JP3076595B2 - Machine Tools - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a machine tool provided with a tool changing mechanism, and in particular, it is possible to reduce the width in the X-axis direction near a column supporting a spindle head and to change a tool. The present invention relates to an improvement in an arrangement position of a tool changing mechanism which can improve a tool changing speed by bringing a mechanism close to a spindle head.

[Conventional technology]

As an arrangement structure of a tool changing mechanism in a machine tool in which a spindle head is slidably supported vertically by a column, for example, a structure schematically shown in FIGS. 11 (a) and 12 (a) is general. . In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes a column supported by a saddle (not shown) so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction. The saddle is supported by a bed so as to be movable in the X-axis direction. Reference numeral 2 denotes a spindle head in which a spindle 3 is disposed, and a pair of slide portions 2a or 2 protruding from the spindle head 2.
b is supported by the linear guide portion 1a or the slide groove 1b of the column 1 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction (perpendicular to the paper surface), whereby the spindle head 2 is movable in the X, Y and Z-axis directions. ing.

An exchange mechanism 4 of a tool exchange device is arranged on the side of the column 1 in the X-axis direction. The exchange mechanism 4 grips the tool with grips formed at both ends of the exchange arm, lowers the exchange arm in this state, rotates it 180 °, and then raises it to its original position. It is configured to supply a desired tool to the spindle 3.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

In order to increase the exchange speed in the tool exchange device, it is effective to shorten the exchange arm as much as possible and to enable high-speed rotation.
It is necessary to make the distance A between the switch and the exchange mechanism 4 as small as possible. Further, the distance A needs to be reduced in order to make the area around the column compact.

On the other hand, in supporting the spindle head 2, in order to reduce the adverse effect on the machining accuracy due to thermal expansion or the like, it is necessary to use FIG.
(C), or as shown in FIGS. 12 (b) and 12 (c), it is effective to position the formation positions of the slide projections 2a and 2b on the side of the axis of the spindle head in the X-axis direction. There is ideally, as shown in FIG. 11 (c) and FIG. 12 (c), the axis is coincident with the axis.

However, the conventional machine tool employs a structure in which the exchange mechanism 4 is disposed on the side of the column 1 in the X-axis direction, so that the position at which the slide protrusions 2a and 2b are formed is closer to the ideal position. The exchange mechanism 4 will be separated from the main shaft 3. Therefore, as the adverse effect on the machining accuracy is reduced, the length of the replacement arm becomes longer. Therefore, it is not possible to achieve high-speed tool replacement, and it is not possible to achieve compactness around the column.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and can reduce the distance between the tool changing mechanism and the spindle, thereby increasing the speed of tool changing and reducing the size around the column. The purpose is to provide a machine tool that has been developed.

[Means for solving the problem]

The present invention provides a spindle head having a pair of slide portions, a column having a pair of guide portions for supporting the slide portions movably in a vertical direction, removing a tool attached to the spindle of the spindle head, and removing the spindle. A tool changer that supplies a desired tool to the machine tool,
The tool changer is mounted on a tool magazine for holding a plurality of tools, and a tool held in the tool magazine and pivoted around a rotation axis parallel to the spindle head and moved in the axial direction. A tool exchange mechanism having an exchange arm for exchanging a tool.The tool exchange mechanism is provided with the spindle head in a direction orthogonal to a straight line connecting the pair of slide parts from the front side of the machine. In the area projected in the entire axial movement range of the head, the replacement arm was arranged so as to be close to the spindle on the back side of the spindle head, and the tool magazine was arranged on the back side of the tool exchange mechanism. It is characterized by:

Here, in the area where the spindle head is projected in the present invention,
This means a projection area in the entire axial movement range of the spindle head. The arrangement of the tool exchange mechanism in the area includes not only the case where all the tool exchange mechanisms are arranged in the area, but also the case where the main part thereof, at least the exchange arm, is arranged.

[Action]

According to the machine tool of the present invention, since the tool changing mechanism is arranged in the area where the spindle head is projected in a direction orthogonal to the straight line connecting the pair of slide portions, that is, at the Y-axis direction position of the spindle head. Even when the slide portion is arranged on the X-axis passing through the axis of the spindle head, the disposition position of the tool change mechanism is not restricted by the slide portion, so that the tool change mechanism is brought closer to the main shaft. be able to. Accordingly, the exchange arm can be shortened, and the rotation speed of the arm can be increased, and as a result, the tool exchange speed can be further improved. Further, the circumference of the column can be made smaller than in the conventional example in which the tool changing mechanism is arranged at the position of the column in the X-axis direction.

