JP2014012307A - Automatic tool exchange device of machine tool - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic tool exchange device of a machine tool allowing free preferential selection of either shortening in tool replacement time or an increase in the number of stored tools.SOLUTION: An automatic tool exchange device includes a bulkhead 13 to partition a magazine arrangement region A in which a tool magazine 11 is arranged and a machining time movement region B in which a main shaft 6a moves during machining. The bulkhead 13 has an opening 13a formed to communicate the magazine arrangement region A with the machining time movement region B. The tool magazine 11 has a shutter plate 14 detachably mounted to close or open the opening 13a according to turning of the tool magazine 11.

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic tool changer for a machine tool that allows a machine user to freely select a reduction in tool change time or an increase in the number of stored tools.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, some machine tools include an automatic tool changer that automatically changes an existing process tool mounted on a spindle and a next process tool held in a tool magazine.

In this type of automatic tool changer, for example, the arrangement area of the tool magazine and the machining area of the machine tool can be opened and closed by a slidably arranged shutter plate, and the tool exchange is performed with the shutter plate open. By performing processing with the shutter plate closed, the chips are prevented from scattering to the tool magazine side.

In the conventional structure, there is a problem that the shutter plate drive mechanism is likely to fail, and it is necessary to detect opening and closing of the shutter plate with a sensor, which increases the cost and increases the tool change time. There is also a problem.

In view of this, there is a type in which an arrangement area of the tool magazine and a machining area of the machine body are separated by a partition wall, an opening is formed in the partition wall, and a shutter member that opens and closes the opening is formed integrally with the tool magazine. In this prior art, since the shutter member is automatically moved to the open position by indexing the next process tool to the tool change position, a drive mechanism dedicated to the shutter member and a sensor for detecting opening and closing of the shutter member can be dispensed with (patent) Reference 1).

JP 2011-45947 A

  By the way, in the prior art described in the publication, although the shutter member opens the opening by indexing the next process tool to the tool change position, it is necessary to index the shutter member to the position where the opening is closed again after the tool change. Is at an angular position far from the shutter member, there is a problem that the tool change time becomes long.

Here, it can be considered that the tool change time can be shortened as the number of forming portions of the shutter member is increased. However, there is a problem that the number of tool magazines that can be stored decreases as the number of forming portions of the shutter member is increased. Depending on the conditions of use of the machine tool, there is a request to prioritize shortening the tool change time over the number of tool storage, and conversely, prioritize the number of tool storage over the shortening of the tool change time. We cannot respond to the request.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional situation, and provides an automatic tool changer for a machine tool that can freely select whether to give priority to shortening the tool change time or increasing the number of stored tools. It is an issue.

  The invention of claim 1 is an automatic tool changer for a machine tool that automatically changes a preprocess tool mounted on a spindle and a next process tool held in a tool magazine by a tool gripping mechanism. The tool magazine is provided with a partition that separates the arranged magazine placement area from the machining movement area in which the spindle moves during machining, and an opening is formed in the partition to communicate the magazine placement area and the machining movement area. In addition, a shutter member that closes or opens the opening as the tool magazine turns is detachably mounted.

The invention of claim 2 is the automatic tool changer for a machine tool according to claim 1, wherein the shutter member covers the tool gripping mechanism provided at the tool magazine from the outside. It is characterized by being detachably attached to the magazine.

A third aspect of the present invention is the automatic tool changer for a machine tool according to the first or second aspect, wherein a plurality of the shutter members are mounted on the tool magazine.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic tool changer for a machine tool according to the third aspect, the shutter member is attached to the tool magazine at equal angular intervals.

The invention of claim 5 is the automatic tool changer for a machine tool according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shutter member is mounted on the tool magazine by the tool gripping mechanism. .

  According to the invention of claim 1, since the shutter member is detachably attached to the tool magazine, when priority is given to shortening the tool change time, the shutter member is attached to the tool as in the invention of claim 3, for example. Multiple magazines can be installed. In this case, after indexing the next process tool to the tool change position where the opening is located and executing the tool change, the tool is obtained by indexing the shutter member located near the opening among the plurality of shutter members to the opening position. Exchange time can be shortened. Further, when a plurality of shutter members are provided at equal angular intervals as in the invention of claim 4, it is easy to select a shutter member that closes the opening after executing the tool change. On the other hand, when priority is given to increasing the number of stored tools, the number of stored tools can be increased by removing a part of the shutter member and mounting a tool instead of the shutter member.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the shutter member is detachably mounted on the tool magazine without removing the tool gripping mechanism provided on the tool magazine. By removing the member, the number of stored tools can be immediately increased by causing the tool gripping mechanism located at the removed portion to grip the tool.

