JP3650903B2 - Transfer device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a transfer device that is attached to a processing device such as a forging press and is used to automatically convey a workpiece between a plurality of processes.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, in a hot forging press provided with a transfer device, a plurality of press dies corresponding to the required number of steps are installed in series at a predetermined interval, and a workpiece that has been processed in each step is a transfer device. It is automatically conveyed to the next process one after another and set in a press die for the process.
[0003]
The transfer device is provided with a pair of left and right beams (feed bars) so as to sandwich a row of press dies arranged in series along the workpiece conveyance direction. A plurality of fingers are attached at predetermined intervals corresponding to the mold. Then, the workpiece is sequentially transferred to the next process while repeating the following operations.
(1) Work clamp-(2) Lift-(3) Advance-(4) Lower-(5) Work release (unclamp)-(6) Return (hereinafter repeated).
[0004]
Since the transfer device must accurately convey the workpiece at the arrangement pitch of the molding die and on the center line in the conveyance direction, not only the operation of the transfer device but also the workpiece clamp and workpiece of the fingers that clamp the workpiece. High accuracy is required for the unclamping operation. For this reason, various devices have been conventionally made to increase the accuracy of this type of transfer device.
[0005]
Examples of the transfer device devised so that the workpiece can be accurately conveyed include those described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-15618 (Publication 1) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-114474 (Publication 2). Among these, the apparatus described in the publication 1 has a movable finger having a general structure attached to one of the pair of feed bars (beams) provided along the workpiece conveyance direction, and the other beam. Is equipped with a fixed finger with a built-in inner finger, so that the workpiece can be accurately positioned at the center of the mold. Further, in the apparatus described in the publication 2, a finger (same type as the above-mentioned movable finger) capable of moving forward and backward with respect to the workpiece is attached to one feed bar (beam), and the workpiece is attached to the other beam. By attaching a finger provided with an urging means capable of generating and eliminating the urging force that urges toward the workpiece, it is possible to prevent the workpiece from shifting from a predetermined processing position (center of the mold).
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the apparatus described in the above publication 1, when a movable finger is attached to one beam and a fixed finger containing an inner finger is attached to the other beam, the inner finger of the fixed finger is moved when the beam is clamped. The tip of the fixed finger (the part that holds the workpiece) comes into contact with the workpiece, so that the workpiece can be accurately positioned at the center of the mold, and when the workpiece is unclamped, the repulsive force of the spring The finger protrudes and the center position of the workpiece is not displaced by the cooperative action with the spring of the movable finger.
[0007]
However, the condition that the distal end portion of the fixed finger (the portion in contact with the workpiece) is always at a constant position and the distance from the mold center to the distal end portion of the fixed finger is constant. In addition, since the distance (distance) from the mold center to the tip of the fixed finger of each process station (first process, second process,...) Is different, a fixed finger corresponding to each station is required. Furthermore, when there is a change in the workpiece, the fixed finger and the movable finger corresponding to the workpiece must be changed, so in the case of a forging press for high-mix low-volume production, the change-over operation becomes complicated. There is a point.
[0008]
On the other hand, the device disclosed in the publication 2 is conceptually the same as the apparatus described in the publication 1, and the inner finger of the fixed finger is biased not by a spring but by an electromagnet and a permanent magnet. . By energizing this electromagnet, a repulsive force is generated with respect to the permanent magnet fixed to the rod, and the workpiece is clamped by the finger by the pressure. At this time, since the workpiece is elastically supported by the characteristics of the magnet, it can be handled even if the workpiece dimensions are changed.
[0009]
However, this device is provided with a supporting means for supporting the finger so that the finger can be moved forward and backward on one of the feed bars. However, this means is not clear, and it is moved forward and backward by incorporating a known spring. If it is understood that it is possible, it is unclear how to set the repulsive force of the magnet and the spring force. In other words, the center position of the workpiece is not guaranteed (the position that balances the repulsive force of the magnet and the spring force), and even if it is set for one type of workpiece, if the outer diameter of the workpiece changes, the repulsive force of the magnet There is a problem that the troublesomeness of having to set again or changing the weight (outer diameter, height) of the workpiece is unavoidable, and the operating rate is inevitably lowered.
