GB2082484A

GB2082484A - Machine with horizontally sliding tool head carriage

Info

Publication number: GB2082484A
Application number: GB8125289A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1980-08-20
Filing date: 1981-08-19
Publication date: 1982-03-10
Also published as: DE3031317A1; GB2082484B; FR2488825A1; IT8105203A0; JPS5771710A

Abstract

The machine tool head (24) has a spindle for supporting a tool and a driving unit (28) for the tool spindle. A work support (90), on which a workpiece may be fixed, is on a column (78) movable horizontally to or from the tool head. The tool head (24) the driving unit (28), a tool magazine (32) for a number of tools (38) and a tool changer (26) for moving tools (38) between the tool magazine (32) and the tool spindle head (24) are supported in common by a main carriage (20), which is able to be moved along a horizontal axis on two spaced guide rails (12, 14) marking a plane of movement which is at a slope with respect to the horizontal plane. The rails are on a triangular cross-section bed (10). The carriage (20) has rollers (44) supporting it on the narrow surface of the upper rail. Anti-friction cushions (48, 50) on the carriage contact the rails. The work column may be guided on similar rails. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A machine tool Background of the invention The present invention is with respect to a machine tool having a tool spindle head with a spindle for supporting a tool, with a driving unit for the tool spindle, with a work support, on which a workpiece may be fixed, and with a number of carriage guides and carriages which make possible relative motion between the tool support and the tool spindle head in a number of coordinate directions, and with one separate drive for each of the carriages.

There are prior art machine tools in which the work is fixed to a fixed worktable and material is machined from the work by moving a tool spindle head in different coordinate directions, of which there are normally three.

There are shortcomings in this respect if the working operations taking place one after the other and needing different tools are to be undertaken with automatic tool changing, because in this case the tool spindle head has to be moved in each case to a fixed tool changing position, in which the tools are offered by a tool magazine which furthermore takes the tools back again.

On the other hand there are prior art machine tools in which the full relative motion between the work and the tool takes place in different coordinates by moving the work, while the tool spindle head is not moved.

Although such machine tools make possible high speed automatic tool changing using a tool magazine, the number of different machining operations possible is limited.

According to the present invention there is provided a machine tool comprising a tool spindle head having a spindle for supporting a tool, a driving unit for the tool spindle, a workpiece support on which a workpiece may be fixed, a plurality of carriage guides and carriages making possible relative motion between the workpiece support and the tool spindle head in a plurality of coordinate directions, and a driving system for each of said carriages, the tool spindle, the driving unit therefor, a tool magazine for a number of tools, and a tool changer for changing over tools between the tool magazine and the tool head are supported in common by a main carriage movable along a horizontal axis, the carriage being movable along two spaced guide rails lined up with a plane of movement which is at a slope with respect to the horizontal.

At least part of the relative motion between the tool and the work takes place by moving the tool spindle head, but on the other hand a high speed automatic changeover of tools with a tool magazine is possible.

The tool carriage is moved unitedly or rigidly with the tool spindle head so that when a tool is to be changed over it is not necessary for the tool spindle head to be moved, whatever position it may have. Because of the common motion of the tool spindle head and of the tool magazine takes place only horizontally, the forces necessary in this respect are low; the precision of the motion of the tool spindle head is in no way decreased because the tool magazine has to be moved as well.

Because of the design in the present invention of the guiding system for the tool spindle head, its driving unit and the tool magazine and furthermore the main carriage with the tool changer as a sloping carriage guiding system, it is possible to make certain that the high overall weight of these parts is handed over in a troublefree way and without any play to the machine bed, the carriage guiding system being of small size. The small horizontal size of the sloping carriage guide is furthermore responsible for a specially useful effect inasfar as it is responsible for fixing the horizontal space in between the tool magazine and the working end of the tool spindle head.For this reason only a very short distance has to be bridged over by the tool changer and this gives a desired effect not only with respect to the price of producing it but furthermore with respect to its weight to be moved together with the tool spindle head and the speed of working.

Useful further developments of the invention are claimed in the dependent claims.

It is possible for the running plane to make an angle to the horizontal of 55 to 75 , and more specially 70 , this producing a specially good transmission of forces and turning forces from the main carriage to the guide rails, while the sloping carriage guiding system takes up little space.

As part of a still further development of the invention the machine bed with the guide rails has a generally three-cornered or triangular cross-section, one side of the three-cornered section being at the lower face on which the machine tool is supported. With such a design the amount of material needed for making the machine tool is decreased, while at the same time the machine tool bed has a high mechanical strength.

In the case of a further development of the invention a further carriage supporting the work support is designed for running on upright guide rails and is supported by a third carriage which may be moved, using two further spaced guide rails in a direction, which is in a horizontal plane normal to the direction of motion of the main carriage and furthermore the two further guide rails are in a horizontally sloping running plane. With such a further development of the invention the horizontal guide for the upright adjustment system of the work support is as well small in size and strong in structure.

As part of a still further development of the invention the second slide has a faceplate or turntable for supporting the workpiece and which may be turned about an axis parallel to the direction of motion of the main carriage.

