JP2000033522A - Electric discharge machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform continuous machining by a formed electrode and a barlike electrode. SOLUTION: An electrode guide 2 can move vertically and in the right and left directions by a thin hole guide jig 4. The thin hole guide jig 4 is fixed on a structural ram 18 through a rotary actuator 16. The rotation of the rotary actuator 16 is regulated by a block 19 after it rotates by 90 degrees. Since a pipe electrode 1 can be guided by the electrode guide 2 in this condition, thin hole machining or profile machining becomes possible. When the rotary actuator 16 is rotated reversely, the electrode guide 2 is sprung up and retracted. Since the electrode guide 2 is retracted in this condition, a formed electrode can be used.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric discharge machine, and more particularly, to an electric discharge machine which has high working efficiency and is suitable for automation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a conventional electric discharge machine. In this electric discharge machine, the electrode 101
Are manufactured in a shape inverted from the processing shape (hereinafter, referred to as a “form electrode”). The electrode 101 is made of copper or graphite and is attached to a chuck 102 of an electric discharge machine. The work W is stored on a table 104 in the processing tank 103.
Fixed to A processing liquid 105 is contained in the processing tank 103. The relative movement of the electrode 101 and the work W is controlled in the X, Y, and Z directions (left and right, front and rear, and up and down directions) by a driving mechanism (not shown) and the control device 106. Electrode 10
1 receives power supply from a processing power supply. A scanning board 107 is provided beside the electric discharge machine.

Next, the operation of the electric discharge machine will be described. The electrode 101 and the workpiece W are formed of a processing fluid 10 which is an insulator.
5. A voltage is applied between the electrode 101 and the work W, and the electrode 1 is driven by a servo mechanism (not shown).
When 01 is brought close to the work W, dielectric breakdown occurs and electric discharge occurs. By controlling the servo mechanism to maintain an appropriate distance between the electrode 101 and the work W, discharge is continuously generated. The work W is melted according to the shape of the electrode 101 by continuously generated discharge energy. As a result, the shape of the electrode 101 can be transferred to the work W.

Since the machining speed is proportional to the discharge current, the larger the current, the higher the machining speed. However, when a large current is applied, the processed surface becomes rough. In addition, when a current is caused to flow transiently, the discharge phenomenon becomes unstable or the electrode 101 is damaged. Therefore, it is necessary to optimally control the current value according to the required surface properties and processing area.

[0005] In addition, electrode consumption occurs due to processing. For this reason, when high-precision machining and fine surface properties are required, a rough machining electrode that obtains a rough shape by passing a relatively large machining current, and a finishing electrode that finishes precision and surface properties with a small current Prepare and use them properly.

FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view showing a conventional electric discharge machine using a pipe-shaped electrode (hereinafter referred to as a pipe electrode). The pipe electrode 1 is made of copper or a copper-tungsten alloy. The pipe electrode 1 has a diameter of several meters.
It is used for processing (thin hole processing) such that a deep hole of m or less penetrates the work W. The pipe electrode 1 is attached to a rotating device (not shown) and rotates at several hundred to several thousand revolutions per minute. From a central hole of the pipe electrode 1, a processing liquid for facilitating the discharge of processing chips is jetted. Since the pipe electrode 1 is greatly consumed, an electrode length several times the processing depth is required. The pipe electrode 1 generally has a length of 200 mm to 300 m.
A length of about m is used.

An electrode guide 2 is arranged on the upper surface of the work W. This is for suppressing the deflection of the tip of the pipe electrode which occurs when the elongated pipe electrode 1 is rotated at a high speed. The electrode guide 2 has a guide hole 3 having a diameter several μm larger than the diameter of the pipe electrode 1. The electrode guide 2 is attached to the small hole guide jig 200 and can be moved up and down. The electrode guide 2 can be set on the upper surface of the work W even if the work W has a different plate thickness by the small hole guide jig 200. The small hole guide jig 200 includes an arm 81 that holds the electrode guide 2, a plate 83 to which the arm 81 is attached, a linear guide 85 that moves the plate 83 along the frame 84, and a ball screw 8 that performs a feeding operation.
6, a handle 87 for rotating the screw portion, and a stopper 8
7a.

