JP2019196248A - Workpiece aligning device and machine tool - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a workpiece aligning device and a machine tool capable of aligning workpieces in a receiving tray.SOLUTION: A workpiece aligning device 60 comprises: an outside workpiece conveyor 61 having a carriage surface 61a for carrying a processed workpiece W; a receiving tray 68 in which a plurality of workpieces W are aligned; and a workpiece push device 80 which aligns a plurality of the workpieces W in the receiving tray 68 by pushing the workpiece W positioned on a carriage surface 61b toward the receiving tray 68.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a workpiece alignment device and a machine tool.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a machine tool that processes a workpiece by bringing a cutting edge of a tool into contact with the workpiece rotated by a main shaft is known. For example, in the machine tool described in Patent Document 1, a workpiece after machining is dropped onto a chute box, and the workpiece is guided to a workpiece conveyor by the chute box. The work conveyor discharges the work from the chute box to the outside of the machine tool.

JP 2017-2222018 A

  Generally, the work discharged to the outside by the work conveyor is dropped into a new chute box, and the work is guided to the receiving tray by the new chute box. In this case, the plurality of workpieces are accommodated randomly in the tray without being arranged or oriented. Therefore, it is necessary to align the workpieces in the tray for the next step, for example, a workpiece washing step, which requires extra man-hours.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said actual condition, and it aims at providing the workpiece alignment apparatus and machine tool which can align a workpiece | work in a saucer.

  In order to achieve the above object, a workpiece alignment apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a workpiece conveyor having a conveyance surface for carrying processed workpieces, a tray on which a plurality of workpieces are aligned, and a conveyance surface. A workpiece push device that aligns a plurality of the workpieces in the tray by pushing the positioned workpieces into the tray.

  In the work alignment apparatus, the work conveyor carries the work placed on the carrying surface in a first direction along a horizontal plane, and the tray and the work push device are orthogonal to the first direction along the horizontal plane. Are arranged on opposite sides of the work conveyor along the second direction, and the work push device includes a pusher positioned at the same height as the outer peripheral surface of the work placed on the transport surface, and the pusher A fluid cylinder that reciprocates along the second direction, and the fluid cylinder traverses the transport surface from the retracted position away from the saucer when the pusher is reciprocated within the saucer. The workpiece is moved from the carrying surface into the tray by moving the workpiece to the extended position, and then the pusher is moved to the retracted position. Back to, it may be.

  In the work alignment apparatus, the fluid cylinder may be configured such that when the total gap in the first row in the tray is equal to or larger than the diameter of the work, the first work moving through the pusher is placed in the first row. After contacting the second workpiece positioned, the first workpiece is moved into the first row by pressing the second workpiece along the first row, thereby causing the first row to enter the first row. The work and the second work may be aligned.

  In the work alignment apparatus, the fluid cylinder may contact the work arranged in the first row with the third work through the pusher when the sum of the gaps in the first row is less than the diameter of the work. The third workpiece may be aligned with a second row adjacent to the first row by moving to a position where the first workpiece is moved.

  In the workpiece alignment apparatus, the tray is a rectangular plate-shaped bottom plate having an upper surface having the same height as the conveyance surface, and an edge far from the conveyance surface among the four edge portions of the upper surface of the bottom plate. A back wall extending in the first direction and a side wall positioned in each of the two edges extending in the second direction among the edges of the four sides, and the fluid cylinder includes the pusher The pusher may be stopped when a reaction force from the back wall is received through the workpiece.

  In the workpiece alignment apparatus, the fluid cylinder causes the pusher to reciprocate between the retracted position and the extended position every time a time required for processing one workpiece elapses. You may do it.

  In order to achieve the above object, a machine tool according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a processing unit that processes a workpiece and the workpiece alignment device.

  According to the present invention, the workpiece can be aligned in the tray.

1 is a plan view schematically showing a machine tool according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side view schematically showing a machine tool according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front view schematically showing a machine tool according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a process, (b) is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a workpiece | work alignment process. It is a top view which shows the saucer with which the workpiece | work which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention was arranged. (A)-(f) which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is a schematic diagram which shows the alignment aspect of the workpiece | work in a saucer. It is a side view which shows typically the machine tool which concerns on the modification of this invention.

Hereinafter, a workpiece alignment device and a machine tool according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the machine tool 1 is a lathe that processes a front surface, a side surface, and a back surface of a workpiece W that is a cylindrical workpiece. Hereinafter, the direction along the rotation axis of the workpiece W being processed is referred to as “Z-axis direction”, and the vertical direction perpendicular to the Z-axis direction is referred to as “Y-axis direction”, which is perpendicular to the Y-axis and Z-axis directions. Is called the “X-axis direction”. The horizontal plane is a direction along the Z-axis direction and the X-axis direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the machine tool 1 includes a bed S that is a platform of the entire machine tool 1, a spindle unit 10, a back spindle unit 70, a first tool unit 50, and a second tool unit 20. , Chute 41, in-machine work conveyor 42, work aligning device 60, and control unit 300.

