JP2020138324A - Machine work system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a machine work system with high practicality.SOLUTION: A machine work system comprises: a base 10; plural work machine modules 12 mounted on the base; and a work-piece transport device 350 which transports a work-piece over the plural work machine modules. In the machine work system, one of the plural work machine modules is configured so that both of cutting work by a byte and boring work by a drill can be performed, or one of the plural work machine modules is configured so that cutting work by the byte can be performed and another is configured so that the boring work by the drill can be performed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to a machine tool system in which a plurality of machine tools including a machine tool are arranged.

Described in the following patent documents as a machine tool system in which machine tools including machine tools such as lathes are arranged so as to form one line and a plurality of machine tools are sequentially configured to perform work on one work. A system like that has been considered. In the system, a plurality of machine tools on which one machine body is mounted on one base are arranged, and each machine body can be pulled out from each base. Therefore, the system is highly convenient for maintenance, replacement, etc. of the machine body.

Japanese Patent No. 4789103

The problem to be solved by the invention

By improving the machine tool system in which a plurality of machine tools including the above-mentioned machine tools are arranged, it is possible to enhance the practicality of the system. The present invention has been made from such a viewpoint, and an object of the present invention is to provide a highly practical machine tool system.

In order to solve the above problems, the machine tool system of the present invention
A machine tool system including a base, a plurality of work machine modules mounted on the base, and a work transfer device for transporting a work across the plurality of work machine modules.
The first machine tool system is
The plurality of work machine modules
It is equipped with a spindle for rotating the workpiece and a tool holding head that selectively holds the cutting tool and the drill, and is configured to process the workpiece by a selected one of the cutting tool and the drill. It is characterized by including a machine tool module.
The second machine tool system is
The plurality of work machine modules
A lathe module having a spindle for rotating a work and a tool holding head for holding a cutting tool, and cutting a work rotated by the spindle with a cutting tool held by the tool holding head.
It is provided with a spindle for rotating the work, a tool holding head for holding the drill, and a tool rotating device for rotating the drill held by the tool holding head around the axis of the tool, and the spindle can be used to rotate the drill to an arbitrary rotation position. It is characterized by including a drilling machine module for drilling a positioned workpiece with a drill held by the tool holding head.

The machine tool system of the present invention can perform cutting with a cutting tool and drilling with a drill, and is highly practical.

Aspects of the invention

Hereinafter, some aspects of the invention for which a patent claim is recognized in the present application (hereinafter, may be referred to as a “claimable invention”) will be illustrated and described. As in the claims, each aspect is divided into sections, each section is numbered, and the numbers of other sections are cited as necessary. This is only for facilitating the understanding of claimable inventions, and does not mean that the combinations of the components constituting those inventions are limited to those described in the following sections. That is, the claimable invention should be interpreted in consideration of the description accompanying each of the following sections, the description of the embodiment, etc., and as long as the interpretation is followed, other components are added to the aspects of each section. A mode described above, or a mode in which some components are deleted from the mode of each item, can be one aspect of the claimable invention.

In addition, some aspects of these claimable inventions are inventions relating to the scope of claims.

≪Basic mode≫
(1) A base and a plurality of machine tool modules mounted on the base and arranged in an arrangement direction are provided, and the plurality of machine tool modules are one or more machine tool modules in which a machine tool is modularized. A machine tool system in which each of the plurality of machine tool modules can be pulled out from the base along a trajectory extending in an intersecting direction intersecting the arrangement direction.

According to the system of this embodiment, since a plurality of modules are arranged so as to be retractable, maintenance of these modules can be easily performed. Specifically, by pulling out the module to be maintained, the module adjacent to the module can be maintained without getting in the way. Further, according to the system of this embodiment, since a plurality of modules are arranged on one base, it is possible to reduce the number of bases provided in the system.

The "working machine module" in the system of this embodiment is a module of various working machines, and the machine tool module is one of them. The "working machine" includes, for example, a machine tool and a machine that performs various operations associated with machining by the machine tool. The work machine includes, for example, an inspection machine that measures the result of machining, a pretreatment machine that performs pretreatment prior to machining, and the like, and further supplies a work (workpiece) to a module. It also includes a wide range of feeders, unloaders or storage machines that receive the completed work from the module and carry it out or stock it. By the way, "machine tools" include lathes, drilling machines, milling machines, machining centers, grinding machines, polishing machines and the like.

According to the system of this embodiment, since a plurality of modules are arranged on one base, it is possible to reduce the number of bases included in the system. The base may be a single body that cannot be divided or separated, as will be described later, or may be a unit in which several base units are connected or fastened.

It is desirable that the "arrangement direction" and the "intersection direction" of the plurality of modules are both parallel to the upper surface of the base, specifically, the horizontal direction. Further, considering that the length of the entire system in the arrangement direction (hereinafter, may be referred to as "system length") can be shortened, that is, the line length can be shortened when a plurality of modules are arranged in a line shape. It is desirable that the arrangement direction and the intersection direction are orthogonal to each other. In the following description, the direction in which the module is pulled out may be referred to as the "drawing direction". By the way, the pull-out direction is parallel to the crossing direction.

(2) The machine tool system according to item (1), wherein the plurality of working machine modules are arranged close to each other in the arrangement direction on the base.

According to this aspect, it is possible to shorten the length of the array of the plurality of modules, that is, the length of the line when the plurality of modules are arranged in a line. In other words, the length of the system in the array direction can be shortened. Therefore, according to this aspect, it is possible to construct a machine tool system having a relatively short length. The term "proximity" as used in this section means that, for example, the distance between adjacent modules does not exceed 10 cm. From the viewpoint of shortening the length of the system in the array direction as much as possible, it is desirable that the distance between the two modules is 5 cm or less, and further, the distance between the two modules should be substantially nonexistent. More desirable. According to this aspect, the above-mentioned merit of "easy maintenance of the module" can be fully enjoyed.

From the viewpoint of shortening the length of the system in the arrangement direction, it is desirable to make the width of the module (dimension in the arrangement direction) as small as possible. Specifically, it is desirable to arrange the modules so that the width of the modules is 1/3 or less of the length of the modules (dimensions in the crossing direction), and further 1/5 or less.

(3) In the case where one of the two directions opposite to each other in the crossing direction is defined as the front and the other as the rear.
The machine tool system according to item (1) or (2), wherein each of the plurality of work machine modules has a work space on the front side where work on the work is performed.

In the system of this embodiment, the work spaces of the modules are lined up on the front side. That is, the work spaces of the plurality of modules are aligned on the front side. Therefore, the system of this embodiment has an advantage that the work (meaning the work piece and the work target) can be easily transferred between the modules, and the operator can confirm the work by each module. It has various advantages such as an advantage in work management such that the operation is performed on the front side. In the following explanation, in order to make the explanation easier to understand, the "intersection direction" may be referred to as the "front-back direction" unless there are special circumstances, and in relation to this, the "arrangement direction" is referred to as "left and right". It may be called "direction".

(4) The machine work according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein each of the plurality of working machine modules can be pulled out in either of the two directions opposite to each other in the crossing direction. system.

In the system of this embodiment, it can be pulled out either forward or backward. Therefore, for example, since the pull-out direction can be selected according to the location to be maintained, maintenance can be performed more easily.

≪Base variation≫
(11) The machine tool system according to any one of items (1) to (4), wherein the base is a single object.

From the viewpoint that the number of components constituting the system is small and the system can be easily installed, it is desirable that the base is a single object as in this embodiment. The term "single object" means an integrated object that cannot be substantially separated or divided.

(12) Any one of items (1) to (4), wherein the base includes a plurality of base units on which one or more of the plurality of work machine modules are mounted. The machine tool system described in one.

This aspect is advantageous when the base is considerably large. This aspect can be thought of as an aspect in which the base is composed of several modules. More specifically, this aspect can be considered as an aspect including a set including one base unit and one or more working machine modules. That is, this aspect can be considered as an aspect in which one base unit and one or more working machine modules form one system module, and a plurality of the system modules are arranged to form the system. From the viewpoint of relatively reducing the number of base units, it is desirable that two or more modules are mounted on one base unit. Incidentally, it is desirable that the base unit is a single unit, and a plurality of base units may be connected to each other, fastened, or the like to form a base.

(13) The machine tool system according to item (12), wherein at least one of the plurality of base units is configured such that two or more of the plurality of working machine modules are mounted.

(14) The machine tool system according to item (13), wherein each of the plurality of base units is configured such that two or more of the plurality of work machine modules are mounted.

The aspects of the above two terms are advantageous aspects in terms of reducing the number of base units. In particular, in the latter aspect, the number of base units can be significantly reduced.

A system module in which two or more work machine modules are mounted on one base unit can be considered as a machine tool system of the basic mode described above, and the latter mode is a plurality of machines. It can be thought of as one machine tool system composed of a machine tool system.

(15) The machine tool system according to any one of (12) to (14), wherein the plurality of base units have generally the same structure.

This aspect can be considered as a standardized aspect of the base unit. For example, making the shapes, dimensions, etc. of a plurality of base units the same is also included in this embodiment. According to this aspect, for example, a change in the number of work equipment modules arranged can be easily dealt with by changing the number of base units, and a highly flexible system is realized.

≪Variations of machine tool modules≫
(21) The above-mentioned one or more machine tool modules
(a) A spindle for rotating a work by its own rotation in a posture in which its own axis extends in the crossing direction, (b) a tool holding head for holding a tool, and (c) above the spindle. (1) to (1) to (1) or (1), which includes a head moving device for moving the tool holding head in the crossing direction and the vertical direction, and one or more horizontal spindle type modules for machining the work with the tool. The machining system according to any one of items 15).

The "work" referred to in this section can be called a so-called workpiece or work object, and when it comes to a machine tool module, it means an object to be machined by the module. The "tool" includes, for example, a tool, a drill, a mill, a grinding wheel, an abrasive, and the like, although it differs depending on the type of machine tool module. The "spindle" rotates the work and can be called a so-called spindle. In a machine tool having a spindle as described above, generally, a work holder such as a chuck is provided at one end of the spindle, and processing is performed by a tool while the work holder is held by the work holder.

Since the above-mentioned machining module is arranged in a posture in which the spindle extends in the front-rear direction, the module is called a "horizontal spindle type module" for convenience. The horizontal spindle type module can reduce the dimensions in the above-mentioned arrangement direction, that is, the left-right direction (hereinafter, may be referred to as "width" or "module width"). The fact that the head moving device for moving the tool holding head is located above the spindle also contributes to reducing the width of the module. The head moving device is directly above the spindle axis (hereinafter, may be referred to as "spindle axis") for reasons such as making the module width as small as possible and improving the balance in the module arrangement direction. It is desirable that it is arranged in.

(22) The horizontal spindle type processing machine module of one or more is
The machine tool system according to item (21), comprising a lathe module that cuts the work with a bite as a tool while rotating the work with the spindle.

This aspect relates to a system in which a lathe is included as a machine tool in the system. Since the lathe module in this embodiment is the horizontal spindle type module, the module width is narrow, and the system of this embodiment configured including the lathe module has a relatively short system length.

(23) The one or more horizontal spindle type processing machine modules
The tool holding head has a tool rotating device that rotates the tool around its axis, and fixes the work in a state where the work is positioned at an arbitrary rotation position by the rotation of the spindle, and each of them serves as the tool. The machining system according to paragraph (21) or (22), comprising a drilling / milling machine module that drills and mills the workpiece by at least one of a drill and a mill.

This aspect relates to a system configured to include a machine tool that functions as at least one of a lathe and a drilling machine. The drilling machine / milling machine module in this embodiment can be considered to be, for example, a modularized drilling machine or milling machine having an index table for rotating the work around the spindle axis. Since the drilling machine / milling machine module in this embodiment is the horizontal spindle type module, the module width is narrow, and the system of this embodiment configured including the drilling machine / milling machine module has a relatively short system length.

(24) At least one of the one or more horizontal spindle type modules
The tool holding head holds a plurality of tools, each of which is the tool, with one of them selectively available, and for the work, a selected one of the plurality of tools. The machine tool system according to any one of paragraphs (21) to (23), which is configured to perform machining according to.

The horizontal spindle type module included in the system of this embodiment can be machined by a plurality of tools, and according to the system of this embodiment, it is relatively complicated with a relatively small number of modules for one work. It becomes possible to perform machining. When the horizontal spindle type module is a lathe module, the module can be considered as a modularized so-called turret lathe or comb tooth lathe. Further, when the horizontal spindle type module is a drilling machine / milling machine module, the module can be considered to have a so-called machining center-like function, that is, a function equivalent to having a tool changer.

≪Structure related to module drawer≫
(31) Each of the plurality of working machine modules has a pair of wheels arranged at intervals in the arrangement direction, and has a pair of wheels.
The base is
Each has a plurality of rail pairs composed of a pair of rails laid at intervals in the arrangement direction and extending in the crossing direction.
Each of the plurality of work machine modules has each of the plurality of work machine modules by rolling one of the pair of rails of the plurality of rail pairs. The machining system according to any one of items (1) to (24), which can be pulled out from the base along the track.

The "rail" in this embodiment is a kind of a member for defining the track (hereinafter, may be referred to as a "track defining member"). According to this aspect, the rail can be easily pulled out by a relatively small force by rolling the wheels provided on the module. In consideration of stable drawer of the module, it is desirable that the module is provided with a pair of wheels at each of a plurality of locations at intervals in the crossing direction, that is, in the drawer direction.

In this embodiment, since a plurality of modules can be mounted on the base, a plurality of rail pairs are provided on the base. In the system of this embodiment, for example, in the case of a relatively narrow module, a pair of wheels included in the module is made to roll one of a plurality of rail pairs, while being relatively wide. In the case of a wide module, one of the pair of wheels of the module rolls on one rail constituting one of a plurality of rail pairs, and the other of the pair of wheels is plural. It may be configured to roll on one rail that constitutes another one of the rail pairs.

(32) The machine work according to any one of (1) to (31), wherein a module drive mechanism for driving each of the plurality of work machine modules in the crossing direction is provided. system.

According to this aspect, the module can be easily pulled out in the pull-out direction by using the power of some drive source such as an electric motor without relying on human power. The system of this aspect is suitable for systems in which relatively heavy modules are arranged on a base. The drive source included in the module drive mechanism may be provided on the base or may be provided on the module. Incidentally, although not included in this aspect, an aspect in which the module drive mechanism is provided only for at least one that is a part of the plurality of working machine modules can also be an aspect of the claimable invention.

(33) The module drive mechanism
A rack arranged so as to extend in the intersecting direction on one of the plurality of working machine modules and the base.
28. (32), wherein a pinion that meshes with the rack and a drive source that rotates the pinion, which is arranged on one of the plurality of working machine modules and the other side of the base, are included. Machine work system.