The electrode guide 2 needs to make the same movement as the pipe electrode 1 on the XY plane. Therefore, the fine hole guide jig 200 is fixed to the structure ram 18 having the chuck 17. In the case of performing processing with the shape electrode, since the arm 81 interferes with the shape electrode and the workpiece W, FIG.
As shown in FIG.
2 makes it detachable.

Further, an electric discharge machining for machining a 2.5-dimensional shape using the pipe electrode 1 is known. In this electric discharge machining method, the pipe electrode 1 and the workpiece W are relatively moved while rotating the pipe electrode 1, so that a shape different from the electrode shape such as machining by an end mill can be machined. In this electric discharge machining method, there are two cases, that is, machining on the bottom surface of the pipe electrode 1 and machining on the side surface (hereinafter referred to as contour machining). In the contour processing, the pipe electrode 1 is a standard product and there is no need to manufacture an electrode like a full-form electrode. Is constant, there is an advantage that a processing surface is stable and a processed surface excellent in flatness and surface properties can be obtained.

However, in the contour processing, the processing time becomes long because the electrode area is small. Therefore, roughing is performed with the pipe electrode 1 having a large diameter, and finishing is performed with the thin pipe electrode 1 corresponding to the required minimum slit width and corner radius. In this case, the electrode guide 2 also needs to be replaced according to the diameter of the pipe electrode 1. In order to achieve automation, the replacement of the electrode guide 2 must be performed automatically.

FIG. 13 shows an example of such a fine hole guide jig 4 having the function of automatically replacing the electrode guide 2. The small hole guide jig 4 has a mechanism for moving the electrode guide 2 in the left-right direction. The left-right moving mechanism controls the sub-plate 6 that holds the arm 5, the linear guide 7 that guides the sub-plate 6 in the left-right direction, the air cylinder 8 that moves the sub-plate 6, and the left-right position of the sub-plate 6. And a block 9. At the end of the arm, two types of electrode guides 2a and 2b having different guide hole diameters 3 are provided. The left-right moving mechanism switches the size of the electrode guide 2 based on a command from a switch or a control device.

[0012]

In the above-mentioned conventional electric discharge machine, it is possible to perform fine hole machining and contour machining using the pipe electrode 1. When pipe electrodes 1 having different diameters are used, two types of electrode guides 2 having different guide hole diameters are used.
a and 2b are switched by a left and right moving mechanism. The arms 5 and 81 holding the electrode guide 2 are
It is mounted on the plate side using a coupling 201 and an eccentric pin 202 (see FIG. 12). When performing the forming process, the arms 5 and 81 are in the way, so that the operator removes them at the coupling portion.

[0013] However, in the above-mentioned electric discharge machine, when switching between full-shape machining and fine hole machining or contour machining,
Since an operator attaches and detaches the arms 5 and 81, there is a problem that continuous processing using the form electrode and the pipe electrode is difficult, and automation is difficult. Specifically, in the case of processing the shape as shown in FIG. 14, after removing the wide portion W3 by the shape electrode, the shape electrode is replaced with a pipe electrode to remove the narrow portion W4. I do. For this reason, it is necessary for the operator to attach and detach the arms 5 and 81 during the electrode replacement process.

In the case of performing contour machining using a pipe electrode, the electrode guides 2a and 2b are moved in the left-right direction and guided as in the electric discharge machine. However, when the number of electrodes increases, the electrode guide 2 becomes large in the lateral direction, so that there is a problem of taking up space.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and enables continuous processing using a form electrode and a rod-shaped electrode.
An object is to obtain an electric discharge machine suitable for automation. Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric discharge machine which does not take up space even when the number of electrodes increases.

