JP2858810B2 - Processing system with transfer control device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a processing system having a transfer control device for issuing a command to transfer a pallet by a transfer device between a loading station, a buffer station, and a machine tool. About.

<Prior Art> As a work transfer method in such a conventional processing system, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, a single pallet P9 with an unprocessed work is placed on a transfer device (transfer cart) 1 from a loading station LS1 to a buffer station BS1. Is transported and waited. This is necessary when there is no pallet with a machined work to be taken out on the machine tool side and the pallet cannot be exchanged with the machine tool, or the type of work to be machined changes while the machining system is operating and the machine tool needs to be replaced. By using the buffer station BS1 as a temporary storage place when the machine becomes empty and as a place to store pallets with workpieces for unmanned operation of the processing system.

In the case of using such a buffer station, the pallet P2 with the processed work in the machine tool MT1 is removed from the machine tool MT1, and the transfer device (transfer carriage) 1
After transferring to the loading station LS1, the pallet P9 with the unprocessed workpiece is transferred to the buffer station BS.
The method of transferring from 1 to the machine tool MT1 is used.

<Problem to be Solved by the Invention> However, in such a conventional pallet transfer method, an operator attaches an unprocessed work to the pallet at a loading station, and replaces the pallet with a pallet with a processed work in the machine tool MT1. In manned operation, it is not necessary to pass the pallet with unprocessed work through the buffer station, and if the transfer device passes through the buffer station, a useless transfer process may occur, which may reduce the operating efficiency of the machine tool and the productivity of the processed work. There is.

<Means for Solving the Problems> In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a first method for issuing a command to a transfer device to load and unload a work between a loading station, a buffer station, and a pallet changer. Priority is given to the operating means, the second operating means for instructing the transfer device to carry in and out the work only between the loading station and the pallet changer, and the second operating means when there is a processed pallet on the pallet changer And priority selection means for selectively selecting.

<Operation> When the first operating means is commanded, the transport device transports the unprocessed pallet loaded from the loading station to the buffer station by a signal from the transport control device, and then places it on the pallet changer in the machine tool. The processed pallets are exchanged with the unprocessed pallets on the buffer station, and the processed pallets are transported to the loading station.

When the second operating means is commanded, the transfer device transfers the unprocessed pallets loaded from the loading station directly to the pallet changer without going through the buffer station and interchanges them with the processed pallets on the pallet changer. The unloaded processed pallet is transported to the loading station.

On the other hand, when there is a processed pallet on the pallet changer, the second operating means is preferentially selected by the priority selecting means.

<Example> Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First
In the figure, a transfer path 10 is a transfer device for transferring a work W.
This shows 11 movable courses and this transport device (transportation trolley)
11 is provided with two pallets P on which the work W is placed. On the numerically controlled machine tools MT1 and MT2 arranged along the transfer path 10, two sets of pallet changers PC1 and PC2 are installed.

A loading station for loading and unloading pallets P along the transport path 10;
LS is provided, and buffer stations BS1 to BSn for storing the pallets P are provided.

Next, the configuration of the control device will be described. The computer 20 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 20a and priority selection means 26 described later, and a magnetic disk device 21 is connected to the computer 20. NC1 and NC2 are numerical control devices provided corresponding to the numerically controlled machine tools MT1 and MT2, respectively. The numerical control devices NC1 and NC2 are connected to the computer 20 via an interface 22 and required by the computer 20. Numerical control data is transmitted. The computer 20 is connected to a transfer control device 24 via an interface 23 and also to an operation panel (selection means) 25. Switches SW1 and SW2 are arranged on the operation panel 25. The switch SW1 (first operating means) is a transport system using the buffer stations BS1 to BSn, and the switch SW2 (second operating means) is connected to the buffer stations BS1 to BS1. Command as a transport system that does not use BSn.
If there is a processed pallet on one of the pallet changers PC1 and PC2, the priority selection means 26 for automatically selecting the switch SW2 with priority even when the switch SW1 is selected is connected to the CPU 20a. Have been.

The transfer control device 24 controls transfer of the pallet P by the transfer device 11 based on a signal from the computer 20, and includes buffer stations BS1 to BSn and machine tools MT1,
The transfer of the pallet P is controlled between each of the MT2 and the loading station LS.

Next, a method of controlling pallet conveyance in the above-described processing system will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the pallet changer PC
When there is no processed work pallet in either PC1 or PC2 (40) and the operator selects switch SW1 (first operating means) on operation panel 25 (41), The transport device 11 is loaded by the loading station LS
Pallet P2 with unprocessed work taken out from
It is transported to the machine tool MT1 set by the CPU 20a, and waits until the processing is completed. When the machining of the work is completed by the machine tool MT1, the pallet changer PC1 rotates by 180 °, and the positions of the pallet P3 with the unprocessed work and the pallet P4 with the work already placed on the pallet changer PC1 are exchanged. Then, the processing of the pallet P3 with the unprocessed work by the machine tool MT1 is started.

