JP7483564B2 - LOADER DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CHUCKING WORK PART USING THE SAME - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a loader device that transports workpieces to the processing area of a processing device and a method for chucking workpieces using the same.

Loader devices are widely used as devices for transporting workpieces to processing devices (e.g., NC lathes, etc.) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This loader device includes a loader holding unit that holds and transports the workpieces, and a loader moving mechanism for moving the loader holding unit as required, and the loader holding unit is provided with first and second loader chuck means for detachably holding the workpieces. The first loader chuck means is used, for example, to transport an unmachined workpiece to be processed (hereinafter also referred to as an "unmachined workpiece") to the processing device, and transfers the held unmachined workpiece to the spindle chuck means of the processing device, and the second loader chuck means is used, for example, to remove a processed workpiece (hereinafter also referred to as a "processed workpiece") that has been processed by the processing device, and receives and transports the processed workpiece held by the spindle chuck means of the processing device.

When this loader device is used, as described above, the workpiece (machined workpiece) held and machined on the spindle chuck means of the processing device can be transferred between, for example, the second loader chuck means and removed, and then the workpiece to be machined held on, for example, the first loader chuck means can be transferred to and attached to the spindle chuck means of the processing device, making it possible to automatically attach the workpiece to the processing device and process it.

JP 2009-178831 A

Conventional loader devices are designed to handle workpieces with typical shapes, such as cylindrical components (i.e. components with a circular cross-sectional shape), such as cylindrical components, cylindrical shaft components, and disc-shaped components, but have the problem of being difficult to handle workpieces with special shapes.

For example, when a workpiece having a cylindrical portion on one end and a rectangular portion on the other end is transported by a loader device and automatically machined, the rectangular portion of the workpiece is machined while held by the spindle chuck means of the processing device. In the automatic machining of such workpieces, the rectangular portion of the workpiece cannot be positioned and chucked with high precision, which makes it difficult to machine the cylindrical portion of the workpiece with high precision.

The object of the present invention is to provide a loader device that can position and attach a workpiece to the spindle chuck means of a processing device with high precision.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for chucking a workpiece that can position and chuck a rectangular portion of the workpiece with high precision on the spindle chuck means of a processing device.

A loader apparatus according to the present invention comprises a loader holding unit moved by a loader moving mechanism, the loader holding unit including first and second loader chuck means for holding a workpiece ,
the first loader chuck means includes a plurality of first loader holding members mounted so as to be openable and closable, and is mounted on a first mounting portion of the loader holding unit; and the second loader chuck means includes a plurality of second loader holding members mounted so as to be openable and closable, and is mounted on a second mounting portion of the loader holding unit;
Furthermore, either or both of the first and second loader chuck means are provided with an extrusion means for pushing the workpiece forward from either or both of the first and second loader chuck means , and the extrusion means has an inclined extrusion portion for pushing the workpiece diagonally upward or diagonally downward.

Further, the present invention provides a method for chucking a workpiece, which transfers the workpiece from a loader device for transporting the workpiece to a spindle chuck means of a processing device, comprising the steps of:
the loader device includes a loader holding unit moved by a loader moving mechanism, the loader holding unit includes loader chuck means for holding a cylindrical portion on one end side of the workpiece, and push-out means for pushing the workpiece forward from the loader chuck means , the push-out means having an inclined push-out portion for pushing the workpiece obliquely upward or obliquely downward;
the spindle chuck means of the processing device has four spindle chuck holding portions arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, and the four spindle chuck holding portions are configured to hold four corners of a rectangular portion on the other end side of the workpiece,
When the workpiece is transferred from the loader chuck means of the loader device to the spindle chuck means of the processing device, the loader chuck means holding the workpiece is positioned at a position facing the spindle chuck means, then the loader chuck means is opened and the push-out means is moved to the front side, whereby the workpiece held by the loader chuck means is pushed obliquely upward or downward towards the front side and pressed against the upper pair of spindle chuck holding portions or the lower pair of spindle chuck holding portions of the spindle chuck means in the open state, then the spindle chuck means is rotated somewhat in a predetermined direction, whereby the workpiece is pressed against the lateral pair of spindle chuck holding portions of the spindle chuck means while being positioned against the upper pair of spindle chuck holding portions or the lower pair of spindle chuck holding portions, thereafter the spindle chuck means is closed and the four spindle chuck holding portions chuck the rectangular portion of the workpiece.