  The spindle unit 10 rotates while gripping the workpiece W. Specifically, the spindle unit 10 includes a spindle 11 and a spindle stock 12 that rotatably supports the spindle 11.

  The main shaft 11 includes a chuck 11a that grips the workpiece W from its outer peripheral surface. The spindle stock 12 incorporates a workpiece rotating motor 12a. The workpiece rotating motor 12 a integrally rotates the spindle 11 and the workpiece W gripped by the spindle 11 under the control of the control unit 300.

  The machine tool 1 includes a first Z-axis slide mechanism (not shown) that moves the spindle unit 10 in the Z-axis direction. The first Z-axis slide mechanism includes a ball screw that extends in the Z-axis direction, a nut that engages with the ball screw, and a motor that rotates the ball screw, both not shown. When the motor is driven under the control of the control unit 300, the spindle unit 10 moves in the Z-axis direction integrally with the nut.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first tool unit 50 includes a tool holding unit 52 and a tool 51 fixed to the tool holding unit 52. The tool 51 is composed of a cutting tool, a drill, or the like, and is held by the tool holding unit 52 so that the cutting edge thereof faces the outer peripheral surface of the workpiece W held by the main shaft 11.
The machine tool 1 includes a tool movement mechanism (not shown) that moves the first tool unit 50 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction under the control of the control unit 300. The tool moving mechanism has the same configuration as the first Z-axis slide mechanism described above.

  The second tool unit 20 includes a tool holding unit 22 and a tool 21 fixed to the tool holding unit 22. The tool 21 is composed of a cutting tool, a drill, or the like, and is held by the tool holding unit 22 so that the cutting edge faces the back surface of the work W gripped by the back spindle 71.

  The rear spindle unit 70 is provided at a position facing the spindle unit 10 in the Z-axis direction. The back spindle unit 70 includes a back spindle 71 and a back spindle head 72 that rotatably supports the back spindle 71.

  The back spindle 71 includes a chuck 71a that grips the workpiece W from its outer peripheral surface. A work spindle motor 72 a is built in the back spindle stock 72. This work rotation motor 72a integrally rotates the back spindle 71 and the work W gripped by the back spindle 71 under the control of the control unit 300.

  The machine tool 1 includes a back spindle movement mechanism (not shown) that moves the back spindle unit 70 in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction under the control of the control unit 300. The back spindle moving mechanism has the same configuration as the first Z-axis slide mechanism described above.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the chute 41 is located on the upper surface of the bed S, and guides the processed workpiece W dropped from the rear main shaft 71 to the in-machine work conveyor 42. The chute 41 includes an inclined surface 41a that decreases in the Y-axis direction as it approaches the in-machine work conveyor 42 in the X-axis direction. The workpiece W is placed on the transport surface 42b of the in-machine work conveyor 42 by moving along the inclined surface 41a of the chute 41 by its own weight.

The in-machine work conveyor 42 carries the work W from the chute 41 to the work aligning device 60. The in-machine work conveyor 42 is formed so as to extend in the Z-axis direction, and one end of the in-machine work conveyor 42 is located immediately below the lowest part of the inclined surface 41a in the chute 41, and the other end of the in-machine work conveyor 42 is the bed S. It is located outside the outer surface Sa.
Specifically, the in-machine work conveyor 42 includes a pair of gears 42L and 42R and an annular belt 42a wound between the pair of gears 42L and 42R. The pair of gears 42L and 42R are arranged along the Z-axis direction and rotate around a rotation axis extending in the X-axis direction. The gear 42L is positioned corresponding to the chute 41, and the gear 42R is positioned outside the outer surface Sa of the bed S. The gear 42R is provided at a position higher than the gear 42L in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the belt 42 a is inclined so as to become higher as the distance from the chute 41 increases. Due to the inclination of the belt 42a, oil attached to the workpiece W placed on the transport surface 42b which is the upper surface of the belt 42a can be dropped.
As shown in FIG. 1, the in-machine work conveyor 42 includes a motor (not shown) that rotates either one of the pair of gears 42L and 42R. By driving this motor, the belt 42a rotates between the pair of gears 42L and 42R. As a result, the workpiece W placed on the conveying surface 42b, which is the upper surface of the belt 42a, is conveyed from the position facing the chute 41 toward the external workpiece conveyor 61 of the workpiece alignment device 60.
The work gathering part 42c is located at the end part near the out-of-machine work conveyor 61 on the transport surface 42b. The workpiece approach portion 42c has an inclined surface 42d that guides the workpiece W on the transport surface 42b to the connecting bridge portion 8.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the work aligning device 60 includes a work push device 80, an out-of-machine work conveyor 61, a receiving tray 68, a connecting bridge portion 8, and a table base 9.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the table base 9 is provided at a position facing the outer surface Sa of the bed S. The table base 9 includes a base 9a, a support column 9b, and a bracket 9c. The bracket 9c is fixed to the outer surface Sa of the bed S with bolts 9d, and supports the base 9a from its lower surface. The column 9b extends downward from the lower surface of the table 9a toward the installation surface Gd, and supports the table 9a from the lower surface. The base 9a has a rectangular plate shape along the XZ plane, that is, the horizontal plane, and an external work conveyor 61 and a tray 68 are installed on the top surface of the base 9a.

