JP2004090016A - Transfer press and method for driving the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transfer press of excellent productivity for continuously pressing a work of a composite material or the like which requires the control of the press operation by realizing arbitrary control of the drawing-down speed of a slider, and a method for driving the same. <P>SOLUTION: In order to deliver a work (6) at a station on the upstream side to a station on the downstream side and press it, a slider (12) with an upper die (8a) fitted to a lower side thereof is vertically and horizontally moved by the expansion/contraction of a plurality of translatory cylinders (16) with one end thereof hinge-connected to the slider and the other end thereof hinge-connected to a fixed base (14) located above the slider, and the press-down of the upper die and the delivery of the work are performed thereby. The work press-formed on the upstream side is held by a manipulator (18) provided on the slider, lifted together with the upper die, and delivered and transferred to a lower die (8b) at the station on the adjacent downstream side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a transfer press and a method for driving the transfer press, and more particularly, to a transfer press for continuously performing press forming by a plurality of press apparatuses arranged adjacent to each other and a method for driving the transfer press.
[0002]
[Prior art]
BACKGROUND ART In order to plastically process a sheet-like thin plate (work) using a mold, a press device such as a mechanical press or a hydraulic press is widely used.
Further, in the case of performing press molding using a plurality of dies, a transfer press in which a feeder is incorporated in a press device has been developed for automation and labor saving, which has been effective in streamlining work.
[0003]
The transfer press is a configuration in which a plurality of independent press devices are arranged adjacent to each other, and by moving each transfer bar in a two-dimensional direction of a feed direction and a lift direction, a work is sequentially transported and supplied to an adjacent press device, For example, steps such as blanking, drawing, trimming, and piercing are sequentially performed, and press molding of a vehicle roof or door is performed.
[0004]
A press device constituting a conventional transfer press (crank-link transfer press) includes a crown, a slider, a bed, a tie rod, an upright, and the like. The upper mold and the lower mold for forming the work are attached to the lower surface of the slider and the upper surface of the bed, respectively. A drive unit for a gear and an electric motor is built in the crown, and the drive unit mechanically raises and lowers a slider to form a workpiece by an upper mold and a lower mold. The upright is sandwiched between the crown and the bed to maintain the distance therebetween and guides the lifting and lowering of the slider. Further, the crown and the bed are usually connected by four tie rods arranged at four corners, so that the tie rods receive a reaction force acting on the crown and the bed at the time of press forming.
The transfer press described above is configured by connecting a plurality of the above press devices in a straight line. A feeder (feeder) for transferring the pressed work onto a lower die on the downstream side is provided between the adjacent press devices. The feed device is, for example, a work suction means (for example, a vacuum cup) that horizontally bridges a large number of crossbars at a fixed pitch between a pair of transfer bars arranged in parallel in the work conveyance direction and suctions the work to the crossbars. Is provided.
[0005]
According to such a transfer press, it is possible to continuously perform press molding using a plurality of dies by a plurality of press devices, so that productivity can be improved.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Here, in the case of a composite material or a material that must be pressed after heating, it is necessary to control the pressing operation of the die, that is, the speed of pressing down the slider to which the upper die is attached.
However, although the crank-link type transfer press as described above is a device excellent in productivity and the like in order to continuously perform press molding, since it employs a mechanical drive unit using gears and the like, There was a problem that the speed of reduction of the slider could not be controlled.
On the other hand, in the conventional hydraulic press device, although the rolling speed of the slider can be arbitrarily controlled, there is a problem that productivity is poor when press forming is performed stepwise using a plurality of dies. .
[0007]
The present invention has been made to solve such a problem. In other words, the present invention is to continuously press-form a work of a composite material or the like that requires control of the press operation, by enabling the slider rolling speed, which was impossible with a conventional transfer press, to be arbitrarily controllable. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transfer press excellent in productivity and the like and a driving method thereof.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention relates to a method for driving a transfer press in which a work (6) at an upstream station is transferred to a downstream station to perform press molding, and an upper mold (8a) is attached to a lower surface. The slider (12) is moved up and down by expansion and contraction of a plurality of direct acting cylinders (16) hinged at one end to the slider and at the other end to a fixed base (14) located above the slider. A transfer press driving method is characterized in that the transfer press is moved and moved horizontally to perform a pressing operation of an upper die and a transfer operation of a work.
[0009]
More specifically, a work (6) press-formed at an upstream station is gripped by a manipulator (18) provided on a slider (12), lifted together with an upper mold (8a), and then adjoined on the downstream side. The work is delivered and transferred to the lower mold (8b) of the station, the work is released from the manipulator, the slider is returned to the original position, and then the work is press-formed at the downstream station, This transfer operation is sequentially repeated on the downstream side to continuously perform press molding.