〔Example〕

 Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 to 9 are views for explaining a vertical machining center according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 are side views, front views, plan views, and FIGS. 4
Figures 5 and 5 are cross-sectional side views and plan views of the spindle head. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are side views, plan views, and operation explanatory views of the tool changer. Figs. It is the front view and side view of a shutter mechanism.

Mainly in FIGS. 1 to 3, reference numeral 10 denotes a vertical machining center provided with two processing stations in the X-axis direction, which comprises a bed 12 fixed on a base surface 11.
A saddle 13 arranged on the bed 12 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction; a column 14 arranged on the saddle 13 so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction; A spindle head 15 movably supported, and a pair of tables 16, 1 arranged at the respective processing stations on the bed 12.
6 and an automatic tool changer (ATC) 17 for automatically supplying a desired tool to the spindle head 15. Reference numeral 10a is a cover surrounding the periphery of the machining center 10.

The bed 12 has a saddle support portion 12b on the back side of the bed body 12a which is inclined so that the front side (the left side in FIG. 1) is lower.
Are formed on the front side with a pair of table support portions 12c, 12c.
Is fixed. The table 16 has a two-stage structure including a lower table 16a and an upper table 16b. The use of the two-stage type table in this way is used to process a short work in a state where both tables 16a and 16b are mounted, and to process a tall work, or when using a rotary table. This is because the upper table 16b is detached and processed to cope with a wide range of works.

The bed 12 is provided with a front conveyor 18a so as to be located below the table 16 in front of the table 16, and the table 1
The rear conveyors 18b are respectively arranged so as to be located on the lower side of the rear side of the rear panel 6. The conveyors 18a and 18b extend over the entire length of the bed 12. Reference numeral 56 denotes an NC control device.

The saddle 13 has a pair of linear guides 19a fixed thereto, which are guided in the X-axis direction by a pair of slide rails 19b formed on the saddle support portion 12b, and a ball screw mechanism 19c.
It is driven by. Column 14
The pair of linear guides 20a fixed to the
It is guided in the Y-axis direction by a pair of slide rails 20b formed on the upper surface of 3, and is driven by a ball screw mechanism 20c.

The spindle head 15 has a pair of linear guides 2 having a pair of slide rails 21b formed thereon fixed to the column 14.
It is guided in the Z-axis direction at 1a, and is driven by the ball screw mechanism 21c. The spindle head 15 is shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, a spindle 23 and a spindle
The structure accommodates a built-in motor 24 that rotationally drives the motor 23 and an unclamping cylinder 25 that presses a clamp rod 23a inserted into the main shaft 23. The above spindle
23 is rotatably supported via a bearing 27 by a holding member 26 disposed in the spindle case 22. A tool 50 is provided by a clamp spring (not shown) urging the clamp rod 23a upward in the figure. Are fitted and held in the tapered portion 23b of the main shaft 23, and the tool 50 is moved by the unclamping cylinder 25 lowering the clamp rod 23a.
It comes out of the.

The spindle case 22 is a substantially rectangular cylindrical body having an opening 22b at an upper end, and the guide rail 21b is formed on a wall surface on the back side thereof. The unclamping cylinder 25 is inserted from the opening 22b and suspended by a bracket 28.A lid 28a formed on the upper surface of the bracket 28 covers the opening 22b, and the spindle case
22 is fixed to the upper end surface with bolts 28b.

The automatic tool changing device 17 includes a magazine 29 provided at a rear end of the saddle 13, a tool changing mechanism 30 provided at a front end of the saddle 13, and a magazine 29 disposed between the magazine 29 and the magazine 29. And a transport mechanism 31 that reciprocates the tool 50 between them.

The magazine 29 is configured such that a base member 32a having a magazine shaft 32b formed thereon is fixed to the rear end of the saddle 13, and the magazine shaft 32b supports a boss 33b of a disk-shaped magazine plate 33a. It has a structure in which a large number of sets of clamp holders 34 are arranged on the lower surface of 33a. Each of the clamp holders 34 has a pair of gripping arms 34b.
While urging it so that its front part closes,
The structure is such that a locking key 34a is arranged between both arms. When the tool 50 is pushed between the clamp claws 34c of the gripping arm 34b, the clamp claws 34c grip the locking groove 50b of the tool 50, and the locking key is inserted into the key groove 50a of the locking groove 50b.
34a engages. Reference numeral 35 denotes a gear for rotating the magazine plate 33a.

