GB1360441A - Automatic tool changing device - Google Patents

Abstract

1360441 Automatic electric control IKEGAI TEKKO K K 17 June 1971 [17 June 1970; 11 Aug 1970] 19760/71 Heading G3N An automatic tool-changing arrangement for machine tools incorporates a tool identifying number memory, synchronized with a toolindexing head and into which a transferred tool number is read, the memory comprising reed switches or a magnetic recording medium. As shown, a numerically controlled boring machine has a head 11 with a spindle 12 and a tool magazine 21 which is rotatable in steps to present in sequence tools 1a - 12a for inter-change with a tool in the spindle by an arm 13. A workpiece is mounted on a table 16 and the head 11 with the magazine 21 is moved vertically by a screw 14. The magazine 21 carries index pins 1b - 12b which actuate a limit switch 23 synchronizing the rotation of a memory drum 41. The drum has arcuate magnetizable sections 1c - 12c corresponding the tools in the magazine. Each section is 8 bits long and when data is magnetized in binary code, corresponding to a tool number, by write heads 45 and read by flux-modifying heads 42. A numerical control device 3, responsive to a positioning and operations programme on a paper tape emits a tool command S2 to an A - register 32. A B - register 33 temporarily hold the number of the tool being read by the heads 42 as the magazine is indexed by control 31 in response to a command S1 from the device 3. A C - register holds the number of the tool actually in the spindle 12. The magazine indexing continues until the contents of registers 32, 33 coincide, upon which a coincidence signal S4 is generated inhibiting device 31 and causing the numerical control device 3 to generate a command signal S3. A tool change control 35 issues, in response to the signal S3, a read and write change-over command S32 which initiates a tool-change operation, opens a gate 36 whereby information relating to an exchanged tool is entered on the magnetic memory and the C - register filled with the number of the tool transferred to the spindle. In an alternative embodiment the memory comprises reed-switches, having a hold-on facility, through which lights are energized and read by photo-cells. The tool-changer incorporates a rotary arm which slides along a shaft to remove the tool from the magazine and spindle and rotates through 180 degrees to effect a transfer.