[0010]
Moreover, when applying this to a forging press, adaptability to a forging work environment becomes a problem as a new problem. That is, there is a possibility that the magnet excitation part will not operate due to the influence of dust or mold release agent. Furthermore, in addition to the magnet, the actuator can also act and cancel the urging force, but this phenomenon does not occur unless the actuator is based on hydraulic pressure. In this case, since the hydraulic cylinder has to be advanced and retracted, the number of pipes and joints increases, and the risk of a forging work environment, that is, a fire at high temperatures, cannot be avoided, against oil leakage from the pipe parts.
[0011]
Furthermore, the publication describes that the urging force acting on the rod is eliminated, and when the workpiece is detached from the finger, it is not pushed out of the rod and deviated from a predetermined machining position (Section 0021). ) Since the urging force by the magnet is released by the power interruption, no force is pushed out to the rod when the workpiece is detached from the finger, and it is necessary to energize again here, which complicates the control.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention is intended to solve the problems in the conventional transfer device described above, and employs the following configuration. That is, the transfer device according to the present invention is a transfer device that holds a workpiece between a pair of fingers and conveys the workpiece to a predetermined position. A pair of feed bars are provided in parallel with each other across the conveyance direction of the workpiece. There is a finger for clamping the workpiece And a pneumatic cylinder for urging the fingers in the clamping direction and a return spring for urging the fingers in a direction opposite to the urging force of the pneumatic cylinders are arranged side by side at a plurality of intervals. Pneumatic circuit capable of shifting the energizing timing in one or more clamping directions from the others It is characterized by providing.
[0013]
In the transfer device of the present invention, two feed bars are opposed to each other in parallel to the direction in which the workpiece flows (the direction in which the work proceeds), and the fingers are gripped by the pneumatic cylinder with respect to the workpiece. While projecting in the clamping direction, the fingers are returned with springs when the clamp is released (unclamped). This spring is provided on the feed bar so as to be a reaction force against the operation of the pneumatic cylinder in the clamping direction. The feed bar can be moved toward and away from the workpiece, and when the feed bar moves in the direction of clamping the workpiece (work clamping direction), the pneumatic cylinder is turned on to clamp the workpiece from both sides. It is preferable to do so. At the time of workpiece clamping, the pneumatic cylinder overcomes the reaction force of the spring and moves forward. In this case, by making the capacity of the pneumatic cylinder and the spring the same on both sides of the workpiece, the clamping force on one side and the clamping force on the opposite side are balanced, and the pressing force from both sides is balanced. The workpiece is transported in a state where the center is not misaligned and is at the center of the mold.
[0014]
When the feed bar releases the workpiece after the workpiece has been transported to the next step, the pressure in the clamping direction of the pneumatic cylinder may be released. Then, the finger returns to the original position by the reaction force of the spring, so that the center of the workpiece does not go wrong.
[0015]
If the workpiece is gripped by the pneumatic cylinder, the timing of starting the clamping of the pneumatic cylinder of each finger can be shifted when the feed bar is in the workpiece clamping process. That is, a pneumatic circuit that can shift the biasing timing in one or a plurality of clamping directions of the plurality of fingers from that of the other fingers is provided, and a feed to a pneumatic cylinder of a specific finger is provided. By supplying the pneumatic pressure in the direction in which the bar grips the workpiece during the lifting process, the lift amount of the workpiece gripped by the finger can be arbitrarily set. For this reason, for example, in the forging press material supply process, at the drop position (P00) where the billet is charged from the chute, the amount of the material raised is limited by the chute, so that the forging that has conventionally deviated from the lower end position of the chute The billet was supplied by a separate pusher up to the press receiving position P0. However, by configuring as described above, the amount of material rise can be reduced, so the billet is directly grasped and received at the lower end of the chute. It is also possible to transport to the position, and the pusher can be omitted.
