GB1202362A - Improvements in or relating to pallet transporters in a machine tool installation - Google Patents

Abstract

1,202,362. Selective retrieval from storage. MOLINS MACHINE CO. Ltd., and D. T. N. WILLIAMSON. 8 Aug., 1967 [15 March, 1967; 5 May, 1967] Nos. 14917/70 and 14918/70. Divided out of 1,202,361. Heading B8E. [Also in Division B3] In a machine tool installation in which workpieces loaded on pallets are transported between a pallet store and machine tools or a location where workpieces are fixed on, or removed from, pallets, there is provided a transporter having first and second pallet-carrying means each capable of carrying at least one pallet, means to draw a pallet on to said first palletcarrying means from one side of said transporter, and means to deliver a pallet from said second pallet-carrying means at said one side of said transporter, whereby pallets can simultaneously be received on and delivered from said transporter at said one side. General layout.-The installation is made up of a row of machine tools 101-106, which are fed with pairs of linked pallets carrying workpieces, and with tool magazines, by means of a transporter 114 movable along one side of a storage facility comprising pallet storage racks 113 and tool magazine storage racks 115. On the other side of the storage facility is a row of work-fixing tables 118-133 at which human operators set workpieces on the pallets, or re-set them on pallets between machining operations. Between the work-fixing tables 118-133 and the storage facility a transporter 138 operates to place loaded pallets into the racks 113 and loaded tool magazines into the racks 115. The storage facility also includes two columns of racks 116, 117, as a transit section for receiving from one side tool magazines loaded therein by human operations for movement to allocated storage racks 115 by the transporter 114, and for receiving magazines from the transporter 114 for removal by the operation to replace or change the tooling therein. Transporter.-The transporter 114 comprises a main frame movable along the racks 113, 115 on rails 641, 642 by a chain 251. The frame supports a vertically movable platform 643 having two sections 644, 645 for carrying linked pallets, one section for returning a pair of pallets to the racks and the other for receiving pallets from the racks. The platform 643 also has an upright 646 for tool magazines which are stored vertically in the racks 115. The platform 643 is positioned vertically by means of actuation of one or more of three hydraulic jacks that operate on fixed ended chains. The sections 644, 645 and the upright 646 include chain driven means for moving the platens and magazines into and out of the racks and hydraulic pushers and pullers to bring the pallets and magazine into the range of operation of the chain driven means. The main frame is moved along the rails 641, 642 with a fast traverse which is automatically slowed down as it approaches its destination. Hydraulic plungers locate the main frame accurately at a selected destination. The two horizontal sections 644, 645 are spaced apart so that e.g. section 644 can unload a pallet into the rack 113 at the same time as a pallet is removed from the rack on to the section 645. Section 644 is therefore used to receive a pallet from a machine tool and section 645 to load a pallet into a machine tool.