JPH0122054B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention automatically selects a mold to be used in a press machine according to a production plan by the press machine,
The present invention also relates to an automatic exchange device for press dies.

In recent years, press processing has involved planning and selection of production plans, selection of press machines, selection of molds, transportation, loading and unloading of molds into the press, die height adjustment, material selection, loading, and progress in production. The operator is required to perform various tasks such as monitoring for abnormalities and making subsequent setups, which places a considerable burden on the operator.

In order to reduce the burden on workers, various automated devices have been proposed in recent years, but in the past, the number of molds to be replaced was 6 to 8, which required a very large mold warehouse. Not only was this difficult, but the control of the mold warehouse was separate from the control of the press machine system.

By the way, in the prior art, a mold carrier having two connected mold mounting parts is used, and an unused mold is placed on one of the mold mounting parts. Pull out the finished mold and place it on the other multiplier, then move the mold transport vehicle so that the mold loading part on which the unused mold is placed corresponds to the press machine, and then remove the unused mold. There was a device for transporting the molds to be used into a press machine (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 40272/1983).

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, there is no solution regarding storage of molds, transport of unused molds, and disposal of used molds. For this reason,
Simply making the mold carrier, which has two mold mounting sections on the front of the press machine, move back and forth will not work.
For example, there is a problem in that it is not possible to efficiently replace molds in operations that require frequent replacement of molds, such as in a high-mix, low-volume production system.

On the other hand, due to the recent trend toward high-mix, low-volume production, the production plan for press machines has become more complex and the types of work have increased.As the number of molds used reaches several hundred, it is not only necessary to process various data, but also to Systematization of mold selection, loading/unloading, and exchange equipment is required.

In view of the above, the present invention aims to improve the efficiency of work by using a computer, and it is possible to efficiently transfer molds in a mold warehouse containing hundreds of molds to a press machine according to a production plan. To provide an automatic mold changing device that allows easy setting.

The gist of the automatic mold changing device of the present invention is that it has a mold warehouse that stores and holds a plurality of molds, and a press machine that moves reciprocally along a running rail disposed between the press machine and the mold warehouse. a mold exchange mechanism having a first movable body provided with a locking member for removably locking the mold; and a transfer mechanism provided at one end of a running rail of the mold exchange mechanism in a direction perpendicular to the running rail. A rail, and a mold carry-in standby part and a carry-out standby part are provided adjacent to the intersection of the transfer rail and the travel rail of the mold exchange mechanism and at symmetrical positions of the intersection, and the mold carry-in standby part and the mold A connecting conveyance mechanism having a second moving body that conveys the molds conveyed to the intersection to the intersection and a carry-out standby section, respectively, and a carry-in standby section and a carry-out standby section of the mold warehouse and the coupled conveyance mechanism. a two-strip mold transfer mechanism arranged in parallel between the two, in which a trolley on which molds are placed is provided so as to be reciprocally movable, and the portions adjacent to the mold warehouse are respectively a carry-in transfer section and a carry-out transfer section; It is provided between the mold warehouse and the carry-in delivery section and the carry-out delivery section of the mold transfer mechanism, and is used to transport specified molds in the mold warehouse to the carry-in delivery section, or to transfer molds from the carry-out transfer section. It is characterized by comprising a mold transport mechanism for storing the molds in the mold warehouse.

With the above configuration, it is possible to quickly transport the mold to the press machine, and it is also possible to automatically control the storage of the mold, the transport of unused molds, and the processing of used molds.

The present invention will be explained in detail below based on an illustrated embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire apparatus of the present invention, in which a mold warehouse 1 in which several hundred molds are stored and held at predetermined positions and a press machine 2 are connected to a mold transport mechanism 3, and a mold transport mechanism 3 is used to transport the molds. The press machine 2 is connected via a mechanism 4, a connecting conveyance mechanism 6, and a mold exchange mechanism 5.
and each mechanism 3, 4, 5, 6 is connected to a central computer 8
I am trying to control it by programming.

As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 2, the computer 8 includes a central control unit 9, a first storage device 10 consisting of a floppy disk, etc., a second storage device 11 consisting of a magnetic disk, etc., and a typewriter, CRT, etc. The peripheral device 12 controls the mold warehouse 1, the mold transport mechanism 3, etc. via the interface 15, and controls the mold transport mechanism, connection transport mechanism, mold exchange mechanism via the interface 16. It also controls the mold exchange positioning mechanism 13, which is represented by a positioning mechanism, the press machine 2, the press peripheral machines 14, and the like.