[0016]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an electric discharge machine according to the present invention is provided with a chuck for holding a shape electrode or a rod-shaped electrode, and a chuck disposed below the chuck and having a diameter of the rod-shaped electrode. It has a guide hole with a slightly larger diameter, an electrode guide that guides the rod electrode by inserting a rotating rod electrode into this guide hole, and holds the electrode guide, and moves the electrode guide upward from the processing position only by turning An electrode guide retreating device for retreating, and an automatic electrode exchanging device for exchanging a shape electrode and a rod-shaped electrode are provided, and continuous processing is performed by the shape electrode and the rod-shaped electrode.

The electrode guide guides the rotating rod-shaped electrode to prevent runout. In the case of using a full-shaped electrode, the electrode guide is obstructive, and is retracted. The electrode guide is retracted only by turning. The electrode replacement is performed by an automatic electrode replacement device. By retracting the electrode guide, it is possible to automatically replace the electrode with a full-shaped electrode, so that continuous processing using the full-sized electrode and the rod-shaped electrode becomes possible. Conventionally, the electrode guide is retracted by a mechanism for rotating and raising the electrode guide. However, according to the present invention, the electrode guide can be retracted only by turning, so that the structure is simplified.

The electric discharge machine according to the next invention is the above electric discharge machine, wherein the electric discharge machine has a plurality of electrode guides, the guide hole diameters of the respective electrode guides are different, and the electrode guides are moved and exchanged according to the diameter of the rod-shaped electrode used for machining. It is something to do.

In the contour processing using the rod-shaped electrodes, rod-shaped electrodes having different diameters are used. For this reason, electrode guides having different guide hole diameters are automatically moved and exchanged based on the diameter of the rod-shaped electrode. In addition, since the electrode guide can be retracted in the same manner as described above, not only the contour processing by the rod-shaped electrodes but also the forming processing by the forming electrodes can be continuously performed.

The electric discharge machine according to the next invention is the above electric discharge machine, wherein a plurality of electrode guides are arranged on a disk, and the guide hole diameters of the respective electrode guides are different. The guide is rotated and exchanged.

Conventionally, the arrangement of the electrode guides has been linear. For this reason, there has been a problem that an increase in the number of electrode guides requires a space in one direction. Therefore, in the present invention, a plurality of electrode guides are arranged on a disk. In this way, the space occupied by the electrode guide can be reduced.

The electric discharge machine according to the next invention has a chuck for holding a shaped electrode or a rod-shaped electrode, and a guide hole disposed below the chuck and having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the rod-shaped electrode. An electrode guide that guides the rod-shaped electrode by inserting the rotating rod-shaped electrode into the electrode, an electrode guide holding device that detachably holds the electrode guide, an electrode automatic exchange device that exchanges the full-sized electrode and the rod-shaped electrode,
An electrode guide automatic attachment / detachment device that attaches or detaches an electrode guide to or from an electrode guide holding device, and performs continuous machining by using an overall electrode and a rod-shaped electrode by detaching the electrode guide during overall machining. It is.

The electrode guides hinder processing when working with the shaped electrodes. For this reason, the electrode guide has a detachable structure. This attachment / detachment is performed by an automatic electrode guide attachment / detachment device such as a multi-axis control arm robot. This makes it possible to perform continuous processing using the shaped electrode and the rod-shaped electrode.

An electric discharge machine according to the next invention has a chuck for holding a shape electrode or a rod-shaped electrode, and a guide hole disposed below the chuck and having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the rod-shaped electrode. An electrode guide that inserts a rotating rod-shaped electrode into the rod-shaped electrode and guides the rod-shaped electrode, an electrode guide holding device that holds the electrode guide by a detachable arm, and an automatic electrode exchange device that exchanges a full-sized electrode and a rod-shaped electrode And an electrode guide automatic attaching / detaching device that attaches or detaches the arm together with the electrode guide to and from the electrode guide holding device. Is what you do.