In this aspect, a rack and pinion mechanism is adopted in the module drive mechanism. In addition to being able to transmit force firmly, the rack and pinion mechanism has a linear relationship between the rotation position of the pinion and the movement position of the rack. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the rotation of the pinion By controlling the position, the module can be accurately pulled out to the position where it is pulled out (hereinafter, may be referred to as "pull-out position").

≪Structure related to module fixing≫
(41) Any one of items (1) to (33) provided with a module fixing mechanism for fixing each of the plurality of work machine modules to a fixed position set in the crossing direction. The machine tool system described in one.

The above "fixed position" is the "normal position (which can also be called the standard position)", which is the position where the module should be located when the system operates, and is optional to fix the module when it is pulled out. The set "drawer position" etc. corresponds. The system of this embodiment is convenient because each module is fixed by a module fixing mechanism at a set fixing position. Since the module fixing mechanism is provided for each of the plurality of modules, it may be considered that the system is provided with the plurality of module fixing mechanisms in this embodiment.

(42) The module fixing mechanism
A locked portion disposed on one of the plurality of working machine modules and the base,
A locking portion capable of locking the locked portion, which is arranged on one of the plurality of working machine modules and the other of the base, and the locked portion are locked by the locking portion. The machine according to item (41), which includes a locking portion operating device that operates the locking portion in order to switch between a state in which the locked portion is locked and a state in which the locked portion is not locked depending on the locked portion. Work system.

This aspect is an aspect with restrictions on the specific structure of the module fixing mechanism. According to the system of this embodiment, the module can be easily fixed and the fixedness can be released. When a locked portion is provided on the module and a locking portion and a locking portion operating device are provided on the base, it can be considered that the module is fixed and the fixing is released on the base side. On the contrary, when the locked portion is provided on the base and the locking portion and the locking portion operating device are provided on the module, it can be considered that the module side fixes itself and releases the fixing. ..

(43) The module fixing mechanism is
4. Machining according to item (41) or (42), wherein one of the plurality of working machine modules is configured to be fixed at a plurality of fixed positions, each of which is set as the fixed position in the crossing direction. system.

According to this aspect, for example, the module can be fixed by the module fixing mechanism at both the above-mentioned normal time position and the withdrawal position. By the way, in this embodiment, not only the embodiment in which the module fixing mechanism capable of fixing to a plurality of fixed positions for all of the plurality of modules is provided, but also a plurality of fixings to only a part of the plurality of modules. It also includes a mode in which a module fixing mechanism that can be fixed at a position is provided, and a module fixing mechanism that can be fixed at only one fixed position (for example, only at a normal position) is provided for modules other than a part thereof. Is done.

(44) The module fixing mechanism
A locked portion disposed on one of the plurality of working machine modules and the base,
A locking portion capable of locking the locked portion, which is arranged on one of the plurality of working machine modules and the other of the base, and the locked portion are locked by the locking portion. It is configured to include a locking portion operating device that operates the locking portion in order to switch between a state in which the locked portion is locked and a state in which the locked portion is not locked, and each of the locked portion or the locked portion is described. By providing a plurality of locked portions or a plurality of locking portions that function as locking portions at intervals in the crossing direction, one of the plurality of working machine modules can be placed at the plurality of fixed positions. The machining system according to paragraph (43), which is configured to be fixed to.

This aspect is an aspect in which the specific structure of the module fixing mechanism capable of fixing the module at a plurality of fixed positions is limited. In this embodiment, a plurality of locked portions are provided, and any of the plurality of locked portions is locked by one locking portion to correspond to the locked portion to be locked. A mode in which the module is fixed at a fixed position is included, and a plurality of locking portions are provided, and one of the plurality of locking portions locks one locked portion to lock the module. A mode in which the module is fixed at a fixed position corresponding to the stop portion is included. In order to realize one aspect belonging to either of these two aspects, a module fixing mechanism is provided, for example, two locking portions and two locked portions are provided at the same interval, and one of the two locking portions is provided. With one of the two locked parts locked and the other locked the other, the module is fixed in the normal position and one of the two locked parts is the other of the two locked parts. The module is fixed in the first drawer position in the locked state, and the module is fixed in the second drawer position in the state where the other of the two locking portions locks one of the two locked portions. It is also possible to configure it to do so. The module fixing mechanism so configured can be suitably adopted in a system in which the module can be pulled out both forward and backward.

(45) The module fixing mechanism is a push-type fixing mechanism that fixes one of the plurality of work machine modules in a state of being pressed against the base, according to any one of items (41) to (44). The machine tool system described.

According to the aspect of this section, the module is firmly fixed to the base, and it is possible to prevent or suppress adverse effects such as vibration of the module caused by performing the work. Specifically, for example, when the module is a lathe module, good cutting accuracy (machining accuracy) is guaranteed. In this embodiment, it is not necessary that all the module fixing mechanisms provided in the system are push-type fixing mechanisms. That is, the present aspect also includes a mode in which only a part of the module fixing mechanism is a push-type fixing mechanism.

(46) The module fixing mechanism
A locked portion disposed on one of the plurality of working machine modules and the base,
A locking portion capable of locking the locked portion, which is arranged on one of the plurality of working machine modules and the other of the base, and the locked portion are locked by the locking portion. It is configured to include a locking portion operating device that operates the locking portion in order to switch between a state in which the locked portion is locked and a state in which the locked portion is not locked.
In a state where the locked portion is locked by the locked portion, the locking portion operating device urges the locked portion toward the locked portion, thereby causing the plurality of working machines. The machine tool system according to paragraph (45), wherein one of the modules is configured to be fixed against the base in a pressed state.

This aspect is an aspect to which a limitation regarding a specific structure of the push-type fixing mechanism is added. According to this aspect, the push-type fixing mechanism can be realized by a simple configuration such as attracting or pressing the locking portion to the locked portion, for example.

≪Leaving the base≫
(51) The machine tool system according to any one of (1) to (46), wherein each of the plurality of working machine modules can be pulled out from the base so as to be detachable.

According to the system of this aspect, it is possible to easily replace the module. Since it is possible to flexibly deal with changes in work by the system, the system of this embodiment is highly flexible. In addition, in the system of this aspect, since the module can be detached from the base at the time of maintenance of the module, the system of this aspect is excellent in convenience for complicated maintenance, large-scale maintenance and the like.

(52) Each of the plurality of work machine modules can be pulled out in both directions opposite to each other in the crossing direction, and can be pulled out in at least one of the two directions to the extent that the base can be detached from the base. The machine tool system according to paragraph (51).

In this aspect, all modules may be retractable to the extent that they can be detached in only one of the two directions, and all modules may be retractable to the extent that they can be detached in both directions. .. In addition, it is said that a part of a plurality of modules can be pulled out to the extent that it can be detached in only one of both directions, and the rest of the plurality of modules can be retracted to the extent that it can be detached in both directions. You may.

(53) The machine tool system according to (52), wherein each of the plurality of working machine modules can be pulled out at least until they can be detached in the same direction.

According to this aspect, all modules can be pulled out to at least one of the front side and the rear side so as to be detachable. Therefore, in the system of this embodiment, the modules can be easily replaced by providing a space for replacing the modules only on one of the front side and the rear side of the system. That is, the system of this aspect can make the space required around the system relatively small. In other words, according to this aspect, a system having excellent disposition is realized.

(54) In the case where one of the two directions opposite to each other in the crossing direction is defined as the front and the other as the rear.
Each of the plurality of working machine modules
The machine tool system according to (53), wherein the work space on which the work is performed on the work is provided on the front side, and the work space can be pulled out at least to the rear so as to be detachable from the base.

According to the system of this aspect, all modules can be pulled out to the extent that they can be detached to the rear side. As will be described later, when the cutting chips are configured to be discharged to the rear side, the cutting chips container is generally placed beside the rear side of the system, so that the side of the rear side thereof is located. , So-called dead space. According to this aspect, the module can be replaced by utilizing the dead space only by removing the container for cutting chips.

(55) The machine tool system
When any one of the plurality of work machine modules is separated from the base, the transfer carriage is set so as to extend the track beside the base, and any one of them is transferred. The machine tool system according to any one of paragraphs (51) to (54).

According to this aspect, since the detached module can be transported in a state of being mounted on the transfer carriage, the module can be easily replaced. The transfer trolley is not only used to separate the module, but also to fix the module in a state where a part of the module is mounted on the transfer trolley when the module is pulled out. it can. By being able to pull out the module in such a state, according to this aspect, a relatively large drawer, that is, a drawer of the module in which a part of the module overhangs relatively large with respect to the base, can be pulled out in a stable state. You can do it.

(56) The transfer trolley
The machine tool system according to (55), comprising a module moving device for moving any one of the plurality of working machine modules from the base to the transfer carriage along the track. ..

The module moving device in this embodiment may be configured to include an electric motor or the like as a driving source, or may be configured so that human power becomes the driving force. According to this aspect, it is possible to transfer the module to the transfer carriage without human power or even by human power with a relatively small force.

(57) The module moving device is
A screw rod that is arranged in a posture that extends in the direction of movement by the module moving device of any of the plurality of working machine modules, has a male screw formed on the outer circumference, and rotates by a driving force applied to itself.
A movable engaging body that is engaged with any one of the plurality of work machine modules, is screwed with the male screw of the screw rod, and moves in the crossing direction with the rotation of the screw rod. The machine tool system according to paragraph (56).

This aspect is an aspect with restrictions on the specific structure of the module moving device. When the module moving device is provided with a drive source, the screw rod may be rotated by the driving force of the drive source. On the other hand, when the module moving device is not provided with the drive source, for example, the screw rod may be rotated. A handle may be attached to one end of the module, and the operator may rotate the handle to move the module in a state where it is engaged with a movable engaging body. In this embodiment, it can be considered that the screw mechanism is formed by the screw rod and the movable engaging body, and the screw mechanism adopts, for example, a trapezoidal screw, a ball screw, or the like. Good. In this embodiment, as a method of engaging the movable engaging body with the module, for example, a method of hooking the movable engaging body on the module (so-called “engagement”), fastening the movable engaging body and the module with a bolt or the like. Various methods such as a method of fastening with a material can be adopted.

≪Module placement area on the base≫
(61) A plurality of arrangement areas having the same width as each other in the arrangement direction are set on the base.
Each of the plurality of working machine modules occupies one or more of the plurality of arrangement areas and does not protrude into one adjacent to one or more of the plurality of arrangement areas. The machine tool system according to any one of paragraphs (1) to (57), which is arranged as described above.

The "arrangement area" in this embodiment is a virtual space partitioned on the base, and can be considered as a unit space for defining the space in which the modules are arranged. The plurality of arrangement areas are arranged in the arrangement direction without any space, that is, they are in contact with each other. The number of arrangement areas occupied by the modules differs depending on the width thereof, and there are modules that occupy only one arrangement area and modules that occupy a plurality of arrangement areas. If the width of the module (dimension in the arrangement direction) is defined as "module width" and the width of one arrangement area (dimension in the arrangement direction) is defined as "area width", only the module whose module width is equal to or less than the area width. The system may be configured by arranging the modules, or only the modules whose module width exceeds the area width may be arranged, or the modules whose module width is less than or equal to the area width and the modules whose module width exceeds the area width may be mixed. The system may be configured by arranging them side by side.

In this embodiment, the modules exceeding the area width occupy two or more arrangement areas, but are arranged so as not to protrude into the adjacent arrangement areas. In other words, it is prohibited for a part of the other module to protrude into the arrangement area occupied by one module. That is, the existence of two modules in one arrangement area is prohibited. However, for the module located at the end in the arrangement direction, since the arrangement area is not set outside the one at the end of the plurality of arrangement areas, the module located at the end is allowed to protrude to the outside from the arrangement area located at the end. In this embodiment, for example, when a plurality of modules are arranged close to each other, each of the other modules except the two modules at both ends of the plurality of modules is generally an integral multiple of the area width. It will have a module width.

In view of the above, this aspect can be considered as an aspect in which rules regarding the module width and the arrangement of modules are defined in relation to the arrangement area. By following the rules, it is possible to avoid the complexity of changing the module mounted on the base to another module or another type of module, and this aspect becomes a highly flexible system. ..

(62) One of the plurality of work machine modules occupies one of the plurality of arrangement areas, and another one of the plurality of work machine modules occupies the plurality of arrangement areas. The machine tool system according to paragraph (61), which occupies two or more of them.

Simply put, this aspect is an aspect configured to include modules having different module widths. When a module that occupies only one arrangement area is defined as a "single area occupancy module" and a module that occupies a plurality of consecutive arrangement areas is defined as a "multiple area occupancy module", this aspect is one or more. In other words, the single area occupying module and one or more multiple area occupying modules are arranged.

(63) At least one of the two arranged at both ends of the plurality of working machine modules is arranged so as to protrude from one of those located at either end of the plurality of arrangement areas (61). ) Or the machine tool system according to (62).

In this embodiment, as described above, the module at the end of the array protrudes outward from the arrangement region existing at the end. According to this aspect, even a module having a module width exceeding an integral multiple of the region width can be arranged at the end in the arrangement direction without being restricted by adjacent modules. Therefore, according to this aspect, even a system including a module having a relatively large module width has a high degree of freedom regarding the arrangement of modules.

(64) The machine tool system according to item (63), wherein at least one of the two arranged at both ends of the plurality of working machine modules is arranged so as to protrude from the base.

According to this aspect, the width of the base (length in the arrangement direction) can be made relatively small even in a system including a module having a relatively large module width.

(65) Each of the plurality of working machine modules has a pair of wheels and has a pair of wheels.
The base is
It has a plurality of rail pairs arranged at equal pitches in the arrangement direction corresponding to the plurality of arrangement areas, each of which is composed of a pair of rails laid so as to extend in the intersection direction.
Each of the pair of wheels of each of the plurality of work equipment modules constitutes a pair of rails arranged corresponding to any of the plurality of arrangement areas occupied by each of the plurality of work equipment modules. Any one of items (61) to (64) that allows each of the plurality of work equipment modules to be pulled out from the base along the track by rolling one of the pair of rails. The machinework system described in one.

This aspect is an aspect in which the above-mentioned rail pair is arranged on the base corresponding to the arrangement area. In this aspect, each of the pair of wheels of a module rolls on any one rail laid corresponding to one or more placement areas occupied by that module. More specifically, for example, when the module is the single area occupied module described above, one of the pair of wheels of the module is laid corresponding to the arrangement area occupied by the module. One of the rails, the other, and the other will roll.

(66) The plurality of working machine modules include a plurality of area occupying modules that occupy two or more of the plurality of arrangement areas.
One of the pair of wheels included in the multi-area occupancy module rolls one of the pair of rails constituting the rail pair arranged corresponding to one of the two or more of the plurality of arrangement areas. The other of the pair of wheels rolls on one of the pair of rails constituting the rail pair arranged corresponding to another one of the two or more of the plurality of arrangement regions. The machining system according to (65), wherein the area-occupying module can be pulled out from the base along the track.