According to the loader device of the present invention, a push-out means is provided on either or both of the first and second loader chuck means of the loader holding unit, and the push-out means has an inclined push-out portion for pushing the workpiece obliquely upward (or obliquely downward), so that when the workpiece is transferred from the loader chuck means provided with the push-out means to the spindle chuck means of the processing device, the push-out means is moved forward to push the workpiece toward the spindle chuck means. At this time, the inclined push-out portion of the push-out means acts on the workpiece to push it obliquely upward (or obliquely downward), so that the workpiece is positioned so as to abut against the upper end (or lower end) of the chuck receiving portion of the spindle chuck means. Therefore, by using such a loader device, the workpiece can be accurately positioned on the chuck receiving portion of the spindle chuck means, and as a result, the workpiece to be processed by the processing device can be chucked and held by the spindle chuck means with high accuracy.

According to the workpiece chucking method of the present invention, the loader holding unit of the loader device includes a loader chuck means for holding the cylindrical portion of one end of the workpiece and an extrusion means for pushing the workpiece forward, the extrusion means having an inclined extrusion portion for pushing the workpiece diagonally upward (or diagonally downward), and the spindle chuck means of the processing device has four spindle chuck holding portions, which are configured to hold the four corners of the rectangular portion of the other end of the workpiece.

When this workpiece is transferred from the loader device to the processing device, the loader chuck means is opened and the push-out means is moved forward, whereby the workpiece is pushed obliquely upward (or obliquely downward) toward the front side and pressed against the upper pair of spindle chuck holding portions of the open spindle chuck means, i.e., the upper ends of the spindle chuck receiving portions (or the lower pair of spindle chuck portions, i.e., the lower ends of the spindle chuck receiving portions). Thereafter, the spindle chuck means is rotated somewhat in a predetermined direction, whereby the workpiece is pressed against a pair of spindle chuck holding portions diagonally located on the lateral sides of the spindle chuck means while being positioned on the upper pair of spindle chuck holding portions (or the lower pair of spindle chuck holding portions), and after being positioned in this way, the spindle chuck means is closed, so that the rectangular portion of the workpiece can be chucked and held with high precision by the four spindle chuck holding portions on the processing device side.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the loader device of the present invention and a spindle chuck means on the processing device side. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a simplified view of a spindle chuck means on the processing apparatus side of FIG. 1 and a configuration related thereto; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a loader holding unit of the loader device of FIG. 1 . 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a first loader chuck means of the loader holding unit of FIG. 3 and a configuration related thereto; FIG. 5(a) is a simplified explanatory diagram showing the state before the workpiece is transferred from the first loader chuck means on the loader device side to the spindle chuck means on the processing device side, and FIG. 5(b) is a simplified explanatory diagram showing the state after the workpiece has been pushed out from the first loader chuck means toward the spindle chuck means. FIG. 6(a) is a simplified explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the four spindle chuck holding portions and the workpiece when the workpiece is pushed out from the first loader chuck means toward the spindle chuck means, and FIG. 6(b) is a simplified explanatory diagram showing a state in which the spindle chuck means has been further rotated somewhat in a predetermined direction from the state shown in FIG. 6(a).

Below, an embodiment of a loader device (and a method for chucking a workpiece) according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

In Figures 1 to 3, the loader device 2 (see Figures 1 and 3) shown transports an unmachined workpiece P (unmachined workpiece) from a workpiece supply area (not shown) to a processing area of a processing device 4 (e.g., an NC lathe) (see Figures 1 and 2), and also removes a machined workpiece P (completed workpiece) from the processing device 4 and transports it to a workpiece discharge area (not shown). In this embodiment, as will be understood from the following explanation, the loader device 2 includes first and second loader chuck means 6, 8, and, for example, the first loader chuck means 6 is used to transport the unmachined workpiece P to the spindle chuck means 10 on the processing device 2 side, and, for example, the second loader chuck means 8 is used to remove the machined workpiece P from the spindle chuck means 10 and transport it.

The spindle chuck means 10 on the processing device 4 (e.g., an NC lathe) side and the related configuration will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The processing device 4 has a spindle housing portion 12, and a spindle 14 is rotatably supported by this spindle housing portion 12. The spindle 14 is drivingly connected to a spindle drive source (not shown) consisting of, for example, an electric motor. A flange member 16 is attached to one end of the spindle 14, and an auxiliary flange member 18 is attached to one end of the flange member 16. The flange member 16 and the auxiliary flange member 18 rotate integrally with the spindle 14.