The electrode guide is usually held via an arm. Therefore, in the present invention, the electrode guide is attached and detached together with the arm. Actually, when the forming is performed by the forming electrode, the arm often interferes. However, if the arm is attached and detached in this manner, the interference with the forming electrode can be prevented. The arm exchange is performed by an automatic electrode guide attaching / detaching device. As a result, it is possible to continuously process the rod-shaped electrode and the shaped electrode.

An electric discharge machine according to the next invention has a chuck for holding a shape electrode or a rod-shaped electrode, and a guide hole disposed below the chuck and having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the rod-shaped electrode. An electrode guide that inserts a rotating rod-shaped electrode into the electrode guide and guides the rod-shaped electrode; an electrode guide holding device that detachably holds the electrode guide; And an electrode guide automatic attachment / detachment device for attaching or detaching the electrode guide, and the electrode guide is detached at the time of forming to perform continuous processing with the forming electrode and the rod-shaped electrode.

In the above-mentioned electric discharge machine, the electrodes are exchanged by an electrode exchanging device, and the electrode guides are attached and detached by an electrode guide attaching and detaching device. However, the electrode exchange device and the electrode guide attaching / detaching device have similar functions and structures, and therefore, they are used in the present invention. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the entire device. In addition, costs can be reduced.

[0028]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an electric discharge machine according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited by the embodiment.

Embodiment 1 1 and 2 are explanatory views showing the vicinity of the electrodes of the electric discharge machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 1 shows a state where a pipe electrode which is a rod-shaped electrode is attached. FIG. 2 shows a state where the shaped electrode is attached. The pipe electrode 1 is supported by an electrode guide 2. The electrode guide 2 has a guide hole 3 having a diameter several μm larger than the diameter of the pipe electrode 1. Electrode guide 2
Are attached to the small hole guide jig 4. The electrode guide 2 can be moved vertically and horizontally by a small hole guide jig 4.

The small hole guide jig 4 includes an arm 5 for holding the electrode guide 2 and a sub plate 6 to which the arm 5 is attached.
A linear guide 7 for guiding the sub-plate 6 in the left-right direction, an air cylinder 8 for moving the sub-plate 6,
A block 9 for regulating the left and right positions of the sub-plate 6, a plate 10 on which the sub-plate 6 is mounted, and a plate 10
A linear guide 12 for moving the
A ball screw 13 for performing a feeding operation, a handle 14 for rotating a screw portion, and a stopper 15 are provided.

At the end of the arm, two types of electrode guides 2a and 2b having different guide hole diameters are provided. The electrode guides 2a and 2b are switched by driving the air cylinder 8 attached to the plate 10 according to a pipe diameter change command or a switch from the control device. Further, the electrode guides 2a and 2b need to make the same movement on the XY plane as the pipe electrode 1. For this reason, the small hole guide jig 4 is fixed to the structure ram 18 having the chuck 17 via the rotary actuator 16.

The rotary actuator 16 includes an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a motor, and the like. Further, the structure ram 18 is provided with a block 19 for regulating the rotational position of the small hole guide jig 4. The rotation actuator 16 is controlled by the controller 20. The controller 20 is connected to a control device (not shown: see FIG. 10). When the controller issues a retreat command for the small hole guide jig by a program command or a dedicated switch, the rotary actuator 16 rotates in a predetermined direction. After the fine hole guide jig 4 rotates 90 degrees, its rotation is regulated by the block 19 (see FIG. 1). In this state,
Since the pipe electrode 1 can be guided by the electrode guide 2,
Fine hole processing or contour processing becomes possible.

When the rotation actuator 16 rotates in the reverse direction,
The electrode guide 2 can jump up and retreat. The rotation of the rotary actuator 16 is regulated by the block 19 (see FIG. 2). In this state, since the electrode guide 2 is retracted, the full-shaped electrode 21 can be used. The exchange between the pipe electrode 1 and the shaped electrode 21 is performed by a general automatic electrode exchange device 22. When rotating the small hole guide jig 4, a sequence for temporarily changing the position of the structural body ram 18 can be added so that the small hole guide jig 4 does not interfere with a processing tank (not shown). In addition, pipe electrode 1
Is withdrawn from the electrode guide 2 before the electrode guide 2 is retracted.