Simply put, this aspect is an aspect in which a pair of wheels rolls on which rail when the module is the above-mentioned multi-area occupying module. Specifically, for example, when the module is a two-area occupying module that occupies two arrangement areas, one of the pair of wheels of the module is one of the two arrangement areas occupied by the module. One pair of rails laid corresponding to (for example, one located outside in the arrangement direction), the other pair laid corresponding to the other of the two placement areas occupied by the module. One of the rails (for example, the one located on the outside in the arrangement direction) may be rolled.

(67) Each of the plurality of working machine modules is provided with a module driving mechanism for driving each of the plurality of working machine modules in the crossing direction.
A plurality of base-side components, each of which can configure the module drive mechanism, are arranged in any one of the bases (61) to (66) so as to correspond to the plurality of arrangement areas. The machine tool system described.

In this aspect, simply put, the portion to be arranged on the base of the module drive mechanism described above is arranged on the base for each arrangement area. According to this aspect, since the portion is provided for each arrangement area, the module can be easily pulled out by the module drive mechanism regardless of the module occupying any arrangement area.

(68) Each of the plurality of working machine modules is provided with a module fixing mechanism for fixing each of the plurality of working machine modules at a fixed position set in the crossing direction.
A plurality of base-side components, each of which can configure the module fixing mechanism, are arranged in any one of the items (61) to (67) so as to correspond to the plurality of arrangement areas. The machine tool system described.

In this aspect, simply put, the portion to be arranged on the base of the module fixing mechanism described above is arranged on the base for each arrangement area. According to this aspect, since the portion is provided for each arrangement area, the module can be fixed at the set fixed position by the module fixing mechanism regardless of the module occupying any arrangement area. It will be possible.

(69) The base is
The machine tool system according to any one of (61) to (68), each of which is composed of a plurality of base units in which two or more of the plurality of arrangement areas are set on the self.

In this aspect, in a system in which the base is composed of several base units, a limitation is added regarding the relationship between a plurality of arrangement areas and each base unit. In this embodiment, one arrangement area corresponds to any of a plurality of base units without dividing one arrangement area into two base units. In other words, it can be considered that there is one base unit for each of several placement areas. Therefore, according to this aspect, the base unit can be easily modularized.

≪Variation of modularization≫
(71) Item (1) to (1) to (71), wherein one or more of the plurality of work machine modules has a movable table that can move along the track and a work machine main body fixed on the movable table. The machine tool system according to any one of items 69).

According to this aspect, the movable base can be unitized. For example, various work machine modules can be constructed by fixing various work machine main bodies to a unitized movable table. That is, according to this aspect, the movable table can be shared (shared), and a versatile system can be easily constructed. In this embodiment, a module without a movable base, that is, a module that cannot be divided into a movable base and a working machine main body may be included. Incidentally, in consideration of the existence of several types of modules having different module widths, some movable bases according to the module width may be prepared.

(72) Each of the plurality of working machine modules is provided with a module driving mechanism for driving each of the plurality of working machine modules in the crossing direction.
The machine tool system according to item (71), wherein a module-side component capable of configuring the module drive mechanism is arranged on the movable table.

(73) Each of the plurality of working machine modules is provided with a module fixing mechanism for fixing each of the plurality of working machine modules at a fixed position set in the crossing direction.
The machine tool system according to item (71) or (72), wherein the module-side component capable of configuring the module fixing mechanism is arranged on the movable table.

When a mechanism is constructed by a component provided on the base side and a component provided on the module side, each of the above two aspects incorporates the component on the module side into a movable base. It can be considered as an aspect. According to the above two aspects, the movable base can be unitized to a higher degree.

(74) Item (71) to (73) that each of the two or more of the plurality of working machine modules has the movable table, and the movable table of each of the two or more of them is shared. The machine tool system according to any one of the items.

Simply put, this aspect can be considered as an aspect in which several modules are configured by one kind of movable table that is shared by having the same configuration, for example. The system of this aspect may be configured to include a module having a movable base that is not standardized.

(75) The machine tool system according to any one of items (1) to (74), wherein one or more of the plurality of work machine modules are modularized including a control panel that controls their own control. ..

(76) One or more of the plurality of work machine modules is any one of items (1) to (75) that is modularized including a work space housing surrounding a work space in which work on the work is performed. Machine work system described in.

Aspects of the above two terms can be thought of as a more highly modular aspect of a module. According to the above two aspects, when the module is replaced, not only the working machine main body is replaced, so that the module can be replaced more easily.

(77) The plurality of machine tool modules include a plurality of machine tool modules.
Each of the two or more of the plurality of machine tool modules has a spindle for rotating the workpiece and a spindle casing for holding the spindle.
Two or more of the plurality of machine tool modules include two types of machine tool modules that differ from each other in the diameter of the spindle.
The machine tool system according to any one of items (1) to (76), wherein the outer dimensions and shapes of the spindle casings of each of the two types of machine tool modules are unified.

This aspect can be considered as a standardized aspect of the casing of the spindle when the work machine module is a machine tool module. According to this aspect, even if the machine tool modules have different spindle diameters, the specifications of the module, in detail, the specifications of the machine tool itself should be unified by standardizing the mounting method of the spindle casing. Is possible.

≪Work transfer device≫
(81) The machine tool system according to any one of (1) to (77), wherein the machine tool system is provided on one side surface of the base with a work transfer device for transporting the workpieces in the arrangement direction. ..

When work is performed on a work over a plurality of modules, it is necessary to transfer the work between the plurality of modules. Therefore, a transfer device for carrying out the transfer is installed in the system. In this embodiment, since the work transfer device is installed on one side surface of the base, specifically, one side surface of the base in the above-mentioned crossing direction, interference of the module with the work transfer device is avoided when the module is pulled out. It becomes possible to do. When each work space of the plurality of modules is located on the front side, it is desirable that the work transfer device is installed on the front side surface of the base. By the way, according to this aspect, the base can be modularized including the work transfer device.

(82) A plurality of arrangement areas having the same width as each other in the arrangement direction are set on the base.
The base is
Each is composed of a plurality of base units in which two or more of the plurality of arrangement areas are set.
The machine tool system according to item (81), wherein the work transfer device is composed of a plurality of transfer device units corresponding to the plurality of base units.

According to this aspect, when the base is composed of a plurality of base units, each base unit can be modularized (unitized) by incorporating a part of the work transfer device.

(83) The work transfer device is
A plurality of work tables provided corresponding to the plurality of work machine modules on which a work is placed, and
The machine tool system according to item (81) or (82), which has a work table moving device for moving the plurality of work tables in the arrangement direction.

This aspect is an aspect in which the specific configuration of the work transfer device is limited. The work transfer device in this embodiment may be configured as follows, for example. As a general rule, if one work table is provided corresponding to one module and they are called "corresponding work table" and "corresponding module", the corresponding work table is located at the set position set for the corresponding module. In this state, the work is transferred between the corresponding work table and the corresponding module. Then, the workbench moving device is set at a setting position set for a module on the side where work is performed first (hereinafter, may be referred to as an "upstream module") and a module on the side where work is performed later (hereinafter, may be referred to as "upstream module"). Hereinafter, it may be referred to as a "downstream module") so that the corresponding work table is moved to at least one of the set positions, and the corresponding work table, the upstream module, and the downstream module are used. It is configured so that the work is delivered to and from at least one of the two. Under such a configuration, the work transfer device transfers the work received by the corresponding work table from the upstream joule to the corresponding module and the work received by the corresponding work table from the corresponding module to the downstream module. It is possible to perform at least one of the operations. In addition, the set position set for the above-mentioned work delivery may be referred to as "delivery position" below, and the delivery position where the work is delivered to and from the corresponding module is referred to as "home position". It may be called. Incidentally, with respect to the above-mentioned multi-area occupying module, two or more work tables may serve as corresponding work tables for the module.

As described above, when the base is composed of a plurality of base units, one base unit is, for example, two or more of the number corresponding to the number of modules mounted on the base unit. It is also possible to modularize the work table by incorporating the work table and the portion of the work table moving device for moving the two or more work tables.

(84) The machine tool system according to item (83), wherein the work table moving device is configured to move the plurality of work tables all at once.

When moving the workbench corresponding to a certain module to the delivery position with respect to the upstream module or the downstream module, it is assumed that the workbench corresponding to the upstream module or the downstream module must be retracted. According to this aspect, since a plurality of work tables are moved all at once, that is, synchronously by the work table moving device, the above situation does not occur and smooth work transfer is realized.

(85) A plurality of arrangement areas having the same width as each other in the arrangement direction are set on the base.
Each of the plurality of working machine modules occupies one or more of the plurality of arrangement areas and does not protrude into one adjacent to one or more of the plurality of arrangement areas. Arranged like
The plurality of work tables are arranged so as to correspond to the plurality of arrangement areas and to be arranged in the arrangement direction at a pitch equal to the width of each of the plurality of arrangement areas by the number of the plurality of arrangement areas. The machine tool system according to paragraph 83) or (84).

(86) The machine tool system according to (85), wherein the work table moving device is configured to move the plurality of work tables all at once by a distance equal to the pitch.

The aspect according to the above two items is an aspect in which the work transfer device is configured to be associated with the plurality of arrangement areas in the above-mentioned system in which a plurality of arrangement areas are set. Simply put, the former aspect is an aspect in which a work table is provided for each arrangement area, and the latter aspect is an aspect configured to move the work table in relation to the arrangement area.

(87) Each of the plurality of working machine modules
It is configured to work on the work located at the set work position.
A work transfer device that transfers a work mounted on one of the plurality of work tables to the work position and transfers the work on which the work has been performed from the work position to one of the plurality of work tables. The machine tool system according to any one of paragraphs (83) to (86).

The work transfer device in this embodiment can be considered as a device for attaching / detaching the work to / from the work position. In addition, when a certain module is designated as a "target module", the work table on which the work to be performed by the target module (hereinafter, may be referred to as "work incomplete work") is placed and its The work table on which the work completed by the target module (hereinafter, may be referred to as “work completed work”) is placed may be different. Specifically, for example, the work unfinished work placed on the work table corresponding to the target module may be transferred to the work position by the work transfer device, and the work unfinished work is the work in the upstream module. As a completed work, it is placed on the work table corresponding to the upstream module, and after the work table is moved to the delivery position of the target module, the work placed on the work table is worked by the work transfer device. It may be transferred to the position. Further, for example, the work completed work may be transferred from the work position to the work table corresponding to the target module by the work transfer device, and the work completed work is the work incomplete work of the downstream module and the delivery position of the target module. It may be transferred by the work transfer device to the work table corresponding to the downstream module that has been moved to.

(88) The machine tool system
The machine tool system according to (87), comprising a work reversing device for reversing the work transferred or transferred by the work transfer device.

This aspect is suitable when the orientation of the work at the working position of the target module and the orientation of the work at the working position of the upstream module or the downstream module are opposite to each other. The work reversing device in this embodiment may be provided, for example, in a position above the work table in a non-movable state, and such a work reversing device has a relatively simple structure. Further, such a work reversing device can be configured to, for example, hold the intermediate portion in the vertical direction in a posture of being placed on the work table and reverse the work above the work table. .. The work reversing device in this embodiment may be configured so that only the unfinished work or only the completed work can be reversed, or both the unfinished work and the completed work may be reversible. .. Further, the work reversing device may be one provided in the work machine module or may be provided in the work transfer device. Further, it is not necessary to provide as many reversing devices as there are modules corresponding to each of the modules, and a work reversing device may be provided only for some modules.

≪Work table lifting device≫
(91) The work transfer device is
The machine tool system according to any one of items (83) to (88), which has a work table elevating device for raising and lowering each of the plurality of work tables.

As described above, when the work transfer device having a plurality of work tables is installed on one side surface of the base, it is desired that the work transfer device does not interfere with the drawing of the module. Further, when the module protrudes from the above one side surface of the base, it is conceivable that the work table or the work mounted on the work table interferes with the module when the work table is moved in the arrangement direction. In view of their interference, it is desirable to place a plurality of work tables at considerably lower positions. According to this aspect, since the work table elevating device is provided, the work is delivered by the work table when the work table is located at a relatively high position, and on the other hand, during normal operation or when the module is pulled out. Since it can be positioned at a relatively low position when moving the work table in the arrangement direction, it is possible to prevent the above-mentioned interference.

(92) The machine work according to item (91), wherein the work transfer device is configured such that the work table moving device moves the plurality of work tables, each of which is lowered by the work table elevating device. system.

(93) Each of the plurality of work machine modules performs work on a work mounted on one of the plurality of work tables raised by the work table elevating device, and the work is performed. The machine tool system according to item (91) or (92), wherein the work is placed on one of the plurality of work tables raised by the work table elevating device.

(94) Each of the plurality of working machine modules
It is configured to work on the work located at the set work position.
The work placed on one of the plurality of work tables raised by the work elevating device is transferred to the work position, and the work on which the work has been performed is moved from the work position to the work elevating device. The machine tool system according to (93), which has a work transfer device for transferring to one of the plurality of work tables raised by.

(95) The machine tool system
A work reversing device for reversing the work transferred or transferred by the work transfer device is provided.
The machine tool system according to item (94), wherein the work placed on one of the plurality of work tables raised by the work lifting device is inverted by the work reversing device.

The aspect relating to the above four items adds limitation on the relationship between the "work table elevating position", which is the position in the vertical direction of the work table positioned by the work table elevating device, and the operation of the module or the work transfer device. It is an aspect. According to this aspect, as described above, it is possible to avoid interference between the work table and the work placed on the work table. The position of the workbench elevating device may be set stepwise or steplessly. When it is set stepwise, only two positions, an upper end position and a lower end position, may be set, and one or more intermediate positions may be set between the upper end position and the lower end position. In other words, two or more ascending positions or two or more descending positions may be set. By the way, the ascending position where the work table is located when the work is transferred by the work transfer device and the ascending position where the work table is located when the work reversing device reverses the work may be different from each other. In that case, specifically, for example, it is possible to lower the position of the latter than the position of the former.

(96) The machine according to any one of (91) to (95), wherein the work table elevating device is a two-stage elevating device that elevates and lowers one of the plurality of work tables in two stages. Craft system.

The workbench elevating device in this embodiment can be considered as a so-called telescopic type elevating device. According to this aspect, it is possible to relatively increase the elevating stroke (elevating distance) of the work table even with a relatively small elevating device. Further, the work table elevating device in this embodiment is convenient when an intermediate position is set in addition to the upper end position and the lower end position as the work table elevating position.

≪Coping with coolant and cutting chips≫
(101) The machine tool system according to any one of (1) to (96), wherein a coolant tank for accommodating coolant is built in the base.