As shown in FIG. 1, the out-of-machine work conveyor 61 carries the work W that has passed through the connecting bridge portion 8 from the in-machine work conveyor 42 to a position where the work push device 80 pushes the work W to the tray 68. The out-of-machine work conveyor 61 is shorter than the in-machine work conveyor 42, is formed to extend in the Z-axis direction, and is located on the same straight line as the in-machine work conveyor 42.
Similar to the in-machine work conveyor 42, the out-of-machine work conveyor 61 includes a pair of gears 61L and 61R, an annular belt 61a wound between the pair of gears 61L and 61R, and a stopper 61s.
The pair of gears 61L and 61R are arranged along the Z-axis direction and rotate around a rotation axis extending in the X-axis direction. The pair of gears 61L and 61R are located at the same height. For this reason, the conveyance surface 61b which is the upper surface of the belt 61a is along the XZ plane, that is, the horizontal plane.
The external work conveyor 61 includes a motor (not shown) that rotates either one of the pair of gears 61L and 61R. By driving this motor, the belt 61a rotates between the pair of gears 61L and 61R. As a result, the workpiece W placed on the conveyance surface 61 b is conveyed to a position where it is pushed by the workpiece push device 80.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the stopper 61 s has a function of stopping the workpiece W in a region facing the pusher 81 of the workpiece push device 80 on the transport surface 61 b. The stopper 61s has a plate shape extending in the X-axis direction standing on the transport surface 61b. The stopper 61s has a gap that is smaller than the diameter of the workpiece W with respect to the pusher 81 in the Z-axis direction. Thereby, the work W stopped by the stopper 61s is pushed by the pusher 81.

As shown in FIG. 1, the connecting bridge portion 8 connects the conveyance surface 42 b of the in-machine work conveyor 42 and the conveyance surface 61 b of the out-of-machine work conveyor 61, and connects the conveyance surface 42 b of the in-machine work conveyor 42 to the outside work conveyor 61. It is provided to deliver the workpiece W to the transport surface 61b. The connecting bridge portion 8 is provided at a position far from the back spindle unit 70 on the transport surfaces 42b and 61b.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the connecting bridge portion 8 includes an inclined bottom plate 8a and two side walls 8b.
The inclined bottom plate 8a is inclined so as to become lower from the in-machine work conveyor 42 toward the out-of-machine work conveyor 61. The inclined bottom plate 8a guides the workpiece W dropped from the conveyance surface 42b of the in-machine work conveyor 42 to the conveyance surface 61b of the out-of-machine work conveyor 61 by its own weight.
The two side walls 8b are provided along both edges extending in the Z-axis direction of the inclined bottom plate 8a. The two side walls 8b suppress the work W located on the upper surface of the inclined bottom plate 8a from falling outside. The two side walls 8b are separated from each other by a distance that is larger than the diameter of the workpiece W and smaller than twice the diameter of the workpiece W in the X-axis direction. Thereby, the workpiece | work W can be passed through the connection bridge part 8 one by one, and it is suppressed that the several workpiece | work W is mounted in the conveyance surface 61b of the external workpiece conveyor 61 in the state which overlapped with the X-axis direction. The

As shown in FIG. 2, the tray 68 is a metal container in which a plurality of processed workpieces W are accommodated in an aligned state. The tray 68 is installed on the upper surface of the base 9a via a support member 69. The tray 68 is installed on the support member 69 so as to be removable from the support member 69. The tray 68 is provided at a position facing the work push device 80 in the X-axis direction with the external work conveyor 61 interposed therebetween.
The saucer 68 includes a bottom plate 68a, a back wall 68b, and two side walls 68s.
The bottom plate 68a is formed in a rectangular plate shape that extends along the XZ plane. The upper surface 68a1 of the bottom plate 68a is continuous with the transport surface 61b at the same height as the transport surface 61b.
As shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2, the back wall 68b is formed along the edge far from the conveyance surface 61b among the edge parts of 4 sides in the upper surface 68a1 of the baseplate 68a. The rear wall 68b is higher than the thickness of the workpiece W in the Y-axis direction, and stands upright on the upper surface 68a1 of the bottom plate 68a, and has a long rectangular shape in the Z-axis direction.
The two side walls 68s are formed along two edges extending in the X-axis direction among the edges of the four sides of the upper surface 68a1 of the bottom plate 68a. The two side walls 68s are higher than the thickness of the workpiece W, and are erected on the upper surface 68a1 of the bottom plate 68a, and have a long rectangular shape in the X-axis direction. The two side walls 68s are separated from each other in the Z-axis direction with respect to the length of the pressing portion 81b of the pusher 81.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the work push device 80 pushes the work W placed on the transport surface 61 b of the external work conveyor 61 toward the receiving pan 68. Specifically, the work push device 80 includes a pusher 81, an air cylinder 82, a guide shaft 83, a bracket 84, a connecting portion 87, and a bush 88.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bracket 84 is an L-shaped metal fitting, and is fixed to the outer surface Sa of the bed S by a bolt 84 c and has an installation surface 84 a extending in the XZ plane. On the installation surface 84a of the bracket 84, two L-shaped fittings 82c and 82d are arranged along the X-axis direction. The two metal fittings 82c and 82d support both ends of the air cylinder 82, respectively.

