JP2000094071A - Method and system for machining plate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compound machining system which is unnecessary for grip-switching action of a work at delivery parts between a plurality of processes, capable of improving the efficiency of machining a plate, and inexpensive. SOLUTION: A plate W which is held and suspended by a handling robot 3 is moved straight in the longitudinal, right-to-left and vertical directions, and cut to a specified shape by a laser beam machine 5. The cut plate W held and suspended by the handling robot 3 is moved between bending dies 43 fitted to a die holder 47 of a bending machine 7, and the die holder 47 is turned in the plane parallel to the plane of the plate W to position the bending dies 43 at the folding line of the cut plate W. The plate is bent by turning the die holder 47 with the folding line as the center of rotation during the bending. The space is saved by integrating the bending machine 7 with the laser beam machine 5, a plurality of machining processes can be performed with one machining program, and the machining program can be simplified.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a sheet material processing method and a sheet material processing system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a bending machine as a single bending machine, it is not possible to expect an efficient operation of the bending machine unless a cut processing material to be supplied to a bending process is supplied in a timely manner. Things.

[0003] Further, the production adjustment between the plate material cutting step using a turret punch press or a laser processing machine, which is a pre-step of bending, and the production adjustment between the bending steps are performed by a plurality of operations such as supply of a processing program and setup before machine processing. Is related,
Due to the involvement of multiple persons, it was difficult to realize a smooth process flow.

Therefore, there has been seen a plate material processing system in which a plurality of processing steps are connected by a system device such as a robot to realize a process integration from a cutting to a bending step.

[0005]

The above-mentioned conventional plate processing system has problems in terms of installation space, flexibility when a production item changes, cost of the whole system, and the like.

In a plate material processing system in which only a plurality of processes are combined, it is necessary to frequently change the gripping of the processing material, and at that time, it is necessary to consider the following items.
In other words, (1) the specifications of the robot required to take out or set the material and the gripper part of the robot, (2) a position correction system to correct the change in the positioning position caused by gripping, (3) An operation program and an operation method for moving a processing machine and a handling robot in each process are included.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to grasp a work at a transfer portion between each process in order to integrate a plurality of processes to improve the efficiency of plate material processing. It is an object of the present invention to provide a plate material processing method and a plate material processing system which can form an inexpensive combined processing system without requiring a replacement operation.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet processing method according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein a plate material gripped and suspended by a manipulator is linearly moved back and forth, left and right, and up and down. By cutting, the cut plate material cut and held by the manipulator is moved between the bending dies mounted on the die holder of the bending machine, and the die holder is cut. The bending die is rotated on a plane parallel to the plane of the plate material to position the bending mold at the bending line of the cut plate material, and the bending tool is rotated around the bending line as a center of rotation during bending. It is characterized by being bent by bending.

Therefore, by integrating the bending machine and the cutting machine, there is no need for a space for accumulating the cut plate material staying between the conventional cutting and bending processes. Also, the machine required for the cutting and bending process is 1
Since they are integrated on a table, the installation space for machines is greatly reduced.

Further, since a plurality of machining steps are performed by one machining program, there is no need to create and manage a program for each of the plurality of steps, so that handling of the machining program is simplified.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plate processing system comprising: a manipulator capable of linearly moving and positioning in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions; A cut-off plate that is cut by the cutting machine and is gripped and suspended by the manipulator is provided with a mold holder capable of detachably replacing a bending die for performing a bending process. A bending machine in which the mold holder is rotatably provided on a plane parallel to the plane of the cut plate material so as to be positioned at a bending line of the cut plate material, and is rotatably provided about the bending line as a center of rotation. And characterized by the following.

Therefore, the operation is the same as that of the first aspect, and since the bending machine and the cutting machine are integrated, the cut plate material staying between the conventional cutting and bending processes can be reduced. No space is required for accumulation. Also,
Since the machines required for the cutting and bending processes are integrated into one machine, the installation space for the machines is greatly reduced.