[0016]
Further, since the finger is returned to the original position by the reaction force of the spring at the time of unclamping, the number of parts can be saved by making the unclamping electromagnetic valve common to the finger device of each process. In addition, if multiple fingers are attached to a common common plate and the common plate is detachable from the feed bar, the multiple fingers can be batched when they must be replaced due to changes in material or workpiece dimensions. In addition to being convenient because it can be attached to and removed from the feed bar, it is also convenient for the maintenance of the finger unit.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
1 and the following drawings illustrate an embodiment of the transfer device provided in the forging press device F. The transfer device 1 is disposed on both sides with a press die arranged along the conveying direction. A pair of feed bars (beams) 2 and 2 are provided in parallel to each other, and a plurality of finger devices 5,... Are attached to these feed bars at predetermined intervals corresponding to the press dies M,. . The feed bars 2 and 2 to which the finger device is attached are reciprocated along the press die arrangement line by the driving device D, and convey the material or workpiece to the position of each die. Further, the feed bars 2 and 2 can move in a direction in which they move up and down within a predetermined range and approach and separate from each other.
[0018]
The forging press apparatus F in the illustrated example is provided with five stages of forging processes from P1 to P5, and a press die M is installed in each of these processes. A receiving position P0 for receiving a billet that is a processed material is provided before the first forging process P1, and further, a receiving position P00 for a material fed by a chute from a heating furnace is provided in front of this position. It has been. The raw material supplied to this position P00 is conveyed to the receiving position P0 of the forging press apparatus by a separate transfer device, and from there, it is sequentially conveyed to the position of the mold in each process by the transfer device 1.
[0019]
A common plate 10 is attached to each of the pair of feed bars 2 and 2 on the surface facing the mold. As shown in FIG. 6, the common plate 10 is a long and narrow plate body in which a plurality of (for example, five) support plate mounting portions 10a,... Are provided at equal intervals, and between the adjacent mounting portions 10a, 10a. Is provided with a U-groove 10b for attachment to the feed bar 2. The mounting portion 10a is provided with three through holes 10c, 10d, and 10d corresponding to holes of a support plate described later. This common plate 10 is fixed to the feed bar by fitting U-grooves 10b,... From above to fixing bolts 12, fixed to the clamp cylinder 11 provided on the feed bar 2, and contracting the clamp cylinder 11. The attachment / detachment operation is simple.
[0020]
The support plate 15 of the finger device 5 is attached to the mounting portion 10a of the common plate 10 with bolts 14,. A center hole 16 that overlaps the through hole 10c of the common plate 10 is provided at the center of each support plate 15, and guide holes 17 and 17 that overlap the through holes 10d and 10d are provided on both sides of the center hole. . A finger support rod 18 disposed coaxially with the piston rod 20a of the finger cylinder 20 provided in the feed bar 2 is slidably fitted in the center hole 16. A bush 16a smoothly guides the movement of the finger support bar 18. Guide rods 19 and 19 are slidably fitted in the guide holes 17 and 17, respectively.
[0021]
A finger base 22 having a hook-shaped cross section is attached to the distal ends of the finger support rod 18 and the guide rods 19, 19, and a finger (chuck) 25 is fixed to the finger base with bolts 24, 24. In the illustrated example, the finger 25 is formed as a plate body provided with a concave portion 25a with which the workpiece engages at the tip portion, but may have an appropriate shape according to the shape of the workpiece.
[0022]
An inward flange 17a is formed at the distal end portion of the guide hole 17 provided in the support plate 15, and between the large-diameter base portion 19a of the guide rod 19 fitted therein and the inward flange 17a. A spring 30 is interposed on the outer periphery of the guide rod 19. For this reason, when the guide rod 19 advances outward (on the mold side), the spring 30 is compressed, and a reaction force in the backward direction is generated. The strength of the spring 30 is equal to each other for each of the pair of finger devices 5 and 5 facing each other across the mold. Further, the strength of the finger cylinder 20 is also equal for each finger device facing each other.