Further, the transport mechanism 31 covers a pot 36 that covers the tapered portion 50d of the tool 50 and grips the upper end locking portion 50c of the tool 50.
And a reciprocating mechanism 38 for reciprocating the pot 36 between the magazine 29 and the tool changing mechanism 30 in the tunnel 13a of the saddle 13. The pot 36 is rotatably supported by a support member 36a. The support member 36a is supported by a vertical guide 39 so as to be able to move up and down, and the support member 36a can be locked by a vertical movement arm 40b in which a rod 40a is connected to a cylinder 37a of the vertical movement mechanism 37. It has a groove 36c. The upper and lower guide 39 is a guide plate 39a.
The cylinder 38a of the reciprocating mechanism 38 is connected to the reciprocating mechanism 38 while being guided by the cylinder. As a result, the pot 36 moves up and down between a position covering the tapered portion 50d of the tool 50 and a position above the tapered portion 50d.
It reciprocates with the magazine 39 between the magazine 29 and the tool changing mechanism 30.

A guide plate 41 is provided on the side of the reciprocating path of the pot 36. The guide plate 41 is formed with a drive cam 41a for rotating the pot 36 and a holding cam 41b for holding the pot 36 at a predetermined angle. When the shoe 36b formed on the pot 36 contacts or slides on the driving cam 41a and the holding cam 41b, the pot 36 rotates so that the key groove 50a of the tool 50 rotates 90 degrees. An urging spring 42 urges the pot 36 to a neutral position.

The tool changing mechanism 30 is configured such that a replacement arm 44 is fixed to an upper end of a drive shaft 43a of a drive unit 43, and the drive unit 43 is attached to a lower surface of a front end portion of the saddle 13, and the replacement arm 44 Is located in the tunnel 13a of the saddle 13. Here, the main part of the tool changing mechanism 30 is located on the back side of the spindle head 15 (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1) located at its lower end position. In other words, the tool change mechanism 30 moves the spindle head 15 from the machine front side to the rear side in a direction orthogonal to a straight line connecting the slide rails 21b, 21b when viewed from above.
Are located in the area where the is projected. Replacement arm 44
Gripping claws 4 that lock and hold the locking groove 50b of the tool 50
4a and a pressing pin 44c are formed.
A locking key 44b for locking the key groove 50a of the tool 50 is formed near the center of a.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a shutter mechanism 55 for opening and closing the front end opening of the tunnel 13a is provided at the front end of the saddle 13. This shutter mechanism
55, a shutter plate 51 large enough to close the front end opening of the tunnel 13a;
A pair of right guide plates 52 and the shutter plate 51
And a pair of left and right vertical cylinders 53 for vertically moving the guide plate 52, and a pair of left and right vertical cylinders 54 for swinging the guide plate 52 back and forth. Guide plate above
52 has an upper end portion pivotally supported by the left and right portions of the saddle 13, and the vertical movement cylinder 53 has left and right flange portions 51a integrally formed with the shutter plate 51.
And the guide plate 52. Thus, the shutter plate 51 can be inclined together with the guide plate 52 so that the lower portion is located on the front side.
51 is prevented from interfering with the tool changing mechanism 30.

 Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

In the vertical machining center 10 of the present embodiment, the saddle 13,
The work on the table 16 is processed by the column 14 moving in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and the spindle head 15 moving in the Z-axis direction. At this time, saddle 13 tunnel 13
The front opening of a is the shutter plate 5 of the shutter mechanism 55.
The upper part of the tool exchange mechanism 30, the transport mechanism 31, and the like are hidden behind the shutter plate 51. Further, in the apparatus of this embodiment, while processing is being performed in one of the processing stations, for example, the processing station indicated by the solid line in FIG. 2, removal of the processed work is performed in the other processing station indicated by the two-dot chain line. In addition, setup work such as installation of a work before processing is performed, so that all time other than the moving time between the two stations can be used for processing, and the loss time is extremely small.

