US Patent 11700917 Agile manufacturing processes and systems

A manufacturing process involving a series of discrete operations can be modified by adding, removing, or reordering operations, without design changes to the equipment. The manufacturing process uses a frame comprising one or more alignment tabs. Each alignment tab comprises an alignment element. The alignment element interacts with a corresponding alignment element at a manufacturing station to identify to the manufacturing station the position and orientation of the frame. The frame supports a material in a known position and orientation relative to the frame, allowing the manufacturing station to infer the position and orientation of the pliable material on the frame from the interaction of the alignment elements on the frame and the manufacturing station. The operations at any particular manufacturing station can therefore be positioned independent of what operations, if any, have come before, or in what order.