[0023]
Next, the operation of the transfer device 1 will be described. First, the material (billet) supplied from the heating furnace to the drop position P00 in FIG. 1 through the supply device such as the chute S is transported to the forging press receiving position P0 by a transfer device (not shown). This material is conveyed to the first process P1 by the receiving finger device 5 (A) and set in the mold M1 of the first process. At the same time, the workpiece processed by the mold M1 in the first step is conveyed to the position of the mold M2 in the second step P2, and the workpiece processed in the second step P2 is transferred to the third step P3. The work in the third step P3 is carried to the fourth step P4 and set in the mold M in each step. The workpiece processed in the fifth step P5, which is the final step, is sent out as a product.
[0024]
The operations of the feed bars 2 and 2 and the finger devices 5 at this time are as follows. First, in a state where the feed bar is lowered at the start position of the movement range, the pair of feed bars move by a predetermined amount in the direction approaching each other, that is, the direction approaching the work, and the fingers 25 and 25 clamp the work (material). This clamping is performed by clamping the workpieces (materials) from both sides by the clamp cylinders 20 and 20 of the finger devices facing each other across the conveyance line extending the same distance against the elasticity of the springs 30 and 30. . The strengths of the finger cylinders of the finger devices on both sides of the workpiece are set to be equal to each other, and the strength of the urging force between the springs is also set to be equal to each other.
[0025]
The workpiece or the material is clamped by the feed bars 2 and 2 and the fingers 25 and 25 as described above. In this case, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5B, the work approaches and stops near the work (W), and then the fingers 25 and 25 move forward so that the work is clamped as shown in FIG. It is preferable to leave. The movement limit (G) of the feed bar can be set as appropriate. It is preferable that the sensor detects that the feed bars 2 and 2 have reached the movement limit (G) and starts to move the fingers based on the detection signal of the sensor.
[0026]
When the fingers 25 and 25 clamp the workpiece, the feed bars 2 and 2 are raised by a predetermined distance, moved by one pitch of the mold arrangement in the conveying direction (right side in FIG. 1), and then lowered by a predetermined distance. Thereby, the workpiece | work clamped by the finger apparatus is correctly set in the process position of the metal mold | die M in each process.
[0027]
Next, when the supply of air to the finger cylinder 20 is switched and the cylinder 20 contracts, the finger 25 is retracted by the urging force of the spring 30 and the feed bars 2 and 2 on both sides move away from the workpiece. For this reason, both fingers that grip the workpiece are simultaneously released from the workpiece and release the workpiece. The feed bar moves up again while leaving the workpiece in the mold and returns to the original position. Then, the forging press is operated to process the workpiece in the mold. When the processing is finished, the transfer device repeats the same operation as described above.
[0028]
In this transfer device 1, when the finger device grips the workpiece, the feed bars approach each other, and the rod 18 pushed by the finger cylinder 20 moves forward against the urging force of the spring 30, and the pair of fingers Hold the workpiece from both sides. Further, when the workpiece is released, the finger cylinder 20 contracts and the rod 18 is retracted by the elasticity of the spring 30, so that no force in the direction of pushing the workpiece is generated. For this reason, the workpiece is not displaced and correct machining is performed.
[0029]
The pneumatic cylinder (finger cylinder) of the finger device Normal basic The circuit is configured as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 simultaneously drive the finger apparatus in each process of P0 to P5. Case And pneumatic cylinders V0 to V5 corresponding to the respective steps P0 to P5 are provided, and the fingers are driven by these pneumatic cylinders. When the workpiece is gripped (clamped) by the fingers, the solenoid valves S0 to S5 are excited (ON), and when the workpiece is unclamped, the solenoid valves S0 to S5 are demagnetized (OFF). The state shown in FIG. 9 represents a stop state of the apparatus, and since both solenoid valves are OFF, the finger 25 is pushed back by the spring 30 and is in an unclamped state shown in FIG.