In addition, since the automatic tool changer 17 moves in the X-axis direction together with the saddle 13, the tool can be changed at any of the above-described processing stations. This tool change will be described in detail. First, when the magazine 29 of the tool changer 17 is indexed to a predetermined angular position, the cylinder 37a of the vertical movement mechanism 37 extends, whereby the pot 36 descends while being guided by the vertical guide 39 and covers the upper part of the tool 50. Then, the locking mechanism in the pot 36 is locked to the upper locking portion 50c of the tool 50. At this time, the keyway 50a of the tool 50 is oriented in the traveling direction as shown in FIG.

Next, the cylinder 38a of the reciprocating mechanism 38 extends, whereby the pot 36 advances with the vertical guide 39 while holding the tool 50. In this case, while the shoe 36b of the pot 36 is in sliding contact with the holding cam 41b, the key groove 50a is held in the traveling direction, and when passing through the holding cam 41b, the key spring 50b is rotated counterclockwise by the urging spring 42. And rotate the shoe 36
When b comes into contact with the drive cam 41a, the pot 36 further rotates counterclockwise by 45 degrees. As a result, the tool 50 stands by at the tool change position with the keyway 50a facing in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction.

Then, when a tool change command is output from the NC control device 56, the spindle head 15 returns to the Z-axis tool change position, and simultaneously with the orientation of the main shaft 23, the swing cylinder 54 of the shutter mechanism 55 extends, The shutter plate 51 is inclined together with the guide plate 52 so that the lower portion comes forward,
In this state, the vertical cylinder 53 extends, and the shutter plate 51 is lowered. With this, the change axis of the tool change mechanism 30
43a and the replacement arm 44 face outward. Subsequently, the exchange arm 44 of the tool exchange mechanism 30 rotates clockwise by 90 degrees as viewed in FIG. 8, whereby one of the holding claws 44a and the pressing pin 44c engages with the locking groove 50b of the standby tool 50. And the locking key 44b is locked in the key groove 50a, and the other gripping claw 44a and the pressing pin 44c grip the tool 50 on the main shaft 23 in the same manner. In this state, the exchanging shaft 43a rotates 180 degrees after lowering the exchanging arm 44 and rises again, so that the pot-side tool is mounted on the main shaft 23 and the main shaft-side tool is mounted on the pot 36. Then, the replacement arm 44 rotates 90 degrees counterclockwise. When the cylinder 38a of the reciprocating mechanism 38 contracts in this state, the shoe 36b of the pot 36 first comes into contact with the holding cam 41b, and the pot 36 rotates so that the key groove 50a is positioned in the traveling direction. The tool is retracted and held between the clamp claws 34c, 34c of the clamp holder 34. To lock. At this time, the vertically moving arm 40b is locked in the locking groove 36c of the support member 36a, and when the cylinder 37a of the vertical mechanism 37 is contracted, the pot 36 rises above the tool 50.

As described above, according to the vertical machining center 10 according to the present embodiment, the tool changing mechanism 30 is connected to the spindle head 15 located at the lower end.
Since the replacement arm 44 is located on the back side of the main body, and the replacement arm 44 is located on the upper side, the replacement shaft 43a can be brought extremely close to the main shaft 23, so that the replacement arm 44 can be shortened,
As a result, the exchange speed can be improved, and the processing efficiency can be improved.

Further, since the tool changing mechanism 30 is disposed on the back side of the spindle head 15, the width in the X-axis direction can be suppressed as compared with the conventional apparatus in which the tool changing mechanism is arranged on the side of the column in the X-axis direction. Can contribute to downsizing. In addition, since the magazine 29 is arranged behind the saddle 13 and the transfer mechanism 31 is provided between the magazine 29 and the tool changing mechanism 30, the saddle width can be narrower than when the magazine is arranged in the saddle tunnel. This also contributes to compactness.

The tool change mechanism 3 is installed in the tunnel 13a of the saddle 13.
0, since the transport mechanism 31 is provided and the opening of the tunnel 13a is closed by the shutter mechanism 55, it is possible to suppress the swarf from scattering and adhering to the tool changing mechanism 30 and the like. Also, insert the tool 50 into the tapered portion 50d,
Since the transfer is performed with the pot 36 placed over the pot 50c, it is possible to prevent chips from adhering to the main part of the tool 50.