  The air cylinder 82 has a cylindrical shape extending in the X-axis direction, and functions as a drive source that moves the pusher 81 in the X-axis direction under the control of the control unit 300. The air cylinder 82 includes a cylindrical portion 82a and a cylindrical rod 82b that is inserted into the cylindrical portion 82a from an end surface of the cylindrical portion 82a on the pusher 81 side. A pusher 81 is connected to the tip of the rod 82b through a connecting portion 87. The cylindrical portion 82a has two internal spaces (not shown) and linearly moves the rod 82b due to a pressure difference between the two spaces. The air cylinder 82 displaces the rod 82b to position the pusher 81 at either the extended position P1 or the retracted position P2 shown in FIG. 1 along the X-axis direction. The retreat position P2 is a position far from the tray 68 and is a position on the opposite side of the tray 68 with the external work conveyor 61 interposed therebetween. The extension position P1 is a position in the tray 68. The air cylinder 82 moves the pusher 81 together with the workpiece W toward the inner wall 68b of the tray 68, and moves the workpiece W located in the tray 68 as shown in FIGS. 6 (a), (c) to (f). The pusher 81 is stopped when receiving a reaction force from the back wall 68b.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bush 88 is provided on the metal fitting 82c close to the pusher 81 of the two metal fittings 82c and 82d. The bush 88 functions as a sliding bearing through which the guide shaft 83 is inserted and supports the guide shaft 83 so as to be linearly movable. The guide shaft 83 has a cylindrical shape, is parallel to the cylindrical portion 82a of the air cylinder 82, and is aligned in the Z-axis direction with respect to the cylindrical portion 82a. The movement of the pusher 81 is stabilized by the bush 88 and the guide shaft 83.

The connecting portion 87 connects the distal end portion of the bush 88, the distal end portion of the rod 82b, and the pusher 81. Specifically, the connecting portion 87 includes a connecting plate portion 87a and reinforcing plates 87b and 87c that are stacked on the connecting plate portion 87a so as to sandwich the connecting plate portion 87a.
The connecting plate portion 87a has a rectangular plate shape extending in the YZ plane. The reinforcing plates 87b and 87c are provided to reinforce the connecting plate portion 87a that is easily subjected to a large load when the pusher 81 is moved.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pusher 81 pushes the work W placed on the transport surface 61 b of the external work conveyor 61 into the receiving pan 68 by driving the air cylinder 82.
The pusher 81 includes a main body plate portion 81a, a pressing portion 81b, and a pair of side wall portions 81c.
The main body plate portion 81a has a rectangular plate shape along the XZ plane, and is fixed to the lower surface of the connecting plate portion 87a. The pressing portion 81b is located on the distal end side of the main body plate portion 81a and has a rectangular bar shape longer than the main body plate portion 81a in the Z-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 5, both ends of the pressing portion 81 b in the Z-axis direction have a gap D <b> 1 having a distance smaller than the diameter of the workpiece W with respect to the side wall 68 s of the opposing tray 68. Thereby, since the workpiece | work W does not pass the clearance gap D1, the workpiece | work W can be reliably pushed in in the receiving pan 68 by the press part 81b.
As shown in FIG. 2, the two side wall portions 81 c each have a plate shape along two edge portions extending in the X-axis direction on the upper surface of the main body plate portion 81 a. The pair of side wall portions 81c are positioned so as to sandwich the connecting plate portion 87a from the Z-axis direction, and are connected to the connecting plate portion 87a.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 300 controls each part of the machine tool 1, for example, the main shaft 11, the back main shaft 71, the in-machine work conveyor 42, the external work conveyor 61, and the air cylinder 82 of the work push device 80.
The control unit 300 performs a ROM (Read Only Memory) 301 that stores a program and the like related to machining processing and workpiece alignment processing described later, and performs machining processing and workpiece alignment processing described later by executing a program stored in the ROM 301. A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 302, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 303 used as a work area of the CPU 302, and a timer 304 for measuring time are provided. The control unit 300 processes the workpiece W by numerical control (NC (Numerical Control)).