An accommodation space 20 is defined through the spindle 14, the flange member 16, and the auxiliary flange member 18, and the spindle chuck means 10 and its associated members are accommodated within this accommodation space 20. In this embodiment, the spindle chuck means 10 is comprised of a collet chuck 22, which is accommodated across the flange member 16 and the auxiliary flange member 18. Four slits 24 (see FIG. 6) are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction on one end side (tip side) of the collet chuck 22, and these four slits 24 provide a spindle chuck holding portion 26. These spindle chuck holding portions 26 will be described later.

The outer peripheral surface of one end (tip) of the collet chuck 22 is provided with an outer tapered portion 28 whose outer diameter tapers toward one end (tip) (to the right in Figs. 1 and 2), and the inner peripheral surface of the auxiliary flange member 18 is provided with an inner tapered portion 30 whose inner diameter tapers toward the tip side, corresponding to the outer tapered portion 28 of the collet chuck 22. Because of this configuration, when the outer tapered portion 28 of the collet chuck 22 is pressed against the inner tapered portion 30 of the auxiliary flange member 18, the four spindle chuck holding portions 26 elastically deform radially inward to a closed state, and when the outer tapered portion 28 of the collet chuck 22 separates from the inner tapered portion 30 of the auxiliary flange member 18, the four spindle chuck holding portions 26 return radially outward to an open state.

A sleeve member 32 is housed in the housing space 20 of the main shaft 14, and one end of the sleeve member 32 is connected to the other end (rear end) of the collet chuck 22 via a connecting sleeve 34. Therefore, the sleeve member 32, the connecting sleeve 34, and the collet chuck 22 rotate as a unit and move as a unit in the axial direction of the main shaft 14 (left and right direction in Figs. 1 and 2). Although not specifically shown, the main shaft 14 and the sleeve member 32 rotate as a unit, but the sleeve member 32, the connecting sleeve 34, and the collet chuck 22 are configured to move relative to the main shaft 14 (and the flange member 16 and auxiliary flange member 18) in the axial direction of the main shaft 14 (left and right direction in Figs. 1 and 2).

An opening/closing drive means (not shown) is provided in association with the collet chuck 22, and this opening/closing drive means moves the sleeve member 32, the connecting sleeve 34, and the collet chuck 22 in the opening direction indicated by the arrow 36 and the closing direction indicated by the arrow 38.

Next, the configuration of the loader device 2 will be described with reference to Figures 1, 3, and 4. The loader device 2 is equipped with a loader holding unit 42 that is moved as required by a loader movement mechanism (not shown). The loader movement mechanism includes a lateral movement mechanism (not shown) for moving the loader holding unit 42 in the axial direction of the spindle 14 of the processing device 4 (left and right direction in Figure 1), a front-rear movement mechanism (not shown) for moving the loader holding unit 42 in the front-rear direction of the processing device 4, and a lifting movement mechanism (not shown) for lifting the loader holding unit 42 up and down (up and down direction in Figure 1), and the loader movement mechanism including the lateral movement mechanism, front-rear movement mechanism, and lifting movement mechanism may be of a known structure.

The illustrated loader holding unit 42 includes a unit body 44, which is attached to a mounting body 46, which is moved as required by a loader moving mechanism (not shown). A first loader chuck means 6 is attached to a first mounting portion 48 of the unit body 44, and a second loader chuck means 8 is attached to a second mounting portion 50 of the unit body 44. The first loader chuck means 6 and the second loader chuck means 8 are substantially identical in configuration, and the first loader chuck means 6 (second loader chuck means 8) will be described below.

The first loader chuck means 6 (second loader chuck means 8) has a first support body portion 52 (second support body portion 54), which is attached to the first mounting surface 56 (second mounting surface 58) of the first mounting portion 48 (second mounting portion 50). A plurality of first loader holding members 60 (second loader holding members 62) (three in the specific example) are attached to the first support body portion 52 (second support body portion 54) at intervals in the circumferential direction, and these first loader holding members 60 (second loader holding members 62) are moved in the radial direction by, for example, a first opening/closing cylinder mechanism (second opening/closing cylinder mechanism) (not shown) as a first opening/closing drive source (second opening/closing drive source). First holding claws 64 (second holding claws 66) that protrude radially inward are attached to the tips of the multiple first loader holding members 60 (second loader holding members 62), and these first holding claws 64 (second holding claws 66) clamp and hold the workpiece P as described below.

Because of this configuration, for example, when pressure fluid (e.g., compressed air) is supplied to the open port of the first opening/closing cylinder mechanism (second opening/closing cylinder mechanism) (not shown), the first loader holding member 60 (second loader holding member 62) of the first loader chuck means 6 (second loader chuck means 8) is moved radially outward, and the first loader chuck means 6 (second loader chuck means 8) is opened, releasing the clamping and holding of the workpiece P. Also, when pressure fluid is supplied to the closed port of the first opening/closing cylinder mechanism (second opening/closing cylinder mechanism), the first loader holding member 60 (second loader holding member 62) is moved radially inward, and the first loader chuck means 6 (second loader chuck means 8) is closed, clamping and holding the workpiece P.