The “coolant” in this embodiment means a cutting oil, a cutting fluid, a machining fluid, or the like injected into a work in a cutting process or the like, and is required for many machining modules. According to this aspect, since the coolant tank is provided in the base, the module can be miniaturized because the coolant tank does not need to be provided in the module.

Only one coolant tank may be provided on the base, or a plurality of coolant tanks may be provided corresponding to a plurality of modules or a plurality of arrangement areas. In addition, two or more coolant tanks may be provided so that some of the modules adjacent to each other or some of the plurality of arrangement areas adjacent to each other are shared. As described above, when the base is composed of a plurality of base units, one coolant tank may be provided for each unit. It is desirable that the coolant tank can be pulled out from the base in consideration of cleaning and the like.

(102) The base is
A receiving port that is provided so as to project on the base and that receives the coolant released in the work space where work on the work of one of the plurality of work machine modules is performed into the coolant tank.
Item 2. Machining according to (101), which has a reception / reception evacuation mechanism for retracting the reception / reception in order to avoid interference with the reception / reception when pulling out one of the plurality of work machine modules. system.

In order to efficiently collect the coolant released into the work space into the coolant tank, the lower part of the work space housing surrounding the work space is formed so as to become narrower toward the bottom, for example, at the lower end of the part. It is desirable to adopt a structure in which the coolant discharged from the provided opening flows into the above-mentioned receiving port provided in the base. When such a structure is adopted, in order to prevent the coolant from scattering and leaking, the receiving port is formed in a sleeve shape, for example, and is projected upward, and the receiving port and the work space housing are provided at the lower part of the housing. It is desirable to configure the openings so that they overlap in the vertical direction. That is, it is desirable that the opening is configured to be located below the upper end of the receiving port. With such a configuration, it is expected that the inlet will protrude into the occupied space of the module, and when the module is pulled out, the inlet will interfere with the opening and the module cannot be pulled out properly. Will be done. In this aspect, the entrance / exit evacuation mechanism is provided in order to prevent such a situation from occurring. In this embodiment, the receiving port may be provided for each module, or may be provided for each of the above-mentioned arrangement areas.

(103) Each of the plurality of working machine modules is provided with a module fixing mechanism for fixing each of the plurality of working machine modules at a fixed position set in the crossing direction.
The entrance evacuation mechanism
The machine tool system according to item (102), which is configured to retract the receiving port in conjunction with the release of fixing of one of the plurality of working machine modules by the module fixing mechanism.

In this embodiment, the entrance / exit evacuation mechanism is interlocked with the above-mentioned module fixing mechanism. When a module fixing mechanism is adopted, when the module is pulled out, the fixing of the module is inevitably released by the module fixing mechanism. Therefore, according to this embodiment, by interlocking these two mechanisms, It is no longer necessary to operate the two mechanisms individually. Further, according to this aspect, since one drive source can be shared by the two mechanisms, the structure of the two mechanisms becomes simple. When the module fixing mechanism includes the locking portion, the locked portion, and the locking portion operating mechanism as described above, the receiving / receiving evacuation mechanism may be, for example, the locking portion operating mechanism. It may be linked.

(104) The base is
When one of the plurality of work machine modules is pulled out from the base, the deployment type deploys below the portion of the one that overhangs the base and receives the coolant dripping from the portion. The machining system according to any one of paragraphs (1) to (103), which has a coolant receiver.

When the work machine module is a machine tool module, coolant is generally released into the work space. Therefore, when the module is pulled out, the coolant remaining in the work space, specifically, for example, work. It is expected that the coolant remaining so as to adhere to the inner surface of the space housing will drip from the opening of the work space housing. Then, when the portion of the module provided with the opening overlaps the base, the coolant drops directly onto the floor surface on which the system is located. According to this aspect, it is possible to avoid such a situation.

In this embodiment, the coolant received by the deployable coolant receiver is preferably introduced into the coolant tank if the base has a built-in coolant tank. The specific structure of the deployable coolant receiver is not particularly limited, but for example, a structure in which a plate, a pan, or the like projects from the base to one side in accordance with the withdrawal of the module, or a wound sheet. It is possible to adopt a structure or the like in which the module is unfolded so as to be rolled up according to the drawer of the module.

(105) The base is configured to receive inside itself the cutting chips generated in the work space where work is performed on the work of one of the plurality of work machine modules.
The machine tool system
The machine tool system according to any one of (1) to (104), comprising a cutting waste discharging device for discharging the cutting chips received by the base from one side surface of the base.

When a work machine module is such a machine tool module, it is often configured so that the base receives the fallen cutting chips as the cutting chips (so-called "chips") fall from their work space. It is desirable to do. This aspect is an aspect with restrictions on the structure for discharging the received cutting chips in a system having such a configuration. According to this section, the received cutting chips are conveniently discharged out of the system. If the base has a built-in coolant tank, the coolant tank may be configured to receive the cutting chips together with the coolant. In such a configuration, the cutting chips discharge device may be arranged in the coolant tank. Good. Specific examples of the cutting waste discharge device arranged in this way include a chip conveyor having a structure in which a metal net orbits, and a screw having a structure in which a screw having a spiral feed plate is rotated. A conveyor or the like can be adopted. By the way, the discharged cutting chips may be stored in a cutting waste collection box or the like arranged on one side surface of the system. It should be noted that only one cutting waste discharging device may be provided with respect to the base, and for example, a plurality of cutting waste discharging devices may be provided for each module. When a plurality of coolant tanks are provided, for example, when a plurality of coolant tanks are built in, they can be provided for each coolant tank, and when the base is composed of a plurality of base units, they can be provided for each base unit.

(106) The machine tool system according to (105), wherein the cutting chip discharging device is configured to discharge from one of two side surfaces facing each other in the crossing direction of the base.

(107) In the case where one of the two directions opposite to each other in the crossing direction is defined as the front and the other as the rear.
One of the plurality of work machine modules has a work space on the front side where work on the work is performed.
The machine tool system according to (106), wherein the cutting chips discharging device is configured to discharge cutting chips from a side surface on the rear side of the base.

The above two aspects are aspects in which the cutting chips are discharged from which side of the base by the cutting chips discharging device. According to the above two aspects, it is not necessary to arrange a cutting waste collection box or the like beside the system in the above-mentioned arrangement direction, and it is possible to shorten the length of the entire system including the cutting waste collection box or the like. Is. According to the latter aspect, since it is not necessary to arrange the cutting waste collection box or the like on the work space side, the aspect has an advantage that the operating state of the system can be easily monitored.

It is a perspective view which shows the machine work system of the Example which four working machine modules are arranged and placed on one base from the viewpoint from the right front. It is a perspective view which shows the machine work system of the Example in the state which a part of the exterior panel is open from the viewpoint from the left front. It is a perspective view which shows the machine work system of the Example with the exterior panel removed from the viewpoint from the diagonally upper right front. It is a perspective view which shows one base unit which constitutes a base, and two working machine modules mounted on the base unit, in a state where an exterior panel is removed. It is a perspective view which shows one base unit and one work machine module mounted on the base unit. It is a perspective view which shows one base unit which constitutes a base, and one work machine module mounted on the base unit, in a state where a part of an exterior panel is opened. It is a perspective view which shows the machine work system of the Example with the exterior panel removed from the viewpoint from the left front. It is a perspective view which shows how the work equipment module is pulled out from a base to the rear. It is a perspective view which shows the work machine module. It is a side view which shows the lathe main body which is a working machine main body of a working machine module. It is a side view which shows another tool holding head which can be adopted as a work machine module. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the structure which concerns on the attachment of the spindle which the work machine module has. It is a perspective view which shows one base unit which constitutes a base. It is the front view of the bed of the work machine module, and the front view of a part of a bed. It is a side view of the bed of a work machine module. It is a perspective view which shows the transfer carriage to which a work machine module is transferred. It is a side view which shows the locking rod actuating device arranged on the base, and also shows the cross section of a part of it. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the relationship between the drawing out from a base of a work machine module, and a module fixing mechanism. It is a side view which shows the state which the coolant tank is arranged inside the base. It is sectional drawing which shows the work space of a work machine module, and the inside of a base. It is a side view which shows the structure for retracting a coolant inlet provided with a base. It is a side view which shows the deployable coolant receiver provided in the base. It is a perspective view which shows the transporting apparatus unit which constitutes the workpiece transporting apparatus arranged on the front side surface of the base. It is a side view for demonstrating the operation of the work table elevating device provided in the work transfer device. It is an enlarged perspective view which shows the work reversing device attached to the work table elevating device. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation of the work reversing apparatus. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating operation of a work transfer apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the work loader. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation of a work loader. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the arrangement area on the base in which a work machine module is arranged. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the modification about the arrangement of the work machine module.

Hereinafter, typical embodiments of the claimable invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as examples. In addition to the following examples, the claimable invention is carried out in various embodiments with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the embodiments described in the above [Aspects of the Invention]. can do. Further, it is also possible to construct a modified example of the following embodiment by utilizing the technical matters described in the description of each section of [Aspects of the Invention].

[A] Overall Configuration of Machine Tool System The machine tool system as an example (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as “system”) is mounted on the base 10 and the base 10 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. It is configured to include four working machine modules (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as "modules") 12 which are arranged and arranged. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the exterior panel is stretched, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which a part of the exterior panel is released. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the exterior panel is removed. By the way, the front side of the system, that is, the side where the operation panel 14 is provided, faces the front left in FIG. 1, faces the front right in FIG. 2, and faces the front left in FIG. Each is represented. In the following description, "front and back", "left and right", and "up and down" related to the system are treated as front and back, left and right, and up and down when viewed from the front side of the system. In addition, since the four modules are arranged in the left-right direction, the left-right direction is the "arrangement direction", and the front-back direction is the direction that intersects the arrangement direction (specifically, the direction orthogonal to each other). It may be called.

It should be noted that some of the figures described below, including FIGS. 1 to 3, are schematic views, in which some of the components and the work may be omitted. , Is represented schematically. By the way, in FIG. 2, W1 is a work located at a set work position (a position when the work is performed), W2 is a work to be conveyed by a work transfer device described later, and W3 is a work to be conveyed later. The existing space area of the work when it is transferred by the work transfer device to be described is schematically shown, and in FIG. 3, W4 schematically shows the work located at the work position.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1 to 3, the four modules 12 are supposed to have almost the same shape, size, and structure as each other, and are arranged in close proximity to each other at a set arrangement pitch in the arrangement direction. There is. The concept of "arrangement pitch" will be described later, but the distance between the modules 12 is 50 mm or less, and in reality, the four modules 12 are arranged with almost no gap. Each module 12 is generally in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped when the exterior panel is stretched, and the dimension in the left-right direction (hereinafter, may be referred to as "module width") is the dimension in the front-rear direction (hereinafter, "module length"). It is made considerably smaller than that. The base 10 may be referred to as a "base width dimension" in the left-right direction, which is substantially equal to the left-right dimension of the entire four modules 12 when the four modules 12 are placed in an array state. There is), and each module 12 has a dimension in the front-rear direction that is somewhat shorter than the dimension in the front-rear direction (hereinafter, may be referred to as "base depth dimension"). Simply put, the base 10 has protrusions on the front side and the rear side of each module 12, but in the left-right direction, the base 10 is sized so that the four modules 12 are exactly mounted. From the above configuration, in this system, although four modules 12 are arranged, the length of the entire system in the arrangement direction of the modules 12 (hereinafter, may be referred to as "system length"). ) Is relatively short.

The base 10 is configured to include two base units 16 arranged side by side and fixed to each other, and as shown in FIG. 4, two modules 12 are mounted on each base unit 16. 5 and 6 show a state in which one module 12 is mounted on one base unit 16 from substantially the same viewpoint as in FIG. By the way, FIG. 6 shows a state in which a part of the exterior panel is released. Each of the two base units 16 is standardized and has the same shape, size, and structure as each other.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1 to 6, in this system, two system modules each including one base unit 16 and two modules 12 mounted on the base unit 16 are arranged side by side. It can be considered that it is composed by being done. From a different point of view, each of these two system modules can be thought of as a single machine tool system in which a plurality of modules are mounted on a single base. Although this system is composed of two base units 16, a system in which four modules are mounted on one base as a single object can also be a system according to a claimable invention.

The four modules 12 are structurally substantially the same as each other, and each module 12 is a lathe module in which a lathe is modularized and is a kind of machine tool module, as will be described in detail later. .. As shown in FIG. 4, in a state where the four modules 12 are arranged, the work on the work W4, that is, the cutting work on the work W4 located at the work position (the position where the work on which the work is performed is located) ( The work space, which is the space where (a type of work on the work) is performed, is arranged in the arrangement direction on the front side of the system.

One of the major features of this system is that each module 12 can be pulled out from the base 10 independently. In other words, the position where the module 12 should be located when the system operates, that is, the position where each module 12 is located in FIGS. 1 and 3 is called the normal position (standard position), and each module 12 Is movable in the crossing direction from its normal position. The mechanism for pulling out the module 12 will be described in detail later, but in this system, each module 12 can be pulled out from the base 10 along a trajectory extending in the intersecting direction. Specifically, it can be pulled out on both sides in the crossing direction, that is, both forward and backward. In other words, both the front and the rear are the drawing directions of the module 12. Furthermore, each module 12 is retractable to the extent that it can be detached from the base 10. By the way, FIG. 2 shows a state in which only one module 12 on the far right is pulled forward. Further, FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the exterior panel is removed from a viewpoint different from that in FIG. 1, and in FIG. 7, only the second module 12 from the right is pulled forward. Has been done. Further, FIG. 8 shows a state in which one module 12 is pulled out from the base 10, specifically from one base unit 16, rearward so as to be detached from the base unit 16. Note that FIG. 8 shows the module 12 with the exterior panel removed. However, as will be described later, since the module 12 is modularized including the exterior panel, the module with the exterior panel attached is shown. It is also possible to pull the 12 out of the base 10. Further, the front portion of the exterior panel is supported by the base 10, and the module 12 can be pulled out to the front by tilting the upper portion of the front portion toward the front.

As will be described in detail later, the module 12 is pulled out forward mainly when the tool is replaced, the setup is changed due to the work change, etc., and when the module 12 is replaced, the module 12 is mainly pulled out. , Pulled out to the rear side. In this way, since each module 12 can be pulled out, in the system, even though the modules 12 are arranged close to each other, the work such as maintenance, setup change, and replacement of each module 12 can be performed. It's easy to do.

Here, there is a difference in detail between the system shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the system shown in FIG. 7, but the difference is small and both have the same function. System can also be treated as the system of the embodiment. Then, for convenience, the following description will be given for the system shown in FIG. 7, unless otherwise specified.