  Next, the processing procedure of the processing process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This processing is repeatedly executed by the control unit 300 in accordance with an operation by the operator.

  First, the control unit 300 rotates the workpiece W while holding the workpiece W via the spindle 11 (step S101). Next, the control part 300 cuts the outer peripheral surface etc. of the workpiece | work W by making the workpiece | work W contact the tool 51 of the 1st tool unit 50 in the state which rotated the workpiece | work W with the main axis | shaft 11 (step). S102).

And the control part 300 delivers the workpiece | work W from the main axis | shaft 11 to the back surface main axis | shaft 71 (step S103). Then, the control unit 300 brings the workpiece W into contact with the tool 21 of the second tool unit 20 while holding the workpiece W while rotating the workpiece W via the back spindle 71. The back surface is processed (step S104). Finally, the control unit 300 moves the back spindle 71 so that the processed workpiece W gripped by the back spindle 71 is positioned above the chute 41, and then drops the workpiece W onto the chute 41 (step) S105). Specifically, the processed workpiece W is dropped onto the chute 41 by eliminating the gripping state of the workpiece W by the chuck 71 a of the back spindle 71.
This completes the processing process. By repeating this processing, the workpiece W can be processed continuously.

  Next, the processing procedure of the work alignment process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This work alignment process is started simultaneously with the start of the above-described machining process. At the start of the workpiece alignment process, the pusher 81 is in the retracted position P2.

First, the control unit 300 drives the in-machine work conveyor 42 and the out-of-machine work conveyor 61 (step S201). And the control part 300 starts measurement of time via the timer 304 (step S202). Next, the control unit 300 waits until the time measured by the timer 304 reaches a preset time Tth (step S203; NO).
For example, the set time Tth is set to a cycle time required to complete machining of one workpiece W by the above-described machining process. The cycle time is, for example, 30 seconds.
In the work alignment process, the set time Tth in the first step S203 may be added to the cycle time. This addition time is set to the time required from when the workpiece W is dropped onto the chute 41 until it reaches the position facing the pusher 81 on the transport surface 61b of the external work conveyor 61. As described above, the set time Tth in the second and subsequent steps S203 is set to the cycle time.

  When it is determined that the time measured by the timer 304 has reached the set time Tth (step S203; YES), the control unit 300 extends the pusher 81 of the work push device 80 to the retracted position P2 via the air cylinder 82. A reciprocating operation is performed between the positions P1 (step S204). Specifically, in step S204, the controller 300 moves the pusher 81 from the retracted position P2 to the extended position P1, and then returns the pusher 81 from the extended position P1 to the retracted position P2.

  Next, the control unit 300 resets the time measured by the timer 304 to zero (step S205), and determines whether or not the above-described processing is continued (step S206). When it is determined that the above-described machining process is continued (step S206; YES), the control unit 300 returns to the above-described process of step S202. Therefore, during the period in which the above-described processing is continued, the process of steps S202 to S206 is repeated, so that the pusher 81 reciprocates every time the set time Tth elapses. As a result, the workpiece W is aligned in the tray 68 as will be described later.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the above-described processing is not continued, that is, the processing of the workpiece W has been completed (step S206; NO), the control unit 300 drives the in-machine work conveyor 42 and the out-of-machine work conveyor 61. Stop (step S207). This completes the work alignment process.

Next, the conveyance and alignment mode of the workpiece W when the workpiece alignment process described above is being executed will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the processed workpiece W dropped onto the chute 41 from the back main shaft 71 is placed on the transport surface 42 b of the in-machine work conveyor 42 along the inclined surface 41 a of the chute 41. The work W placed on the transport surface 42b is transported toward the external work conveyor 61 by the internal work conveyor 42. And when the workpiece | work W reaches | attains the connection bridge part 8, it will slide on the conveyance surface 61b of the external work conveyor 61 by sliding along the inclination bottom board 8a of the connection bridge part 8 with dead weight.
In addition, when the workpiece | work W shown in FIG. 1 is located in the back spindle unit 70 side in the conveyance surface 42b of the in-machine workpiece conveyor 42, the workpiece | work W is connected to the connection bridge part 8 along the inclined surface 42d of the workpiece approach part 42c. Led.

  Then, when the work W is placed on the transport surface 61 b of the external work conveyor 61, the work W is carried toward the stopper 61 s by the external work conveyor 61. When the work W reaches the position facing the pressing portion 81b of the pusher 81 on the transport surface 61b, the pusher 81 is reciprocated between the retracted position P2 and the extended position P1. Thereby, the workpiece W is pushed into the tray 68 by the pusher 81. At this time, the pusher 81 pushes the outer peripheral surface of the work W, and the work W is moved by the end surface of the work W sliding on the upper surface 68a1 of the bottom plate 68a of the tray 68. The reciprocating operation of the pusher 81 is performed every elapse of the cycle time required for machining one workpiece W.