Furthermore, in the transfer of the tool 50, the pot 36
Is rotated, it is possible to lock both of the locking keys 44b and 34a facing different directions in the key groove 50a. Looking at the magazine 29 side,
Since the tool 50 is rotated together with the pot 36, the key groove 50a can be directed in the traveling direction, and the locking key 34
a and the corners of the keyway 50a of the tool 50 are not worn. By the way, if you do not rotate the tool 50,
a is oriented in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction, and the locking key 34a is provided on the clamp claw 34c in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction. In this case, the locking key and the edge of the key groove slide in a pressed state, and the amount of wear increases accordingly. As a result, play occurs between the tool and the key, which adversely affects the machining accuracy. Will be exerted.

Further, in the present embodiment, the tool exchange mechanism 30 is mounted upward on the rear side of the spindle head 15 and is configured to move together with the saddle 13, so the chip discharging conveyor 18b is provided on the rear side of the table 16. Space for placement,
As a result, the discharge of chips is assured. In this case,
A chip discharging plate may be mounted on the tool changing mechanism 30 or the saddle 13, and the chip may be scraped out using a point at which the plate reciprocates in the X-axis direction.

Further, in the present embodiment, the spindle case 22 of the spindle head 15 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the structure in which the unclamping cylinder 25 is inserted from the upper end opening 22b is adopted, so that the rigidity of the spindle head 15 can be greatly improved. By the way, in the conventional spindle head, the spindle case 22
Since the legs are formed on the upper part of the shaft and the legs support the unclamping cylinder 25, there is a problem that the rigidity of the entire spindle head tends to be insufficient.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the table 16 has a two-stage structure including the lower table 16a and the upper table 16b.
When processing short-length work, perform processing with both the lower and upper tables 16a and 16b fixed, and when processing a tall work and place a rotary table on the upper table 16a. By removing
Can handle a wide range of workpieces. By the way, in the conventional fixed table, the height of the table is constant. Therefore, in the case of a thin (plate-shaped) work or the like, a jig which is unnecessarily tall is used to shorten the approach time. There is a problem that a lot of space is required for storage of tools and the like.

In the above embodiment, the tool changing mechanism 30 is arranged upward, but in the present invention, the tool changing mechanism 30 may be arranged downward.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the machine tool of the present invention, the tool changing mechanism is provided such that the replacement arm is provided on the rear side of the spindle head in an area where the spindle head is projected in a direction orthogonal to a straight line connecting the slide parts. Since it is arranged close to the main shaft, the exchange shaft can be made close to the main shaft, so that the exchange arm can be shortened, which has the effect of improving the tool exchange speed and the effect of contributing to downsizing. is there.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1 to 9 are views for explaining a vertical machining center according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 3 is a side view of the vertical machining center.
Front view, plan view, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are sectional side view and plan view of the spindle head, respectively. FIG. 6, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are side view, plan view and operation explanation of the tool changer, respectively. FIG. 9, FIG.
FIG. 10 is a front view, a side view, and FIG.
FIGS. 12 (a) to 12 (c) and FIGS. 12 (a) to 12 (c) are diagrams for explaining a conventional problem. In the figure, 10 is a vertical machining center (machine tool),
14 is a column, 15 is a spindle head, 21a is a linear guide (guide part), 21b is a slide rail (slide part), 30 is a tool changing mechanism, and 50 is a tool.

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Tatsu Yamamoto et al. 106 Moriyama-machi, Yamatokoriyama, Nara Prefecture Inside Mori Seiki Seisakusho Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-54-53373 (JP, A) JP-A-55-11704 (JP, A) JP-A-64-20237 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B23Q 3/157

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A spindle having a pair of slide portions, a column having a pair of guide portions for supporting the slide portion movably in a vertical direction, and removing a tool mounted on the spindle of the spindle head. In a machine tool equipped with a tool changer that supplies a desired tool to the spindle,
The tool changer is mounted on a tool magazine for holding a plurality of tools, and a tool held in the tool magazine and pivoted around a rotation axis parallel to the spindle head and moved in the axial direction. A tool exchange mechanism having an exchange arm for exchanging a tool.The tool exchange mechanism is provided with the spindle head in a direction orthogonal to a straight line connecting the pair of slide parts from the front side of the machine. In the area projected in the entire axial movement range of the head, the replacement arm was arranged so as to be close to the spindle on the back side of the spindle head, and the tool magazine was arranged on the back side of the tool exchange mechanism. A machine tool characterized in that: