JP2000354929A - Tool replacing method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To directly deliver a tool to a twin replacing arm in a standby state at a tool replacing position by omitting revolving time required for refuge the replacing arm during tool replacing cycle time of a machine tool. SOLUTION: Before a revolving type pot 2 is positioned at a tool replacing position the pot 2 is preliminarily positioned at a position close to a replacing position and is revolved by 90 deg. from an origin position, continuously, the revolving type pot 2 is positioned at the tool replacing position where a twin tool replacing arm 3 preliminarily stands by, a tool holder is delivered to the arm 3, the arm 3 axially moves and revolves by 180 deg. and a recovering tool is recovered from a main spindle to the revolving type pot 2. Subsequently, a tool magazine 1 is positioned by being reversed up to a revolving position, the revolving type pot 2 is recovered to the origin position and a next tool replacing cycle is performed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for changing a tool in a machine tool comprising a tool magazine, a twin-type tool changing arm and a spindle, and more particularly to a tool changing position of a tool magazine provided with a revolving tool pot. A tool change method and apparatus which separates a turning position from a retreat position and a tool change position from a tool change cycle time.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 6 shows the operation of a main mechanism of a method and an apparatus for tool exchange conventionally performed in a machine tool. In FIG. 6, the tool magazine 102 provided with the revolving pot 101 does not interfere with the operation of transferring a tool holder with a tool fitted between the twin-type exchange arm 103 and the twin-type exchange arm 103. The direction of the rotation axis of the rotating pot 101 rotated or connected to the tool magazine 102 and the axis of the tool holder are set in the same direction (hereinafter referred to as the original position of the tool holder or the rotating pot),
After the tool is positioned at the tool change position, the tool is turned by 90 degrees to facilitate the approach to the change arm 103. On the other hand, the exchange arm 103 needs to be kept in a standby position at a retreat position in order to avoid interference at the time of turning the pot at the tool changing position, and can approach the tool changing position only after the turning type pot 101 turns. FIG. 7 shows a conventional rotary pot 1
Reference numeral 01 indicates that the tool change and the 90-degree rotation are performed before and after at the tool change position.

[0003]

As described in the prior art, in the conventional tool changing method and apparatus, the tool changing position and the turning position of the tool pot are at the same position, so that the main spindle is required in the tool changing cycle. When the cycle time required for tool change from the positioning of the tool to the tool change position to the start of operation of the spindle by the machining command is shortened, the positioning of the spindle to the tool change position is completed, and the rotation type selected by the tool magazine is selected. Even if it is programmed to synchronize the turning completion after the pot is indexed to the tool change position, the time required for turning the change arm to move from the retreat position to the tool change position and transferring the tool holder is omitted. I can't.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has as its object to shorten the cycle time required for tool change. Therefore, the present invention provides a tool exchange arm which is positioned at a tool exchange position as a standby position in advance without allowing the tool exchange arm to assume a retracted position, thereby directly moving a tool to a twin exchange arm by a movement operation by rotational positioning of a tool magazine and positioning of a spindle. By transferring the tool, the tool change cycle time is only the time required for the axial reciprocation of the tool change arm and the 180-degree turning. Therefore, in the present invention, a turning position is provided at or near 1/2 of the tool holder pitch immediately before the tool changing position, and the mechanism for returning to the original position by turning is simplified, and the tool changing arm is directly rotated by rotating the tool magazine. The tool change time can be shortened by transferring the tool holder.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a method of exchanging a tool between a tool magazine provided with a revolving pot and a spindle, wherein a twin type is provided at a tool exchanging position. Causing a change arm to stand by, turning the revolving pot 90 degrees from the original position at the revolving position immediately before the tool changing position, and moving the revolved pot to the tool changing position by rotating the tool magazine. The tool is gripped at one end of the exchange arm by the movement of the spindle, and the tool is gripped at the other end of the exchange arm by the movement of the spindle.
The tool change is completed by rotating the tool magazine in the reverse direction after the tool is exchanged, rotating the tool magazine in the reverse direction after the tool exchange, returning the revolving pot to the revolving position, and returning to the original position.

According to the present invention, in order to shorten the time required for tool exchange, the tool exchange position is set to the standby position without causing the tool exchange arm to perform a retreat operation, and the tool is transferred at the standby position by rotating the tool magazine and positioning the spindle. It is like that. In order to directly transfer the tool holder to the tool changing arm by rotation of the tool magazine, a turning position is provided at a position before the tool changing position.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tool changer using a twin type change arm between a tool magazine provided with a revolving pot and a main spindle. A tool magazine that can be positioned to a turning position and the tool changing position defined in the tool changing tool, a tool changing arm that sets the changing position to a standby position, and a turning drive member that turns the turning type pot 90 degrees at the turning position. A guide member that maintains and guides the posture during the movement of the rotating pot to the tool changing position after the turning, and the tool pot is rotated 90 degrees just before the tool changing position to rotate the tool magazine. The change arm that stands by at the tool change position is caused to grip.