Further, since a plurality of machining steps are performed by one machining program, it is not necessary to create and manage a program for each of the plurality of steps, so that handling of the machining program is simplified.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a sheet material processing method and a sheet material processing system 1 according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, a plate material processing system 1 according to the present embodiment grips and suspends a plate material W to be processed, and simultaneously holds the plate material W in an X-axis direction (front-back direction in FIG. 1) and a Y-axis direction (FIG. For example, a handling robot 3 as a manipulator that moves and positions in a Z-axis direction (a vertical direction in FIG. 1), a laser processing machine 5 as a cutting machine that cuts a plate material W into a desired shape,
And a bending machine 7 configured to bend the cut plate material W cut by the laser processing machine 5.

The handling robot 3 travels on the upper frame 11 of the frame structure 9 in the X-axis direction, and the X-axis carriage 13 is provided on the side surface of the X-axis carriage 13 as shown in FIG. An arm support member 15 that travels in the Y-axis direction along a guide member not shown and extends long in the Z-axis direction.
A handling arm 17 provided to be able to move up and down in the axial direction,
2 and 3, a gripper 19 for vertically gripping and suspending the plate material W is provided at the distal end of the handling arm 17. As shown in FIG. The above-described arm support member 15, the handling arm 17, and the gripper 19 constitute a Z-axis direction drive unit.

On the lower right side of the frame structure 9 in FIG. 1, a loading device 21 for accommodating a plurality of unprocessed plate materials W and supplying the plate materials W to the handling robot 3 is provided. In FIG. 1, on the left side of the above-mentioned loading device 21, a sheet material processed by the bending machine 7 has been bent by the handling robot 3.
An unloading device 23 for removing and recovering from the apparatus is provided. The product unloading conveyor 25 is provided adjacent to the unloading device 23.

The laser processing machine 5 is provided with a laser oscillator 29 on the upper side in FIG. 1. The laser light oscillated by the laser oscillator 29 changes the direction of the laser light as necessary. Is supplied to a laser processing head 33 via an optical path 31 on which a reflection mirror (bend mirror) is installed. A focusing lens is provided in the laser processing head 33, the supplied laser beam is focused, the energy density is increased, and the laser beam is applied to the plate material W from the laser nozzle 35 at the tip to cut or cut. Welding becomes possible.

From the laser nozzle 35, an assist gas (not shown) for promoting cutting or welding is also supplied to the processing area.

The laser light is output in the Y-axis direction as shown in FIG. The two-dimensional cutting operation by the laser is achieved by independent or synchronous movement of the handling robot 3 on the X axis and the Z axis. When the handling robot 3 that suspends the plate material W almost vertically is driven along a required two-dimensional shape in the XZ-axis plane, vertical laser cutting can be performed.

At the time of laser processing, the Y-axis of the handling robot 3 is based on information from a gap sensor that detects the distance between the nozzle and the workpiece in order to keep the focal position of the laser beam at an appropriate position in cutting or welding. It is driven appropriately.

In the cutting step, as shown in FIG. 3, the cutting is performed along all the outlines except the side clamped by the handling robot 3 and the cutting line CL such as a hole. Therefore, in order to avoid additional processing after bending by the bending machine 7 to be described later, one side of the clamp side before cutting is cut by the cut sheet material G.
Desirably, it forms a part of the outer shape of (product).

In many cases, it is considered that the unprocessed material gripped by the handling robot 3 can be handled by a simple square shape unless the clamped side has a complicated external shape. Therefore, the clamp side and the gripper 1
The desired positional relationship with the clamp position 9 can be ensured only by installing the simple position measuring device 27.

With the above configuration, a set table 37 for setting a clamper (not shown) conventionally required for the handling robot 3 to recognize an accurate gripping position with respect to the complicated externally cut plate material G, etc. This eliminates the need for an auxiliary device.

The set table 37 is, as shown on the lower right side of FIG. 1 of the frame structure 9, an auxiliary device for mounting a clamper at a correct position of the cut and unbent plate G. It is. The handling robot 3 grips the plate material G before bending through the clamper. In the present embodiment, as described above, the auxiliary device such as the set table 37 is hardly required, but is used as needed for the cut plate material G having a considerably complicated shape.

