Abstract: A method for connecting a first and second computer via a first and/or second communication connection enabling connection of the computers. The communication connections each have at least one first connection property. At least two application variants have a prioritization order. The method includes selecting an application variant with the highest priority and checking whether the requirements of the selected application variant are met by one of the first and second communication connections. The method further includes selecting, based on a determination that the requirements of the selected application variant are not met, an application variant of the at least two application variants with the next lowest priority and repeating steps of the method. The method further includes connecting the first computer and the second computer via the first and/or second communication connection such that the requirements of the selected application variant for the first connection property are met.

Abstract: A method for monitoring a safety area of a machine tool, wherein the safety area has at least one access area and access to the safety area is only possible via the access area, the method including monitoring the access area is at least by a camera and a further sensor, connecting the camera and the further sensor to a computer system, and monitoring with the computer system, by the further sensor, whether an object enters the safety area. The method further includes capturing with the camera at least one image of the access area when the computer system detects by the further sensor that the object is entering the safety area and evaluating the at least one image captured by the camera with the computer system after it has been established by the further sensor that the object has entered the safety area.

Abstract: A method for starting a machine tool includes receiving at least one start signal; outputting, after the start signal has been received, at least one acoustic and/or visual warning signal; monitoring, by at least one sensor system, at least one safety zone of the machine tool; and starting the machine tool at the earliest after a predetermined delay time after the start signal is received. The start of the machine is aborted if a hazard is detected by the sensor system.

Abstract: A computer-supported manufacturing method for manufacturing workpieces from a workpiece blank according to a manufacturing plan using a machine tool (18), has a processing device. The method includes at least partly transmitting the manufacturing plan by means of an order control device. At least one work piece is manufactured from the workpiece blank according to the manufacturing plan. The manufacturing progress of the processing device is determined during the manufacturing of the at least one workpiece by the order control device. The manufacturing plan is changed on the basis of the manufacturing progress during the manufacturing of the at least one workpiece by means of the order control device.

Abstract: A method for enabling a safety-critical function of a machine includes monitoring a safety-critical region of the machine using a monitoring system. The monitoring system includes at least one monitoring sensor. The method further includes blocking the safety-critical function upon detecting by the monitoring system a first risk in a first signal of the monitoring sensor, combining the first signal of the monitoring sensor at a first point in time with a first identifier to form a first message, sending the first message by the monitoring system to an enabling unit, receiving by the monitoring system from the enabling unit, at a second point in time, a second message with an enabling signal and the first identifier, verifying the second message by the monitoring system, and enabling the safety-critical function by the monitoring system if the verification of the second message is successful.

Abstract: Methods, devices and systems for remotely operating a machine using a communication device. In one aspect, a method includes generating images showing at least one operating range of the machine by using at least one camera of the machine, transmitting the generated images and an image of an operating surface of the machine to the communication device via a radio network, displaying at least one of: the operating surface image and at least one of the generated images on an operating display of the communication device, accepting machine operation commands input by an operator using the operating display, and then transmitting the machine operation commands via the radio network, thereby remotely operating the machine.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing control of machining of workpieces in a manufacturing hall that includes providing a plurality of image acquisition devices configured to acquire image sequences of allocated observation areas, identifying an object to be tracked in a first image of a first image sequence using at least one object feature, determining positions of the object feature in images of subsequent image sequences, determining a current position of the object by localizing the object feature in a temporally current image of one of the image sequences, and assigning the position of the object feature in the temporally current image to a current position in the observation area of the image sequence that includes the temporally current image, and integrating the determined current position of the object into the manufacturing control of the hall.

Abstract: A method for encoding a plate-like workpiece comprising: defining an encoding area; applying a magnetic layer to the surface of the workpiece; fusing parts of the magnetic layer to the surface of the workpiece by acting on the workpiece with radiation within the encoding area; cooling the workpiece; removing the non-fused parts of the magnetic layer. The method permits the workpieces to be trackable in a simple manner, irrespective of surface treatments that may possibly be carried out or are to be carried out later.

Abstract: Methods and devices for coding and identifying plate-type workpieces are provided. The methods include: coding a workpiece by producing a code with a local modification in a material structure of a base material of the workpiece within a coding region, reading out the code by performing an eddy-current measurement of a local distribution of an electrical conductivity and/or a permeability of the base material by an eddy-current sensor along a reading-out section in a reading region at least partially including the coding region, a signal calibrated to a distance of the eddy-current sensor from a surface of the reading region being determined for reading out the code, storing the read-out code in a storage device, repeating the reading out of the code by repeatedly performing the eddy-current measurement, and identifying the workpiece by comparing the stored read-out code in the storage device and the repeated read-out code.

Abstract: A method for assisting a user with sorting workpieces disposed on a sorting table uses a positioning system for determining a spatial position of a user's hand. The position can be determined by a sorting assistance unit worn near a hand of the user and the position of which is detected by the positioning system, or by image-based positioning using one or more cameras. The method comprises providing a position data set that includes the positions of the workpieces produced of the machining plan on the sorting table; by the positioning system, detecting a position of the user's hand and comparing it with the positions of the position data set; identifying at least one workpiece that is paired with the position of the user's hand; and outputting a sorting signal which comprises information about the at least one workpiece paired with the position of the user's hand.

