RoboEyes Photo Alignment System

Most machinery has a 0,0 point or “home” location for positioning itself. Typically, material must be placed in a set location by either pushing up against specific markers or by measuring the distance from home position and entering that information manually. Then the operator will dry-run the tool paths to ensure that all cutting will actually take place within the limits of the material. This lengthy process has been eliminated using RoboEyes. With it, operators are able to set the material down arbitrarily and photograph the cutting table. They then simply position their DXF file over the image and RoboEyes relays this information to the machine. Tape measures and reference jigs are no longer necessary.  

But for more than material placement, RoboEyes also helps overcome wasted time and wasted material through the use of simple tools that tightly nest pieces. With the ability to move, rotate and create blocks, material can be positioned so that waste is minimized and a higher yield is gained. Two shapes can also be placed together using a snap function so that the lines overlap to form one cut path, eliminating unnecessary cuts and saving countless hours of cut time.

But one of the best benefits of RoboEyes is its ability to set up several files for multiple sheets of material. Operators typically load one piece of raw material at a time due to the need to set pieces in accordance with the machine’s home position. This creates hours of unnecessary work loading, unloading, and positioning the material. Instead, using RoboEyes, operators can place several pieces of material arbitrarily on the table and take one picture. Multiple DXF files can then be imported and dropped into place directly over the image. This will create one cut file for all the pieces to be sent to the machine, and all shapes will be cut, eliminating machine down-time.

All of these points will help any machine operator and company. But RoboEyes is not the only way to accomplish these goals. Some machinery has been setup with lasers that will project the DXF image onto the cutting table. However, if the laser is not programmable, pieces must be moved by hand to match the laser projection instead of moving DXF files at the computer with RoboEyes. As an alternative to purchasing a laser system for thousands of dollars, RoboEyes accomplishes these tasks using cameras that cost about $500.