With such a design a separate vertical adjustment system for the work support is not necessary.

List of figures An account will now be given of the invention based on working examples to be seen in the figures.

Figure 1 is a side view of a machine tool, in which a main carriage and a guide system designed for use therewith are to be seen in section.

Figure 2 is a view of the machine tool as seen from the left in Fig. 1 giving a section of a carriage and a guide system used therewith, these parts supporting, by way of an upright carriage, a faceplate for supporting a workpiece.

Figure 3 is a side view of a somewhat changed form of the machine tool to be seen in Fig. 1.

Detailed account of working examples of the invention.

The machine tool to be seen in Fig. 1 has a machine bed 10 running normally with respect to the plane of Fig. 1. The cross-section of the bed has three corners with a generally short base side. The side to be seen on the right in the figure of the cross-section of the machine bed 10 is at an angle of 70 to the horizontal support face and has two spaced guide rails 1 2, 14. On the edge of the machine bed 10 furthest from the guide rails 12, 14 there is a foot 16 stretching for the full length of the bed. This molded-on foot 16 is joined up with the rest of the bed 10 at the ends thereof by way of three-cornered support walls 18 which are molded.

Guide rails 12, 14 are used for supporting a main carriage, generally numbered 20 with a generally three-cornered or triangular crosssection and the left hand face of the carriage is again at an angle of 70 to the lower support face of the bed so that the right hand face of the carriage is upright.

The top side of main carriage 20 has fixed thereon a wedgelike inbetween piece 22 for supporting a tool head 24 and over head 24 a tool changer generally numbered 26. On the upright carriage face there is a driving unit 28, having a driving motor and gearing, for the tool head 24 and designed for driving a shaft 30, which is in turn used for driving the tool spindle bearinged in tool head 24. Furthermore on the upright, right hand side of the carriage there is fixed a tool magazine generally numbered 32.

Tool magazine 32 has an endless transporter 34 powered by a driving system (not figured) and the transporter 34 is olaced stretching on upright or horizontal direction, that is to say in the case of large-size magazine normal to the plane of the figure. Furthermore transporter 34 is used for supporting single tool boxes 36 by way of coupling system, not to be seen in detail in a figure.

Each tool box 36 has a tool 38.

Tool changer 26 has a changer head 42 with two or more arms and which may be turned about an upright axis by a driving motor 40. Changer head 42 takes up by way of one arm, one tool box 36 from the tool magazine 32 for moving it to the end, to be seen on the left in the figure, of tool head 24, while at the same time another arm thereof is used for moving a tool box 36 from the tool head 24 back to the tool magazine 32. For joining up the tool boxes 36 with the arms of the changer head 42 there are servo-control coupling systems, not detailed in the figure; a further servo-controlled coupling is used for joining up the tool spindle of the machine tool with the tool 38 placed in each case in the working position in front of tool head 24. The tool changer may for example be a six-position turret as well.

Main carriage 20, tool head 24, tool changer 26, driving unit 28 and tool magazine 32 are for this reason joined together as a single unit, which may be moved in a direction normal to the plane of Fig. 1, that is to say in the direction of the X-axis of the coordinate system to be seen in Fig. 1. This unit as such has a great weight. The transmission of this weight without any play and with little friction to guide rails 12 and 14 is undertaken by rollers 44 or rolling bodies placed between the top, narrow side of guide rail 12 and the support part 46 which is hooked over guide rail 12 of main carriage 20, and by way of cushions 48, 50 of antifriction material which are supported by the sloping face of main carriage 20 (on the left in the figure) opposite the broad sides of guide rails 12 and 14.

For moving main carriage 20 in the xdirection there is a lead screw 52 running through it and whose ends are bearinged on machine bed 10. The lead screw has a driving system (not figured).

Running normally to machine bed 10 there.

is a second machine bed 54 which (see Fig.

2) as well has a three-cornered cross-section and has a foot 56 running for its full length, which is joined up at the ends of the machine bed 54 with the same by way of molded on three-cornered walls 58 with the machine bed 54.

The side face, to be seen on the right of the figure of the machine bed 54 is once again at a slope of 70 to the support or lower face of the machine tool and has two guide rails 60, 62 on which the carriage 64 is run. Between a support part 66 of carriage 64 and the narrow side of the top guide rail 60 there are again rolling bodies 68. The face to be seen on the left in the figure of carriage 64 is supported again by cushions 70, 72 of antifriction material opposite to guide rails 60, 62. A lead screw 74 has its ends bearinged in machine bed 54 so as to be running through carriage 64. Lead screw 74 is turned by a driving system 76 (see Fig. 1).

On the vertically placed side, which is on the right in Fig. 2, of carriage 64 there is an upright bed 78 which has upright guide rails 80, 82 on which an upright carriage 84 may be run upwards and downwards by way of a lead screw 86 with a driving system 88. The upright carriage 84 has for its part a faceplate 90 thereon which may be turned by driving system 92 about an axis parallel to the z-axis and normally named the B-axis. The work is fixed to the faceplate.