Here, with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6F, the alignment mode of the workpieces W in the tray 68 will be described.
Briefly, as shown in FIG. 6 (d), 11 workpieces W are arranged in the first row B1 in the tray 68, and then, as shown in FIG. 6 (f), the first workpieces in the tray 68 are arranged. Eleven workpieces W are arranged in two rows B2. Thereafter, similarly, 11 workpieces W are arranged in each column after the third column. The first row B1 and the second row B2 each extend along the Z-axis direction, and the first row B1 is located closer to the back wall 68b than the second row B2.

  Specifically, in a state where the workpiece W does not exist in the tray 68, the first workpiece W is pushed by the pusher 81 to the first row B1 in contact with the back wall 68b of the tray 68 as shown in FIG. It is. Thus, every time the work W is pushed into the tray 68 by the pusher 81, the work W is arranged in the first row B1. The extension position P1 of the pusher 81 when the workpieces W are arranged in the first row B1 is located away from the back wall 68b by the distance of the diameter of the workpiece W.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6B, it is assumed that the first workpiece Wa contacts the second workpiece Wb located in the first row B1 while the first workpiece Wa is moving through the pusher 81. . In this case, if there is a gap Sm that is equal to or larger than the diameter of the workpiece W in the first row B1, the first workpiece Wa is replaced with the second workpiece Wb in the first row B1, as shown in FIG. The first workpiece Wa enters the first row B1 while being pressed along the first row B1. Thereafter, similarly, as shown in FIG. 6D, the workpieces W are arranged in the first row B1 until the gap Sm of the first row B1 becomes less than the diameter of the workpiece W. In this example, 11 workpieces Wb are arranged in the first column B1.
When a new third work Wc is pushed into the receiving tray 68 by the pusher 81 from this state, the third work Wc contacts the work W located in the first row B1, as shown in FIG. 6 (e). And located in the second column B2. In this case, the pusher 81 receives a reaction force from the back wall 68b via the third work Wc and the work W located in the first row B1, and stops at that position. In other words, since the gap Sm in the first row B1 is less than the diameter of the workpiece W, the third workpiece Wc does not press the workpiece W in the first row B1 along the first row B1. Similarly to the first column B1, as shown in FIG. 6F, eleven workpieces W are also arranged in the second column B2. The eleven workpieces W in the second row B2 are positioned so as to be shifted from the eleven workpieces W in the first row B1 by a distance corresponding to the radius of the workpiece W in the row direction (Z direction). In other words, one work W in the second row B2 is located in the middle of two adjacent works W in the first row B1. Thereby, the workpiece | work W can be aligned in the saucer 68 efficiently in space. The extension position P1 of the pusher 81 when the workpieces W are arranged in the second row B2 is located away from the back wall 68b by a distance of about twice the diameter of the workpiece W.
Similarly, 11 workpieces W are arranged in each column after the third column. Since 11 workpieces W are arranged in each row, the operator can easily grasp the number of workpieces W arranged in the tray 68.

  When the processing is finished and the last processed workpiece W is arranged in the tray 68, the tray 68 is removed from the support member 69 shown in FIG. Then, the operator puts the tray 68 into a cleaning device (not shown). The workpiece W aligned in the tray 68 is cleaned by this cleaning device.

(effect)
As mentioned above, according to one Embodiment described, there exist the following effects.

(1) The workpiece aligning device 60 includes an external work conveyor 61 having a transport surface 61b for carrying processed workpieces W, a tray 68 for aligning a plurality of workpieces W, and a workpiece W positioned on the transport surface 61b. And a work push device 80 that aligns a plurality of works W in the tray 68 by being pushed toward the inside 68.
According to this configuration, a plurality of workpieces W can be aligned in the tray 68. For this reason, for the next process, for example, the work cleaning process, the labor for aligning the work W in the tray 68 is eliminated, and the number of man-hours can be saved.
In addition, the workpiece aligning device 60 can be configured more simply than a configuration in which workpieces are aligned using, for example, a robot arm.

(2) The off-machine work conveyor 61 carries the workpiece W placed on the transport surface 61b along the Z-axis direction corresponding to the first direction along the horizontal plane. The tray 68 and the work push device 80 are disposed on the opposite sides of the external work conveyor 61 along the X-axis direction corresponding to the second direction orthogonal to the Z-axis direction along the horizontal plane. The work push device 80 includes a pusher 81 positioned at the same height as the outer peripheral surface of the work W placed on the transport surface 61b, and a fluid cylinder that reciprocates the pusher 81 along the X-axis direction so as to cross the transport surface 61b. An air cylinder 82 as an example. When the pusher 81 reciprocates, the air cylinder 82 moves the work W from the transport surface 61b by moving the pusher 81 from the retracted position P2 away from the tray 68 to the extended position P1 in the tray 68 across the transport surface 61b. After being moved into the tray 68, the pusher 81 is returned to the retracted position P2.
According to this configuration, the pusher 81 reciprocates so as to cross the transport surface 61b. For this reason, when the pusher 81 is in the retracted position P <b> 2, the transport of the work W on the transport surface 61 b is not hindered by the pusher 81. Further, the pusher 81 moves from the retracted position P2 to the extended position P1, so that the workpiece W positioned on the transport surface 61b can be reliably moved into the tray 68.
Furthermore, since the tray 68 and the work push device 80 are disposed so as to sandwich the external work conveyor 61, the work aligning device 60 can be configured in a compact manner.