Next, a machining method using this electric discharge machine will be described. In the forming process, it is difficult to manufacture an electrode having a complicated shape, and it is difficult to select a processing condition. However, if the shape is not complicated, it has an advantage that the electrode can be easily manufactured and the processing speed is high. Further, the inside of the sharp edge can be processed. On the other hand, the pipe electrode 1 does not need to be manufactured, and can be processed into a small-diameter deep hole or a fine and complicated shape. The contour processing using the bottom surface of the pipe electrode 1 also has an advantage that flatness can be easily obtained. However, if the processing volume is large,
Processing time is much longer than that of a general shape electrode.

In this electric discharge machining method, the machining shape is divided, most of the machining is performed by the uncomplicated shaped electrode 21, and then the fine portion is processed by the pipe electrode 1, thereby shortening the entire machining time and reducing the electrode preparation time. Make it easier. For example, when processing a workpiece W as shown in FIG. 3, after processing with a simple shape electrode 21 without a thin rib portion (processed portion W1), a rib is formed with a pipe electrode 1 corresponding to the groove width of the rib portion. Processing is performed (processing section W2). The automatic exchange between the shape electrode 21 and the pipe electrode 1 is enabled by the retreat of the electrode guide 2 by the small hole guide jig 4.

In the case where the whole is a fine shape, if the whole shape electrode 2
Although the shape is formed by contour processing using the pipe electrode 1 without forming 1, when a sharp-edge inner corner is required, only the inner corner is finished with a sharp-edge electrode (form electrode). According to the above-mentioned electric discharge machine, the pipe electrode 1 and the sharp edge electrode can be automatically exchanged, so that such machining can be performed efficiently. Further, when performing the processing as shown in FIG. 3, after processing the through hole W2 with the pipe electrode 1, the counterbore portion W1 is processed with the shaped electrode 21. That is, after processing with the form electrode 21, contour processing can be automatically performed on the bottom surface of the pipe electrode 1 on a surface requiring flatness.

Embodiment 2 4 and 5 are explanatory diagrams showing the vicinity of the electrodes of the electric discharge machine according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 4 shows a state where the pipe electrode is attached. FIG. 5 shows a state where the shaped electrode is attached.
The pipe electrode 1 is supported by an electrode guide 2. The electrode guide 2 has a guide hole 3 having a diameter several μm larger than the diameter of the pipe electrode 1. The electrode guide 2 is attached to a small hole guide jig 50. Also, the electrode guide 2
Need to make the same movement as the pipe electrode 1 on the XY plane. For this reason, the small hole guide jig 50 is
7 is fixed to a structure ram 18 having the same.

The small hole guide jig 50 includes an arm 51 for holding the electrode guide 2, a rotary actuator 52 having an arm end attached thereto, a slider 53 for holding the rotary actuator 52, and a second protrusion 53 provided at the lower end of the slider 53. 1 positioning pins 54, an air cylinder 55 attached to the lower end of the slider 53, a second positioning pin 56 provided on a movable portion of the air cylinder 55, a linear guide 57 for guiding the slider 56 in the vertical direction, A ball screw 58 that moves up and down, a stepping motor 59 connected to the thread of the ball screw 58,
7 is attached to the frame 60. As the rotary actuator 52, for example, an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a motor, or the like is used.

The stepping motor 59 and the rotary actuator 52 are controlled by a controller 61. The controller 61 is a control device (not shown: see FIG. 10).
Is connected to When the controller issues a retract instruction for the small hole guide jig by a program command or a dedicated switch, the rotary actuator 52 rotates in a predetermined direction. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5, the arm rotates in the horizontal direction, and the electrode guide 2 retracts (indicated by a dashed line in the figure). Subsequently, the slider 53 is raised by a predetermined distance by the rotation of the stepping motor 59 (see FIG. 4).
In this state, since the electrode guide 2 is retracted, the shaped electrode 21 can be used.

