Abstract: A drilling machine drills at a multiplicity of target locations on a component. Two robots, calibrated with calibration data, move the component in a 6-D coordinate system. A metrology system ascertains the position of the component relative to the drilling machine. The movement of the robots is effected by commands generated by off-line programming. The component is moved relative to the drilling machine to a target position, ready for drilling, by a closed-loop process in which the differences in position between the expected position (the target position) and the actual position (as viewed by the metrology system) are corrected.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for tool use management wherein a CNC machine retains information identifying the tools associated with the machine as well as their current locations (if any), and executes an algorithm for determining the source tools needed by a part program and matching the source tools with the available tools.

Abstract: A system and method for detecting a registration mark representing a binary code sequence of N bits. A sensor is provided to output values indicating whether positive bits, negative bits, or no bits of the binary code sequence are detected. A sequence of N sensor values are provided to a code matching filter for comparison with the binary code sequence. The code matching filter increases a value of a detection signal for each sensor value which matches its corresponding bit, decreases the detection signal value for each sensor value which is complementary to its corresponding bit, and neither increases nor decreases the detection signal value in response to a sensor value indicating detection of no bit of the binary code sequence. When the binary code sequence is a Barker code, the code matching filter yields the ideal Barker auto-correlation function response whenever the binary code sequence is detected.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inputting design specifications to calculate output specifications and manufacturing machine code is disclosed. A user interface simplifies the data input by a user to calculate the necessary manufacturing specifications. The user interface is typically connected to a computer aided design (CAD) process. The CAD process in turn processes the design input specifications entered by the user.

Abstract: A drilling machine drills at a multiplicity of target locations on a component. Two robots, calibrated with calibration data, move the component in a 6-D coordinate system. A metrology system ascertains the position of the component relative to the drilling machine. The movement of the robots is effected by commands generated by off-line programming. The component is moved relative to the drilling machine to a target position, ready for drilling, by a closed-loop process in which the differences in position between the expected position (the target position) and the actual position (as viewed by the metrology system) are corrected.