[0030]
When starting the operation of the transfer device, the electromagnetic valve SB is turned on to start from the unclamped state. When the operation is started, the beam (feed bar) of the transfer device moves toward the clamping direction, that is, toward the workpiece, and stops near the outer diameter (movement limit) of the workpiece (billet) as shown in FIG. 7B. To do. When the solenoid valves S0 to S5 are excited by the operation signal at this time, the air pressure is supplied to the rear sides of the pistons of the pneumatic cylinders V0 to V5, so that the piston moves forward, as shown in FIG. The finger 25 clamps the workpiece.
[0031]
During driving, the air pressure is supplied to the front side and the rear side of the piston of the pneumatic cylinder V, but the piston moves forward because the working area of the rear side air pressure is large by the cross-sectional area of the piston.
[0032]
When the finger clamps the workpiece, the feed bar moves up together with the finger device, and then moves to the lower limit by feeding and lowering. If the solenoid valves S0 to S5 are demagnetized by the signal at this time, the force that has gripped the workpiece becomes zero. Then, the finger is moved backward by the reaction force of the spring 30 (the solenoid valve SB remains in the ON state, so that the pneumatic cylinder is also moved backward), and the workpiece is released. From the state shown in FIG. In the state (c), the workpiece is opened and placed on the lower mold.
[0033]
Next, FIG. 11 and FIG. Embodiment in which the present invention is added to a basic circuit In this example, the fingers of the processes P3P4P5 are moved in the same manner as described above, and the clamping operations of the fingers P0, P1, and P2 are made independent. In this way, the operations of the fingers P0, P1, and P2 are made independent because there is a work that requires a work to be inserted into the lower mold in the case of rough hitting in the initial process (note that the type of product) Depending on the case, the workpiece may be inserted into the mold at P4 and P5 in the molding process).
[0034]
For example, if the billet of the process P0 is gripped in the middle of the raising process of the feed bar, the amount of raising and lowering of the feed bar is the same as that of the other processes. As shown in FIG. 13, as a result of being able to be inserted into the recess (indicated by g) of the lower mold as shown in FIG. 13, accurate positioning and overturning prevention are possible.
[0035]
In this case, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the solenoid valves S0, S1, and S2 corresponding to the steps P0, P1, and P2 are separately provided so that the clamp timing can be individually set. Unclamping can be performed according to each step by demagnetizing the solenoid valves S0, S1, S2, S3 to S5. FIG. 12 shows a state in which clamping is performed in steps P3, P4, and P5. From this state, the solenoid valves S0, S1, and S2 are excited during the lift (feed bar rise). When descending, the solenoid valves S0, S1, S2, S3 to S5 are demagnetized to enter an unclamped state.
[0036]
FIG. 8 shows a main part of the material receiving unit. As can be seen from the figure, the billet, which is a material, is dropped and supplied by a chute S from a heating furnace or the like (not shown), but the distance D between the lower end of the chute S that supplies the billet and the material W0. _s If it is large, the material dropped from the chute may fall, so this cannot be increased. For this reason, the material cannot be gripped by the finger device that moves up and down in the same way as the other processes P1 to P5, and a transfer device (pusher) T as shown in the figure is provided, so that the material is moved from the P00 position to the P0 position. The material transferred to the position P0 is grasped by the finger device and sent to the first process P1 and subsequent processes.
[0037]
However, providing the pusher as described above makes the structure complicated and uneconomical, so it is preferable to omit it if possible. In order to solve this, a finger device is provided in the P00 process, the timing of gripping the billet with the finger is delayed, the rising amount of the billet is set as h, and it is sent to the P0 process without being buffered with the chute. .
[0038]
14 and 15 are circuit diagrams in the case where a finger device is provided in the P00 process to hold the billet and send it to the P0 process. FIG. 14 shows a stopped state. As shown in FIG. 14, in addition to the above embodiment, a pneumatic cylinder V00 and a solenoid valve S00 for the process P00 are provided. FIG. 15 shows a state where the billet is clamped at the position where the feed bar is rising in the P00 process (clamped first at P0 to P5), transported from the rising limit, and the billet is unclamped during the lowering. Show. Thereafter, if the solenoid valve SB is demagnetized, all the workpieces are opened and placed on the lower mold.