Further, the central control device 9 reads necessary data from stored production management information such as production plan data, press basic data, mold data, etc., and creates a production program. Production begins based on this production program, but in order to handle changes in the production plan, it is possible to freely respond to changes in the production order, production quantity, new additions, updates, etc. ing.

When the production program is determined, the mold exchange mechanism is set to the initial state, and then a command is given to the mold warehouse 1 to ship the molds to be used for the first production. Based on this unloading command, the warehouse control system is activated, and the specified mold is taken out from a predetermined shelf address in the mold warehouse and transported to the carry-in/delivery point A by the mold transport mechanism 3.

When the mold is transported to the delivery point A and positioned in this manner, it is transported to the delivery standby point B by the mold transfer mechanism 4, and further transported to the exchange point C by the connecting transport mechanism 6. . Next, the mold is automatically carried to a predetermined position in the press machine 2 by the carry-in/out exchange device and automatically positioned, and then clamped to the press machine by the mold attachment/detachment device.

In addition, various data necessary for adjustment such as die height, preliminary feed amount, pitch feed amount, 1 sheet production amount, plate thickness, and planned production quantity are transmitted to the press machine 2 from the central control device 9, and are used for future commands. Based on this, the press machine 2 and press peripheral machines 14 are automatically adjusted and production is started.

On the other hand, once production starts as described above,
In the same manner as described above, the molds to be used for the next production are transported from the mold warehouse 1 to the carry-in waiting point B to prepare for the next production, and at the same time, abnormalities are monitored for those currently in production. . When an abnormality occurs, automatic stop and automatic recovery are performed, and when automatic recovery is not possible, an arbitrary abnormality signal is output to notify the operator, and the system waits for manual recovery.

Furthermore, once the planned number of products has been produced, production is stopped. The used mold is removed from the press machine,
It is sent to an unloading standby point D via an exchange point C. At the same time, a new mold is sent from the unloading standby point B to the exchange point C. Next, the new mold is automatically carried to a predetermined position within the press machine, set in the press machine in the same manner as described above, and production begins based on the next production program.

Thereafter, production is repeated in the same manner in a predetermined order, and each time each production is completed, the cumulative production number, production usage time, number of emergency stops, contents, etc. for each mold are checked, and the materials used are checked. It calculates weight, length, etc. to determine whether there will be a problem with the next production, and if there is a problem, it will print it out and notify the operator. When the day's production is completed, a daily report is automatically created so that the day's production can be understood at a glance, greatly reducing the labor of workers and allowing unmanned operation if necessary. It's getting old.

Next, an automatic mold exchange device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

In FIGS. 3 to 5, a mold exchange mechanism 5 is provided at the rear of the press machine 2, in which running rails 18, 18 having the same height as the upper surface height of the press machine's bolster 17 are attached to the machine frame 19. A first moving body 20 is provided between the traveling rails 18, 18 and is driven to reciprocate along the rails 18, 19. The movable body 20 has holes 3 in the molds 21, 21.
A locking member 22 compatible with 1 and this locking member 22
It is equipped with a cylinder 23 for raising and lowering the engine, and wheels 25, 25 guided by a guide 24 provided on the machine frame 19, and a chain 27 stretched over a sprocket 26 and the first moving body 20 are coupled. By coupling via 28, when the chain 27 is reciprocated, the first moving body 20 is reciprocated along the traveling rails 18, 18 according to the guidance of the guide 24. In addition, the traveling rail 1
At 8 and 18, there are a plurality of rollers 29 which are in rolling contact with the mold.
29 is attached, and the mold moves on the rails 18, 18 on a straight line connecting the exchange point C and the bolster 17 based on the traction action of the first moving body 20. Note that 30 is a motor that drives the chain 27.

In FIG. 3 and FIGS. 6 to 9, the connection conveyance mechanism 6 that intersects at right angles with the mold exchange mechanism 5 at the exchange point C includes transfer rails 32, 32 that are orthogonal to the traveling rails 18, 18, and Rail 32,3
a second moving body 33 that moves along
guide members 34, 34 of the movable body 33, and partial rails 35, 35 located on the extension line of the traveling rails 18, 18 of the mold exchange mechanism 5, and the rails 32, 32 are used for the mold exchange. It is made slightly lower than the running rails 18, 18 of the machine frame 19 of the mechanism 5. Note that the transfer rails 32, 32 are also provided with a plurality of rollers 36, 36 in the same manner as described above.