[0010]
According to the present invention, the pressing speed of the slider can be arbitrarily controlled and the work is continuously press-formed by performing the pressing operation of the upper mold and the transfer operation of the work using the expansion and contraction of the linear motion cylinder. Can be.
[0011]
As a more specific operation, (1) the work press-formed by the press device on the upstream side is gripped by the manipulator provided on the slider, and (2) the linear motion cylinder is driven in this state to lift the work. Lift the mold together with the mold, and (3) feed the workpiece to the lower mold adjacent on the downstream side by driving the linear motion cylinder, release the work from the manipulator, transfer the work to the lower mold, and move the slider back to the original mold. And the work is pressed again by the downstream pressing device.
This transfer operation is sequentially repeated from the upstream side to the downstream side, and the work material is continuously supplied to the most upstream press device, thereby performing the press forming operation using a plurality of dies. As a result, automation and labor saving are achieved, productivity is improved, and the reduction speed of the slider can be arbitrarily controlled.
[0012]
The present invention also relates to a transfer press for transferring a work (6) of an upstream station to a downstream station and performing press forming, wherein an upper die (8a) is attached to a lower surface, and the work is pressed down to perform press forming. A slider (12), a fixed base (14) positioned above the slider, a plurality of direct acting cylinders (16) having one end hingedly connected to the base and the other end to the slider, and A transfer press, comprising: a parallel mechanism including a control device for controlling expansion and contraction, wherein the slider moves up and down and horizontally by the parallel mechanism.
[0013]
In the transfer press of the present invention, the base and the slider are connected by a plurality of linear motion cylinders, and the slider on which the upper die is mounted can be moved in the vertical direction and the feed direction by driving the linear motion cylinder. By controlling the press and feed of the work by the controllable linear motion cylinder, the pressing speed of the slider can be controlled, and the work requiring control of the press operation of the composite material or the like can be continuously press-formed. A transfer press having excellent productivity and the like is provided. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate the need for a drive unit or a feeding device having a complicated mechanism conventionally required for a transfer press.
[0014]
Here, it is preferable that the control device restricts the operation of the slider only in the vertical direction (Y) and the feed direction (X), and expands and contracts the linear motion cylinder so as to maintain the horizontal state of the slider.
[0015]
Since the movement of the slider by the driving of the linear motion cylinder is only required to move in the plane in the vertical direction and the feed direction, the degree of freedom of the slider is limited to two, and the number of linear motion cylinders required for pressing and feeding the work is reduced. By reducing, the manufacturing cost of the transfer press itself can be reduced. Further, by moving the slider in the vertical direction and the feed direction while maintaining the horizontal state of the slider, it is possible to appropriately reduce and transfer the work.
[0016]
The above-described drive mechanism for the slider of the transfer press applies a so-called Stewart platform type parallel mechanism. The Stewart platform type parallel mechanism is high in rigidity because the link between the base and the slider only expands and contracts and no bending load is applied, so it is convenient when pressing down the slider with a strong force, Since the control is easy, it can be said that this is an optimal method for carrying out the present invention. If a hydraulic linear motion cylinder is mainly used for the linear motion cylinder, it is possible to arbitrarily control the reduction speed of the slider, feed the work, and generate a large reduction force.
In addition to the Stewart platform type (extendable type), the parallel mechanism is a rotary type (Hexa type) in which the base side joint makes a rotary motion using a fixed rotary linear motion cylinder, and a fixed linear motion linear type. There is a direct-acting type, which moves on a straight line to which a base-side joint is fixed using a moving cylinder, and the like.
[0017]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
After the features of the parallel mechanism are schematically described below, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same reference numerals are given to the common parts in the respective drawings, and the duplicate description will be omitted.
[0018]
The parallel mechanism refers to a mechanism in which a portion from a base to an end effector, which is a final output, is connected in parallel by a plurality of links. On the other hand, a mechanism in which the base and the end effector are connected by a serial link is called a serial mechanism. According to this classification, many industrial manipulators belong to this serial mechanism.
[0019]
It is to be noted that although the slider pressure reduction and the work feeding operation described later can be realized by a serial mechanism, the present invention employs a parallel mechanism. This is because the parallel mechanism is more simple than the serial mechanism in terms of (1) the mechanism is simple and the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the reliability is high. (2) The rigidity is high because it is supported by multiple links. (3) Basically, bending stress does not act, so it is convenient when the slider is pressed down with a strong force. (4) Displacement error and backlash of the link connection part are not accumulated unlike the serial mechanism. On the contrary, since there are a plurality of links to the end effector, errors of individual joints are averaged out, and (5) the maximum force can be increased because the resultant force of a plurality of direct acting cylinders is output. This is because it has features.