[0039]
As described above, since the transfer device 1 is configured to grip the workpiece with the pneumatic cylinder, the pneumatic cylinder is operated (pneumatic) in the workpiece clamping step in the operation cycle of the feed bar 2. Timing can be shifted. For example, the actual lift amount of the workpiece can be arbitrarily set by issuing a command for the feed bar to grip the workpiece during the ascending process. For this reason, conventionally, the material supplied by the chute from the heating furnace to the dropping position P00 has been supplied to the forging press receiving process P0 by a separate pusher. However, if this transfer device is used, any height can be obtained. Since the billet can be gripped by this, the billet can be directly gripped at the lower end of the chute and transported to the receiving step P0.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the above description, the transfer device of the present invention uses a pneumatic cylinder to grip a workpiece from both sides, and includes a spring that biases the finger in a direction opposite to the workpiece gripping direction of the pneumatic cylinder. Since it is provided, since the finger is retracted by the action of the spring and the workpiece is released simply by switching the air to the pneumatic cylinder, the workpiece is not displaced.
In addition, it is possible to shift the timing for operating the pneumatic cylinders for driving each finger device, which makes it possible to appropriately set the amount of lifting of the workpiece in each process. .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating an embodiment of a transfer device of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view thereof.
FIG. 3 is a plan cross-sectional view of the main part.
FIG. 4 is a front view of the main part.
FIG. 5 is a side view of the finger device.
FIG. 6 is a plan view (a) and a front view (b) of a common plate.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of movements of fingers and a feed bar.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a chute installation unit.
FIG. 9 is a pneumatic circuit diagram for a finger cylinder.
FIG. 10 is a pneumatic circuit diagram for a finger cylinder.
FIG. 11 is a pneumatic circuit diagram for a finger cylinder.
FIG. 12 is a pneumatic circuit diagram for a finger cylinder.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of an example in which a recess is provided in the lower mold.
FIG. 14 is a pneumatic circuit diagram for a finger cylinder.
FIG. 15 is a pneumatic circuit diagram for a finger cylinder.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Transfer device
2 Feed bar
5 Finger device
10 Common plate
15 Finger base
20 Finger cylinder
25 Finger
30 Spring
F Forging press
M press mold
S shoot

Claims (4)

In a transfer device that holds a workpiece between a pair of fingers and conveys the workpiece to a predetermined position, a pair of feed bars are provided in parallel to each other across the conveyance direction of the workpiece, and each feed bar has a finger for holding the workpiece and the finger. And a return spring for urging the fingers in a direction opposite to the urging force of the pneumatic cylinders in parallel with a plurality of set intervals, and one of the plurality of fingers. A transfer device comprising a pneumatic circuit capable of shifting the urging timing in one or a plurality of clamping directions from another .   The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein a detachable common plate is provided on a pair of feed bars provided across the conveyance direction of the workpiece, and a plurality of fingers are attached to the common plate. A plurality of solenoid valves for supplying pneumatic pressure in the clamping direction are separately provided in a pneumatic circuit for supplying pneumatic pressure for driving the fingers to the pneumatic cylinder, and an electromagnetic valve for driving the pneumatic cylinder in the clamping release direction is provided. The transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the transfer device is provided in common for a plurality of fingers . A pair of feed bars that can move toward and away from the workpiece are provided in parallel with each other across the workpiece conveyance direction, and each feed bar biases the fingers for clamping the workpiece and the fingers in the clamping direction. A pneumatic cylinder is provided, the movement limit of the feed bar is set in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the workpiece, and a control device is provided for driving the finger in the clamping direction after the feed bar reaches the movement limit. The transfer apparatus in any one of thru | or 3.

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