  According to the invention of claim 5, since the shutter member is mounted on the tool magazine by the tool gripping mechanism, the shutter member can be easily attached and detached, and the position of the shutter member is within the range where the tool gripping mechanism is disposed. You can choose freely.

It is a front perspective view of the machine tool provided with the automatic tool changer concerning Example 1 of the present invention. It is a front view of the machine tool. It is a top view of the machine tool. It is a top view of the tool magazine of the automatic tool changer. It is a front perspective view of the tool magazine. It is a front perspective view of the modification of the tool magazine. It is a front perspective view of the further modification of the tool magazine.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 5 are diagrams for explaining a first embodiment of the present invention. In each figure, 1 is a machine tool (vertical machining center) provided with an automatic tool changer 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. is there. The machine tool 1 includes a bed 3, a column 4 mounted on the bed 3 so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction (front-rear direction), and a front surface of the column 4 movable in the X-axis direction (left-right direction). A saddle 5 disposed, a spindle head 6 disposed on the front surface of the saddle 5 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction (up and down direction), and a front surface of the front portion of the bed 3 for mounting a work. Table 7 is provided.

  The column 4 is slidably supported in the Y-axis direction by front and rear guide rails 3b, 3b formed on side walls 3a, 3a erected on the left and right of the bed 3, It is driven in the Y-axis direction by a type Y-axis drive mechanism 8.

The saddle 5 is slidably supported in the X-axis direction by left and right guide rails 4a and 4a formed on the front surface of the column 4, and is driven in the X-axis direction by a ball screw type X-axis drive mechanism 9. Is done.

The spindle head 6 is supported by upper and lower guide rails 5a and 5a formed on the front surface of the saddle 5 so as to be slidable in the Z-axis direction, and is driven in the Z-axis direction by a ball screw type drive mechanism 10. .

  The main spindle head 6 supports a main spindle 6a in a rotatable manner. Although not shown, a tool mounting hole into which the tool T is fitted and mounted is formed in the lower end portion of the main shaft 6a, and a clamping mechanism for clamping and unclamping the tool T inserted and inserted is provided. Is provided. In this way, the tool T mounted on the main shaft 6a is movable in the X, Y, and Z axis directions.

  The automatic tool changer 2 automatically exchanges the existing process tool T mounted on the spindle 6 a and the next process tool T ′ held in the tool magazine 11.

The tool magazine 11 includes a disk-shaped substrate 11a and a shaft portion 11b positioned at the center of the substrate 11a. Between the left and right side wall portions 3a, 3a of the bed 3, the shaft portion 11b The axes are arranged so as to be parallel to the Z axis. The tool magazine 12 can be indexed at a desired angular position by a rotary indexing mechanism 15 that supports the shaft portion 11b.

A number of tool gripping mechanisms 12 are disposed on the outer peripheral edge of the substrate 11a. Each tool gripping mechanism 12 is formed by connecting a pair of gripping claws 12a, 12a so as to be openable and closable and urged to rotate in the closing direction. Thus, the tool T is held with its axis line oriented in the Z-axis direction. When the tool is moved by the main shaft 6a on a straight line parallel to the Y axis passing through the shaft portion 11b to the back side in the Y axis direction, the grip claws 12a and 12a grip the grip groove portion of the tool T, and the front side in the Y axis direction. The tool is configured to be separated from the gripping claws 12a and 12a when moved to.

The magazine placement area A in which the tool magazine 11 is placed in the machine tool 1 and the machining movement area B in which the main shaft 6a moves during machining are separated by a partition wall 13, whereby chips are placed in the magazine placement area. Intrusion into A is prevented.

The partition wall 13 is formed with an opening 13a that allows the magazine placement area A and the processing movement area B to communicate with each other. The opening 13a is arranged on a straight line parallel to the Y axis passing through the axis of the shaft portion 11b, and has a size that allows the tool T attached to the main shaft 6a to enter and exit the magazine arrangement area A without any trouble. Is formed.

A pair of shutter plates 14, 14 are detachably mounted on the substrate 11a so as to form an equiangular interval. The shutter plate 14 includes a shutter main body 14a that closes or opens the opening 13a, and a bracket portion 14b that extends from the shutter main body 14a toward the shaft portion 11b of the substrate 11a. The shutter body 14a is formed in a shape and size capable of closing the opening 13a. That is, in the state where the tool magazine 11 is indexed so that the shutter body 14a coincides with the opening 13a, the shutter body 14a closes the opening 13a. Further, in a state where any one of the multiple tools T is indexed so as to coincide with the opening 13a, the shutter main body 14a opens the opening 13a.

