A manufacturing machine such as an automatic assembly machine is disclosed which includes a work station which can include linear motion devices and rotary motion devices. A conveyor system is disclosed for transporting a workpiece to and from the work station, and a positioning pins arrangement is disclosed for precisely positioning the workpiece to the work station.
A robot system for use with a machine tool having a spindle, comprising a robot having a body for being mounted on the machine tool, an arm pivotally mounted on the body and rotatable in a plane transverse to an axial direction of the spindle of the machine tool, and a hand mounted on a distal end of said arm for gripping a workpiece for transfer to the machine tool, and a workpiece feeder disposed adjacent to the robot and movably supporting a succession of pallets for carrying unmachined and machined workpieces thereon. The workpiece feeder includes a first mechanism for moving the pallets along a path on the workpiece feeder and for positioning the pallets one at a time in a position in which an unmachined workpiece can be picked up from the pallet by the hand or a machined workpiece can be unloaded from the hand onto the pallet, and a second mechanism for moving the pallet toward the hand in the position for allowing the and to pick up the unmachined workpiece and to unload the machined workpiece, and for moving the pallet away from the hand.
An installation for processing components comprises a series of workpiece supports having receptacles for holding the components. A feed device moves the workpiece supports in a conveying direction, and a respective lateral guideway alongside each side of the workpiece supports includes guide elements for guiding the workpiece supports in the conveying direction, the feed device being separate from, and operable independently of, the lateral guideways. A pressing device at one of the lateral guideways is arranged to bias the workpiece supports towards the opposite lateral guideway and perpendicularly to the conveying direction whereby the workpiece supports are held without play between the guide elements of the lateral guideways.
With a rail which is used by both a linear conveyor vehicle and a track guided vehicle, the traveling loops 2,3, the short-cuts 4.about.7 and the access routes 8.about.11 are provided. The traveling loops 20.about.25 are arranged in a rail for a track guided vehicle, and are connected to the traveling loops 2,3 at the diverging/converging point 30. A linear conveyor vehicle system and a track guided vehicle system are integrated to convey articles efficiently.