The pot turned by the hook at the turning position of the pot provided before the tool changing position is positioned at the tool changing position by rotation of the tool magazine. At this time, the pot is held in a fixed position between the guide integrated with the hook and the fixed guide, and the tool holder can be transferred between the revolving pot and the exchange arm. Next, when the collection tool is returned to the pot from the replacement arm, the tool magazine rotates in the opposite direction, is guided by the guide integrated with the hook, returns to the turning position, is sandwiched by the U-shaped hook, and the pot turns and turns. The pot returns to its original position. When the tool magazine rotates forward to select a new tool in accordance with the next selection command, the guide roller of the revolving pot is guided by the guide integrated with the hook. The turning type pot is returned to the turning position by a simple guide having a shape integral with the hook.

[0009]

[Embodiment 1] An embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a tool changing method and apparatus according to the present invention, in which the main components of the tool magazine 1 are rotated in the forward and reverse directions, the turning direction of the revolving pot 2, the axial movement and 180-degree rotation of the tool changing arm 3, and the axial movement of the main shaft 4. And the arrows indicate the respective operating directions.

FIG. 2A shows an arrangement position of the original position 2a of the revolving pot 2 provided in the tool magazine 1. The tool magazine 1 may be either a turret type or a chain type. The present invention is characterized in that the tool change position between the tool magazine 1 and the tool change arm 3 and the turning position of the turning type pot 2 are provided at different positions, which is also shown in FIG. 2 (a).

The turning pot 2 is guided by a guide surface perpendicular to the rotation axis of the tool magazine 1 regardless of the rotating direction when the tool magazine 1 rotates, and has a U-shaped hook of the turning member at the turning position. The rollers 9 of the revolving pot 2 are guided by the upper and lower inner wall surfaces. FIG. 2B shows the position of the guide when maintaining the posture before and after the turning of the turning type pot. G when the revolving pot turns in the original position
Guided by 1a and G2. Between the turning position and the tool change position, the turning pot after turning is guided by a guide G1b provided on G1a. The joining of the guides at the tool changing positions of G1a and G2 is a guide surface having an overlapped portion, and is formed so as to be smoothly guided before and after turning.

In FIG. 3A, the revolving pot 2 is
The rotation axis of the disk 6 and the rotary pot 2 are set by using a disk 6A that is indexed and controlled by the motor 5 and a pin 8 of a pot holder 7 provided on the outer edge as a fulcrum of outward rotation.
Are provided in parallel with the axis of the tool T.

The guide G1a in FIG.
The lower part of FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B show the guide G2 supported by the support 13 in the upper part of FIG. The guide G1b in FIG. 2B is shown in the lower part of FIG. 4A and in FIG. 4B. The roller 9 of the revolving pot 2 indexed to the revolving position is guided between the upper guide surface 12a and the lower guide surface 12b of the hook 12 screwed to the tip of the piston 11 of the cylinder 10 driven by fluid pressure. . The contact surface 2a of the revolving pot 2 is guided by the guide surface G1aa of the guide G1a and the guide surface G2a of the guide G2.

4 (a) and 4 (b), the revolving pot 2 positioned at the revolving position receives the action of the piston 11 to move the roller 9 about the pin 8 as the guide surface 12a, 12b.
Is turned 90 degrees outward in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the disk 6 that rotates the axis of the tool T outward. Guides G1a and G1
b is screwed to the side surface of the hook 12 and moves integrally with the hook 12. Therefore, the shape is formed so as not to interfere with the guide G2.

The tool changing operation according to the tool changing method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

In step S1, the tool magazine 1 is indexed and positioned at the turning position of the revolving pot 2 in which the next tool is mounted on the tool pot. The turning position is immediately before the tool changing position, for example, の of the index pitch of the turning pot 2.
It may be a pitch position.

In step S2, a command is issued to the fluid pressure cylinder member to turn the turning type pot 2 outward by 90 degrees from the original position. When the U-shaped hook 12 at the tip of the piston moves across the roller 9, the roller 9 draws an arc trajectory around the pin 8, and the revolving pot 2 rotates 90 degrees.

In step S3, the twin-type exchange arm 3 waiting at the tool exchange position synchronizes with the gripping of the next tool by the exchange arm 3 by the swiveling motion of the disk 6, or moves the axis of the main shaft 4 before that. It is necessary to confirm whether the collection tool is gripping the exchange arm 3 by the above.