Here, the bracket portion 14b is detachably attached to the substrate 11a with bolts 14c so that the shutter body 14a is located slightly outside the outer edge portion of the gripping claws 12a and covers the gripping claws 12a from the outside. Yes. Therefore, the shutter plate 14 can be attached to and detached from the substrate 11 a of the tool magazine 11 without removing the tool gripping mechanism 12.

The number of the shutter plates 14 to be attached is not limited to two in this embodiment, and can be freely selected such as four (see FIG. 6) or one (see FIG. 7). When attaching a plurality of sheets, it is desirable to attach them at regular angular intervals, but of course, they may be attached at free angular intervals.

  In the case of exchanging tools in the first embodiment, first, the tool magazine 11 is indexed so that the vacant tool gripping mechanism 12 coincides with the opening 13a, whereby the shutter plate 14 opens the opening 13a. The tool spindle 6a moves in the Y-axis direction toward the center of the shaft portion 11b of the tool magazine 11, and the holding groove of the tool T mounted on the spindle 6a is held by the holding claws 12a and 12a. The unclamping mechanism is unclamped and the main shaft 6a rises in the Z-axis direction. Subsequently, the tool magazine 11 is indexed so that the next stroke tool coincides with the opening 13a. In this state, the spindle 6a descends to clamp the next stroke tool, and moves to the movement area B side during machining in the Y-axis direction. Then, the tool change is completed. The tool magazine 11 is indexed so that the shutter plate 14 located at the last position coincides with the opening 13a, and the opening 13a is closed.

In the first embodiment, since the shutter plate 14 is detachably attached to the tool magazine 11, the number of shutter plates 14 can be freely selected. When priority is given to shortening the tool change time, for example, a plurality of the shutter plates 14 are mounted on the tool magazine 11 at equal angular intervals. After the next process tool is indexed to the tool change position where the opening 13a is located and the tool is changed, the shutter plate 14 located near the opening 13a among the plurality of shutter plates 14 is indexed to the position of the opening 13a. The tool change time can be shortened. On the other hand, when priority is given to increasing the number of stored tools, the number of stored tools can be increased by removing a part of the shutter plate 14 and mounting the tool on the tool gripping mechanism 12 instead of the shutter plate 14.

  Further, since the shutter plate 14 is detachably attached to the tool magazine 11 without removing the tool gripping mechanism 12 provided in the tool magazine 11, the shutter plate 14 is used when increasing the number of stored tools. By removing the tool, it is possible to immediately increase the number of stored tools by causing the tool gripping mechanism 12 located at the removed portion to grip the tool.

  In the above embodiment, the bracket portion 14b of the shutter plate 14 is detachably attached to the substrate 11a of the tool magazine 11 by bolting. However, the shutter plate 14 is configured to be detachably supported by the tool gripping mechanism 12. May be. In this case, the shutter plate can be easily attached and detached by providing a portion having a gripping groove gripped by the gripping claws 12a, 12a on the back surface of the shutter main body 14a.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Machine tool 2 Automatic tool changer 6a Spindle 11 Tool magazine 12 Tool gripping mechanism 13 Partition 13a Opening 14 Shutter plate (shutter member)
A Magazine placement area B Movement area during machining T Existing process tool T 'Next process tool

Claims (5)

In an automatic tool changer of a machine tool that automatically replaces an existing process tool mounted on a spindle and a next process tool held in a tool magazine by a tool gripping mechanism,
A partition that separates the magazine placement area in which the tool magazine is placed from the machining movement area in which the main spindle moves during machining is provided, and an opening that communicates the magazine placement area and the machining movement area is formed in the partition. ,
An automatic tool changer for a machine tool, wherein a shutter member that closes or opens the opening as the tool magazine rotates is detachably attached to the tool magazine. In the automatic tool changer for a machine tool according to claim 1,
An automatic tool changer for a machine tool, wherein the shutter member is detachably attached to the tool magazine so as to cover at least one of the tool gripping mechanisms provided in the tool magazine from the outside. In the automatic tool changer for a machine tool according to claim 1 or 2,
An automatic tool changer for a machine tool, wherein a plurality of the shutter members are mounted on the tool magazine. In the automatic tool changer for a machine tool according to claim 3,
An automatic tool changer for a machine tool, wherein the shutter member is attached to the tool magazine at equal angular intervals. In the automatic tool changer for machine tools according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An automatic tool changer for a machine tool, wherein the shutter member is attached to the tool magazine by the tool gripping mechanism.

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