When using the pipe electrode 1, the slider 53 is lowered to a predetermined position. Next, the arm 51 is rotated by the rotation actuator 52. Arm 5
The rotation of 1 is regulated by the first positioning pin 54 (see FIG. 6). In this state, the pipe electrode 1 can be guided by the electrode guide 2, so that a fine hole processing or a contour processing can be performed.

Further, a first electrode guide 2a and a second electrode guide 2b having different guide hole diameters are provided at the ends of the arms.
Is provided in the direction of rotation. The electrode guides 2a and 2b are switched by a pipe diameter change command or a switch from a control device via a controller. When the air cylinder 55 is driven by a command or a switch, the second positioning pin 56 comes out. The position of the arm 51 is regulated by the second positioning pin 56 (shown by a dotted line in FIG. 6). As a result, the second rotation guide 2b is moved to the position of the first rotation guide 2a.
Will be located.

When the small hole guide jig 50 is retracted, a sequence for temporarily changing the position of the structure ram 18 can be added so that the small hole guide jig 50 does not interfere with the processing tank. Further, the pipe electrode 1 is removed from the electrode guide 2 before the electrode guide 2 is retracted.

Further, a stepping motor with a brake may be used as the rotary actuator 52 to apply a brake at a predetermined position. If you do this,
The first positioning pin 54 and the second positioning pin 56
Not required. The positioning may be performed using a servomotor.

In place of the stepping motor 59, a linear movement type actuator such as an air cylinder may be used. In this case, a stopper is used for positioning, or a position detection sensor such as a limit switch or a proximity switch is used together. The electrode replacement at the time of retreating the electrode guide can be performed manually or automatically by a general electrode automatic replacement device 22.

Embodiment 3 FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing an electrode guide of an electric discharge machine according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 7A is a top view and FIG. 7B is a side view. This electric discharge machine has four electrode guides 2a to 2d each having guide holes 3a to 3d having different diameters.
It has. The four electrode guides 2a to 2d
1 are mounted at the same height. The disk 71 has a rotating shaft 7
Rotate around 2. The rotation shaft 72 is supported by an L-shaped frame 73. A spur gear 74 is fixed to the rotating shaft 72. A stepping motor 75 is attached to the frame 73. Stepping motor 7
The fifth gear 76 meshes with the spur gear 74. The frame 73 is attached to, for example, the tip of the arm in the first embodiment (not shown).

The switching operation of the electrode guides 2a to 2d will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the electrode guide. In step S701, the chuck is raised, and the pipe electrode 1 is pulled out from the electrode guide 2. In step S702, the pipe electrode 1 is removed from the chuck and returned to the electrode magazine (not shown) by an automatic electrode changing device (not shown). In step S703, the pipe electrode 1 having a different diameter is
Is taken out of the electrode magazine and attached to the chuck.
In step S704, the stepping motor 75 is rotated to position the electrode guide 2 corresponding to the selected pipe electrode 1 at the use position. In step S705, the chuck is lowered to insert the pipe electrode 1 into the electrode guide 2. At this time, it is possible to insert the pipe electrode 1 more smoothly by rotating it.

Step S704 is performed in step S7.
02, step S702 or step S70
3 and at the same time. Switching to another electrode guide 2 is performed in the same sequence as described above. The above-described sequence is automatically performed by a command from the control device. By attaching the electrode guide 2 to the small hole guide jig 4 of the first embodiment, the electrode guide 2 can be used while automatically exchanging a pipe electrode having a plurality of diameters and a form electrode. The retreat operation of the pipe electrode 1 is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

Since the electrode guide 2 is mounted on the disk 71, the rotation fulcrum is near the electrode guide. Therefore, the posture deformation is small. In addition, the electrode guide 2
Space can be saved as compared with the case of arranging. If a servomotor with a brake is used instead of the stepping motor 75, the positioning accuracy can be increased.