[0020]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a transfer press according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the transfer press as viewed from a work loading direction.
In the transfer press 10, a metal sheet material (work 6), such as a composite material or a material that must be pressed after heating, which needs to be pressed by controlling the pressing operation of a mold, is pressed using a plurality of dies. When performing the molding, the workpieces are sequentially transferred to adjacent dies and press-molded.
[0021]
The transfer press 10 of this embodiment shown in the figure is configured by connecting a plurality of (three in this figure) press units 10a, 10b, and 10c.
Each of the press units has a similar configuration, and includes a base 14, a slider 12, a bed 5, a tie rod 7, an upright 9, and the like. A lower mold 8b is attached to the upper surface of the bed 5, and an upper mold 8a is attached to the lower surface of the slider 12. The pressing force is applied to the slider 12 to lower the slider 12, thereby lowering the upper mold 8a and the lower mold. 8b and press-mold the work 6 therebetween. The space where the press operation is performed in each press unit is called a station.
In this figure, each bed 5 is firmly fixed to a common foundation 11 by foundation bolts (not shown). The transfer press may be composed of two or four or more press units depending on the number of molds required.
[0022]
At the station of the press unit 10a at the uppermost stream of the press line, a flat work 6 carried in the X direction by a carry-in device (not shown) is drawn between upper and lower dies, and then at the downstream stations 10b and 10c. Each press work such as trimming, piercing, and restriking is sequentially performed.
[0023]
The base 14 and the slider 12 of each press unit are connected by a parallel mechanism using a plurality of direct-acting cylinders 16. That is, as conceptually shown in FIG. 3 which shows through the base, a pressing force is applied to the upper die 8a attached to the lower surface of the slider 12 at the four corners of the slider 12, and the slider 12 is mainly moved up and down. The first linear motion cylinders 16a which move linearly in the vertical direction at the time of pressing are attached, and the slider 12 is mainly fed between the first linear motion cylinders on both sides adjacent in the feed direction. The second linear motion cylinders 16b are provided one at a time. The translation cylinder 16 is connected to the base 14 and the slider 12 via the hinge 13, and the extension and contraction of the translation cylinder 16 is controlled by a control device (not shown). The linear motion cylinder and the control device constitute a parallel mechanism.
[0024]
Here, the inclination of the second linear motion cylinder 16b is such that the upper mold 8a and the lower mold 8b face each other, that is, the four first linear motion cylinders 16a are vertically oriented, and the hinge on the base side is tilted. The vertical position of the slider 13 is inclined in the direction downstream from the vertical position of the hinge 13 on the slider side. The two second linear motion cylinders 16b have different inclination angles, and are in a torsional positional relationship with each other. The first and second linear motion cylinders are of a hydraulic type.
[0025]
Also, between the uprights 9 adjacent to each other in the feed direction of the press units, an anti-skid guide 15 for sliding against the side surface of the slider 12 to prevent the slider from swaying is provided at a predetermined interval. It is attached.
Further, manipulators 18 for gripping the work are provided on both side surfaces of the slider 12 in the feed direction. The manipulator 18 can hold the work 6 after press forming in close contact with the upper mold by the rotational movement.
This apparatus has a pair of transfer bars arranged side by side in the transfer direction of the work required for a conventional transfer press, a large number of crossbars laid on the transfer bars, and a vacuum cup for adsorbing the work to the crossbars. Is not provided.
[0026]
According to the transfer press 10 of the present embodiment to which the parallel mechanism having the above configuration is applied, the slider 12 can be lowered (elevated) and fed by only the expansion and contraction of the six linear motion cylinders 16 without bending load. Can be. In addition, by controlling the hydraulic pressure of each linear motion cylinder 16 by a control device (not shown), the reduction speed in each press unit can be arbitrarily controlled, and the work 6 that needs to control the press operation of a composite material or the like can be continuously performed. Since it can be press-formed, a transfer press excellent in productivity and the like can be provided.
Further, by adopting a Stewart platform type parallel mechanism, it is possible to eliminate the need for a drive unit or a feed device having a complicated structure conventionally required for a transfer press.
[0027]
The number of linear cylinders in each press unit is not limited to six. If the slider can move in a plane in the vertical direction (elevation) and in the feed direction, that is, if the slider can secure two degrees of freedom, for example, two Up to five or seven or more can also be used.
Here, in order to drive the transfer press with four or less direct-acting cylinders, a guide device for maintaining the horizontal state of the slider, for example, a protrusion provided on the side surface of the slider, It is necessary to prevent the slider from tilting by inserting the slider into a rail.