Further, the guide member 34 is fixed to the machine frame 19, and has rollers 3 that fit into the grooves of the second movable body 33.
7,37 are provided. This second moving body 33 is connected to the chain 38 by a joint 38a,
The motor 39 drives the chain and the second moving body 33
One end of the second movable body 33 can be reciprocated from the carry-in standby point B to the exchange point C, and the other end of the second moving body 33 can be moved back and forth from the exchange point C to the carry-out standby point D. 40 is a sprocket of chain 38.

At both ends of the second movable body 33, locking members 41, 41 are provided which are raised and lowered by a cylinder device and are engaged with and disengaged from the holes 31 of the mold 21. The interval between the locking members 41, 41 is such that when the new mold 21 (on the left side in FIG. 8) engaged with one of the locking members 41 is located at the carry-in waiting point B, the other locking member 41 is closed. The used mold 21 (on the right side in FIG. 8) is positioned at the replacement point, and after the movement, when the new mold 21 is located at the replacement point C, the used mold 21 engages with the other locking member 41. The mold 21 is set to be correctly positioned at the unloading standby point D.

Moreover, the partial rails 35, 3 provided at the exchange point C
A cylinder device 42 is provided below the cylinder device 5, and the tip of the piston rod 43 of the cylinder device 42 and the partial rail 35 are connected via an arm 44, a link 45, and two stays 46, 46.
The partial rails 35, 35 move up and down in synchronization with the up and down movement of the piston rod 43. 47,
47 is a fulcrum of the arm 45, and 48, 48 are rollers provided on the partial rails 35, 35. Figure 3, 1st
In FIG. 0, the transport mechanism 49 connecting the carry-out standby point D and the carry-out delivery point E is provided with a cart 50 that runs along a rail connecting both points D and E, and is driven by the cart 50 and a motor 51. It is connected to a chain 52 via a joint 53. 54 is a sprocket, and 55, 55 are wheels.

A partial rail 56, which forms an extension of the rails 32, 32 of the connecting conveyance mechanism 6, is provided on the upper surface of the truck 50.
56 and rollers 57, 57 are provided, and a notch 58 is provided in a part of the rails 56, 56 to avoid interference between the partial rail 56 and the guide member 34 (FIG. 3). In addition, delivery delivery point A and delivery waiting point B
Since the carry-in transfer mechanism 59 connecting the two is also substantially the same as the carry-out mechanism 49, a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.
A die locator 61 is provided for positioning. This die locator 61 has a cylinder device and an abutting member attached to a piston rod of the device, and the die locator 61 is brought into contact with the side surface of the mold on the trolley 60 to move the center of the mold 21 to the transport mechanism. 59
I try to align it with the center of the Reference numerals 62 and 62 indicate partial rails provided on the cart 60 of the carry-in transfer mechanism 59, and 63 indicates a cutout portion of the partial rail 62. 64
65 is the same mold detector, 66 is the mold detector provided at the delivery standby point B, 67 is the same trolley detector, 68 is the same mold position detector, 69 is a moving object detector, 70 is a mold detector provided at the exchange point C, 71 is a moving object center position detector, 72 is a rail upper limit position detector, 73 is a moving object detector, 74 is an unloading standby point D 75 is also a mold detector, 77 is a mold detector provided at the delivery/delivery point E, 78 is also a trolley detector, 79 is the end of the mold exchange mechanism 5 on the press machine side. A moving object detector 80 is provided at the other end, and is used to confirm that the molds 21, 21' and the carts 50, 60 are being transferred to the correct positions. be. Note that 76 is a stopper for the used mold 21 being transported.

In the above configuration, when a predetermined mold 21 is carried out from the mold warehouse 1 to the delivery point A by the mold transport mechanism 3 according to a command from the central controller 9, this mold 21 is placed on the cart 60. , dilocator 6
The position is corrected with 1. When the trolley detector 64 and the mold detector 65 detect and confirm that the trolley 60 is at the carry-in delivery point A and that the mold 21 is on the trolley 60, the trolley is moved under the traction action of the motor and chain. 60 is moved to the loading waiting point B,
The mold position detector 68 stops at a fixed position as the mold position detector 68 performs a detection operation. The detectors 66 and 6 indicate that the cart 60 and the mold 21 are at this carry-in standby point B.
7 to be detected and confirmed.

After the press work is completed, the mold 2 is placed on the bolster 17.
1 is unclamped by the automatic attachment/detachment mechanism,
The locking member 22 of the exchange mechanism 5 engages with the mold 21 on the bolster 17, and reaches the exchange point C under the traction action of the movable body 20. At this time, the partial rails 35, 35 at the exchange point C are lifted by the cylinder device 42, and the traveling rails 18, 35 of the exchange mechanism 5 are lifted.
The mold 21 is held at the same height as the mold 18, and when it reaches the exchange point C, it descends together with the partial rails 35, 35.

