The Boeing Company

3d Systems, Inc.

William D Macy

Nathan D Eversole

Edward J Levinskas

Eric Delph

Michael E Herbstreit

Anthony D Tompras

Ryan Luke Alejo

Robert B Luecking

Ronald P Marsden

Daniel J Sherwinter

A clamping device is disclosed having a rigid frame and a concavity for accepting items to be clamped together, a clamping action upon items entering into the concavity being facilitated by a contacting member in conjunction with a force-maintaining member and a displacement-limiting element to readily accommodate a range of clamped item dimensions without requiring separate opening or tightening adjustments to be performed by a user while applying the clamping device.

Low profile clamping device

Applied within an automated robotic manufacturing system that includes additive manufacturing capabilities, methods and enabling devices are disclosed for achieving precise multi-dimension positional alignment among a plurality of diverse took that are involved in collaboratively constructing a solid object. The enabling devices according to various embodiments include an automatically deployed contact sensing probe and a tool center point sensor that detects contact with tools in multiple axes. At least one disclosed method advantageously utilizes both sensing devices in complement.

Method and apparatus for positional reference in an automated manufacturing system

The present invention is a network-based system and method for providing a centrally controlled single source location for storing electronic data (including but not limited to part information such as Computer Aided Designed [CAD] solid models, associated textual data, images, mathematical algorithms, and links to associative websites) to be accessed by users creating various products/designs using various application programs. The system includes a central computer system and a plurality of user computer systems coupled to a network. The central computer system stores a plurality of computer solid models. From a user computer system, a user accesses an application program run by the central computer system in order to search and retrieve the stored data files (solid models).

Central based computer network of solid models and associated data with search capability

A method is disclosed for providing a means for identifying recovered component parts of a destroyed assembly quickly and relatively easily using digital or electronic scanning techniques and comparison to virtual components that are presumed to have constituted the original assembly. The method also provides a means for digitally rigging the component parts in three-dimensional virtual space, thereby minimizing and, in some situations, possibly eliminating any need to physical rig the component parts.

Investigation of destroyed assemblies and identification of components thereof

A process for generating one or more three-dimensional computer CAD solid models for a complex product. The process includes evaluating the complex product, and selecting one or more three-dimensional modeling methods for the components of the complex product based on the evaluation of the complex product. Three-dimensional digital CAD solid models are generated for the components based on the selected one or more methods. A common reference point is set for each of the generated three-dimensional digital CAD solid models. The generated three-dimensional digital CAD solid models are combined based on the set reference point to form a three-dimensional digital CAD solid model for the complex product.

Growing community of inventors

St. Peters, MO, United States of America

William D Macy