In step S4, a forward rotation command is issued to the tool magazine 1 to move the revolving pot 2 from the revolving position to the tool changing position.

In step S5, the respective tool holders are disengaged from the revolving pot 2 and the main shaft 4 by the rotation of the twin-type exchange arm 3 holding the next tool and the recovery tool in the direction of the rotation axis, and are rotated by 180 °. A tool is fitted to each of the revolving pot 2 and the main shaft 4 by instructing reverse movement.

In step S6, it is necessary to return the revolving pot 2 fitted with the collection tool from the tool changing position to the revolving position, and a reverse rotation command is issued to the tool magazine 1. In step S7, a 90-degree turn is commanded to the fluid pressure cylinder member to turn the turn-type pot 2 back to the original position by 90 degrees.

Thus, the tool change cycle is completed. In step S5, the spindle 4 has a twin-type exchange arm 3 of 180.
Immediately after completing the turning and completing the axial movement, positioning is performed according to the next machining program and machining is started. As the tool change cycle time, in steps S4 and S5, the twin-type change arm 3 pivots from the retreat position where no interference occurs to the tool change position, and the time required for receiving the tool and the original retreat position after the tool is delivered. The time required for return can be saved.

[0023]

By providing the turning drive mechanism of the turning pot immediately before the tool changing position, the tool changing arm can be made to stand by at the tool changing position, and the tool can be changed directly by rotating the tool magazine. All inversions of the inverting pot are included in the preparation time. Therefore, the tool change cycle time is only the time required for the vertical movement and 180-degree turning of the tool change arm, and the cycle time is reduced. The effect of the present invention is not only to reduce the cycle time, but also to eliminate the need for a mechanism for selecting the retracted position of the tool changing arm, thereby reducing the cost. In addition to this, the tool change position and the turning position are provided separately, but the new turning position is only provided with a fluid pressure cylinder member that drives the turning hook close to the tool changing position, and the cost is increased because it is a simple shape Never.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing operation directions of a main part of a tool magazine, a tool changing arm, and a main shaft in a tool changing method and device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a rotation operation of the tool magazine of the present invention. (A) shows the relationship between the turning position of the turning type pot and the tool change position, and (b) shows the turning type when the turning position is set before the tool changing position by half the pitch in storing the tool magazine. It is a figure showing the position of the guide provided when the pot is turned by the action of the hook.

FIG. 3 (a) is a side view showing a state in which a guide before turning of the turning pot of the present invention is maintained by a guide. The imaginary line is a side view showing the plate turned 90 degrees from the original position, and (b) is a view taken along the line AA in (a).

FIG. 4 (a) is a side view showing a state in which the posture of the pot after the turning pot of the present invention is turned 90 degrees from the original position by a hydraulic unit is guided and maintained, and (b) is a side view showing (a). B-
In the B view, the imaginary line indicates the pot that has moved to the tool change position.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation direction of a main part in a conventional tool changing method and showing a state where a tool changing arm is at a retracted position.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a rotating operation of a conventional tool magazine and showing that a turning position and a tool changing position are the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tool magazine 2 Rotating pot 3 Exchange arm 4 Main shaft 5 Motor 6 Disk 7 Pot holder 8 Pin 9 Roller 10 Cylinder 11 Piston 12 Hook G1a Lower guide G1b Upper guide G2 Guide T Tool

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A method of exchanging a tool between a tool magazine provided with a revolving pot and a spindle, wherein a twin type exchanging arm is made to stand by at a tool exchanging position, and the revolving position is set at an inverting position immediately before the tool exchanging position. The rotary pot is turned 90 degrees from the original position, and the turned rotary pot is moved to the tool changing position by rotation of the tool magazine to be held at one end of the changing arm, and the tool is moved by moving the main shaft. The other end of the exchange arm is gripped, and the exchange of the tool is performed by moving the exchange arm in the direction of the spindle axis and rotating 180 degrees around the axis of the exchange arm. A tool change method, wherein the tool change is completed by returning to the original position after returning to the original position. 2. A tool changer using a twin change arm between a tool magazine provided with a turning pot and a main spindle, wherein a turning determined within a range of an index pitch of the tool magazine immediately before a tool changing position. A tool magazine positionable to a position and the tool change position, a tool change arm having the change position as a standby position, a turning drive member for turning the turning type pot 90 degrees at the turning position, and a turning drive member after turning. And a guide member for maintaining and guiding the posture during the movement and positioning of the revolving pot to the tool change position. The tool pot is turned 90 degrees immediately before the tool change position, and the tool magazine is rotated to stand by at the tool change position. A tool changing device characterized by being held by a changing arm to be changed.