ES364753A1 - Improvements in or relating to machine tools - Google Patents

Abstract

A dual purpose machine tool capable of performing turning operations and non-turning (e.g. milling or drilling) operations comprises a rotatable spindle for holding a workpiece or a cutting tool, means mounting the spindle for movement along its rotational axis and along directions perpendicular thereto, a plurality of pallets A, B, C, G, for carrying workpieces and cutting tools, and support means 15, 16, 20, 24 for receiving the pallets in a first plane and moving each pallet to an operational position in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane in which operational position a workpiece or tool on the pallet is accessible to the spindle, the support means including a table 18, 24 hinged about an edge for movement between a first and second position, the table in the first position receiving a pallet in the first plane and in the second position bringing the pallet into the second plane. A plurality of such machine tools are numerically controlled and used in a computer controlled production layout (Fig. 4, not shown). They may provide grinding facilities. Beds and frames.-A machine tool comprises a bed 1 having slide ways 2, 3 along which a base 7 moves. A housing 6 contains a vertically movable block 11 which contains a horizontally movable headstock 13 that includes one or more spindles. The housing 6 is rotatable on the base 7 about a vertical axis. The bed 1 also has mounted thereon support devices 15, 16, 20 for receiving and presenting the pallets A, B, C and G to a position accessible by the machine spindle. Workpiece transferring.-The pallets may have either (a) workpieces to be machined whilst held in the pallet, (b) cylindrical workpieces to be removed by the spindle, (c) chucks or faceplates pre-mounted with workpieces for attaching to the spindle, or (d) chucks for attaching to the spindle and for subsequently receiving a workpiece from another pallet. The support devices 15, 16 comprise an upper part 18 which is pivotable about a horizontal axis into a horizontal position for receiving the pallet from a transporter (32) (Fig. 4, not shown) which traverses a pallet storage rack (31) and a row of machine tools (25)-(30). The part 18 is raised to a vertical position and the pallet is lowered to a front face 17 accessible by the spindle and headstock 13. Support device 20 comprises a cube member rotatable about a horizontal axis to place each of its four pallet carrying sides into a machining position. Rotatable with the cube is a pivotable table 24 which is raised to a horizontal position to receive a pallet and then lowered so that four side faces of workpiece are accessible by the machine spindle. Tool transferring.-The support devices 15, 16, 20 may support pallets that carry a set of tools that (a) may be removed by the spindle to operate on a workpiece, (b) are held in the pallet to machine the end face of a rotating workpiece, (c) are held radially from a tool turret, as shown at G, to machine the periphery of a rotating workpiece and (d) are rotatably mounted and driven in the pallet to machine a non-rotating workpiece held in the spindle. The production layout includes work-setting stations (34) where pallets are manually loaded and a transporter (33) which places the loaded pallets into the storage racks (31). Each pallet has a binary code identification number and reading devices throughout the layout enable an on-line computer to provide material to the work-setting stations for mounting on to the pallets, to position pallets in the storage racks, and to deliver pallets from the storage racks to a machine unit, as required. Each machine unit has an associated tape store from which programme tapes suitable for the delivered pallets are selected and mounted on a tape deck to control the operation of the machine unit.