When the used mold 21 reaches the exchange point C in this way, the locking member 41 provided at one end of the second movable body 33 of the connection conveyance mechanism 6 operates to protrude, and the mold 21 is moved to the second movable body 33. The new mold 21 also engages with the second moving body 33 as the locking member 41 at the other end is operated to protrude.

With the new mold 21 located at the carry-in standby point B and the used mold 21 located at the exchange point C both engaged with the movable body 33, the second movable body 33 moves to the side of the carry-out standby point D. , the mold located at the carry-in standby point B reaches the exchange point C, and the used mold located at the exchange point C is carried to the carry-out standby point D.

Next, the locking members 41, 41 of the second moving body 33
are removed from the molds 21 and 21, respectively, the locking member 22 of the first movable body 20 of the mold exchange mechanism 5 engages with the new mold 21 at the exchange point C, and the first movable body 20 The mold is carried onto the bolster 17 by the traction action of the press machine and clamped to the press machine. After this clamping is confirmed, the press machine 2 automatically starts work such as die height adjustment, and press work is restarted.

Furthermore, when the mold at the carry-in standby point B is carried into the press machine 2 as described above, the cart 60 of the carry-in transfer mechanism 59 automatically returns to the carry-in delivery point A to supply the next mold to be used. is the standby state. At the same time, the cart 50 that received the mold at the unloading standby point D reaches the unloading transfer point E by the unloading transfer mechanism 49, returns the mold to the mold transporting mechanism 3, and then automatically returns to the unloading standby point D. and wait for the next removal. Furthermore, the mold transport mechanism 3
The returned used molds are returned to the designated shelf address,
Next, the mold to be used is transported to the delivery/delivery point A.

By repeating the above operations, the next mold is carried to the carry-in standby point while the press machine 2 is in operation, and the used mold is automatically returned to the mold warehouse 1.

As explained above, according to the present invention, the selection, loading, replacement, and unloading of molds are automatically performed according to commands from the central control unit of the computer, and the loading and unloading is performed while the press is operating. Therefore, the molds can be sequentially and efficiently replaced automatically according to a predetermined production plan without requiring any human labor. or,
Since the carry-in route and the conveyance route are independent, the time for carrying in and out can be shortened, so the time for changing molds can be significantly shortened, and the time for automatic setup of the press machine can be shortened.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a block diagram of the central control unit, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the exchange device and transfer device, FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway side view of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 6 is a sectional view of FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a sectional view of FIG. 3, FIG. 8 is a sectional view of FIG. 3, FIG. 9 is a sectional view of FIG. The figure is a - sectional view of FIG. 1...Mold warehouse, 2...Press machine, 3...Mold transport mechanism, 4...Mold transfer mechanism, 5...Mold exchange mechanism, 6...Connection conveyance mechanism, 8...Central control unit , 17... Bolster, 49... Export transfer mechanism,
59...Carry-in transfer mechanism, A...Carry-in delivery point, B...
...Carry-in waiting point, C...Exchange point, D...Carry-out waiting point, E...Carry-out delivery point.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A mold warehouse that stores and holds a plurality of molds, and a locking member that reciprocates along a traveling rail provided between the press machine and the mold warehouse and that removably locks the molds. a mold exchange mechanism having a first movable body provided with a first movable body; a transfer rail provided at one end of the travel rail of the mold exchange mechanism in a direction perpendicular to the travel rail; Adjacent to the intersection with the running rail of the mechanism and at a position symmetrical to this intersection, there is provided a mold carry-in standby and carry-out standby part, and the molds transported to the carry-in standby part and the intersection are placed at the intersection and A connected conveyance mechanism having a second movable body that is respectively conveyed to a carry-out standby section, and a connected conveyance mechanism disposed in parallel between the mold warehouse and a carry-in standby section and a carry-out standby section of the connected conveyance mechanism, on which molds are placed. a two-striped mold transfer mechanism, in which a trolley for storing the molds is provided so as to be reciprocally movable, and a portion adjacent to the mold warehouse is used as a carry-in/delivery section and a carry-out transfer section, respectively; a mold transport mechanism that is provided between the transfer section and the carry-out delivery section, and carries a designated mold in the mold warehouse to the carry-in transfer section, or stores the mold in the carry-out transfer section to the mold warehouse; An automatic press mold exchange device characterized by comprising: