Abstract: A robot for carrying out industrial operations by a laser beam has a structure including an arm articulated to a hollow wrist provided with a support for a laser focusing head. The power laser beam is supplied to the laser focusing head by means of an optical fiber including at least a portion guided inside the articulated arm and inside the hollow wrist and connected to an adjacent portion of an optical fiber by means of a rotary joint.

Abstract: Described herein is equipment which can be used by an industrial robot for gripping workpieces or assemblies being processed or assembled and has a separable modular structure, with a definite and easily repeatable geometry.

Abstract: An industrial robot has a structure comprising

Abstract: A horizontal boring machine tool is described that includes a boring bar equipped with a cutting bit and a counter-bar coupled in head-to-head rotation with the boring bar. This counter-bar is also equipped with a cutting bit, or a series of cutting bits destined to operate simultaneously on the same cylindrical seat to be bored. Both the bit or bits arranged on the bar, and the bit or bits arranged on the counter-bar are radially adjustable via an automatic adjustment system.

Abstract: A programming system for a robot or similar apparatus comprises a portable programming terminal (6) having a display device (D), a plurality of jog keys (14) for controlling the robot movements and a plurality of teaching keys (15-24, 26). The body of the terminal (6) comprises a first portion (11), wherein the jog keys (14) and the teaching keys (15-24, 26) are arranged, having a width which progressively decreasing until reaching the area of union with a second portion (10) of the body, wherein the display device (D) is positioned; the jog keys (14) comprises two series of keys (14) being positioned in a substantially symmetrical fashion to each other, each series being along a respective longitudinal side of the first portion (11), whereas the teaching keys (15-24, 26) are positioned within or close to the restricted zone of the body, bridging the first and the second portion (11, 10).

Abstract: A programming system for a robot comprises a portable programming terminal (6) having a series of jog keys (14) for controlling the motions of the robot, a key (18) for selecting one among a plurality of possible co-ordinate system for the jog keys (14) and a key (21) for storing the position reached by a predefined point of a tool supported by the robot, as a result of a motion thereof. The terminal (6) comprises additional control keys (40, 41), able to be operated manually instead of the jog keys (14), to cause, independently from the co-ordinate system selected with the selection key (18), a Cartesian and/or angular displacement of the predefined point of the tool relative to a reference point that may be varied at will, which corresponds to the position of the operator who uses the terminal (6).

Abstract: A control system for robots comprising a control unit for generating and controlling the paths of a movement of the moving parts of the robot, a drive unit for generating the control signals for controlling the motors associated to the moving parts of the robot, and an Ethernet-type network for connection of the control unit and the drive unit. An interface module is also provided to connect the control unit to peripheral units and distributed input/output units. The drive unit comprises, in conjunction with a plurality of CPUs that close the control loops of the torques generated by the individual motors, a main CPU responsible for position control in the framework of the drive unit. The latter CPU thus retains knowledge of the overall status of the machine.

Abstract: Two or more metal sheets, at least one of which has a protective layer made of material having a low vaporization temperature, are welded to each other by means of a laser beam after that a gap has been provided between the sheets to enable the vapors of the protective material which are created during welding to escape. The gap is obtained by exploiting the elastic return of one of the sheets starting from an elastically deformed condition in which this sheet is brought following the engagements of the device hich is used to clamp the sheets with each other during welding. In a first stage, the clamping device is closed to bring the sheets in complete contact with each other, by causing the above-mentioned elastic deformation of one of the sheets, in a second stage, the clamping device is opened again by a limited extent, until a predetermined position is reached, so as to define a gap between the sheets having substantially predetermined dimensions.

Abstract: Described herein is equipment which can be used by an industrial robot for gripping workpieces or assemblies being processed or assembled and has a separable modular structure, with a definite and easily repeatable geometry.

Abstract: Described herein is equipment which can be used by an industrial robot for gripping workpieces or assemblies being processed or assembled and has a separable modular structure, with a definite and easily repeatable geometry.

