system programs into machining programs, a divided program storage part for storing the divided machining programs individually, a system-based program storage part for storing the machining programs for the respective control systems, and a machining program selection part for selecting the machining program from the divided program storage part in accordance with the machining step to be executed and for storing the selected machining program in the system-based program storage part for the respective control systems

Applied within an automated robotic manufacturing system that includes additive manufacturing capabilities, methods and enabling devices are disclosed for achieving precise multi-dimension positional alignment among a plurality of diverse tools that are involved in collaboratively constructing a solid object. The enabling devices according to various embodiments include an automatically deployed contact sensing probe and a tool center point sensor that detects contact with tools in multiple axes. At least one disclosed method advantageously utilizes both sensing devices in complement.

A self-configuring computer-controlled fabrication apparatus that utilizes no fewer than four user changeable tools concurrently installed to fabricate a three-dimensional component from digital design data out of a variety of materials using additive and/or subtractive methods. User interchangeable tools perform different tasks including paste extrusion, filament extrusion, inkjet deposition, laser curing, laser etching, milling, cooling, curing, inspection, and component placement, among others. Each tool, that is selected and installed by the user for each job, contains operational information regarding its performance in nonvolatile memory such that the system can read, then adapt, the build process to the set of tools currently installed.

A self-configuring computer-controlled fabrication apparatus that utilizes no fewer than four user changeable tools concurrently installed to fabricate a three-dimensional component from digital design data out of a variety of materials using additive and/or subtractive methods. User interchangeable tools perform different tasks including paste extrusion, filament extrusion, inkjet deposition, laser curing, laser etching, milling, cooling, curing, inspection, and component placement, among others. Each tool, that is selected and installed by the user for each job, contains operational information regarding its performance in nonvolatile memory such that the system can read, then adapt, the build process to the set of tools currently installed.

A control device for a machine tool to efficiently and successively produce a plurality of different-shaped products is provided. In the control device, each driving shaft of modules is assigned to different control systems. The device includes a multi-system program storage part for storing a plurality of multi-system programs to machine a workpiece in different shapes, a multi-system program dividing part for dividing the multi-system programs into machining programs, a divided program storage part for storing the divided machining programs individually, a system-based program storage part for storing the machining programs each corresponding to each of the control systems, and a machining program selection part for selecting a predetermined machining program from the divided program storage part in accordance with the machining step to be performed and for alternately storing the selected machining programs in two program storage parts of the system-based program storage part for the respective control systems.

A method for machining a longitudinal profile section having an actual length and a first and a second end, wherein the first and the second end are machined using respectively a first and a second tool head and material is continuously abraded by the first and second rotating tool head during a machining period, the machining period is divided into time increments (ti), a torque (M(ti,) M(ti)) of the tool head is measured for each time increment (ti) and an individual energy consumption (E(ti), E(ti)) is determined for each time increment (ti), said individual energy consumption corresponding to an individual quantity of material abraded during the time increment (ti), and a total energy consumption (E(t), E(t)) both of the first and of the second tool head is determined from the individual energy consumptions (E(ti), E(ti)), said total energy consumption corresponding to the total quantity of abraded material.

The machine tool includes modules and a control portion. Each of the modules includes a main spindle for holding a workpiece and a tool post for holding a tool. The tool is used to machine the workpiece held by the main spindle. The control portion is configured to control to restrict a parallel execution of predetermined machining for the workpiece and machining affected by the predetermined machining and to permit an execution of machining other than the restricted machining.

A control device for a machine tool to efficiently and successively produce a plurality of different-shaped products is provided. In the control device, each driving shaft of modules is assigned to different control systems. The device includes a multi-system program storage part for storing a plurality of multi-system programs to machine a workpiece in different shapes, a multi-system program dividing part for dividing the multi-system programs into machining programs, a divided program storage part for storing the divided machining programs individually, a system-based program storage part for storing the machining programs each corresponding to each of the control systems, and a machining program selection part for selecting a predetermined machining program from the divided program storage part in accordance with the machining step to be performed and for alternately storing the selected machining programs in two program storage parts of the system-based program storage part for the respective control systems.