On the other hand, the processed work pallet P4 is unloaded from the pallet changer PC1 to the transfer device 11, and the unprocessed work pallet P2 is instead transferred to the pallet changer PC1 of the machine tool MT1 (42). After that, the pallet P4 with the processed work on the transfer device 11 is
Conveyed to LS.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pallet changer PC
1. If there is no pallet with a machined work in PC2 (40) and the operator selects switch SW2 (41) and there is a pallet P5 with a machined work in buffer stations BS1 to BSn (43), The pallet P6 with the unprocessed work on the loading station LS is transferred to the buffer stations BS1 to BSn by the transfer device 11, and the pallet P5 with the processed work on the buffer stations BS1 to BSn is transferred to the loading station LS (44 ). Later, when the pallet P7 with the processed work is completed by the machine tool MT1, the pallet P8 with the unprocessed work and the pallet P7 with the processed work previously placed on the pallet changer PC1 are exchanged, and the pallet P7 with the processed work is replaced by the machine tool MT1. Processing of the pallet P8 with a processing work is started. After the pallet P6 with unworked work is taken out of the buffer stations BS1 to BSn by the transfer device 11 and transferred to the machine tool MT1 side, the pallet P6 with unworked work is transferred to the pallet changer PC1 (47), and the transfer device The pallet P7 with the processed work is carried into 11 and transported to the loading station LS.

Further, when there is no pallet with a processed work on the machine tools MT1 and MT2, and there is an empty station ST on which no pallet is placed on the buffer stations BS1 to BSn (4
5), the unprocessed pallets on the loading station LS are transferred to the empty station ST by the transfer device 11 and stored for use during unmanned operation such as lunch break. For example, if SW1 is selected shortly before lunch break using a timer built in the CPU 20a and switched to SW2 at the end of lunch break, it is possible to automatically switch between unmanned operation and manned operation.

Even if the operator selects the switch SW1, if at least one of the pallet changers PC1 and PC2 has a pallet with a processed work, priority selection means
The switch SW1 is ignored by 26, and the transfer device 11 transfers and unloads the pallets between the loading station LS and the pallet changers PC1 and PC2 without passing through the buffer stations BS1 to BSn.

As described above, by activating the switch SW2 for manned operation, the operation does not pass through the buffer stations BS1 to BSn, so that the transfer process of the transfer device 11 is not wasted, and the transfer efficiency is improved. Further, when the switch SW1 is operated, the buffer stations BS1 to BSn can be used, and the buffer stations can be sufficiently used as unmanned operation.

As another embodiment of the present embodiment, even in the transfer device 1 for loading one pallet, if a pallet changer is always provided with an empty space on which a pallet with an unprocessed work can be placed,
The pallets can be exchanged between the pallet changer and the transfer device without reciprocating the transfer device twice between the pallet changer and the loading station, thereby improving transfer efficiency.

<Effect of the Invention> As described above, the present invention provides a
Since the first operating means using the buffer station and the second operating means not using the buffer station are provided so as to be selectable, the number of transport steps is reduced in the second operating means, the transport efficiency is improved, and the operation of the machine tool is improved. The rate and the productivity of the work increase. Further, when there is a processed work on the machine tool side, even if the first operating means is selected, the priority selecting means switches to the second operating means, so that the transport efficiency is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration diagram of the present invention, and FIGS.
4 shows a moving course of each of the transfer devices when SW1 and SW2 are selected. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing commands from the computer in FIG. 1, and FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... 1 sheet conveyance apparatus, 10 ... conveyance path, 11 ... conveyance apparatus, 20 ... computer, 21 ... magnetic disk drive,
24 ... Transfer control device, 25 ... Operation panel, 26 ... Priority selection means, MT1, MT2 ... Machine tool, NC1, NC2 ... Numerical control device, LS, LS1 ... Loading station, BSn ~ BS1 ...
... Buffer station, PC1, PC2 ... Pallet changer, SW1 ... Variable operating means, SW2 ... Operating means, P ...
… Pallets, P2, P3, P6, P8, P9 …… Pallets with unprocessed work, P4, P5, P7, P10 …… Pallets with processed work.

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-61-79554 (JP, A) JP-A-61-44565 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B23Q 41/02

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A loading station for loading a work on a pallet, a plurality of machine tools for processing the work on the loaded pallet, a pallet changer provided on the machine tool for loading and unloading the pallet, and the pallet. A buffer station capable of storing a plurality of, a transport device that transports a plurality of pallets between each of the loading station and the machine tool and the buffer station, and a processing system including a transport control device that controls the transport device, First operating means for instructing the transfer device to load and unload a work between the loading station, the buffer station, and the pallet changer; and unloading of the work only between the loading station and the pallet changer And a priority selecting means for preferentially selecting the second operating means when there is a processed pallet on the pallet changer. A processing system equipped with a unique transport control device.