[B] Configuration of Work Machine Module The work machine module 12 is a lathe module as described above, and as shown in FIG. 9, the work machine module 12 and a bed 22 as a movable table for rotatably holding a plurality of wheels 20. A lathe main body 24 as a working machine main body fixed on the bed 22 and a control board 26 as a control device for controlling the lathe main body 24 are provided. The lathe main body 24 includes a support column 30 as a skeleton erected on the bed 22, a spindle 32 (so-called spindle) supported by the support column 30 at the lower part thereof and for rotating the work W4 by its own rotation. A tool holding head (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a "head" at the end) 36 that holds a plurality of bites 34, each of which is a tool, and a support column 30 supported by a support column 30 at the upper portion of the tool holding head 36 to move the head 36 up and down and back and forth. It is configured to include a head moving device 38 to be made to move.

If the lathe main body 24 is described in detail with reference to FIG. 10, the support column 30 erected and fixed to the bed 22 has a spindle holding portion 40 at the lower portion, and the spindle 32 will be described in detail later. It is held by the spindle holding portion 40 via the spindle casing 42. A chuck 46 having three claws 44 is attached to the front end of the spindle 32. The chuck 46 is for gripping the work during machining, and can be considered as a kind of work holder. Although detailed description of the structure is omitted, the claw 44 is designed to open and close automatically. A pulley 48 is fitted on the rear end of the spindle 32. On the other hand, a spindle rotation motor 50 is supported on the rear side of the support column 30 via a base plate 52, and a pulley 54 is also fitted to the shaft of the motor 50. A V-belt 56 is wound around the two pulleys 48 and 54, and the spindle 32 is rotationally driven by the rotation of the motor 50.

A slider 60 is slidably supported on the upper portion of the support column 30 along a pair of guides 62. The slider 60 is generally in the shape of a square cylinder, and holds the beam 64 in a state in which it can slide back and forth so that it can be inserted through the slider 60. The slider 60 is moved up and down by a slider raising and lowering mechanism 70 composed of a ball screw mechanism and the like having a slider raising and lowering motor 66 and a screw rod 68 as main components. On the other hand, a support frame 72 is fixed to the rear side of the support frame 30, and is configured by a ball screw mechanism or the like whose main components are a beam forward / backward moving motor 74 and a screw rod 76 supported by the support frame 72. The beam 64 is moved back and forth by the beam back and forth movement mechanism 78. The head 36 described above is fixed to the front end of the beam 64, and the head 36 moves up and down by moving the slider 60 up and down, and moves back and forth by moving the beam 64 back and forth. That is, the head moving device 38 described above is composed of the slider 60, the beam 64, the slider elevating mechanism 70, the beam forward / backward moving mechanism 78, and the like.

The head 36 includes a base 82, a turret 84 held by the base 82, a turret intermittent rotation mechanism 86 held by the base 82 for intermittently rotating the turret 84, and a turret 84 by the turret intermittent rotation mechanism 86. It is configured to include a turret rotation motor 88 that is a drive source for the rotation of the turret. The turret 84 has a relatively short generally octagonal column shape, and as shown in FIG. 10, up to eight bites 34 can be attached to the outer peripheral surface or the lower surface via the bite holder 90. .. For example, the cutting process is performed by the cutting tool 84 positioned on the rearmost side by intermittent rotation. By the way, although detailed description is omitted, the turret intermittent rotation mechanism 86 has a structure in which the turret 84 is fixed at that position by intermittently rotating the turret 84 in a lowered state and raising the turret 84 at an arbitrary intermittent rotation position. It is supposed to be. Instead of the head 36, a comb-tooth-shaped bite holder, that is, a holder that holds a plurality of bites and moves so that cutting can be performed by any one of the plurality of bites. It is also possible to adopt a head having a holder.

In addition, instead of the tool holding head 36, for example, the tool holding head 100 as shown in FIG. 11 can be adopted. The head 100 is a head capable of holding rotating tools such as a drill and a mill as tools and rotating them. FIG. 11 shows a state in which a straight type drill 102, an angular type drill 104, and an end mill 106 are attached as rotary tools. Similar to the head 36, the head 100 includes a base 108, a turret 110 held by the base 108, and a rotation mechanism 112 held by the base 108 and functioning as a turret intermittent rotation mechanism for intermittently rotating the turret. A rotation motor 114 that is a driving source for the rotation of the turret 110 by the rotation mechanism 112 is included. For example, drilling and milling are performed by a rotary tool located on the rearmost side by intermittent rotation.

Although a detailed description of the structure will be omitted, the rotary motor 114 also functions as a motor for rotating the rotary tool itself, and the rotary mechanism 112 serves as a rotation transmission mechanism for rotating the rotary tool by the rotation of the motor 114. Also works. That is, the head 100 has a structure in which the rotation of the turret 110 and the rotation of the rotary tool are selectively performed by one motor 114, and the rotary mechanism 112 and the rotary motor 114 are tools. It constitutes a tool rotating device that rotates the turret around its axis. When the head 100 is adopted, the spindle 32 does not rotate in principle while the work is being machined by the rotary tool, except for special machining such as helical machining. In that case, the spindle 32 constitutes a so-called index table (device for indexing the work). That is, the module 12 that employs the head 100 fixes the work in a state where the work is positioned at an arbitrary rotation position by the rotation of the spindle 32, and each of them is attached to the work by at least one of a drill and a mill as a tool. On the other hand, it is a drilling machine / milling machine module that performs at least one of drilling and milling.

From the above structure, the module 12 can be called a so-called horizontal spindle arrangement type module because the spindle 32 is arranged in a posture extending in the front-rear direction which is the crossing direction, and is a horizontal spindle type. Since it is a module, it is possible to reduce the module width. Further, the head moving device 38 is arranged above the spindle 32, more specifically, directly above the spindle axis which is the axis of the spindle 32, in a posture in which the beam 64 extends in parallel with the spindle axis. This also contributes to reducing the module width. In addition, the heads 36 and 100 hold a plurality of tools selectively and make available one of them, and perform machining on the work by one of the plurality of tools. It is configured as follows. Therefore, this system can perform relatively complicated machining with a relatively small number of modules.

Although the control panel 26, which is the control device of the lathe main body 24, is omitted in the drawing, the rear side is a door, and even when the modules 12 are arranged and placed on the base 10, the rear side of the system is used. From the side, the control panel 26 of any of the modules 12 can be easily inspected, adjusted, maintained, and the like inside. In this system, since the module 12 is modularized including the control panel 26, it can be said that the module 12 is considerably highly modularized. By the way, in this system, the module 12 is modularized including the exterior panel of the module 12.

Here, if the attachment of the spindle 32 to the support column 30 is described in detail, as shown in FIG. 12A, the spindle 32 is held by the spindle holding portion 40 of the support column 30 via the spindle casing 42. It is attached so as to be inserted into the hole 120. The spindle casing 42 has a generally cylindrical shape having a flange 122 at the front end, and can also be called a collar. The spindle casing 42 is bolted to the spindle holding portion 40 by using a mounting hole 124 formed in the flange 122. The spindle 32 is supported by three bearings 126, 128, 130 so that it can rotate with respect to the spindle casing 42, that is, to the column 30.

Depending on the size of the work, the size of the cutting load, etc., it may be desired to attach a spindle having a diameter different from that of the spindle 32 having a diameter d. For example, when a spindle 132 having a diameter D (> d) is attached, as shown in FIG. 12B, a spindle casing 134 different from the spindle casing 42, specifically, an inner diameter having the same outer dimensions and shapes but having the same outer diameter and inner diameter. By adopting different spindle casings 134, it is possible to easily attach the spindle 132. The diameter, number, arrangement pitch, etc. of the mounting holes 124 provided on the flange 122 are the same as the diameter, number, arrangement pitch, etc. of the spindle casing 42. From a different point of view, by unifying the outer dimensions and shapes of the spindle casing, that is, by standardizing the spindle casing, the system can change the spindles and two types of machine tools having different spindles in diameter. It is easy to mix modules.

[C] Draw-out from the base of the work equipment module As shown in FIG. 13, each base unit 16 has a number of rail pairs 150 corresponding to the number of modules 12 mounted on the base unit 16, specifically 2. Two rail pairs 150 are provided side by side in the arrangement direction (left-right direction). One rail pair 150 comprises a pair of rails 152 laid so as to extend in the crossing direction (front-back direction) at intervals. The rail 152 defines a track on which the module 12 moves when the module 12 is pulled out, that is, functions as a track defining member. On the other hand, each module 12 has a pair of front and rear wheels 20, that is, two pairs of wheels 20 rotatably held on the bed 22. The distance between the pair of wheels 20 is equal to the distance between the pair of rails 152 constituting the rail pair 150, and one of the pair of wheels 20 rolls the pair of rails 152 and the other rolls the other. The entire base 10 is provided with four rail pairs 150 corresponding to the four modules 12. With such a structure, the module 12 can be easily pulled out from the base 10, specifically, from the base unit 16 on which the module 12 is mounted, in the crossing direction. If it is described with reference to FIG. 14A showing the engagement between the pair of rails 152 and the pair of wheels 20, one of the two rails 152 constituting the pair of rail pairs 150 (the one on the right side). ) Has a chevron cross-sectional shape, while the other (the one on the left side) has a shape having both side surfaces parallel to each other. Since one of the pair of wheels 20 (the one on the left side) has a shape that sandwiches both side surfaces with almost no gap, the position of the module 12 in the arrangement direction when mounted on the base 10 is accurate. Is regulated.

In this system, the module 12 can be pulled out forward by using the power of the electric motor without relying on human power. As shown in FIG. 15, the bed 22 of each module 12 is provided with a rack bar (also referred to simply as a "rack") 160 on the front right side of the bed 22 so as to extend forward from it. (See FIG. 8). The rack bar 160 has rack teeth formed on the lower surface thereof. On the other hand, a module extraction motor 162 as a drive source is arranged at the front end of the upper surface of the base 10 (see FIGS. 8 and 13), and a pinion 164 is fixed to the motor shaft of the motor 162. ing. The pinion 164 meshes with the front end of the rack bar 160 when the module 12 is in the normal position. The module 12 is driven forward by rotating the motor 162 in the forward direction, and the module 12 is driven backward by rotating the motor 162 in the reverse direction. That is, the module drive mechanism 166 for driving the module 12 in the crossing direction is configured including the rack bar 160, the motor 162, and the pinion 164.

The module 12 can be pulled out from the normal time position and pulled back to the normal time position by using the module drive mechanism 166 by an operator's operation input to the operation panel 14 of the module 12. By the way, in the withdrawal of the module 12 by the operation input, the module 12 moves to the position moved forward by the set distance from the normal time position, that is, to the set withdrawal position described later. In this system, the rack bar 160 constituting the module drive mechanism 166 is a module-side component arranged on the bed 22 as a movable base, and the motor 162 and the pinion 164 are on the base side arranged on the base 12. It is a component. Furthermore, it can be said that the bed 22, which is a movable base, is modularized including the rack bar 160 as a component on the module side. It is also possible to configure the module drive mechanism by arranging the rack bar as a base side component on the base 10 and arranging the motor and the pinion on the module 12 as the module side component. Further, in this system, four module drive mechanisms are provided corresponding to the four modules 12, but one or more modules correspond to only one or more modules 12 which are a part of the four modules 12. A drive mechanism may be provided.

As shown in FIG. 8, the module 12 is pulled out to the rear by using the transfer carriage 170. As shown in FIG. 16, the transfer carriage 170 is grasped by the operator when moving the base 172, the frame 176 supported by the base 172 and fixed with a pair of rails 174, and the transfer carriage 170. It is configured to include a grip 178 and three casters 180 for allowing the transfer carriage 170 to move. As shown in FIG. 8, the transfer carriage 170 is placed beside the rear of the base 10 so as to extend the above-mentioned track defined by one of the four rail pairs 150 provided on the base 10. Rail. Each of the pair of rails 174 has substantially the same cross-sectional shape as the pair of rails 152 provided on the base 10, and the distance in the left-right direction is equal to the distance between the pair of rails 152. Is set with respect to the base 10 so that each pair of rails 174 extends a pair of rails 152, as shown in FIG. Incidentally, the frame 176 is movable to the left and right with respect to the base 172, and by turning the adjustment handle 182, the frame 176 is moved to the left and right by a ball screw mechanism (not shown). That is, the rail position adjusting mechanism 184 for adjusting the position of the pair of rails 174 in the left-right direction is configured by the handle 182, the ball screw mechanism, the structure that allows the frame 176 to move with respect to the base 172, and the like. Therefore, by using the adjustment mechanism 184, it is possible to align the pair of rails 174 with respect to the pair of rails 152 in the left-right direction in the state where the transfer trolley 170 is stationary. There is.

The transfer carriage 170 may be used to pull out the module 12 to the extent that only a part of the module 12 is mounted on the transfer carriage 170, or the module 12 is pulled out so as to be separated from the base 10. The entire module 12 may be used when it is mounted on the transfer carriage 170. In the latter case, the mounted module 12 can be easily carried by moving the transfer cart 170. On the contrary, it is also possible to arrange the module 12 on the base 10 by placing the transfer carriage 170 on which the module 12 is placed beside the base 10 and pulling the module 12 onto the base 10. is there. That is, the transfer carriage 170 can be suitably used for exchanging the module 12. In this system, the transfer trolley 170 is used for pulling out the module 12 to the rear, but this system can also adopt a transfer trolley suitable for pulling out to the front. is there.

The transfer carriage 170 is provided with a module moving device 190 in order to facilitate pulling out and pulling in of the module 12. Explaining with reference to FIG. 16, a screw rod 192 having a male screw formed in the center of the frame 176 in the left-right direction is rotatably supported so as to extend in the front-rear direction, and the screw rod 192 and the screw are screwed. A movable member 194 that holds the matching nut and moves back and forth by the rotation of the screw rod 192 is provided. The movable member 194 functions as a movable engaging body that is detachably engaged with the rear end surface of the bed 22 of the module 12, and is screwed by the handle 196 in a state where the movable member 194 is engaged with the bed 22. By rotating the rod 192, the module 12 moves back and forth. That is, the module moving device 190 is configured to include the screw rod 192, the movable member 194, the handle 196, and the like, and the operator can easily use the module moving device 190 to manually operate the module 12. It can be pulled out and pulled back.

A hook member 198 is attached to the upper surface of the frame 176 of the transfer carriage 170 so as to extend in the front-rear direction in the middle of the pair of rails 174 in the left-right direction. The hooking member 198 has a generally T-shaped cross section. As shown in FIG. 14A, a slot 200 (described in detail later) having a cross section generally forming an inverted triangle is formed in the lower portion of the bed 22 of the module 12 so as to penetrate in the front-rear direction. When the module 12 is pulled out rearward, the hooking member 198 is inserted into the slot 200. The insertion of the hooking member 198 ensures the stability of the module 12 when it is mounted on the transfer carriage 170.