Embodiment 4 FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a small hole guide jig of an electric discharge machine according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. The small hole guide jig 80 allows the arm 81 to be attached by a clamp mechanism 82,
Is exchanged by the automatic exchange device 90. The small hole guide jig 80 includes an arm 81 for holding the electrode guide 2, a plate 83 for attaching the arm 81, a linear guide 85 for moving the plate 83 along a frame 84, and a ball screw 86 for performing a feeding operation.
, A handle 87 for rotating the screw portion, and a stopper 87
a. Further, the arm 81 has a structure detachable from the plate 83. On the plate 83 side, a clamp mechanism 82 using hydraulic pressure, pneumatic pressure, spring pressure or the like is provided. A clamp shaft 88 protrudes from the arm 81 side. The clamp mechanism 82 may be a general one used at the time of tool change. Clamp mechanism 82
The chuck has a fitting portion 89 for positioning.

The clamp mechanism 82 is controlled by a controller (not shown). The controller is connected to a control device (not shown: see FIG. 10). Also, a multi-axis control robot arm is used for the automatic exchange device 90.
The automatic exchange device 90 is also controlled by the control device.
The hand 91 of the robot arm grasps the outside of the chuck of the clamp mechanism 82. When retracting the arm 81, the robot arm performs teaching so that the arm 81 does not interfere with a processing tank (not shown).

As described above, if the arm 81 is attached and detached using the clamp mechanism 82, the replacement of the electrode guide 2 can be automated. For this reason, it becomes easy to automate the contour processing performed using a large number of pipe electrodes 1 having different diameters. Further, when performing the shaping, the electrode guide 2 can be automatically removed, so that the exchange between the shaping electrode and the pipe electrode can be automated. When the arm 81 is detached, a retracting mechanism for the electrode guide 2 is not required.

The electrode is usually replaced by an automatic electrode changing device (ATC), but the arm 81 may be replaced by the ATC. When using various types of arms 81, a hand and a magazine dedicated to the arms are prepared in addition to the ATC. If the ATC is used for arm replacement, the entire EDM can be made compact and the cost can be reduced.

[0053]

As described above, according to the electric discharge machine of the present invention, since the electrode guide can be automatically replaced by retreating the electrode guide, a continuous electrode formed by the complete electrode and the rod-shaped electrode can be used. Processing is possible and automation is easy.
Also, conventionally, since the electrode guide can be retracted only by turning,
The structure becomes simple.

In the electric discharge machine according to the next invention, in addition to the retracting structure of the electrode guide, a plurality of electrode guides are provided, and the diameter of the guide hole of each electrode guide is made different. Was changed to move. Therefore, the contour processing and the forming processing can be continuously performed, which is suitable for automation.

In the electric discharge machine according to the next invention, a plurality of electrode guides are arranged on a disk, the guide hole diameters of the respective electrode guides are different, and the electrode guides are rotated and exchanged according to the diameter of the rod-shaped electrode used for machining. I did it. With this configuration, the space occupied by the electrode guides can be reduced, so that the device can be downsized.

In the electric discharge machine according to the next invention, the electrode guide has a detachable structure, and this attachment and detachment is performed by an automatic electrode guide attachment / detachment device. In this way, continuous processing can be performed using the shaped electrode and the rod-shaped electrode, and automation is achieved.

In the electric discharge machine according to the next invention, the electrode guide is attached and detached together with the arm, and this attachment and detachment is performed by an automatic electrode guide attaching / detaching device. By attaching and detaching each arm in this manner, interference with the shaped electrode can be prevented, continuous processing of the rod-shaped electrode and the shaped electrode is possible, and automation is facilitated.