(3) When the sum of the gaps Sm in the first row B1 in the tray 68 is equal to or larger than the diameter of the workpiece W, the air cylinder 82 moves the first workpiece Wa while moving the first workpiece Wa through the pusher 81. After contacting Wa with the second workpiece Wb positioned in the first row B1, the first workpiece Wa enters the first row B1 while pressing the second workpiece Wb along the first row B1. The first workpiece Wa and the second workpiece Wb are aligned in one row B1.
According to this configuration, the work W can be easily aligned regardless of the position of the pusher 81 that pushes the work W.

(4) When the sum of the gaps Sm in the first row B1 is less than the diameter of the work W, the air cylinder 82 moves the third work Wc through the pusher 81 to a position where it comes into contact with the work arranged in the first row B1. Thus, the third workpiece Wc is aligned with the second column B2 adjacent to the first column B1.
According to this configuration, when the alignment of the workpieces W in the first row B1 is completed without controlling the position of the pusher 81 that pushes the workpieces W, the alignment of the workpieces W in the second column B2 is started.

(5) The tray 68 is positioned at an edge far from the transport surface 61b among the four side edges of the rectangular plate-shaped bottom plate 68a having the upper surface 68a1 having the same height as the transport surface 61b and the upper surface 68a1 of the bottom plate 68a. And a rear wall 68b extending in the Z-axis direction and side walls 68s positioned at two edges extending in the X-axis direction among the four edges of the upper surface 68a1 of the bottom plate 68a. The air cylinder 82 stops the pusher 81 when the pusher 81 receives a reaction force from the back wall 68b via the workpiece W.
According to this configuration, the pusher 81 is stopped by the reaction force from the back wall 68b through the work W, so that it is not necessary to control the stop position of the pusher 81 by the control unit 300, and the work W is easily aligned. be able to.

(6) The air cylinder 82 reciprocates the pusher 81 between the retracted position P2 and the extended position P1 with the retracted position P2 as a starting point every time Tth required for processing one workpiece W elapses.
According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the pusher 81 from reciprocating. Therefore, the power consumption of the workpiece alignment device 60 can be reduced. Further, the output of the air cylinder 82 can be reduced by moving the workpieces W into the tray 68 one by one. Therefore, a small air cylinder 82 can be adopted, and the work aligning device 60 can be configured compactly.

(7) The machine tool 1 includes a spindle unit 10, a second tool unit 20, a first tool unit 50, a back spindle unit 70, and a workpiece alignment device 60, which correspond to a processing unit that processes the workpiece W. .
According to this configuration, the workpiece W processed by the spindle unit 10 and the second tool unit 20 can be aligned by the workpiece alignment device 60.

(Modification)
In addition, the said embodiment can be implemented with the following forms which changed this suitably.

  In the embodiment described above, the control unit 300 reciprocates the pusher 81 every time the set time Tth elapses in the work alignment process. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the work push device 80 may include a sensor that detects that the work W has reached a position facing the pusher 81. The control unit 300 may cause the pusher 81 to reciprocate when it is detected by the sensor that the workpiece W has reached the position facing the pusher 81. This sensor may be a magnetic or optical proximity sensor that detects the approach of the workpiece, or may be a weight sensor that measures the weight of the workpiece W placed on the transport surface 61b.

  In the above embodiment, the air cylinder 82 is used to operate the pusher 81. However, as long as the pusher 81 can be operated, not only the air cylinder 82 but also a hydraulic cylinder, a magnetic solenoid, or a motor and a motor. It may be a mechanism that converts the rotational force into a linear motion.

  In the above embodiment, the set time Tth is set to the cycle time required to complete the machining of one workpiece W, but may be set arbitrarily by the operator.

  In the above-described embodiment, the pusher 81 moves the workpieces W into the tray 68 one by one, but the pusher 81 may move a plurality of workpieces W into the tray 68 at the same time. In this case, the set time Tth may be set longer than the cycle time, and the pusher 81 may move the workpiece W stopped by the stopper 61s into the receiving pan 68.

  In the above embodiment, the machine tool 1 includes the in-machine work conveyor 42 and the out-of-machine work conveyor 61, that is, two work conveyors, but may include one work conveyor. In this case, the connecting bridge portion 8 can be omitted.

  In the above embodiment, the machine tool 1 is a lathe, but is not limited to a lathe, and may be a rolling machine or a grinding machine.

  In the above embodiment, the machine tool 1 includes the main spindle unit 10 and the rear main spindle unit 70, but either one of the main spindle unit 10 or the rear main spindle unit 70 may be omitted.