[D] Fixing the work equipment module to the base This system is equipped with a module fixing mechanism for fixing the module 12 to the base. A module fixing mechanism is provided for each module 12. Further, the module fixing mechanism has a function of fixing the module 12 to the base 10 at a plurality of positions set in the crossing direction (hereinafter, may be referred to as “fixed positions”). The structure and function of this module fixing mechanism will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 13, the base 10 is provided with a number of locking rod actuating devices 210 corresponding to the number of modules 12 mounted on the base 10. More specifically, the base unit 16 on which the two modules 12 are mounted is provided with four locking rod actuating devices 210. That is, two locking rod actuating devices 210 are arranged so as to be arranged in the front-rear direction with respect to one module 12.

As shown in FIG. 17, the locking rod operating device 210 is roughly a locking rod 216 having an actuator 212 and a rod head 214 having an inverted truncated cone shape at the upper end thereof, and the locking rod thereof. It is composed of a rod lifting device 218 for raising and lowering 216. The actuator 212 includes a cylinder housing 220, a piston that can slide back and forth inside the housing 220 (not shown), and a piston rod 222 that is connected to the piston and extends from the housing 220. The structure is such that the piston rod 222 is moved forward and backward by the force of the pressing air. The rod lifting device 218 is fastened to the locking rod 216 by a wedge rod 228, which is movably held back and forth in the housing 224 and has a wedge surface 226 in the middle, and by a collar 230 and a bolt 232 at the lower end thereof. It is configured to include an elevating piece 234 that raises and lowers the locking rod 216 by moving up and down, and a spring 236 that elastically supports the elevating piece 234 from below. The wedge rod 228 is formed with an elongated hole 238 that penetrates the wedge surface 226 vertically and extends back and forth, and the locking rod 216 is in a state of penetrating the elongated hole 238 and has an upper portion including a rod head 214. Extends from the housing 220. The front end of the piston rod 222 of the actuator 212 and the rear end of the wedge rod 228 are connected, and the wedge rod 228 moves back and forth as the piston rod 212 advances and retreats. The elevating piece 234 has a shape having a surface in contact with the wedge surface 226 of the wedge rod 228, and is a locking rod that moves up and down as the wedge rod 228 moves in the front-rear direction and is fastened to the elevating piece 234. 216 also goes up and down. That is, the locking rod 216 moves up and down by the operation of the actuator 212. Specifically, the state shown in FIG. 17 is a state in which the piston rod 222 is advanced, and the locking rod 216 is in a raised state due to the force of the spring 236. As the piston rod 222 retracts, the locking rod 216 descends against the force of the spring 236, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in the figure. The two locking rod actuating devices 210 operate at the same time, and the two locking rods 216 move up and down at the same time.

Explaining with reference to FIG. 14C, the bed 22 of the module 12 is formed with a slot 200 penetrating in the front-rear direction as described above, and the module 12 is placed on the base 10. In this state, the rod head 214 of the locking rod 216 is located inside the slot 200. When the locking rod 216 is raised, the locking rod 216 does not engage the slot 200 and the module 12 is in a state of being movable back and forth on the base 10 along the above-mentioned trajectory. The slot 200 has a counterbore portion 244 having a counterbore having a tapered surface 242 having a shape matching the tapered surface 240 of the rod head 214 at a predetermined location, and the rod head is provided at that location. When the portion 214 is located, the lowering of the locking rod 216 brings the tapered surface 240 of the rod head 214 into close contact with the tapered surface 242 of the counterbore portion 244. In that state, the locking rod 216 locks the counterbore portion 244, that is, the module 12, and the module 12 is fixed on the base 12. That is, the module 12 is prohibited from moving along the orbit. By the way, the locking rod operating device 210, which is a locking portion operating device, urges the locking rod 216, which is a locking portion, toward the counterbore portion 244, which is a locked portion, by the force of the actuator 212. The module fixing mechanism fixes the module 12 in a state of being pressed against the base 10.

As described above, for one module 12, two locking rod actuating devices 210 are provided on the base 10, and correspond to each locking rod 216 of the two locking rod actuating devices 210. As shown in FIG. 15, two counterbore portions 244 are provided in the intermediate portion in the front-rear direction of the slot 200. The arrangement interval L of the two counterbore portions 244 in the front-rear direction is equal to the arrangement interval L of the two locking rods 216 in the front-rear direction. Further, to be further described with reference to FIG. 18, which is a schematic diagram, in that figure, the positions of the two counterbore portions 244 provided on the module 12 and the positions of the two locking rods 216 provided on the base 10. , Each of which is indicated by “☆”, and when the module 12 is in the normal position, the two counterbore portions 244 are respectively locked by the two locking rods 216. On the other hand, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line, when the module 12 is pulled forward by a predetermined distance L, that is, when the module 12 is pulled forward by a distance equal to the above-mentioned arrangement interval L of the two counterbore portions 244. The counterbore portion 244 on the rear side can be locked by the locking rod 216 on the front side, and when the module 12 is pulled out rearward by the predetermined distance L, the counterbore portion 244 on the front side is rearward. It can be locked by the locking rod 216 on the side. Therefore, in this system, the module 12 can be fixed to the base 10 not only at the normal position but also at the two drawer positions set for the front and rear drawers. That is, the module 12 can be fixed at three fixed positions.

As can be seen from the above description, the counterbore portion 244 functions as a locked portion arranged on the module 12, and the locking rod 216 functions as a locking portion arranged on the base 10. Further, the locking rod operating device 210 is a locking portion operating device arranged on the base 10, that is, a state in which the counterbore portion 244 is locked by the locking rod 216 and the counterbore portion 244 is locked by the locking rod 216. Depending on the device, it functions as a device that operates the locking rod to switch between the unlocked state and the unlocked state. In this system, two counterbore portions 244, each of which functions as a locked portion, two locking rods 216, each of which functions as a locking portion, and two locking rods, each of which functions as a locking portion operating device. The module fixing mechanism described above is configured including the actuating device 210. In other words, the module fixing mechanism in this system includes two counterbore portions 244 as module side components, two locking rods 216 as base side components, and two locking rod activators 210. The bed 22 as a movable table is modularized including two counterbore portions 244 which are module side components. Furthermore, as described above, the module fixing mechanism is a push-type fixing mechanism because the module 12 is fixed in a state of being pressed against the base 10. In this system, a module fixing mechanism is adopted in which the locked portion is arranged on the module 12 as a module-side component, and the locking portion and the locking portion operating device are arranged on the base 10 as a base-side component. However, it is also possible to adopt a module fixing mechanism in which the locked portion is arranged on the base 10 as a base-side component, and the locking portion and the locking portion operating device are arranged on the module 12 as a module-side component. It is possible. Further, in this system, four module fixing mechanisms are provided corresponding to the four modules 12, but one or more modules correspond to only one or more modules 12 which are a part of the four modules 12. A fixing mechanism may be provided.

[E] Dealing with coolant and cutting chips Since the module 12 is a lathe module, when cutting a work, the cutting is performed while applying coolant (also called "cutting fluid") to the work. .. In addition, cutting chips (also called "chips") are generated in the cutting process. Therefore, it is necessary to deal with these coolants and cutting chips. Even when the module 12 is a machining module such as the above-mentioned drilling machine / milling machine module, the same measures are required for the coolant and cutting chips. The special configuration considering these coolants and cutting chips will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 19, a coolant tank 250 for accommodating the coolant is built in the base 10. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a base 10 having a coolant tank 250 built-in and one module 12 mounted on the base 10. The cut surface in the cross-sectional view is a plane located in front of the spindle 32 of the module 12 and perpendicular to the axis of the spindle 32, that is, a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and the above-mentioned work space where cutting is performed. It is a plane that divides (hereinafter, may be referred to as "work space WS") back and forth. In the figure, only one base unit 16 is shown, one coolant tank 250 is built in one base unit, and two coolant tanks 250 are built in the entire base 10.

On the other hand, in the module 12, a work space housing 254 that surrounds the work space WS described above is formed by a portion on the front side of the exterior panel and a lower panel 252 arranged in front of the bed 22, and the module 12 is formed. , The work space housing 254 is also modularized. By the way, the lower panel 252 is supported by a frame 256 attached to the front end of the bed 22 (see FIG. 9). By the way, in FIG. 20, the base beam 262 and the guide 264 of the work loader 260, which will be described later, are simply shown on the right side of the lower panel 252. With respect to the work rotated by the spindle 32, coolant is discharged from a coolant nozzle (not shown), and the work is cut in a state where the coolant is discharged. Then, cutting chips are generated by the cutting process. The work space housing 254 effectively prevents the released coolant and the generated cutting chips from spilling out to the outside, particularly to the left and right sides. The released coolant and cutting chips fall downward in the work space WS, pass through the opening 270 provided in the lower panel 256, and are housed in the coolant tank 250 arranged inside the base 10. The lower panel 256 is shaped so as to become narrower toward the bottom in order to efficiently derive the coolant and cutting chips to the coolant tank 250. That is, the lower panel 256 is provided with a tapered surface 272.

On the upper surface of the base 10, a tubular receiving cylinder 274 that functions as a receiving port for receiving the coolant and cutting chips into the coolant tank 250 is provided (see FIG. 13). More specifically, an opening 276 is provided on the upper surface of the base 10, and the receiving cylinder 274 is arranged so that the lower end is inserted into the opening 276. Further, the upper end of the receiving cylinder 274 is located above the opening 270 of the lower panel 256 when the module 12 is located at the normal position. With such a receiving cylinder 274, coolant and cutting debris are introduced into the base 10 efficiently, that is, without spilling onto the top surface of the base 10. Further, inside the base 10, a pair of guide plates 278 are provided in order to prevent the coolant and cutting chips that have passed through the receiving cylinder 274 from spilling to the left and right outside of the coolant tank 250.

The coolant tank 250 is provided with a receiving plate 280 that receives the fallen coolant and cutting chips. The backing plate 280 has a pair of inclined surfaces 282 whose upper surface descends from both the left and right sides toward the center, and has a shape having a recess 284 in the central portion. Therefore, the fallen coolant and cutting chips are removed. , Gather in the central depression 284 along those ramps 282. Although omitted in the drawing, the receiving plate 280 is provided with a large number of small holes in the portion where the recess 284 is formed, and only the coolant passes through the receiving plate 280. A screw 286 arranged in a posture extending in the front-rear direction is arranged in the recess 284, and the rotation of the screw 286 causes the cutting chips remaining on the receiving plate 280 to move rearward. Explaining with reference to FIG. 19, the coolant tank 250 protrudes rearward from the base 10, and a discharge duct 290 is arranged at the rear end portion that protrudes from the base 10. The cutting chips that have moved to the rear of the screw 286 are discharged to the rear of the system through the discharge duct 290. That is, the screw 286, the discharge duct 290, and the like constitute a screw conveyor 292 (a type of chip conveyor) that functions as a cutting waste discharge device, and the screw conveyor 292 is one side surface of the base 10, specifically. , It is supposed that cutting chips are discharged from the rear side surface. For example, by arranging the cutting waste collection box 292 with wheels below the rear end of the discharge duct 290, the discharged cutting chips can be easily transported. The coolant contained in the coolant tank 250 is pumped by a pump (not shown) and discharged again from the coolant nozzle described above. That is, in the system, the coolant is made to circulate.

In this system, one coolant tank 250 is arranged for one base unit 16, that is, one coolant tank 250 is arranged for two modules 12, but one coolant tank is provided for each module 12. It may be configured to be provided, or the entire base 10 may be configured to be provided with one coolant tank. Similarly, one cutting waste discharging device may be provided for each module 12 instead of one for each base unit 16. As the cutting waste discharging device, instead of the screw conveyor 292 described above, various types of discharging devices such as a chip conveyor having a structure in which a metal net circulates can be adopted. In this system, the screw conveyor 292, which is a cutting waste discharging device, disposes of cutting chips in one of the two directions opposite to each other in the crossing direction, specifically, in the rear direction opposite to the work space WS. It is designed to be discharged. Therefore, for example, it is not necessary to arrange the cutting waste collection box beside the arrangement direction of the base 10, and the system length of the entire system including the box can be shortened.

As described above, the module 12 is retractable with respect to the base 10. Therefore, as can be seen from FIG. 20, when the module 12 is pulled out, the lower panel 256 of the module 12 interferes with the receiving cylinder 274 in the state of the receiving cylinder 274 shown on the left side of the drawing. Therefore, in this system, in order to avoid the interference, a mechanism is provided to bring the receiving cylinder 274 shown on the left side into the state of the receiving cylinder 274 shown on the right side of the figure when the module 12 is pulled out. That is, a receiving cylinder evacuation mechanism as a receiving entrance evacuation mechanism for retracting the receiving cylinder 274 that functions as a receiving inlet is provided for each module 12. By this mechanism, the receiving cylinder 274 is retracted downward when the module 12 is pulled out from the normal position.

To be described in detail with reference to FIG. 21, the receiving cylinder 274 is sandwiched from the left and right by a pair of parallel link mechanisms 306 each composed of a drive arm 300, a driven arm 302, and a link bar 304 connecting them. It is supported so that it can be used. Each base end portion of the drive arm 300 and the driven arm 302 is rotatably supported by a bracket 308 attached to the upper surface of the base 10, and each tip end portion is rotatably supported by a receiving cylinder 274 via a roller 310. The rail member 312 attached to the side surface of the is supported. The drive arm 300 is generally L-shaped, and the other tip thereof is pivotally supported by a connecting block 316 having an elongated hole 314 so as to be movable along the elongated hole 314. As described above, the upper surface of the base 10 is provided with two locking rod actuating devices 210 constituting the module fixing mechanism (see FIG. 13), and the connecting block 316 is the two locking rods. It is fixed to the tip of the wedge rod 228 included in the actuating device 210 provided on the front side.

The state shown in FIG. 21 is a state in which the module 12 is released from being fixed, and by operating the locking rod operating device 210 to fix the module 12, the receiving cylinder 274 is shown by the alternate long and short dash line in the figure. Rise. The receiving cylinder 274 on the left side in FIG. 20 shows a state in which the receiving cylinder 274 is raised in this way. On the contrary, in the state where the receiving cylinder 274 is raised, by operating the locking rod operating device 21 to release the fixing of the module 12, the receiving cylinder 274 is moved like the receiving cylinder 274 on the right side in FIG. When the module 12 is pulled out, the lower panel 256 of the module 12 is lowered to a position where it does not interfere with each other. That is, in this system, the parallel link mechanism 306, the block 316, the locking rod operating device 210, and the like are included, and the receiving cylinder 274 as the receiving port is retracted in conjunction with the release of the fixing of the module 12 by the module fixing mechanism. The receiving cylinder evacuation mechanism 318 is configured. With such a mechanism, in this system, the receiving cylinder 274 is automatically retracted by the operation for releasing the fixing of the module 12. By the way, although detailed description is omitted, in the case where the module 12 is fixed at the above-mentioned front side drawer position, even if the receiving cylinder 274 rises, the receiving cylinder 274 interferes with the bed 22 of the module 12. It is tried not to. Since the actuator 212, which is the drive source, is shared between the receiving cylinder evacuation mechanism 320 as the receiving inlet evacuation mechanism and the module fixing mechanism, these mechanisms are structurally simple.

