GB2124941A

GB2124941A - A workpiece supply system for a machine tool

Info

Publication number: GB2124941A
Application number: GB08320196A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gunther Burkart; Horst Palme; Heinz Vogel
Original assignee: Mannesmann AG
Current assignee: Vodafone GmbH
Priority date: 1982-08-06
Filing date: 1983-07-27
Publication date: 1984-02-29
Also published as: GB8320196D0; IT8322469A0; FR2531362A1; SE8304297D0; IT8322469A1; GB2124941B; DE3229327A1; SE8304297L; SE457715B; FR2531362B3; IT1164398B; DE3229327C2

Abstract

In the supply system, industrial trucks travel on the conveying path 1 and transfer pallets 3 with workpieces 4 via a transfer station 7 to one of the superimposed storage stations 6. The transfer station 7 has an extension device and a lifting device. Such devices can also be provided for the distributing carriage 8 which travels on rails 16 and brings the pallet 3 with the workpieces 4 to the providing station 9 and takes it back again once the workpieces 4 have been supplied to the clamping device 12 of a machine tool 11 by an industrial robot 10. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Machine tool supply system Although belt and other continuously operating conveyors may be used to supply workpieces to machine tools, they suffer from the disadvantages that they occupy a substantial surface area within the plant and also form an obstruction to transportation or movement in the directions transversely of their lengths. Their use is consequently restricted to servicing machine tools, each of which operates continuously and performs an identical operation on each workpiece before it is passed to the next machine tool.

Alternatively, the workpieces may be brought to the machine tools intermittently, possibly singly or in batches, for example on trucks or trolleys which are steered by drivers or induction lines, or drawn by draglines running in channels in the floor. Overhead conveyors arranged to deposit workpieces at required locations are also suitable for intermittent transportation of workpieces. These intermittent conveying systems allow each workpiece to be transported from one machine tool to any other which might be needed. The paths followed by the conveying system are different and the conveying system does not have to be dismantled in order to change the paths.A disadvantage of the intermittent conveying system, however, lies in its inability to store workpieces in the vicinity of the machine tools, so the machine tools can only be used while the conveying system is in operation, that is to say virtually only during its working shifts and not during the conveying system's downtime.

The present proposal is a machine tool supply system which provides possibilities for storage of workpieces at the machine tools. This is achieved by arranging storage stations on or in the vicinity of the conveying path, and a workpiece providing system between such stations and a workpiece handling system associated with the machine tool. The conveying system, for example an industrial truck or trolley is used to deliver the workpieces to the storage stations and collects them from the station following machining, the workpieces being passed on to the machine tool and returned therefrom by the workpiece providing system.

The essence and advantage of the present proposal lies in the consequent application for the storage and conveying process, the economic provision of workpieces by a handling system directly at the machine tools and in the combination of standardised storage, transfer and providing elements corresponding to the various requirements. Depending on the storage volume required, smaller and larger workpiece storage systems with storageprogrammable controls can be produced using standard elements.

The workpiece providing system may comprise a providing station, a distributing carriage and a transfer station, some or all of which may be provided with a take-over device for the workpieces.

The take-over device may be a lifting device, a rotating device, an extending device, or be designed as a conveyor track. All the devices may be provided together. It is preferred for the take-over device to be movable in the vent that the providing stations are arranged in one or more rows. Alternatively, a rotary take-over device is recommended for use with a star-shaped arrangement of the machine tools relative to the storage stations. The providing station is then arranged in the centre between the machine tool and the workpiece supply and workpiece discharge station and transfers the workpieces from one point to another.

The workpieces may be positioned previously on pallets or other loading aids, or be supplied directly to the providing stations or stored in the meantime in shelving units and supplied to the handling system when required. The providing stations and storage stations can be arranged compactly on top of each other in the case of multiple machine assignment. When using loading portals, the providing station is equipped with an NC-controlled axis so that the workpieces are supplied to the handling system in exactly the proposed position corresponding to their Alternatively, the workpieces can be arranged on a pallet or other loading aid. The workpieces can be positioned previously in defined positionng stations or supports, in boxes or other containers, having insets which are particular to the workpiece. Several units can be deposited on a standardised pallet.The handling system is then capable of removing the workpieces from the various positioning stations of the pallet and depositing them there again after machining. The pallets can also be moved along co-ordinates with their positioning stations so that the handling system always has to hold to the same point. The handling system can be a so-called industrial robot which can even be driven on a loading portal.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is plan view of a workpiece providing system, Figure 2 is a side view of the system shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a plan view of another such system, Figure 4 is a plan view of a further such system, Figure 5 is a side view of the system shown in Figure 4, Figure 6 is a plan view of yet another system, Figure 7 is a side view of the system shown in Figure 6, Figure 8 is a plan view of a still further system, Figure 9 is an end view of a loading aid, and Figure 10 is a plan view of the loading aid.

In the supply system according to Figures 1 and 2, industrial trucks (not shown) travel on the conveying path 1 and transfer pallets or other loading aids 3 (Figures 9 and 10) with workpieces 5 stored in workpiece positions 4 via a transfer station 7 to storage stations 6. Instead of using pallets to support the workpieces, they may be carried in frames or other devices conventionally used in manufacture.