In this embodiment, the number of the linear motion cylinders is set to six in order to secure the stability of the slider at the time of pressure reduction.
[0028]
Next, the operation of the transfer press of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described in time series with reference to FIG. In this figure, broken lines indicate adjacent sliders, upper dies, and linear cylinders on the downstream side.
(1) The flat work 6 is carried into the press unit 10a (first station) at the uppermost stream of the press line by a carry-in device (not shown). The work is carried in continuously.
(2) Extend the first and second linear motion cylinders 16 of the press unit of the first station to lower the slider 12 at a desired reduction speed, and process the work between the lower die and the lower die by pressing the upper die. (FIG. 4A).
(3) With the work 6 sandwiched between the upper mold 8a and the lower mold 8b, the work is chucked and gripped by the manipulator 18 (not shown) attached to the slider 12.
(4) The first and second linear motion cylinders 16 are contracted to lift the work 6 together with the slider 12, and then the four first linear motion cylinders 16a are held at a fixed length, and the two second linear motion cylinders 16a are held. The cylinder 16b is subsequently contracted. With this operation, the slider 12 slides to the downstream side in the feed direction. With the slider 12 moved to an appropriate position, the second cylinders 16b in the twisted positional relationship are extended again at different timings, and the four first linear motion cylinders 16a are also extended. By doing so, the slider 12 slides further downstream and descends (FIG. 4B).
(5) When the slider 12 is positioned above the bed 5 of the press unit 10b (second station) in the middle of the press line, the manipulator is released, and the work 6 is placed on the lower mold attached to the upper surface of the bed 5. And then transfer it (FIG. 4 (c)).
(6) The reverse operation of the above (4) is performed to return the slider 12 to the original position, and the work is processed in the second station by the same operation as the above (2).
(7) By the same operation as the above (3) to (5), the work processed in the second station is transferred to the lower die of the press unit 10c (third station) located at the most downstream of the press line and transferred. And work at the third station.
(8) Finally, the completed work is unloaded from the third station to complete the press work.
[0029]
The above-described first to third stations of the pressing press and the slider are continuously and synchronously fed, and the work material is continuously supplied to the most upstream press unit. A transfer press that can be controlled and has high productivity is provided.
[0030]
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, when the rolling speeds of the adjacent stations are the same, the number of the linear motion cylinders can be reduced by integrating the slider and mounting two upper dies side by side on the slider.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to arbitrarily control the pressing speed of the slider, and it is possible to continuously press-mold a work that requires control of a pressing operation of a composite material or the like to improve productivity and the like. An excellent transfer press and its driving method are provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a transfer press of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the transfer press of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a parallel mechanism of the transfer press of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a driving operation of a transfer press.
[Explanation of symbols]
5 Bed 6 Work 7 Tie rod 8a Upper die 8b Lower die 9 Upright 10 Transfer press 10a, 10b, 10c Press unit 11 Foundation 12 Slider 13 Hinge 14 Base 15 Side-swing prevention guide 16 Linear cylinder 16a First linear cylinder 16b 2nd linear motion cylinder 18 manipulator

Claims (4)

A method for driving a transfer press, in which a work (6) in an upstream station is transferred to a downstream station to perform press molding,
A slider (12) having an upper mold (8a) attached to the lower surface is provided with a plurality of hinges having one end hinged to the slider and the other end hinged to a fixed base (14) located above the slider. A drive method for a transfer press, wherein the linear press cylinder (16) is vertically moved and horizontally moved by expansion and contraction to perform an operation of lowering an upper mold and transferring a work. The work (6) press-formed at the upstream station is gripped by the manipulator (18) provided on the slider (12) and lifted together with the upper mold (8a), and then the lower mold of the adjacent downstream station. (8b) The work is delivered and transferred, and the work is released from the manipulator. After returning the slider to the original position, the work is press-formed at a downstream station. 2. The transfer press driving method according to claim 1, wherein the press molding is continuously performed by repeating the steps sequentially. A transfer press for transferring a workpiece (6) from an upstream station to a downstream station and performing press molding,
A slider (12) to which an upper die (8a) is attached on the lower surface and which presses down and press-molds a work;
A fixed base (14) located above the slider,
A parallel mechanism including a plurality of linear motion cylinders (16), one end of which is hinged to the base and the other end of the slider, and a control device for controlling expansion and contraction of the linear motion cylinder;
A transfer press, wherein a vertical movement and a horizontal movement of a slider are performed by the parallel mechanism. The control device restricts the operation of the slider to only the vertical direction (Y) and the feed direction (X), and expands and contracts the linear motion cylinder so as to maintain the horizontal state of the slider. Item 4. The transfer press according to Item 3.

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