JP2006142397A - Tool changing arm - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tool changing arm capable of regulating a position of the protruding end of a retaining member even if tool change is repeatedly executed. <P>SOLUTION: A groove part 16, in which the front and rear in the axial line direction are made as a wall part, is formed to a part of the outer periphery of the retaining member 15 provided so as to be movable toward the outside of the center of a gripping claw 12 and constantly energized in the protruding direction by a spring member 13. A regulating member 14 engageable with the groove part 16 is mounted to an arm body 11 so as to be positionally adjustable along in the longitudinal direction of the retaining member 15. The regulating member 14 is moved by an adjusting screw 22 provided to the arm body 11. Consequently, the position of the protruding end of the retaining member 15 can be regulated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a tool changing arm of a tool changing device for changing a tool between a spindle of a machine tool and a tool magazine.

The conventional tool change arm is provided with a gripping claw provided at the end of the arm body, and is movably provided toward the outside of the center of the gripping claw, and is always urged by a spring member in the protruding direction, and is provided with a restriction provided on the arm body. There is known a configuration in which a tool is clamped by a pressing member whose protruding end position is regulated by a member.
The tool change by the tool change arm will be described. When the tool changing arm is turned 90 ° from the standby position (state shown in FIG. 1) toward the gripping position, the presser member is once pushed back by the tool, and then protrudes again to press the tool gripped by the gripping claws. . In this state, the tool change arm moves forward, turns 180 °, and moves backward, so that the position of the tool clamped on the tool change arm is changed, and the changed tool is mounted on the spindle and tool magazine, respectively. Is done. Thereafter, when the tool change arm is turned 90 ° toward the standby position, the presser member is once pushed back by the tool, and then protrudes again and is pressed against the regulating member. Then, the tool change is completed when the tool change arm stops at the standby position.
Patent Document 1 discloses that the tool change arm regulates the protruding end position of the presser member by bringing a collar provided on the presser member into contact with a stopper (regulator member) fixed to the side surface of the arm body. Yes. In the tool change arm of Patent Document 2, an orthogonal pin (regulating member) fixed to the arm body is inserted into an oval slot provided in the pressing member, and the orthogonal pin is brought into contact with one of the slots, thereby It is disclosed that the protruding end position is regulated.
No. 7-46440 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-42526

  When the tool change as described above is repeatedly performed, the pressing member and the regulating member pressed against the regulating member are worn. However, if the protruding end position of the presser member moves due to wear of both members, and the amount of protrusion of the presser member against the gripping claw increases, the impact noise between the tool and the presser member increases, or the presser member is removed when the tool is replaced. It is necessary to push it in, which is not preferable. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a tool change arm that can regulate the protruding end position of a presser member even when tool change is repeated.

  The present application is a tool changing arm of a tool changing device, which is provided with a gripping claw provided at an end of an arm body and movably toward the outside of the center of the gripping claw and is always urged by a spring member in a protruding direction. In a tool change arm configured to clamp a tool with a pressing member whose protruding end position is regulated by a regulating member provided on the arm body, the regulating member is attached to the arm body along the length of the pressing member. It is mounted so that the position can be adjusted. The arm body is provided with an adjusting screw for determining a position in a direction along the length of the pressing member of the regulating member.

  Specifically, a groove portion having axially front and rear walls as a wall portion is formed in a part of the outer periphery of the presser member, an insertion hole is formed in the arm body corresponding to the groove portion, and a restriction member that engages with the groove portion is inserted into the insertion hole. A mounting base integral with the restricting member is placed outside the insertion hole to close the insertion hole, and the mounting base is provided with a long hole along the length of the presser member, on the outer surface of the mounting base. A cover plate that covers the long hole is applied and a fixing bolt is screwed into the arm body from the outside of the cover plate through the long hole, and an adjustment screw is brought into contact with the end of the pressing member in the mounting base in the protruding direction.

  In the present invention, the regulating member that regulates the protruding end position of the presser member is attached to the arm body so that the position of the presser member can be adjusted along the length of the presser member. By moving the regulating member, the protruding end position of the presser member can be set to the optimum position. The protruding end position of the pressing member can be finely adjusted by moving the regulating member with the adjusting screw. Further, the rotational movement of the presser member can be restricted by the restricting member. Furthermore, since the insertion hole through which the restricting member moves is closed by the mounting base and the cover plate, the intrusion of coolant or the like is prevented, and the advancement and retreating movement of the pressing member can be maintained smoothly.