Abstract: A method for the automated booking of manual activities carried out by a worker in an industrial manufacturing plant while processing a workpiece is disclosed. The booking is performed in a digital control system for the creation of a digital process chain of the manufacturing. The digital process chain includes activity profiles, each of which is assigned to a manual activity. The method includes: providing movement data of a manual activity to be booked; providing position data of the manual activity to be booked; evaluating the movement data and the position data, wherein the movement data and the position data are input data of a classification process in which the input data are classified with respect to the activity profiles and a specific activity profile is output for the movement data; and booking the output specific activity profile in the digital process chain of the workpiece.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for switching between different operating modes on a processing machine. The operating modes are different from one another in respect of operator intervention requirements of an operator of the processing machine, One of the methods includes switching from a first operating mode to a second operating mode, looking up stored operating settings specific to the second operating mode and related to one or more potential operator interventions, changing operation of the processing machine in accordance of the stored operating settings specific to the second operating mode, and providing feedback to the operator of the machine, indicating whether a switch to the second operating mode is complete or whether at least one of the potential operator interventions is required.

Abstract: Methods and devices for coding and identifying plate-type workpieces are provided. The methods include: coding a workpiece by producing a code with a local modification in a material structure of a base material of the workpiece within a coding region, reading out the code by performing an eddy-current measurement of a local distribution of an electrical conductivity and/or a permeability of the base material by an eddy-current sensor along a reading-out section in a reading region at least partially including the coding region, a signal calibrated to a distance of the eddy-current sensor from a surface of the reading region being determined for reading out the code, storing the read-out code in a storage device, repeating the reading out of the code by repeatedly performing the eddy-current measurement, and identifying the workpiece by comparing the stored read-out code in the storage device and the repeated read-out code.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing control of machining of workpieces in a manufacturing hall that includes providing a plurality of image acquisition devices configured to acquire image sequences of allocated observation areas, identifying an object to be tracked in a first image of a first image sequence using at least one object feature, determining positions of the object feature in images of subsequent image sequences, determining a current position of the object by localizing the object feature in a temporally current image of one of the image sequences, and assigning the position of the object feature in the temporally current image to a current position in the observation area of the image sequence that includes the temporally current image, and integrating the determined current position of the object into the manufacturing control of the hall.

Abstract: A machine controller for controlling a machine includes a data memory configured to store maintenance data for at least one of the machine controller or the machine in an electronically processable manner, an imaging processing unit configured to at least partially read the maintenance data from the data memory and to generate image information relating to a graphical representation that includes a first representation area representing a first section of the maintenance data in a form designed for machine readability. The machine controller includes at least one of: a display unit configured to display the graphical representation based on the image information or a data transmission interface configured to transmit the image information indirectly or directly to a service computer to display or evaluate the graphical representation on the service computer.

Abstract: A method for encoding a plate-like workpiece comprising: defining an encoding area; applying a magnetic layer to the surface of the workpiece; fusing parts of the magnetic layer to the surface of the workpiece by acting on the workpiece with radiation within the encoding area; cooling the workpiece; removing the non-fused parts of the magnetic layer. The method permits the workpieces to be trackable in a simple manner, irrespective of surface treatments that may possibly be carried out or are to be carried out later.

Abstract: Methods, devices and systems for machine maintenance using a service computer, particularly using different maintenance applications feature at least one machine controller configured to control an associated machine and a computing system defining at least one virtual machine and comprising at least one application server on which is installed application software for at least one of the machine controller or the associated machine. The machine controller is connectable with the virtual machine via a first communication link so as to enable remote communication between the virtual machine of the computer and the machine controller. The virtual machine is connectable with the application server via a further communication link by a remote-desktop-protocol, such that at least one of the application server and the application software installed on the application server is operable via the virtual machine.

Abstract: A method for assisting a user with sorting workpieces disposed on a sorting table uses a positioning system for determining a spatial position of a user's hand. The position can be determined by a sorting assistance unit worn near a hand of the user and the position of which is detected by the positioning system, or by image-based positioning using one or more cameras. The method comprises providing a position data set that includes the positions of the workpieces produced of the machining plan on the sorting table; by the positioning system, detecting a position of the user's hand and comparing it with the positions of the position data set; identifying at least one workpiece that is paired with the position of the user's hand; and outputting a sorting signal which comprises information about the at least one workpiece paired with the position of the user's hand.

Abstract: A manual workstation operating method includes: receiving, from a remote data-processing device, information relating to partial operating steps for producing a component at a manual workstation unit, the partial operation being established from order data by the remote data-processing device, displaying the information with respect to the partial operating steps by a user interface of the manual workstation unit, detecting component status data of the component by a sensor of the manual workstation unit, and transmitting at least one of the component status data and a production progress of the component based on the component status data to the remote data-processing device, such that the remote data-processing device can detect the production progress of the component and communicate completion of the component to a user or a data-processing system.

Abstract: A system for transmitting data between laser apparatuses or machine tool apparatuses that have communication devices. The system includes a first laser or machine tool apparatus with a first communication device for setting up a first connection that is a local wireless point-to-point connection, and a second laser or machine tool apparatus including a second communication device for setting up a second connection that is a local wireless point-to-point connection, and a mobile terminal. The mobile terminal includes a terminal data memory, and a terminal communication device for setting up local wireless point-to-point connections to the first apparatus and the second apparatus. The system is configured to transmit data of the first apparatus through the first connection to the mobile terminal, buffer-store the data in the terminal data memory, and, after the first connection terminates, transmit the data from the mobile terminal through the second connection to the second apparatus.