The positional relationship between the tray 68 and the work push device 80 is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be reversed.
Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the saucer 68 and the work push apparatus 80 were arrange | positioned along the X-axis direction, you may arrange | position along the direction which inclines with respect to the X-axis direction in a horizontal surface.
Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although the workpiece alignment apparatus 60 was provided in the position facing the outer surface Sa of the bed S, it may not be limited to this but may be provided in the upper surface of the bed S. In this case, the external work conveyor 61 is omitted, and the tray 68 and the work push device 80 are positioned so as to sandwich the internal work conveyor 42. According to this configuration, the machine tool 1 having the workpiece alignment device 60 can be configured in a compact manner.

  In the above embodiment, the tray 68 and the work push device 80 are arranged so as to sandwich the external work conveyor 61. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, as shown in FIG. Both 80 may be provided on one side of the external work conveyor 61. In this case, for example, the pusher 81 extends from the front end of the main body plate portion 81a toward the transport surface 61b from the main body plate portion 81a that is located above the transport surface 61b by a distance larger than the thickness of the workpiece W. And a pressing portion 81b. When the pusher 81 is at the extended position P1, the workpiece W can enter between the main body plate portion 81a of the pusher 81 and the transport surface 61b. Then, in step S204 of FIG. 4B, the pusher 81 causes the pusher 81 to reciprocate between the retracted position P2 and the extended position P1, starting from the extended position P1. When the pusher 81 moves from the extended position P1 to the retracted position P2, the work W is pushed into the tray 68 by being pushed by the pressing portion 81b. In this configuration, the workpiece alignment device 60 can be configured more compactly.

  In addition, this invention is not limited by the above embodiment and drawing. Changes (including deletion of constituent elements) can be added to the embodiments and the drawings as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Machine tool 10 Spindle unit 11 Spindle 20 2nd tool unit 41 Chute 42 In-machine work conveyor 50 1st tool unit 60 Work alignment device 61 Out-of-machine work conveyor 61s Stopper 68 Receptacle 68a Bottom plate 68b Back wall 68a1 Upper surface 68s Side wall 70 Back surface Main shaft unit 71 Rear main shaft 80 Work push device 81 Pusher 81a Main body plate portion 81b Pressing portion 81c Side wall portion 82 Air cylinder (fluid cylinder)
82a Tube portion 82b Rod 87 Connecting portion 300 Control portion B1 First row B2 Second row P1 Extension position P2 Retraction position S Bed W Work Wa First work Wb Second work Wc Third work Sm Gap

Claims (7)

A work conveyor having a conveying surface for carrying processed workpieces;
A tray on which a plurality of the workpieces are aligned;
A work push device that aligns a plurality of the workpieces in the tray by pushing the workpieces positioned on the transport surface into the tray.
A workpiece alignment apparatus characterized by the above. The work conveyor carries the work placed on the carrying surface in a first direction along a horizontal plane,
The tray and the work push device are arranged on opposite sides of the work conveyor along the second direction perpendicular to the first direction while being along the horizontal plane,
The work push device is
A pusher located at the same height as the outer peripheral surface of the workpiece placed on the carrying surface;
A fluid cylinder for reciprocating the pusher along the second direction,
When the fluid cylinder reciprocates the pusher, the fluid cylinder moves the pusher from the retracted position away from the tray to the extended position in the tray across the transport surface to move the work from the transport surface to the tray. After moving in, the pusher is returned to the retracted position,
The work alignment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein In the fluid cylinder, when the sum of the gaps in the first row in the tray is equal to or larger than the diameter of the workpiece, the first workpiece moving through the pusher contacts the second workpiece located in the first row. After that, the first work and the second work are moved to the first row by pressing the second work along the first row and causing the first work to enter the first row. Align,
The workpiece alignment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein When the total of the gaps in the first row is less than the diameter of the workpiece, the fluid cylinder moves a third workpiece through the pusher to a position in contact with the workpiece arranged in the first row, Aligning the third workpiece in a second row adjacent to the first row;
The workpiece alignment apparatus according to claim 3, wherein The saucer is
A rectangular plate-like bottom plate having an upper surface having the same height as the carrying surface;
Of the four side edges of the upper surface of the bottom plate, located on the edge far from the carrying surface, and a back wall extending in the first direction,
A side wall located at each of two edges extending in the second direction among the edges of the four sides,
The fluid cylinder stops the pusher when the pusher receives a reaction force from the back wall through the workpiece;
The workpiece alignment apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the workpiece alignment apparatus is characterized in that: The fluid cylinder causes the pusher to reciprocate between the retracted position and the extended position, starting from the retracted position, every time a time required for processing one workpiece elapses.
The workpiece alignment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the workpiece alignment apparatus is a workpiece alignment apparatus. A machining section for machining the workpiece;
A workpiece alignment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A machine tool characterized by that.

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