Further, in this system, when the module 12 is pulled forward, the coolant remaining in the work space of the module 12 is dropped from the opening 270 of the module 12, as shown in FIG. 22. A deployable coolant receiver 320 for receiving the dripping coolant is provided. The coolant receiver 320 has a seat 322 as a main component. The sheet 322 is wound around a shaft (not shown), and the shaft is rotatably supported by a support member 324 erected at the front end of the base 10. The winding end end of the sheet 322 is hooked to the front end of the frame 256 that supports the lower panel 252 provided with the opening 270. By the way, FIG. 13 shows how the wound sheet 322 is arranged in the left front portion of the base unit 16. The seat 322 is urged so as to be rolled up by the force of a spring (not shown). That is, the axis is urged counterclockwise in the figure. When the module 12 is pulled forward, as the frame 256 moves forward, the seat 322 is stretched against the force of the spring and unfolds below the frame 12 so as to cover the opening 270. .. The unfolded sheet 322 is in a lower state toward the rear, and the coolant dropped from the opening 270 falls along the upper surface of the sheet 322 to the upper surface of the base 10. The coolant that has fallen onto the base 10 is introduced into the coolant tank 250 through a hole 326 formed in the upper surface of the base 10. By the way, in FIG. 13, a hole 326 is shown in the right front portion of the base unit 16 in which the wound sheet 322 is omitted.

When the module 12 is returned to the normal position, the extended seat 322 is wound by the force of the spring described above as the module 12 moves backward. In the present coolant receiver 320, when the module 12 is moved rearward from the normal position, the seat 322 is released from being hooked on the frame 256 at the end of winding. By the way, the present coolant receiver 320 has the above-mentioned structure with the sheet 322 as a main component, but as a deployable coolant receiver, a plate, a pan, etc. are pushed forward according to the drawer of the module 12. It is also possible to adopt a structure.

[F] Transfer of work between modules and transfer to work position within modules In this system, as shown in FIG. 7, one side surface of the base 10, specifically, the front side where the above-mentioned work space exists. A work transfer device 350 for transporting the work is provided on one side surface of the side. The work transfer device 350 transports the work across each module 12, and carries the work to the leftmost (upstream side) module 12, transports the work between the modules 12, and rightmost (downstream). It is responsible for carrying out the work from the module 12 on the side). In the figure, only the portion of the work transfer device 350 arranged on the front side surface of the left base unit 16 is shown, but the same portion is also shown on the front side surface of the right base unit 16 (described later). ) Exists. That is, in this system, the work transfer device 350 is composed of two transfer device units 352 corresponding to the two base units 16, and each of the two base units 16 is a part of the work transfer device 3501. It is modularized (unit) by incorporating one transfer device unit 352. Hereinafter, the transport device units 352 arranged in the left base unit 16 and the left base unit 16 may be referred to as the left transport device unit 352L and the right transport device unit 352R, respectively. To do. Further, the work transfer device 350 is provided with a work reversing device 354, which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 23, the left side transfer device unit 352L has a movable base 356, three work tables 358 on which workpieces are placed, and three work tables 358 supported by the movable base 356. It is configured to include three workbench elevating devices 360 for elevating and lowering the corresponding ones. In FIG. 23, the work reversing device 354 described above is omitted. The movable base 356 is movable in the above-mentioned arrangement direction (left-right direction) along a pair of guide rails 362 fixed to the front side surface of the base 10, and is provided on the rear side of the movable base 356. It is moved in the array direction by an actuator (hidden in the movable base 356 in the figure). The actuator is a cylinder type that is operated by the force of compressed air, and includes the actuator, the guide rail 362, and the like, and constitutes a work table moving device 364 that moves the work table 358 in the arrangement direction. ..

The three workbench 358 and the three workbench elevating devices 360 are arranged in the arrangement direction at equal intervals at the same pitch as the arrangement pitch of the module 12. Of the three worktables 358, the one in the center and the one on the right side are regarded as "corresponding worktables" corresponding to the module 12 on the far right and the module 12 on the second from the right, respectively. It is said to be an "additional work table" which is an additional work table provided at a position protruding to the left side from the base 10. Although not shown, the right-hand transfer device unit 352R does not have an additional work base, and the dimensions of the movable base 356 in the left-right direction are shortened accordingly. Therefore, in the entire system, five work tables 358 are provided, and the work transfer device 350 is configured such that the five work tables 358 are arranged in the arrangement direction at equal intervals at the same pitch as the arrangement pitch. There is.

The workbench elevating device 360 is fixed to the elevating table 366, an elevating actuator 368 fixed to the movable base 356 to raise and lower the elevating table 364, and vertically movable to the elevating table 366, and fixed to the workbench 358 at the upper end. It is configured to include a pair of guide rods 370 and a work table vertical movement mechanism 372 that is arranged on the lift table 366 and moves the work table 358 up and down with respect to the lift table 366. The work table vertical movement mechanism 372 includes a screw rod 374, a nut screwed with the screw rod 372 (not shown), and a motor 376 that rotates the nut, and comprises a so-called ball screw mechanism. It is said to be the movement mechanism used.

The elevating actuator 368 moves the elevating table 366 up and down by the force of compressed air, and operates so that the elevating table 366 selectively takes two positions, an upper end position and a lower end position, with respect to the movable base 356. .. On the other hand, the work table vertical movement mechanism 372 can position the work table 358 at an arbitrary position between the upper end position and the lower end position with respect to the lifting table 366 by controlling the motor. Has been done. By the way, in FIG. 23, regarding the workbench elevating device 360 on the left side, the elevating platform 366 is located at the lower end position and the workbench 358 is also located at the lower end position. The elevating table 366 is located at the lower end position and the work table 358 is located at the upper end position. For the work table elevating device 360 on the right side, the elevating table 366 is located at the upper end position and the work table 358 is located at the upper end position. The state of being located at the lower end position is shown respectively.

With the above-described configuration, the workbench elevating device 360 functions as the elevating actuator 368 as the first elevating device and the workbench vertical movement mechanism 372 as the second elevating device, respectively, and as shown in FIG. 24, the workbench It is a two-stage lifting device that raises and lowers 358 in two stages, that is, a so-called telescopic type lifting device. In FIG. 24, St1 is the elevating stroke of the elevating table 264 by the elevating actuator 368, and St2 is the elevating stroke of the work table 358 by the work table vertical movement mechanism 372. The height level of the workbench 358 when both the elevating table 366 and the workbench 358 are located at the lower end position (hereinafter, may be referred to as "lowermost position") and both of them are at the upper end position. The difference from the height level of the work table 358 in the positioned state (hereinafter, may be referred to as "uppermost position") is the total stroke (St1 + St2) of the work table 358 by the work table elevating device 360. , The total stroke is relatively large. As described above, since the module 12 can be pulled out forward from the base 10, the upper surface of the work table 358 is located below the upper surface of the base 10 at the lowermost position. By increasing the total stroke, at the uppermost position, the work table 358 can raise the work W5 to a height sufficient for passing the work W5 to and from the work loader 260 described later.

In the left side transfer device unit 352L, as shown in FIG. 7, a work reversing device 354 is attached to the central work table elevating device 360. As shown enlarged in FIG. 25, the work reversing device 354 mainly includes a clamp 384 including a pair of gripping claws 380 and a claw operation actuator 382 that brings the pair of gripping claws 380 closer to each other. It is a component, and further includes a clamp rotation actuator 386 that rotates the clamp 384 by 180 ° by the force of compressed air, and a clamp elevating actuator 388 that raises and lowers the clamp 384 by a predetermined distance by the force of compressed air. .. The clamp elevating actuator 388 is fixed to the elevating table 366 of the work table elevating device 360 via the attachment 390, and the work reversing device 354 moves up and down together with the elevating table 366 by the elevating actuator 360. In the state where the clamp 384 is open, the work table 358 can pass between the pair of gripping claws 380. Further, the pair of gripping claws 380 can be replaced with appropriate ones according to the shape and dimensions of the work to be inverted.

Explaining the inversion of the work in detail with reference to FIG. 26, when the work W6 is inverted, first, the work table 358 on which the work W6 is placed is in the lower end position with respect to the lifting table 366 (FIG. 26 (FIG. 26). From a)), the clamp elevating actuator 388 raises the clamp 384 in the open state by the predetermined distance (FIG. 26 (b)). Next, the work table vertical movement mechanism 372 raises the work table 358 to an appropriate position, for example, a position where the clamp 384 can grip the central portion of the work W6 in the height direction (FIG. 26 (c)). .. Next, after gripping the work W6 with the clamp 384, the work table 358 is lowered to the lower end position by the work table vertical movement mechanism 372, and the work W6 is rotated by 180 ° by the clamp rotation actuator 386 (FIG. 26). (D)). After that, the work table vertical movement mechanism 372 raises the work table 358 to an appropriate position, that is, a position where the upper surface of the work table 358 contacts the lower end surface of the work W6, and releases the grip by the clamp 384 (FIG. 26). (E)). Then, the clamp elevating actuator 388 lowers the clamp 384 in the open state by the predetermined distance to complete the reversal of the work W6 (FIG. 26 (f)). In FIG. 26 (f), the work table 358 is also lowered, but when the work W6 is used for cutting by the module 12 after the work W6 is inverted, the work table 358 may be raised. Good. The above is the cooperative operation of the work reversing device 354 and the work table elevating device 364 regarding the reversing of the work.

The above is a description of the left side transfer device unit 352L, and if the right side transfer device unit 352R, which is not shown, is described with reference to the description and FIG. 27, the right side transfer device unit 352R is roughly on the left side. It can be considered that the left work table 358, which is the additional work table provided in the transfer device unit 352L, and the work table elevating device 364 for raising and lowering the work table 358 have been removed. That is, it is configured to include two work tables 358 which are corresponding work tables and two work table elevating devices 364 for raising and lowering the two work tables 358, respectively, and the dimensions of the movable base 356 in the left-right direction are It is shortened because one work table 358 and one work table elevating device 364 do not exist. Therefore, in the entire system, five work tables 358 are provided, and the five work tables 358 are configured to be arranged in the arrangement direction at equal intervals at the same pitch as the arrangement pitch. The work reversing device 354 described above is attached only to the work table elevating device 360 on the right side of the right side transport device unit 352R.

The work transfer device 350 is configured such that the movable base 356 of the left side transfer device unit 352L and the movable base 356 of the right side transfer device unit 352R move left and right by the same distance in synchronization with each other. That is, the workbench moving device 360 described above causes the five workbench 358s to be moved all at once by a distance corresponding to the array pitch. Specifically, the two movable bases 356 and the five work tables 358 arranged on them reciprocate between the position shown in FIG. 27 (a) and the position shown in FIG. 27 (b). As described above, the work transfer device 350 is configured. By the way, in the state shown in FIG. 27A, each of the four corresponding worktables 358 is set for delivery of the work W7 to the corresponding module (hereinafter, may be referred to as “corresponding module”) 12. It is located at the position (delivery position). In other words, each workbench 358 is located in the home position. On the other hand, in the state shown in FIG. 27 (b), each of the three corresponding work tables 358 on the upstream side (left side) performs a cutting process on one work W7 after the corresponding module 12 (hereinafter, "" It is located at the delivery position with respect to the module 12 on the most upstream side, and the additional workbench 358 existing on the most upstream side is located at the delivery position with respect to the module 12 on the most upstream side. Therefore, the five worktables 358 can be moved all at once in the left-right direction by a distance equal to the arrangement pitch. In the following description, the module 12 that cuts one work W7 before the corresponding module 12 may be referred to as an “upstream module”.

The work is transferred by the work transfer device 350 by repeatedly realizing the state shown in FIG. 27 (a) and the state shown in FIG. 27 (b). More specifically, in the state shown in FIG. 27 (a), the work W7 is placed on the additional work table 358 located on the most upstream side from the carry-in machine installed outside, and the four corresponding work tables 358 are mounted. From the corresponding module 12, the work W7 machined by the corresponding module 12 is placed on each of the above. Next, the five work tables 358 are moved so as to be in the state shown in FIG. 27 (b), and in that state, the work W7 placed on the additional work table 358 is moved to the module 12 located on the most upstream side. , The work W7 mounted on each of the three corresponding work stands 358 on the upstream side is passed to the downstream module 12, respectively, and is mounted on the corresponding work stand 358 located on the most downstream side (right side). The work W7 is handed over to an unloader installed outside. Then, after that, in a state where the work W7 is not placed on any of the work tables 358, the five work tables 358 are positioned at the positions shown in FIG. 27 (a). In other words, there is a return to the home position. By repeating such an operation, a plurality of workpieces are sequentially conveyed in the system via the plurality of modules 12.

In this system, the work transfer device 350 is provided with an additional work table 358 and a work table elevating device 360 for raising and lowering the additional work table 358 in addition to the corresponding work table 358 and the work table elevating device 360 for raising and lowering them. However, the additional work table 358 and the work table elevating device 360 for raising and lowering the additional work table 358 may be provided on the downstream side. Even in that case, the work can be conveyed by the same operation. Further, it is not necessary to provide the additional work table 358 and the work table elevating device 360 for raising and lowering the additional work table 358. In that case, the work transfer device 350 is configured so that the five work tables move by a distance corresponding to the arrangement pitch, both upstream and downstream with respect to the home position. The work transfer device 350 can carry the work into and out of the system, carry out the work from the system, and transfer the work between the modules 12.

Further, in this system, a work reversing device 354 is provided for each of the work table 358 in the center of the left side transfer device unit 352L and the work table 358 on the left side of the right side transfer unit 352R (☆ in FIG. 27). Marked area). The workpiece reversing device 354 provided in this way is used between the cutting by the leftmost module 12 and the cutting by the second module 12 from the left, and by the second module 12 from the right, respectively. It is possible to reverse the work between the machining and the cutting by the module 12 on the far right. That is, the work reversing device 354 may be provided on the work table 358 according to the location where the work is desired to be reversed. By providing the work reversing device 354 for each of all the corresponding work tables 358, even when the place where the work should be reversed should be changed by changing the type of the work, the work reversing device 354 is not replaced. , It is possible to respond quickly to the change.