  FIG. 1 shows a machine tool 1 for machining a workpiece W using a tool Ta mounted on a spindle 2, and a tool magazine 3 mounted with a plurality of tools Tb, and a tool between the spindle 2 and the tool magazine 3. A tool changer 4 for exchanging Ta and Tb is installed. In the tool changer 4, a tool change arm 10 configured to clamp the tools Ta and Tb is fixed to a drive shaft 5 that is rotated or moved back and forth by drive means (not shown). The tool changing arm 10 is turned or moved back and forth by driving the drive shaft 5. The tool change arm 10 is provided with a gripping claw 12 provided at an end of the arm main body 11 and movably toward the outside of the center of the gripping claw 12, and is always urged by a spring member 13 in the protruding direction. 11 is configured such that the tools Ta and Tb are clamped by a presser member 15 whose protruding end position is restricted by a restricting member 14 provided in 11. The tool change arm 10 according to the present embodiment is provided with the gripping claws 12 and the pressing member 15 at both ends, but the gripping claws 12 and the pressing member 15 are provided only at one end of the arm body 11, The gripping claw 12 may not be at a 180 ° position with respect to the arm turning center.

  A groove portion 16 is formed in a part of the outer periphery of the pressing member 15 with the front and back in the direction of the axis CL as a wall portion. The length of the presser member 15 is such that the rear end of the presser member 15 protrudes into a stepped hole 24 described later when the tip part comes into contact with the tools Ta and Tb gripped by the gripping claws 12 (clamped state). Is set to An insertion hole 17 is formed in the arm body 11 corresponding to the groove 16. The restriction member 14 that engages with the groove 16 is positioned in the insertion hole 17, and the mounting base 18 that is integral with the restriction member 14 is disposed outside the insertion hole 17 to close the insertion hole 17. A long hole 19 is provided in the mounting base 18 along the length of the pressing member 15, and a cover plate 20 that covers the long hole 19 is applied to the outer surface of the mounting base 18 to fix the fixing bolt 21 from the outside of the cover plate 20. Is screwed into the arm body 11 through the long hole 19. The arm main body 11 is provided with an adjusting screw 22 that determines a position in the direction along the length of the pressing member 15 of the regulating member 14. The adjusting screw 22 is brought into contact with the projecting direction end of the pressing member 15 in the mounting base 18.

  In the state where the fixing bolt 21 is loosened, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the adjusting screw 22 is tightened, the regulating member 14 moves toward the central side surface of the arm body 11 of the insertion hole 17 through the mounting base 18. To do. Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the adjustment screw 22 is loosened, the regulating member 14 moves toward the gripping claw 12 via the mounting base 18. Therefore, the protruding end position of the pressing member 15 is regulated by the movement of the regulating member 14. Further, since the clearance t between the regulating member 14 and the groove 16 can be adjusted by the movement of the regulating member 14, the movement of the pressing member 15 in the rotational direction is regulated. In addition, although the regulating member 14 of the present embodiment is provided so as to move while being inclined with respect to the axis CL of the pressing member 15, as shown in FIG. 8, the regulating member 14 moves parallel to the axis CL of the pressing member 15. It may be provided.

  A stepped hole 24 is provided at the center of the arm body 11 so as to penetrate the small diameter portion of the insertion hole 23 into which the pressing member 15 is inserted. The stepped hole 24 is disposed parallel to the axis of the drive shaft 5. A lock member 25 is inserted into each stepped hole 24. A cover member 27 is attached to the arm body 11 so as to close the stepped hole 24. The lock member 25 is provided so as to be movable toward the rear surface 11a of the arm body, and is always urged by the spring member 26 in the protruding direction. Therefore, when the tool change arm 10 is in the forward position A (the left side state in FIG. 3), the lock member 25 is urged by the spring member 26, and the insertion hole 23 is blocked at the intermediate portion of the lock member 25. Yes. When the tool change arm 10 is in the rear position B (right side state in FIG. 3), the lock member 25 is pushed back by abutting the fixed portion 6 provided on the drive shaft 5, and the intermediate portion of the lock member 25 is inserted. It is designed to be separated from the hole 23.

  Next, tool exchange by the tool exchange arm 10 having the above-described configuration will be described. In a state where the rear wall portion 16 a of the groove portion 16 of the pressing member 15 is in contact with the restriction member 14, the position of the restriction member 14 is adjusted by the adjustment screw 22 so that the rear end does not protrude into the stepped hole 24. When the machining of the workpiece W by the tool Ta mounted on the spindle 2 is completed and a tool replacement instruction is issued by a control device (not shown), the tool Ta is moved to the replacement position by the movement of the spindle 2, and the tool magazine In 3, the tool Tb to be used next is moved to the replacement position (state shown in FIG. 1). When the tool changing arm 10 at the rear position B is turned 90 ° from the standby position C toward the gripping position D by the drive shaft 5, as shown in FIGS. The pressing member 15 pressed against 14 is once pushed back when the tools Ta and Tb are gripped by the gripping claws 12 and then protrudes again to press the tools Ta and Tb gripped by the gripping claws 12. In the state of FIG. 5C, the rear end of the pressing member 15 protrudes into the stepped hole 24. Thereafter, the tool changing arm 10 is moved to the front position A by the drive shaft 5 to extract the tools Ta and Tb from the main shaft 2 and the tool magazine 3, respectively. At this time, since the presser member 15 is pressed toward the tools Ta and Tb by the lock member 25, the clamped state of the tools Ta and Tb by the gripping claws 12 and the presser member 15 is maintained at the front position A of the tool exchange arm 10. Will be.