It will be seen that not only in the case of the main carriage 20 but furthermore in the case of carriage 64 using a sloping carriage guiding system having a small size in the transverse direction, the great weight is able to be transmitted to the machine bed 10 or 54 in question without any play.

In the working example of Fig. 3 that part of the machine tool which has the tool head and the part used therewith, is of the same design as in the working example of Figs. 1 and 2 and for this reason parts which are the same are numbered with the same numbers so that no detailed account is needed thereof.

For fixing the workpiece to the machine tool a work faceplate 94 or turntable is used whose axis of turning is in that horizontal plane in which the tool head axis may be moved, it running parallel to the axis of the tool head. Faceplate 94 is supported by a carriage 96 running on guide rails 98, which are parallel to the tool head axis and are supported by a machine bed 100.

If a workpiece is eccentrically fixed to faceplate 94 an adjustment of the workpiece in the upright, that is to say in the Y-direction with respect to the tool may be undertaken if the faceplate 94 is turned and at the same time the main carriage 20 undergoes adjustment in step by an amount equal to the Xcomponent of the part of a circle through which the work is being moved. For this reason in the case of the machine tool of Fig.

3 as well it is possible for the work to be moved in the x-direction in relation to the tool without a special carriage having to be present for this purpose.

Claims

1. A machine tool comprising a tool spindle head having a spindle for supporting a tool, a driving unit for the tool spindle, a workpiece support on which a workpiece may be fixed, a plurality of carriage guides and carriages making possible relative motion between the workpiece support and the tool spindle head in a plurality of coordinate directions, and a driving system for each of said carriages, the tool spindle, the driving unit therefor, a tool magazine for a number of tools, and a tool changer for changing over tools between the tool magazine and the tool head are supported in common by a main carriage movable along a horizontal axis, the carriage being movable along two spaced guide rails lined up with a plane of movement which is at a slope with respect to the horizontal.

2. A machine tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein a side of the main carriage remote from the sloping side is in an upright plane and the tool magazine and a magazine driving, system for moving an endless transportcr supporting the tools in the magazine are fixed on said remote side.

3. A machine tool as claimed in claim 2, wherein the driving unit for the tool spindle head is fixed on the upright face of the main carriage.

4. A machine tool as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plane of movement is at an angle of 55 to 75 to the horizontal.

5. A machine tool as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein a top supporting part of the main carriage, hooked over a top side of the upper of the guide rails, is movable on an upper side of the upper rail by way of a system with rolling bodies.

6. A machine tool as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the main carriage has cushions of anti-friction material located on the plane of movement, for travel on the guide rails.

7. A machine tool as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein a machine bed locating the guide rails has a generally threecornered cross-section, one side thereof being at a lower support face of the machine tool.

8. A machine tool as claimed in claim 7, wherein the side of the machine bed which is at the lower support face of the machine tool is short in comparison with the other sides of the bed, and at the end of the machine tool bed remote from the plane of movement there is a foot extending away from the plane of movement.

9. A machine tool as claimed in claim 8, wherein the foot of the machine bed is connected with the ends of the latter by molded on bridging walls.

10. A machine tool as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein a second carriage, used for supporting a tool support, is movable along upright guide rails, and is supported by a third carriage which may be moved along two further spaced guide rails in a direction which, in a horizontal plane, is normal to the direction of motion of the main carriage, the two further guide rails being located in a plane of movement which is at a slope in relation to the horizontal.

11. A machine tool as claimed in claim 10, wherein the plane of movement of the third carriage is at an angle of 55 to 75 to the horizontal.

12. A machine tool as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein a top supporting part of the third carriage, hooked over a top side of the upper of the further guide rails, is movable on an upper side of the upper rail by way of a system with rolling bodies.

13. A machine tool as claimed in any of claims 10 to 12, wherein the third carriage has cushions of anti-friction material located on the plane of movement thereof, for travel on the further guide rails.

14. A machine tool as claimed in any of claims 10 to 13, wherein a further machine bed locating the further guide rails has a generally three-cornered cross-section, one side thereof being at a further lower support face.

15. A machine tool as claimed in claim 14, wherein the side of the further machine bed which is at the further lower support face is short in comparison with the other sides of the further bed, and at the end of the further bed remote from the plane of movement there is a foot extending away from the plane of movement.

16. A machine tool as claimed in claim 15, wherein the foot of the further machine bed is connected with the ends of the latter by molded on bridging walls.

17. A machine tool as claimed in any of claims 10 to 16, wherein the second carriage has a faceplate for supporting the work, the faceplate being rotatable about an axis parallel to the direction of motion of the main carriage.

18. A machine tool as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the workpiece support is a faceplate whose axis of turning is parallel to the axis of the tool spindle head and is placed in its plane of motion, the faceplate being supported by a carriage which may be moved in a direction parallel to the axis of the tool spindle head.

19. A machine tool as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the tool changer has a changer head which has two or more arms and which is rotatable about an upright axis.

20. A machine tool as claimed in claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.