In this embodiment, the loader holding unit 42 is further configured as follows. The first mounting surface 56 of the first mounting portion 48 of the unit body 44 and the second mounting surface 58 of the second mounting portion 50 are configured to be perpendicular to each other. The base mounting surface of the mounting body 46 extends at an angle of 45 degrees to the horizontal direction, and the unit body 44 is attached to the mounting body 46 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis that extends perpendicular to the base mounting surface (i.e., an axis that extends diagonally downward at 45 degrees to the horizontal direction). Furthermore, a rotation cylinder mechanism (not shown) is provided in relation to the unit body 44 as a unit rotation drive source for rotating the unit body 44.

When pressure fluid (e.g., compressed air) is supplied to one port of the rotating cylinder mechanism, the unit body 44 is rotated 180 degrees in a predetermined direction to enter the first rotating state shown in Figures 1 and 3, in which the first loader chuck means 6 faces the spindle chuck means 10 of the processing device 4, and the second loader chuck means 8 faces downward (note that the second loader chuck means 8 is omitted in Figure 1). When pressure fluid is supplied to the other port of the rotating cylinder mechanism, the unit body 44 is rotated 180 degrees in the opposite direction to the predetermined direction to enter the second rotating state, in which the second loader chuck means 8 faces the spindle chuck means 10 of the processing device 4, and the first loader chuck means 6 faces downward (not shown).

The loader device 2 is further provided with an extrusion means 67 for extruding the workpiece P in association with the first loader chuck means 6. The illustrated extrusion means 67 is composed of an extrusion member 70 having a protruding action portion 69, and a V-shaped inclined groove 71 is provided on the upper portion of the protruding action portion 69. This V-shaped inclined groove 71 extends linearly downward toward the front side (i.e., toward the spindle chuck means 10), and the width and depth of the V-shaped inclined groove 71 become larger toward the front side (see Figures 3 to 5). As will be understood from the description below, this V-shaped inclined groove 71 functions as an inclined extrusion portion that extrudes the workpiece P.

The extrusion means 67 further includes an extrusion cylinder mechanism 72 (e.g., an air pressure cylinder mechanism) as an extrusion drive source for moving the extrusion member 70, and the output part 74 of the extrusion cylinder mechanism 72 is attached to the extrusion member 70 via a connecting attachment part 76. When a pressure fluid (e.g., compressed air) is supplied to the contraction side port of the extrusion cylinder mechanism 72, the output part 74 contracts and the extrusion member 70 retreats in the direction indicated by the arrow 78 (see FIG. 5(a)), and is positioned at the retreated position shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. In this retreated position, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the protruding action part 69 of the extrusion member 70 is located behind the first holding claw 64 of the first loader holding member 60, and does not act on the workpiece P clamped between the multiple first holding claws 64 of the first loader chuck means 6.

When pressure fluid is supplied to the extension port of the extrusion cylinder mechanism 72, the output portion 74 extends and the extrusion member 70 advances in the direction indicated by the arrow 80 (see FIG. 5(b)) and is positioned at the extrusion position shown in FIG. 1. At this extrusion position, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the protruding action portion 69 (V-shaped inclined groove 71) of the extrusion member 70 acts on the workpiece P held by the first holding claw 64 of the first loader holding member 60, and pushes the workpiece P toward the collet chuck 22 on the processing device 4 side.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3 to 6, the workpiece P used in this embodiment has a cylindrical portion 82 on one end side, and its outer shape is cylindrical, and the first loader holding members 60 (first holding jaws 64) of the first loader chuck means 6 and the second loader holding members 62 (second holding jaws 66) of the second loader chuck means 8 clamp and hold this cylindrical portion 82 of the workpiece P. In addition, a rectangular portion 84 is provided on the other end side of the workpiece P, and its outer shape is rectangular, and the spindle chuck holding portions 26 of the collet chuck 22 on the processing device 4 side clamp and hold this rectangular portion 84 of the workpiece P.