  If the tool changing arm 10 at the front position A is turned 180 ° with the drive shaft 5 in this state, the positions of the tools Ta and Tb extracted from the main shaft 2 and the tool magazine 3 are switched. Thereafter, the tool changing arm 10 is moved to the rear position B by the drive shaft 5, so that the tools Ta and Tb are mounted on the main shaft 2 and the tool magazine 3. At that time, the lock member 25 is pushed back by abutting against the fixed portion 6 provided on the drive shaft 5, and instead of releasing the pressing of the presser member 15 by the lock member 25, the presser member 15 is moved by the spring member 13 to the tool Ta. , Tb. Thereafter, when the tool changing arm 10 at the gripping position D is turned 90 ° toward the standby position C by the drive shaft 5, the tools Ta and Tb are moved by the spring member 13 as shown in FIGS. The pressing member 15 pressed against is temporarily pushed back when the tools Ta and Tb are detached from the gripping claws 12, and then protrudes again to be pressed against the regulating member 14.

  When such a tool change is repeated, the rear wall portion 16a of the groove portion 16 of the pressing member 15 is repeatedly pressed against the restriction member 14 by the spring member 13, so that the rear wall portion of the restriction member 14 and the groove portion 16 of the holding member 15 is pressed. 16a will wear early. When the regulating member 14 and the groove 16 are worn, the protruding end position of the pressing member 15 is moved. However, by adjusting the position of the regulating member 14 along the length of the pressing member 15, the projecting end position of the pressing member 15 can always be set to the optimum position, so that the tools Ta and Tb and the pressing member 15 are used as in the prior art. There is no need to push the presser member 15 with the tools Ta and Tb at the time of tool change. Further, the protruding end position of the pressing member 15 can be finely adjusted by moving the regulating member 14 with the adjusting screw 22. Further, by moving the restricting member 14, the amount of movement of the presser member 15 in the rotation direction becomes constant, and the tip end portion of the presser member 15 is surely brought into contact with the tools Ta and Tb. Then, the insertion hole 17 where the restricting member 14 is positioned is closed with the mounting base 18, and the long hole 19 of the mounting base 18 is closed with the cover plate 20, so that coolant or the like enters the insertion hole 23 from the outside of the arm body 11. This prevents the pressing member 15 from moving back and forth smoothly.

It is a figure which shows the machine tool provided with the tool change arm which concerns on this invention. It is a front view of a tool exchange arm. FIG. 3 is a view as viewed in III of FIG. 2, showing a state in which the tool changing arm is moved back and forth. It is the IV-IV sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which turned the tool exchange arm toward the holding position from the standby position. It is a figure which shows the state which turned the tool exchange arm toward the standby position from the holding position. It is a figure which shows the state which moved the control member. It is a figure which shows other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

4 Tool Changer 10 Tool Change Arm 11 Arm Body 12 Grip Claw 13 Spring Member 14 Restricting Member 15 Pressing Member 16 Groove 17 Inserting Hole 18 Mounting Base 19 Long Hole 20 Cover Plate 21 Fixing Bolt 22 Adjusting Screw Ta, Tb Tool

Claims (3)

A tool change arm of a tool changer, which is provided with a gripping claw provided at an end of the arm main body and movably toward the outside of the center of the gripping claw, and is always urged by a spring member in a protruding direction, In a tool change arm configured to clamp a tool with a pressing member whose protruding end position is regulated by a regulating member provided on the arm, the position of the regulating member can be adjusted to the arm body along the length of the pressing member. Tool change arm, characterized by being attached to. 2. The tool change arm according to claim 1, wherein the arm body is provided with an adjusting screw for determining a position in a direction along the length of the pressing member of the regulating member. A groove portion with a wall portion extending in the axial direction is formed on a part of the outer periphery of the presser member, an insertion hole is formed in the arm body corresponding to the groove portion, and a restriction member that engages with the groove portion is positioned in the insertion hole. The mounting base integral with the regulating member is arranged outside the insertion hole to close the insertion hole, and the installation base is provided with a long hole along the length of the holding member, and the long hole is formed on the outer surface of the installation base. A cover plate is applied, and a fixing bolt is screwed into the arm body from the outside of the cover plate through the elongated hole, and an adjustment screw is brought into contact with the projecting direction end of the holding member in the mounting base. The tool change arm according to claim 2.

Images