In the electric discharge machine according to the next invention, an electrode and an electrode guide automatic attachment / detachment device which serve both as an electrode exchange device and an electrode guide attachment / detachment device are used. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the entire device. In addition, costs can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the vicinity of an electrode of an electric discharge machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the vicinity of an electrode of the electric discharge machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing an electric discharge machining shape.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the vicinity of an electrode of an electric discharge machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the vicinity of an electrode of an electric discharge machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the arm.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing an electrode guide of an electric discharge machine according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the electrode guide shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a small hole guide jig of an electric discharge machine according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a conventional electric discharge machine.

FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view showing a conventional electric discharge machine using a pipe electrode.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a structure for attaching and detaching an arm.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an example of a fine hole guide jig having an automatic exchange function of an electrode guide.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory view showing an electric discharge machining shape.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 pipe electrode, 2 electrode guides, 3 guide holes, 4
Small hole guide jig, 5 arm, 6 sub plate, 7 linear guide, 8 air cylinder, 9 block, 10 plate, 11 frame, 12 linear guide, 13 ball screw, 14 handle, 15 stopper, 16 rotary actuator, 17 chuck, 18 Structure ram, 19 blocks, 20 controller, 21 Form electrode, 22 Electrode automatic exchange device.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A chuck for holding a shaped electrode or a rod-shaped electrode, and a guide hole disposed below the chuck and having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the rod-shaped electrode, and a rotating rod-shaped electrode is inserted into the guide hole. An electrode guide that guides the rod-shaped electrode, and an electrode guide retraction device that holds the electrode guide and retracts the electrode guide upward from the processing position only by turning, and an electrode automatic that exchanges the full-sized electrode and the rod-shaped electrode. An electric discharge machine, comprising: an exchange device; and performing continuous machining by using a shaped electrode and a rod-shaped electrode. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of electrode guides are provided and guide hole diameters of the respective electrode guides are different, and the electrode guides are moved and exchanged according to the diameter of a rod-shaped electrode used for processing. The electrical discharge machine described. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of electrode guides are arranged on the disk, and the guide hole diameter of each electrode guide is different, and the electrode guides are rotated and exchanged according to the diameter of the rod-shaped electrode used for processing. The electric discharge machine according to claim 1. 4. A chuck for holding a shaped electrode or a rod-shaped electrode, and a guide hole disposed below the chuck and having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the rod-shaped electrode, and a rotating rod-shaped electrode is inserted into the guide hole. An electrode guide for guiding the rod-shaped electrode, an electrode guide holding device for detachably holding the electrode guide, an automatic electrode changing device for exchanging the form electrode and the rod-shaped electrode, and an electrode guide holding device. And an automatic electrode guide attachment / detachment device for attaching or detaching the electrode guide. The electric discharge machine characterized in that the electrode guide is detached at the time of forming, thereby performing continuous machining with the forming electrode and the rod-shaped electrode. . 5. A chuck for holding a shaped electrode or a rod-shaped electrode, and a guide hole disposed below the chuck and having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the rod-shaped electrode. A rotating rod-shaped electrode is inserted into the guide hole. An electrode guide for guiding the rod-shaped electrode and an electrode guide holding device for holding the electrode guide by a detachable arm, an automatic electrode changing device for exchanging a form electrode and a rod-shaped electrode, and an electrode guide holding device. On the other hand, an electrode guide automatic attachment / detachment device that attaches or detaches the arm together with the electrode guide is provided, and the arm is detached at the time of forming the entire shape to perform continuous processing with the form electrode and the rod-shaped electrode. Electric discharge machine. 6. A chuck for holding a shaped electrode or a rod-shaped electrode, and a guide hole disposed below the chuck and having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the rod-shaped electrode, and a rotating rod-shaped electrode is inserted into the guide hole. An electrode guide for guiding the rod-shaped electrode, an electrode guide holding device for detachably holding the electrode guide, exchanging the form electrode and the rod-shaped electrode, and attaching or detaching the electrode guide to the electrode guide holding device. An electric discharge machine, comprising: an electrode for performing detachment and an electrode guide automatic attaching / detaching device, wherein the electrode guide is detached at the time of forming to perform continuous machining with the forming electrode and the rod-shaped electrode.