Further, since the output position of the laser beam is fixed, the optical path length from the laser oscillator 29 to the laser processing point is always constant, and stable laser cutting can be realized. Further, since the laser processing point is fixed, the recovery device for the cutting and removing member can be made compact and fixed.

Further, since control for laser cutting is achieved by the control axis of the handling robot 3, it is not necessary to additionally install a controller for new axis control.

The bending machine 7 includes a bending die set 41 including a plurality of punches and dies housed in a die magazine 39, and a bending die 43 necessary for the processing. To automatically install the swinging press 45 (hereinafter, referred to as “SWP” in the present embodiment) to the mold holder 47 for performing the bending process, or replace the mold with another mold. ATC (mold exchange) robot 49 for performing the above.

The ATC robot 49 has a specification capable of moving in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions, similarly to the handling robot 3 described above. For example, an ATC X-axis carriage 51 traveling on the upper frame 11 of the frame structure 9 in the X-axis direction, and the ATC X-axis carriage 5
A chuck head 53 that travels in the Y-axis direction along a guide member (not shown) provided on one side surface, and a Z-axis chuck unit 55 that is provided on the chuck head 53 so as to be able to move up and down in the Z-axis direction. I have. The lower portion of the Z-axis chuck unit 55 has a function of holding and releasing two types of molds for set / reset.

The SWP 45 is provided inside the frame structure 9 and is conveyed by the handling robot 3.
This is a bending machine 7 for performing a bending process. SW
P45 is provided with a mold holder 47 to which a pair of bending dies 43 composed of a punch and a die can be attached and detached. The mold holder 47 secures a necessary gap between the punch and the die located at positions facing each other. Is what you do.

More specifically, SWP45 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 7, a swing base 61 rotatable about a horizontal shaft 59 supported on a fixed base 57 is provided, and the rotation of the swing base 61 is controlled by a drive motor (not shown). Therefore, it rotates in the B-axis direction in FIG.

In addition, the rotary table 63 is configured to be rotationally controlled on the swing base 61, and the above-described mold holder 47 is provided on the rotary table 63.
Therefore, it rotates in the A-axis direction in FIG.

The mold holder 47 is provided with a drive shaft for allowing either the die or the punch side to approach / separate the bending molds 43 from each other. As an example, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4, the bending die 43A mounted on the movable die holder 47A is driven in the D-axis direction by the expansion and contraction of the piston rod 67 of the drive cylinder 65.

The tip of the bending mold 43B mounted on the fixed mold holder 47B is set so as to be located at the rotation center CL of the rotary table 63. The moving-side bending mold 43A is configured to approach / separate. Therefore, even when the rotary table 63 is driven to rotate, the bending line BL is always kept at a fixed position without being shifted from the rotation center CL of the rotary table 63.

With the above configuration, the bending is performed as follows. First, the posture of the bending mold 43 is positioned by the rotational movement of the A-axis and the B-axis in FIG. 1 of the SWP 45 so as to correspond to the bending line of the cut plate material G suspended substantially vertically. When the posture of the bending die 43 is determined, the plate material G suspended by the handling robot 3 is aligned with the bending position in the gap formed between the punch and the die.
It is positioned in a planar position.

For example, in FIG. 6A, the swinging gantry 61 is rotated on the B-axis so that the bending line BL (the line extending in the vertical direction on the paper surface of the drawing) of the punch and the die is positioned substantially horizontally. The plate G is positioned in the gap between the punch and the die. The mold holder 47A on the moving side is driven in the D-axis direction approaching the mold holder 47B on the fixed side, so that the gap between the punch and the die becomes small as shown in FIG. Starts to deform along the bending mold 43. In synchronization with this deformation, the A-axis of the SWP 45 rotates in the direction in which the plate G is bent around the bending line as shown in FIGS. 6C to 6D. Therefore, the bending process is performed while maintaining the plate material G suspended substantially vertically.