Abstract: A control system for robots comprising a control unit for generating and controlling the paths of a movement of the moving parts of the robot, a drive unit for generating the control signals for controlling the motors associated to the moving parts of the robot, and an Ethernet-type network for connection of the control unit and the drive unit. An interface module is also provided to connect the control unit to peripheral units and distributed input/output units. The drive unit comprises, in conjunction with a plurality of CPUs that close the control loops of the torques generated by the individual motors, a main CPU responsible for position control in the framework of the drive unit. The latter CPU thus retains knowledge of the overall status of the machine.

Abstract: Described herein is an integrated clamping and clinching device for sheet-metal panels which simultaneously performs a clamping operation on two or more panels in the precise assembly condition, and application of at least one clinching point for obtaining joining of the panels. The device is provided with at least one pair of clamping elements and at least one pair of clinching elements which are controlled by one and the same fluid cylinder in such a way that the pair of clamping elements reaches a closed position immediately before the pair of clinching elements.

Abstract: A locating and locking unit for sheet metal parts which are to be assembled by electric spot-welding on a motor-vehicle body, comprising a base platform, for receiving the trolley of a positioning frame equipped with locating and locking devices for the parts to be welded. The base platform can be rotated between a non-operative horizontal position and an inclined position in which the positioning frame can engage the parts to be welded in a welding station along the assembly line. Locating elements are provided for defining the precise position of the positioning frame along two mutually orthogonal axes in a plane that is perpendicular to the axis of the line and along an axis parallel to the line.

Abstract: Two or more metal sheets, at least one of which has a protective layer made of material having a low vaporization temperature, are welded to each other by means of a laser beam after that a gap has been provided between the sheets to enable the vapors of the protective material which are created during welding to escape. The gap is obtained by exploiting the elastic return of one of the sheets starting from an elastically deformed condition in which this sheet is brought following the engagements of the device hich is used to clamp the sheets with each other during welding. In a first stage, the clamping device is closed to bring the sheets in complete contact with each other, by causing the above-mentioned elastic deformation of one of the sheets, in a second stage, the clamping device is opened again by a limited extent, until a predetermined position is reached, so as to define a gap between the sheets having substantially predetermined dimensions.

Abstract: Process for the automatic determination of an optimal movement program of a robot comprising at least one moving member, a motor associated with the moving member and a control unit capable of activating the motor according to a movement program to move the moving member along a trajectory with a predetermined movement parameter. The process comprises the steps of: acquiring data indicating the load state of the motor and the precision of movement of the robot during the execution of a movement program, comparing the information on the load state and on the precision of movement with predetermined limit values, repeatedly executing the movement program while progressively varying the movement parameter until a measured value of the load state and/or of the precision of movement exceeds a corresponding limit value, and storing as the optimal movement program the last movement program which has been executed without exceeding the limit values.

Abstract: There is described a device for welding motor-vehicle bodies, comprising a welding station provided with welding programmable robots, to which the floor panels of the bodies to be welded are fed along a vertical direction by a lifting device. The component elements of the sides of the body to be welded are brought to the assembling position by means of two locating gates, provided with self-propelled lower carriages, which are movable on rails between a working position, at the two sides of the floor panel of the body to be welded, and a waiting position, in which they may receive the component elements of the body sides. The elements of the rear part of the body are carried by a third locating frame arranged transversally between the two guiding rails of the side locating gates.

Abstract: A device for locating and locking components of sheet metal which are to be subjected to a welding operation comprises a fixed supporting element and a movable clamp element which can be closed over the supporting element. The movable clamp element is carried by a body which is supported by a fixed supporting structure through said fixed supporting element, to which said body is directly connected.

Abstract: A system and a method are used for checking the quality of a hammering operation to provide an interference fit of a component relative to a seat. A load cell and a linear transducer provides signals indicative of a hammering force applied to the component and the linear displacement of the component. A derivative signal is provided of the hammering force with respect to time. The derivative signal is analysed as a function of the linear displacement to check the quality of the hammering operation.

Abstract: A station for assembling motor-vehicle bodies or subassemblies thereof comprises an integrated system for detecting the micro-deflections of the side locating gates which engage the body during the assembling operation, with the resulting possibility of calculating the forces along a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the assembling station, to which the assembled structure is subjected.