Abstract: The present invention relates to a manufacturing system which accepts a custom order of product from a customer and custom manufactures a product without sacrificing manufacturing efficiency. The manufacturing system includes the featuring steps of inputting the required specification of a product, creating the product design based on the design information of the product transmitted from a designing department, status data from the production department, and the input required specification, showing the created product design to the customer, selectively indicating a product to be purchased, transmitting the specification of the selected product to the production department, and producing a product based on the selected product specification.

Abstract: A six-degree-of-freedom articulated robot mechanism includes a three-degree-of-freedom translation unit for adjusting the position. The translation unit includes an orientation maintaining mechanism which has a rotation articulation of the direct drive type connecting a drive motor directly to an arm, and a link mechanism. A three-degree-of-freedom rotation unit for adjusting the orientation includes three rotation articulators of the direct drive type connecting a drive motor directly to a table, and the axes of the three rotation articulators intersect one another at one point.

Abstract: Disclosed is a pick and place unit having a first moving plate movably supported by a fixed plate and a second movable moving plate supported by the first moving plate movably in the direction crossing the moving direction of the first moving plate. The pick and place unit comprises: a first rod-shaped member secured to the fixed plate and disposed along the moving direction of the first moving plate; a second rod-shaped member secured to the second moving plate and disposed along the moving direction of the second moving plate; a movable stopper secured to the first moving plate and having bores, each having portions different in width from each other, for receiving the first and second rod-shaped members respectively; a driving member for moving the movable stopper; and stators fixed at any desired positions of the first and second rod-shaped members, respectively, so as to sandwich the movable stopper and adapted to abut against the movable stopper.