As described above, since there is no need to change the gripping of the plate material W and the cut plate material G between the steps of laser processing and bending processing, stable processing accuracy can be expected.

Further, the cut plate material W after the cutting process is completed.
On the other hand, there is no need for various positioning devices, position measurement systems, handling robots, and the like, or various control software related to the operation of each device, which are necessary before the bending process.

Further, since the control axis for laser processing and the control axis for bending are the same, an inexpensive multifunction machine can be constructed.

In the structure of the plate material processing system 1, since the plate material W and the cut plate material G are always held by the handling robot 3, it is possible to go back and forth between laser processing and bending processing. An application such as a cutting process (possibly a welding process) after the completion of the process is possible.

Since the output position of the laser beam is fixed, the laser oscillator 29 in a general laser beam machine is used.
The laser beam output of stable quality can be obtained because the laser beam output does not suffer from a change in the laser beam output caused by a change in the distance from the laser nozzle to the laser nozzle.

Further, since the output position of the laser beam is fixed, the cut-off member generated by laser cutting can be collected at the fixed place, and compact and reliable scrap processing can be performed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments of the present invention, but can be embodied in other forms by making appropriate changes.

[0044]

As will be understood from the above description of the embodiments of the present invention, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the bending machine and the cutting machine are integrated to form a conventional cutting machine. In addition, it is not necessary to secure a space for accumulating the cut plate material staying during the bending process.

Further, by integrating the bending machine and the cutting machine, the machines required for the cutting and bending processes can be integrated into one machine, and the installation space for the machines can be greatly reduced.

Further, since a plurality of machining steps are performed by one machining program, there is no need to create and manage a program for each of the plurality of steps, so that the operator can easily handle the machining program.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the same effect as in the first aspect is achieved, and by integrating the bending machine and the cutting machine, the stay between the conventional cutting and bending processes is achieved. It is not necessary to secure a space for accumulating the cut plate materials to be cut.

Further, by integrating the bending machine and the cutting machine, the machines required for the cutting and bending steps can be integrated into one machine, and the installation space for the machines can be greatly reduced.

Further, since a plurality of machining steps are performed by one machining program, there is no need to create and manage a program for each of the plurality of steps, so that the operator can easily handle the machining program.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention and is an overall perspective view of a plate processing system.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and is a partial perspective view of a laser beam machine as a cutting machine.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention, and is an explanatory diagram of a state of a plate material held and suspended by a handling robot.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view of a principal part taken along line IV-IV of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and is an operation explanatory view showing an example of bending.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 plate processing system 3 handling robot (manipulator) 5 laser processing machine (cutting processing machine) 7 bending processing machine 19 gripper 21 loading device 23 unloading device 29 laser oscillator 33 laser processing head 35 laser nozzle 39 mold magazine 43 bending mold 43A Bending mold (moving side) 43B Bending mold (fixing side) 45 SWP (swinging press) 47 Mold holder 47A Mold holder (moving side) 47B Mold holder (fixed side) 49 ATC robot 61 Oscillating base 63 Rotary table BL Bending line CL Rotation center

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A plate material gripped and suspended by a manipulator is linearly moved in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions and cut into a predetermined shape by a cutting machine. Is moved between the bending dies mounted on the die holder of the bending machine, and the die holder is rotated on a plane parallel to the plane of the cut plate to fold the bent die. A plate material processing method, comprising: positioning a bending line, and bending the mold holder by rotating the mold holder about the bending line as a center of rotation along with the bending process. 2. A manipulator capable of linearly moving and positioning in front and rear, left and right, and up and down directions, a cutting machine for cutting into a predetermined shape by moving a plate material held and suspended by the manipulator, and For the cut plate material gripped and suspended by the manipulator, a bending mold for performing a bending process is provided with a removable mold holder, and the bending die is positioned at a bending line of the cut plate material. A bending machine wherein the mold holder is rotatably provided on a plane parallel to the plane of the cut plate material and rotatably provided about the bending line as a center of rotation. Processing system.