Machining station and method for producing vehicle bodies

In a method of producing vehicle bodies of different types on a production line wherein:

• clamping frames with positioning, holding and clamping devices for a vehicle body of a certain type are interchanged in a clamping station to convert production to a vehicle body of a different type;
• the clamping frames are deposited in at least one clamping frame magazine when not in use and removed from the at least one clamping frame magazine when in use;
• the improvement which comprises:
• providing at least one of the clamping frames as a separable clamping frame that is separable into individual segmental clamping frames;
• interchanging a clamping frame in the clamping station in each case by transporting one segmental clamping frame with a robot from the clamping station to the clamping frame magazine, depositing the one segmental clamping from in the clamping frame magazine, removing a segmental clamping frame of a different type from the clamping frame magazine, and transporting the segmental clamping frame of the different type to the clamping station;
• providing a plurality of receiving means for accommodating a respective one of the segmental clamping frames and each said receiving means having a respective drive unit connected thereto for horizontal displacement of the respective receiving means;
• displacing the respective one of the segmental clamping frames that is accommodated in the plurality of receiving means from an interchanging position to a locking position and vice versa with the respective drive unit for horizontally displacing the receiving means.