The tip of the collet chuck 22 is configured as follows to correspond to the rectangular portion 84 of the workpiece P. In this embodiment, chuck receiving portions 86 are provided on the radially inner side of the four spindle chuck holding portions 26 (26a to 26d), and the chuck receiving portions 86 are configured in a rectangular shape to correspond to the external shape of the rectangular portion 84 of the workpiece P. As shown in Figures 6 (a) and (b), the radially inner side of each spindle chuck holding portion 26 (26a to 26d) is provided with right-angle receiving portions 88 (88a to 88d) for holding the corners of the rectangular portion 84 of the workpiece P. For example, the right-angle receiving portions 88a, 88b of the upper pair of spindle chuck holding portions 26a, 26b clamp the upper surface side of the rectangular portion 84 of the workpiece P, and the right-angle receiving portions 88a, 88b of the lower pair of spindle chuck holding portions 26a, 26b clamp the upper surface side of the rectangular portion 84 of the workpiece P. The bottom side of the rectangular portion 84 is clamped by the right-angle receiving portions 88c, 88d of the chuck holding portions 26c, 26d, the left side of the rectangular portion 84 is clamped by the right-angle receiving portions 88a, 88d of the pair of spindle chuck holding portions 26a, 26d on the left side, and the right side of the rectangular portion 84 is clamped by the right-angle receiving portions 88b, 88c of the pair of spindle chuck holding portions 26b, 26c on the right side.

In this embodiment, a stopper member 90 is attached to prevent the rectangular portion 84 of the workpiece P from entering excessively into the chuck receiving portion 86 of the collet chuck 22 (see Figures 2 and 5). In this embodiment, the stopper member 90 is attached to the front surface of the auxiliary flange member 18 and extends vertically through the slits 24 of the collet chuck 22 (the slits 24 between the pair of spindle chuck holding portions 26a, 26b and the slits 24 between the pair of spindle chuck holding portions 26c, 26d) and the chuck receiving portion 86.

The intermediate portion 92 of the stopper member 90 in the longitudinal direction is formed into a generally rectangular concave shape, and this intermediate portion 92 is positioned within the chuck receiving portion 86 of the collet chuck 22, with the front surface of this intermediate portion 92 functioning as a stopper surface. Therefore, when the workpiece P is transferred to the collet chuck 22 as described below, the other end surface of the workpiece P (the surface of the rectangular portion 84) abuts against the stopper surface of the stopper member 90, thereby preventing the workpiece P from being inserted further into the chuck receiving portion 86.

Next, mainly with reference to Figures 1, 5 and 6, the transfer of the workpiece P held by the first loader chuck means 6 on the loader device 2 side to the processing device 4 side will be described. When the loader holding unit 42 is transported toward the collet chuck 22 of the processing device 4, for example, the unprocessed workpiece P is held by the first loader chuck means 6, but the second loader chuck means 8 is empty. When the loader holding unit 42 is moved to the processing area of the processing device 4, first, the processed workpiece P held by the collet chuck 22 of the processing device 4 is transferred to the second loader chuck means 8.

At this time, the loader holding unit 42 is held in the second rotation state, and the empty second loader chuck means 8 is positioned opposite the collet chuck 22 on the processing device 4 side. In this state, the second loader holding member 62 of the second loader chuck means 8 is closed to clamp the machined workpiece P, and then the spindle chuck holding portion 26 of the collet chuck 22 is opened to release the hold on the workpiece P, and thus the machined workpiece P is transferred from the collet chuck 22 on the processing device 4 side to the second loader chuck means 8 on the loader device 2 side.

When the collet chuck 22 is released from its grip on the workpiece P, the sleeve member 32 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow 36. This movement moves the collet chuck 22 forward (to the right in Figs. 1 and 2) via the connecting sleeve 34, thereby releasing the pressure-contact state between the inner tapered portion 30 of the auxiliary flange member 18 and the outer tapered portion 28 of the collet chuck 22. When the pressure-contact state is released in this manner, the multiple spindle chuck holding portions 26 of the collet chuck 22 move somewhat radially outward to return to their original state, thus opening the collet chuck 22 and releasing the grip of the workpiece P by the multiple spindle chuck holding portions 26.

To attach an unmachined workpiece P to the collet chuck 22 from which the workpiece P has been removed, the loader holding unit 42 is held in the first rotation state as shown in Figures 1 and 3, and the first loader chuck means 6 that holds the unmachined workpiece P is positioned opposite the collet chuck 22 on the processing device 4 side, and in this state, the workpiece P is transferred from the first loader chuck means 6 to the collet chuck 22.

To transfer the workpiece P, first, the loader holding unit 42 is moved forward (to the left in Figs. 1, 3 and 5) from the state shown in Fig. 5(a) and the first loader chuck means 22 is positioned in the clamp position (transfer position) shown in Fig. 5(b). Then, as shown in Fig. 5(b), the first loader chuck means 6 is opened and the pushing member 70 of the pushing means 67 is advanced in the direction shown by the arrow 80 to push the workpiece P toward the collet chuck 22 on the processing device 4 side.