Several storage stations are arranged one on top of the other, as shown in Figure 2. The transfer station 7 has a lifting device 14, as shown in Figure 7, for an extension device 13 which can be moved in height.

Such devices 13 and 14 can also be provided for the distributing carriage 8 which travels on rails 16 and takes the pallet 3 with the workpieces 5 to the providing station 9 and brings them back again once the workpieces 5 have been supplied to the clamping device 12 of a machine tool 11 by a handling system 10 in the form of an industrial robot.

The providing stations 9 and storage stations are equipped with non-driven roller conveyors while the distributing carriage 8 is equipped with a wheel and disc drive for the transfer of pallets. Alternatively, all stations of the automatic workpiece store can be euipped with individual drive or with chain conveyors.

In contrast to Figure 1 with the stationary providing station, the providing station 9 in the embodiment according to Figure 3 is moved beneath a loading portal 17 with the handling system 10 which can be driven on it and which removes the workpieces Sin series from the loading aid.

Figure 4 shows a different arrangement of a supply system in a plan view with a side view in Figure 5 corresponding to the line V-V through Figure 4. The storage stations 6 and providing stations 9 are arranged one on top of the other and supply two machine tools 11 with workpieces via a handling system 10. The distributing carriage 8 has a lifting device 14 which is shown in Figure 7 and an extension device 13 for transferring the loading aid 3 from the storage stations 6 to the providing stations 9 and back again.

In the embodiment shown in plan view in Figure 6 and in extended side view in Figure 7, branches 1 a lead from the conveying path 1 to the storage station 6a for unmachined parts and 1 b to the stoage station 6b for finished parts. These storage stations 6a and 6b are arranged together with a two-storey providing station 9 in a star shape round a transfer station 7 which, as shown in Figure 7, has an extension device 13, a lifting device 14 and a rotating device 15. The providing station 9 forms a star-shaped arrangement with two machine tools 11 with a column 10a of the handling system 10 as centre. Storage stations 6a and 6b are designed as descending frames.

The rotating and lifting device pivots into the transfer position and takes over the pallet of unmachined parts with the aid of the extension fork.

After identification of the workpieces, the rotating and lifting device allocates the workpieces to the relevant providing station. The handling system 10 selectively engages so as to charge the machine tools 11 a and 11 b at the corresponding upper providing station 9a or lower providing station 9b, removes the workpieces 5 from the positioning device 4 and transfers them to the clamping devices 12 of the machine tool 11.

The finished pallets 3 are removed from the providing stations 9 and stored in the meantime in the storage stations 6 until they are transferred to the industrial truck 2.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 8, branches la lead from the conveying path 1 to the storage station 6a for unmachined parts and branches 1 b to the storage station 6b for finished parts. A providing station 9 is arranged between the storage stations 6a and 6b. Several storage stations 6 can be arranged on top of each other as required.

A store-programmable control takes over the allocation of the loading aid 3 to the storage stations 6, the administration of storage space, the control of the distributing carriage or of the rotating and lifting device and the communication between the industrial truck 2 and workpiece providing system.

Figures 9 and 10 show a loading aid 3 in the form of a standard pallet with precisely arranged positioning stations 4 which can be provided with conventional holding devices adapted to the workpieces to be secured, as required.

The drawings show only a few of the varied applications of the supply system according to the invention with the storage stations and the providing stations connected to them for the workpieces which are to be supplied and discharged. In particular, the storage stations can be extended to meet the requirements.

Claims

1. A supply system for a machine tool with workpieces which are conveyed intermittently by conveyors, wherein storage stations are arranged in or in the vicinity of the conveyor path and a workpiece providing system is arranged between them and a workpiece handling system connected to the machine tool

2. A supply system according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece providing system has a providing station for workpieces or for loading aids provided for the workpieces.

3. A supply system according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece providing system has a distributing carriage.

4. A supply system according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece providing system has a transfer station.

5. A supply system according to any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the workpiece providing station and/or transfer station and/or distributing carriage is provided with a take-over device for the workpieces.

6. A supply system according to claim 5, wherein the take-over device is a lifting device.

7. A supply system according to claim 5, wherein the take-over device is a rotating device.

8. A supply system according to claim 5, wherein the take-over device is an extending device.

9. A supply system according to claim 5, wherein the take-over device is a conveyor belt.

10. A supply system according to claim 5, wherein the take-over device is drivable by means of a driving device.

11. A supply system according to claim 2, wherein several workpieces are arranged on a loading aid.

12. A supply system according to claim 11, wherein positioning stations for the workpieces are provided on the loading aid.

13. A supply system according to claim 2, wherein the loading aid is a standard pallet.

14. A supply system according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein several storage stations and/or providing stations and/or distributing carriages are arranged on top of each other.

15. A supply system according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein two storage stations for the supply and discharge of workpieces and the machine tool are arranged in a star shape in whose centre and rotatable workpiece or pallet providing station is arranged.

16. A conveying system according to claim 1, wherein the storage stations are arranged in one or more rows and the providing station is provided with the driving device.

17. A supply system according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece handling system is arranged on a loading portal.