The work conveyed by the work transfer device 350 is carried from the work table 358 by the work loader 260 shown in FIG. 9 and mounted on the chuck 46 attached to the spindle 32 of the module 12. Further, the work completed in the module 12 is carried from the chuck 46 by the work loader 260 and placed on the work table 358. As shown in FIG. 28, the work loader 260 includes the above-mentioned base beam 262 supported by the bed 22 so as to extend forward from the bed 22, and the above-mentioned guide 264 supported by the base beam 262. A slide 400 provided so as to be movable in the front-rear direction along the guide 264, a slide moving mechanism 402 for moving the slide 400 back and forth, and a work holding device 404 supported by the slide 400 to hold the work are included. It is composed of. A rail 406 is laid on the guide 264, and the slide 400 slides on the rail 406. The slide moving mechanism 402 is screwed with the motor 408 supported by the base beam 262, the screw rod 410 rotatably arranged on the base beam 262 in a posture extending back and forth, and the screw rod 410 held by the slide 400. It is configured to include a nut (not shown). The nut and the screw rod 410 constitute a ball screw mechanism. The rotation of the motor 408 is transmitted by the pulleys 421 and 414 and the belt 416, so that the screw rod 410 rotates, and the slide 400 moves in the front-rear direction with the rotation. The work holding device 404 is provided on each of the chuck table 418 provided on the slide 400 so as to be rotatable around an axis extending in the left-right direction and the chuck table 418 facing each other, and each holds the work 2. It has one chuck 420 and. The chuck table 418 is rotated by a table rotation mechanism 424 having a motor 422 and provided on the slide 400, and can take an arbitrary rotation posture in a range of 360 °.

As can be seen from FIG. 29, in the work holding device 404, when one of the two chucks 420 faces the chuck 46, the work table 358 is located so that the axes of the two chucks coincide with each other and are located at the delivery position. The axes of the two chucks 420 are arranged so as to coincide with each other in a state where one of the two chucks 420 faces the workbench 358. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 29, attachment / detachment of the work to the chuck 46 and transfer of the work between the work module 12 and the work transfer device 350 will be described with an example. The position of the work holding device 404 in the latter state may also be referred to as a delivery position for the device 404.

When the workpiece W8 whose machining has been completed (hereinafter, may be referred to as “machining completed workpiece”) is separated from the chuck 46, as shown in FIG. 29 (a), the work holding device 404 is a chuck 46. It is moved to a nearby attachment / detachment position, and receives the work W8 from the chuck 46 at one of its two chucks 420. At that time, the other of the two chucks 420 already holds the work W8 to be machined (hereinafter, may be referred to as “work not finished”), and the work holding device 404 holds the work completed. After receiving the W8, the chuck table is moved to a position slightly away from the chuck 46, and the chuck table 418 is rotated by 180 ° at that position. Then, returning to the attachment / detachment position again, the unprocessed work W8 is passed to the chuck 46. In this way, the machining completed work W8 is detached and the machining unfinished work W8 is attached continuously in a short time, so that the time when the module 12 is not machining the work is shortened as much as possible. is there.

When the machined work W8 is placed on the work table (corresponding work table) 358 located at the delivery position, the work holding device 404 sets the delivery position for the work holding device 404 as shown in FIG. 29 (b). The work table 418 is rotated so that the work completed work W8 is located directly below the work holding device 404. In that state, the work table 358 is raised to the set position by the work table elevating device 360, and the machining completed work W8 is placed on the work table 358. After the workbench 358 is lowered to the lower end position, the five workbench 358s of the system are simultaneously moved downstream by the workbench moving device 364 by a distance corresponding to the arrangement pitch. As a result, the work table (additional work table or the corresponding work table of the upstream module) 358 on which the unprocessed work W8 is placed is located at the delivery position. In that state, by raising the work table 358 to the set position, the unprocessed work W8 placed on the work table 358 is held by the work holding device 404. In this way, the machining completed work W8 and the machining unfinished work W8 are continuously delivered between the module 12 and the work transfer device 350. During this delivery, the module 12 processes the work W8 mounted on the chuck 46.

In view of the operation of the work loader 260 described above, the work loader 260 transfers the work mounted on the work table 358 to the position where the cutting process is performed, that is, the work position, and moves the work to the work position. It functions as a work transfer device that transfers from the position to the work table 358.

[G] Module Arrangement and Module Variations In the system according to the claimable invention, the concept of "arrangement area" is adopted for the arrangement on the base of the module. As shown in FIG. 30, the arrangement area R is a virtual space partitioned on the base B, and can be considered as a unit space for defining the space in which the module M is arranged. As can be seen from FIG. 30, the arrangement regions R are arranged in the arrangement direction so as to be in contact with each other without any interval. If the width of each arrangement area R is called the area width WR, the area width WR of each arrangement area R is equal to each other.

FIG. 30 represents the above system in which four modules 12 are arranged on the base 10, four arrangement areas R are set on the base 10, and one module 12 is set in each of the arrangement areas R. Is arranged. Taking into consideration FIGS. 1, 3, 7, and the like, when the width of the module is the module width WM, in the above system, the module width WM of each module 12 is substantially equal to the area width WR of the arrangement area R. (Strictly speaking, the module width WM is slightly smaller than the region width WR), and as described above, the four modules 12 are arranged close to each other. Each module 12 does not protrude into the adjacent arrangement area R and occupies only one arrangement area R. Therefore, each module 12 can be considered as a "single area occupied module". The "arrangement pitch" of the four modules 12 can be considered as the interval in the arrangement direction of the center in the width direction of the module 12, and the arrangement pitch P of the module 12 of the above system is the center in the width direction of the arrangement area R. The spacing in the arrangement direction, that is, the area width WR is equal to.

Explaining the above-mentioned system with reference to FIGS. 7, 8, 13, and the like, a pair of wheels 20 of each module 12 rolls on the base 10 corresponding to the four modules 12. Four rail pairs 150 composed of a pair of rails 152 are provided, and the four rail pairs 150 are arranged in each of the four arrangement regions R. That is, a trajectory forming member that forms a trajectory for drawing out the module 12 is arranged for each arrangement region R. Further, the module drive motor 162, the pinion 164, etc., which are the base-side components constituting the module drive mechanism 166 described above, also correspond to the four arrangement regions R and are attached to the base 10 in each of the four arrangement regions R. Have been placed. Similarly, the locking rod 216, the locking rod actuating device 210 and the like, which are the base-side components constituting the module fixing mechanism described above, also correspond to the four arrangement regions R in each of the four arrangement regions R. It is arranged on the base 10. In the above system, the base 10 is composed of a plurality of, more specifically, two base units 16, and a plurality of base units 16 are provided in each base unit 16 without dividing any of the arrangement areas R. Specifically, two arrangement areas R are set. Further, a work table 358 included in the work transfer device 350 is also provided corresponding to each arrangement area R. That is, the above-mentioned corresponding work table 358 is provided for each arrangement area R.

The rail pair 150, the base-side component of the module drive mechanism 166, and the base-side component of the module fixing mechanism are arranged on the base 10 for each arrangement area R, whereas the module 12 has the module 12 as described above. In the bed 22 as a movable base, two pairs of wheels 20, a module-side component of the module drive mechanism 166, and a module-side component of the module fixing mechanism are arranged (see FIG. 15). The rail pair 150, the base side component of the module drive mechanism 166, and the base side component of the module fixing mechanism have the same configuration in all the arrangement areas R, and correspondingly, the four modules 12 have the same configuration. The beds 22 are the same in size, shape, and structure. That is, the bed 22 in which the two pairs of wheels 20, the module side component of the module drive mechanism 166, and the module fixing mechanism are arranged is common in specifications and configurations. In other words, the bed 22 is common. It is modularized so that it has the configuration of. Thanks to this commonality, in this system, for example, various modules that can be arranged on the bed 10 by fixing another type of working machine body to the bed 22 instead of the lathe body 24. It can be easily manufactured.

In the system described above, four arrangement areas R are set on the base 10, but if two or more arrangement areas R are set, it can be a suitable system. Further, in the system described above, the base 10 is composed of a plurality of, specifically, two base units 16, but one base may be composed of three or more base units BU. When a plurality of base units are adopted, it is desirable that a plurality of arrangement areas R are set in each of the plurality of base units as in the system described above.

As a general rule, the arrangement area R is set so that two or more modules M or a part thereof do not exist in the area R. In accordance with that principle, in the system described above, as described above, only one module 12 exists in each arrangement area R, and all four modules 12 possessed by the system are all present. It is a single area occupancy module that fits in one arrangement area R. As a modified example system different from such a system, instead of the single area occupying module M, as shown in FIG. 31A, the module M'that occupies a plurality of arrangement areas R, that is, the multiple area occupying module It is also possible to construct a system in which M'is placed. In the system shown in FIG. 31 (a), specifically, the module M mounted on the right base unit BU constituting the base B is a module that occupies two arrangement areas R. In this system as well, the three modules M and M'are arranged close to each other, and the module width WM'of the module M'is approximately an integral multiple, specifically twice the module width WM of the module M. It is said that.

When arranging the plurality of area occupying modules, for example, one of the pair of wheels 20 of the module is arranged corresponding to one of the plurality of arranging areas R occupied by the module. One of the pair of rails 152 constituting the rail pair 150 is rolled, and the other is a pair of rail pairs 150 arranged corresponding to another one of the plurality of arrangement regions R. One of the rails 152 may be rolled. Specifically, in the system shown in FIG. 31 (a), the left side of the pair of wheels 20 of the module M'occupying two arrangement areas is the two arrangement areas R occupied by the module M'. The left side of the pair of rails 152 constituting the rail pair 150 arranged corresponding to the left side of the wheel is rolled, and the right side of the pair of wheels 20 is the two arrangement areas R. Of the pair of rails 152 constituting the rail pair 150 arranged so as to correspond to the one on the right side of the rail, the one on the right side is rolled. Simply put, since the pair of wheels 20 are configured to roll the outer two of the four rails 152 arranged in the two arrangement regions R in the arrangement direction, respectively. is there.

When a plurality of area occupying modules M'are arranged, the module drive motor 162, the base side component of the module drive mechanism 166 such as the pinion 164, and the locking rod 216, which are the base side components of the module drive mechanism 166, are arranged with respect to the module M'. , The base-side components of the module fixing mechanism such as the locking rod actuating device 210 correspond to a plurality of components corresponding to the plurality of arrangement areas R, respectively. In that case, for the plurality of area occupying modules M', any one of the plurality of base-side components may be used. Further, with respect to the plurality of area occupying modules M', the work table 358 of the work transfer device 350 also has a plurality of work tables corresponding to the plurality of arrangement areas R. In that case, in view of the operation of the work transfer device 350, the unprocessed work placed on the most upstream side of the plurality of corresponding work tables 358 is set at the work position in the multiple area occupancy module M'. It is desirable to adopt a work loader configured to transfer and transfer the machined work from the work position to the most downstream side of the two corresponding work tables 358.

Further, in the system described above, it is assumed that all of the four modules 12 have a module width WM that does not extend beyond the arrangement area R. For example, 2 arranged at both ends in the arrangement direction. At least one of the modules may extend outward in the array direction. FIG. 31 (b) shows an example of the system shown as such, and in the system shown in FIG. 31 (b), the rightmost module M ”extrudes from the arrangement area R. More specifically, in the arrangement direction, it is designed to protrude from the base B in an overhanging state. In this system, even if the module width WM is larger than the region width WR, the base width is the base width. It is possible to place it on the relatively small base B of.

In the system described above, the modules 12 are all lathe modules or drilling machines / milling machines, but in the system according to the claimable invention, the modules arranged on the base are those lathing modules or drilling machines / milling machines. Not limited to modules, various machine tool modules in which other types of machine tools such as machining centers, grinding machines, and polishing machines are modularized can be arranged on the base. Further, in the system according to the claimable invention, in addition to the machine tool module, the pretreatment machine module in which the pretreatment machine that pretreats the work prior to machining is modularized and the work result of machining are inspected. It is possible to arrange post-processing machine modules, which are modularized post-processing machines such as inspection machines, on the base. Furthermore, for the supply work module that supplies the work to the work machine module, or for the work that has been machined by the machine tool module to be received from the module and carried out from the system. It is possible to arrange various work machine modules other than the machine tool module, such as a storage machine module in which the completed work storage machine to be stocked is modularized, as a base.

10: Base 12: Work machine module [Work machine module] [Turn module] [Drilling machine / milling machine module] 16: Base unit 20: Wheels 22: Bed [Movable table] 24: Lumber body [Working machine body] 26: Control board 32: Spindle 34: Bit [Tool] 36: Tool holding head 38: Head moving device 42: Spindle casing 100: Tool holding head 102: Straight type drill [Tool] 104: Angular type drill [Tool] 106: End mill [ Tools] 132: Spindle 134: Spindle casing 150: Rail vs. 152: Rail 160: Rack bar [Rack] [Module side component] 162: Module drive motor [Drive source] [Base side component] 164: Pinion [Base Side component] 166: Module drive mechanism 170: Transfer trolley 190: Module moving device 210: Locking rod operating device [Locking part operating device] [Module fixing mechanism] [Base side component] 216: Locking rod [ Locking part] [Module fixing mechanism] [Base side component] 244: Counterbore part [Locked part] [Module fixing mechanism] [Module side component] 250: Coolant tank 254: Work space housing 260: Work loader [Work transfer device] 270: Opening 274: Receiving cylinder [Receiving port] 292: Screw conveyor [Cutting waste discharging device] 318: Receiving cylinder elevating mechanism [Receiving port retracting mechanism] 320: Deployable coolant receiver 350: Work transfer device 352 : Conveyor unit 354: Work reversing device 358: Work table 360: Work table elevating device 364: Work table moving device W1 to W8: Work WS: Work space R: Arrangement area B: Base BU: Base unit M: Module [Single One area occupying module] M': Module [Multiple area occupying module] M ": Module WR: Area width WM: Module width WM': Module width P: Arrangement pitch

Claims (2)

A machine tool system including a base, a plurality of work machine modules mounted on the base, and a work transfer device for transporting a work across the plurality of work machine modules.
The plurality of work machine modules
It is equipped with a spindle for rotating the workpiece and a tool holding head that selectively holds the cutting tool and the drill, and is configured to process the workpiece by a selected one of the cutting tool and the drill. A machine tool system characterized by including a machine tool module. A machine tool system including a base, a plurality of work machine modules mounted on the base, and a work transfer device for transporting a work across the plurality of work machine modules.
The plurality of work machine modules
A lathe module having a spindle for rotating a work and a tool holding head for holding a cutting tool, and cutting a work rotated by the spindle with a cutting tool held by the tool holding head.
It is provided with a spindle for rotating the work, a tool holding head for holding the drill, and a tool rotating device for rotating the drill held by the tool holding head around the axis of the tool, and the spindle can be used to rotate the drill to an arbitrary rotation position. A machining system comprising a drilling machine module for drilling a positioned workpiece with a drill held by the tool holding head.

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