At this time, pressure fluid is supplied to an open port of a first opening/closing cylinder mechanism (not shown), and the first loader holding member 60 of the first loader chuck means 6 is moved radially outward by this first opening/closing cylinder mechanism, whereby the first loader chuck means 6 is opened and the workpiece P is released from its clamped state. Also, pressure fluid is supplied to an extension port of the push cylinder mechanism 72, and the output portion 74 of the push cylinder mechanism 72 is extended, whereby the push member 70 is advanced in the direction indicated by the arrow 80.

When the pusher member 70 is advanced in this manner, the V-shaped inclined groove 71 of the protruding action portion 69 of the pusher member 70 acts on the lower portion of the cylindrical portion 82 of the workpiece P, pushing it forward toward the collet chuck 22, and the rectangular portion 84 of the pushed-out workpiece P is inserted into the chuck receiving portion 86 of the collet chuck 22, and the surface of the inserted rectangular portion 84 (the other end face of the workpiece P) abuts against the stopper surface of the middle portion 92 of the stopper member 90. This abutment prevents further insertion of the workpiece P into the chuck receiving portion 86 of the collet chuck 22.

At this time, as can be seen from Figs. 5(b) and 6(a), the V-shaped inclined groove 71 of the extrusion member 70 extends at an incline downward toward the front (in this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 5(a) and (b), the groove depth is configured to be deeper toward the front), so that as the extrusion member 70 advances, the V-shaped inclined groove 71 of the protruding action portion 69 acts to push the cylindrical portion 82 of the workpiece P diagonally upward as the extrusion member 70 advances. Therefore, when the extrusion member 70 is advanced and the workpiece P is inserted into the chuck receiving portion 86 of the collet chuck 22 as required, as shown in Fig. 6(a), the upper surface of the rectangular portion 84 abuts against the inner upper surface of the right-angle receiving portion 88a, 88b of the pair of upper spindle chuck holding portions 26a, 26b of the collet chuck 22, whereby the rectangular portion 84 of the workpiece P is positioned vertically relative to the collet chuck 22 and accurately positioned at this insertion position.

After that, with the pusher member 70 advanced, as shown in Figure 6(b), the spindle chuck means 10 (collet chuck 22) is rotated somewhat (for example, about 15 to 30 degrees) in the direction indicated by arrow 96. In this way, with the V-shaped inclined groove 71 of the pusher member 70 pushing the cylindrical portion 82 of the workpiece P diagonally upward, the collet chuck 22 is rotated in the direction indicated by arrow 96 relative to the workpiece P. In this way, a force is applied to the rectangular portion 84 of the workpiece P against the diagonal portion on the side of the chuck receiving portion 86 of the collet chuck 22, i.e., against the pair of diagonally positioned spindle chuck holding portions 26a, 26c, so that the left side of this rectangular portion 84 abuts against the inner left side of the right-angle receiving portion 88a of the left spindle chuck holding portion 26a of the collet chuck 22, and the right side of this rectangular portion 84 abuts against the inner right side of the right-angle receiving portion 88c of the right spindle chuck holding portion 26c. As a result, the rectangular portion 84 of the workpiece P is positioned not only vertically but also horizontally relative to the collet chuck 22, and the workpiece P is accurately positioned at the specified insertion position.

Then, the collet chuck 22 is closed and the rectangular portion 84 of the workpiece P is clamped and held by its four spindle chuck holding portions 26, and then the push-out member 70 is retracted, and in this manner, the workpiece P can be transferred from the first loader chuck means 6 on the loader device 2 side to the spindle chuck means 10 (collet chuck 22) on the processing device 4 side.

When the sleeve member 32 moves rearward (leftward in FIG. 1), the collet chuck 22 moves rearward via the connecting sleeve 34, and the outer tapered portion 28 of the collet chuck 22 is pressed against the inner tapered portion 30 of the auxiliary flange member 18. As a result, the spindle chuck holding portion 26 of the collet chuck 22 elastically deforms somewhat radially inward to clamp and hold the rectangular portion 84 of the workpiece P. In addition, when pressure fluid is supplied to the contraction side port of the extrusion cylinder mechanism 72, the output portion 74 of the extrusion cylinder mechanism 72 contracts, causing the extrusion member 70 to retreat in the direction indicated by the arrow 78 (see FIG. 5(a)).

In this embodiment, the upper surface of the rectangular portion 84 of the workpiece P is brought into contact with the inner upper surface of the chuck receiving portion 86 of the collet chuck 22 (the inner upper surface of the right-angle receiving portions 88a, 88b of the pair of spindle chuck holding portions 26a, 26b), and then the upper left and lower right side surfaces of this rectangular portion 84 are positioned to abut against the inner upper left and inner lower right surfaces of the chuck receiving portion 86 (the inner left and inner right surfaces of the right-angle receiving portions 88a, 88c of the pair of spindle chuck holding portions 26a, 26c). In this state, the collet chuck 22 (spindle chuck means 10) is in a closed state, so that the rectangular portion 84 of the workpiece P can be chucked with high precision, and as a result, the workpiece P can be processed with high precision by the processing device 4.

The above describes one embodiment of the loader device (method of chucking a workpiece) according to the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the inclined extrusion portion of the extrusion means 67 is configured from a V-shaped inclined groove 71, but it is not limited to such a V-shaped inclined groove 71 and can also be configured from, for example, an inclined surface acting on the workpiece P (e.g., the cylindrical portion 82).

In addition, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the inclined extrusion portion (e.g., the V-shaped inclined portion 71) of the extrusion means 67 is inclined diagonally downward toward the front, but it may be inclined diagonally upward toward the front instead.

In this case, when the inclined pressing portion of the extrusion means 67 advances and acts on the cylindrical portion 82 of the workpiece P, this inclined extrusion portion acts to press the cylindrical portion 82 of the workpiece P diagonally downward, and therefore, when the workpiece P is inserted into the chuck receiving portion 86 of the collet chuck 22 as required, the lower surface of the rectangular portion 84 comes into contact with the inner lower surfaces of the right-angle receiving portions 88c, 88d of the pair of lower spindle chuck holding portions 26c, 26d of the collet chuck 22. Furthermore, when the spindle chucking means 10 (collet chuck 22) is rotated somewhat in a predetermined direction from this abutting state, the inclined extrusion portion (V-shaped inclined groove 71) of the extrusion member 70 is rotated in a state in which the cylindrical portion 82 of the workpiece P is pressed obliquely downward. In this case as well, a force is applied to the rectangular portion 84 of the workpiece P against the diagonal portion on the side of the chuck receiving portion 86 of the collet chuck 22, i.e., the pair of spindle chuck holding portions 26a, 26c located diagonally, and the left side surface of this rectangular portion 84 presses against the collet chuck 22. 2, the right side of the rectangular portion 84 abuts against the inner left side surface of the right-angled receiving portion 88a of the left spindle chuck holding portion 26a, and the right side of the rectangular portion 84 abuts against the inner right side surface of the right-angled receiving portion 88c of the right spindle chuck holding portion 26c. In this way, the rectangular portion 84 of the workpiece P is positioned vertically and horizontally relative to the collet chuck 22, and the workpiece P can be accurately positioned at the specified insertion position. As a result, the collet chuck 22 can chuck and hold the workpiece P with high precision.

For example, in the above embodiment, the push-out means 67 is provided in relation to the first loader chuck means 6 of the loader holding unit 42, but instead of the first loader chuck means 6, the push-out means 67 may be provided in relation to the second loader chuck means 8. In this case, the second loader chuck means 8 is used to transfer the workpiece P to the spindle chuck means 10 (e.g., the collet chuck 22) on the processing device 4 side. Alternatively, the push-out means 67 may be provided in relation to both the first and second loader chuck means 6, 8, in which case the transfer of the workpiece P can be performed by either the first or second loader chuck means 6, 8.

For example, in the above embodiment, the loader holding unit 42 is provided with two loader chuck means (i.e., first and second loader chuck means 6, 8), but this is not limited to the above configuration. The loader holding unit 42 may be provided with one loader chuck means, and the workpiece P may be transferred to the spindle chuck means 10 of the processing device by this loader chuck means. The workpiece chucking method of the present invention can be similarly applied to such a loader device.

In addition, for example, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in Figure 6(b), the spindle chuck means 10 (collet chuck 22) is rotated slightly in the direction indicated by arrow 96 (clockwise in Figure 6(b)), but it may also be rotated in the opposite direction, counterclockwise in Figure 6(b). In this case, while the V-shaped inclined groove 71 of the extrusion member 70 is pushing the cylindrical portion 82 of the workpiece P diagonally upward, the collet chuck 22 is rotated counterclockwise relative to the workpiece P in FIG. 6(b), and a force is applied to the rectangular portion 84 of the workpiece P against the diagonal portion on the side of the chuck receiving portion 86 of the collet chuck 22, i.e., the pair of spindle chuck holding portions 26b, 26d located diagonally, so that the right side of this rectangular portion 84 comes into contact with the inner right side of the right-angle receiving portion 88b of the right spindle chuck holding portion 26b of the collet chuck 22, and the left side of this rectangular portion 84 comes into contact with the inner left side of the right-angle receiving portion 88d of the left spindle chuck holding portion 26d.

Description of the Reference Signs 2 Loader device 4 Processing device 6, 8 Loader chuck means 10 Spindle chuck means 14 Spindle 22 Collet chuck 26, 26a to 26d Spindle chuck holding member 42 Loader holding unit 44 Unit body 60, 62 Loader holding member 67 Pushing means 68 Plate-shaped body portion 69 Protruding action portion 70 Pushing member 71 V-shaped inclined groove 82 Cylindrical portion 84 Rectangular portion 86 Chuck receiving portion 88, 88a to 88d Right-angle receiving portion 90 Stopper member P Workpiece

Claims (5)

1. A loader apparatus comprising a loader holding unit moved by a loader moving mechanism, the loader holding unit having first and second loader chuck means for holding a workpiece , the loader apparatus comprising:
the first loader chuck means includes a plurality of first loader holding members mounted so as to be openable and closable, and is mounted on a first mounting portion of the loader holding unit; and the second loader chuck means includes a plurality of second loader holding members mounted so as to be openable and closable, and is mounted on a second mounting portion of the loader holding unit;
Furthermore, the loader device is characterized in that either or both of the first and second loader chuck means are provided with an extrusion means for pushing the workpiece forward from either or both of the first and second loader chuck means , and the extrusion means has an inclined extrusion portion for pushing the workpiece diagonally upward or diagonally downward. The loader device according to claim 1, characterized in that one end of the workpiece has a cylindrical portion having a cylindrical outer shape, the first loader chuck means includes a plurality of first loader holding members and the second loader chuck means includes a plurality of second loader holding members configured to chuck and hold the cylindrical portion of the workpiece, the extrusion means includes an extrusion member that extrudes the workpiece to the front side, the inclined extrusion portion of the extrusion means is composed of a V-shaped inclined groove provided in the extrusion member, the V-shaped inclined groove extends obliquely downward or upward toward the front, and the V-shaped inclined groove acts on the cylindrical portion of the workpiece. The loader device according to claim 2, characterized in that the other end of the workpiece has a rectangular portion having a rectangular outer shape, and the rectangular portion of the workpiece is configured to be chucked by the spindle chuck means, the spindle chuck means has four spindle chuck holders arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, and the four spindle chuck holders are configured to chuck the four corners of the rectangular portion of the workpiece, and the V-shaped inclined groove of the extrusion member acts on the workpiece to push it diagonally upward or downward toward the front, thereby pushing the rectangular portion of the workpiece forward and pressing it against the upper pair of spindle chuck holders or the lower pair of spindle chuck portions of the spindle chuck means. A method for chucking a workpiece, which transfers the workpiece from a loader device that transports the workpiece to a spindle chuck means of a processing device, comprising:
the loader device includes a loader holding unit moved by a loader moving mechanism, the loader holding unit includes loader chuck means for holding a cylindrical portion on one end side of the workpiece, and push-out means for pushing the workpiece forward from the loader chuck means , the push-out means having an inclined push-out portion for pushing the workpiece obliquely upward or obliquely downward;
the spindle chuck means of the processing device has four spindle chuck holding portions arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, and the four spindle chuck holding portions are configured to hold four corners of a rectangular portion on the other end side of the workpiece,
a push-out means for pushing the workpiece held by the loader chuck means obliquely upward or downward toward the front side and pressing the workpiece against an upper pair of spindle chuck holding portions or a lower pair of spindle chuck holding portions of the spindle chuck means in the open state, and then the spindle chuck means is rotated somewhat in a predetermined direction, whereby the workpiece is pressed against a pair of lateral spindle chuck holding portions of the spindle chuck means while being positioned against the upper pair of spindle chuck holding portions or the lower pair of spindle chuck holding portions, and then the spindle chuck means is closed and the four spindle chuck holding portions chuck the rectangular portion of the workpiece. The chucking method for a workpiece according to claim 4, characterized in that the pushing means includes a pushing member that pushes the workpiece forward, the inclined pushing portion of the pushing means is composed of a V-shaped inclined groove provided in the pushing member, the V-shaped inclined groove extends obliquely downward or upward toward the front, and the V-shaped inclined groove acts on the cylindrical portion of the workpiece.

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