JPH01234133A - Multiple plane automatic pallet changer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily improve in function from a two-plane juxtaposition type APC to a multiple plane APC by providing a pallet stocker having plural pallet storing tables and intermittently moving a pallet by disengaging a shifter fork and moving a shifter. CONSTITUTION:There are provided a table 2 which is moved and positioned by numerical control to two pallet exchange positions of a numerical control machine tool and a pallet stocker 60 having plural pallet tables 62 which can be positioned at two pallet exchange positions corresponding to a pallet exchange position. A pallet 17 having hooks at plural portions thereof is intermittently moved by a shifter having a shifter fork. Thus, a function can be raised to multiple plane APC only by adding a simple pallet stocker 60 without remarkably remodelling a two-plane juxtaposition type APC.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Application Field The present invention is a multi-sided automatic pallet exchange device for machining centers, FMS, etc.! This is related to f.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional automatic pallet changing devices (hereinafter referred to as APC) are generally two-sided APCs that have a simple structure and quick changing operations.
A multi-sided APC with a magazine stocker capable of storing a plurality of pallets as shown in FIG. 9 is used only when compatible with FMS and the like.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention The multi-sided APC described in the prior art has a magazine stocker with a complicated mechanism, so it operates slower than the two-sided APC, takes longer to replace, and takes up a lot of space.
The problem was that there was no flexibility in layout.

Furthermore, if a machine tool with a two-sided APC is later changed to FMS or FMC compatible specifications, the existing two-sided APC must be discarded and a multi-sided APC must be reinstalled, which is extremely uneconomical. Was. The present invention was made in view of these problems of the conventional technology, and its purpose is to easily upgrade the functionality from a two-sided side-by-side APC to a multi-sided APC without major changes, and to shorten the replacement time. It attempts to provide multifaceted APC.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the multi-sided pallet exchange device of the present invention includes a table that is moved and positioned under NC control to two pallet exchange positions of an NC machine tool, and a table that is moved and positioned to correspond to the pallet exchange positions. A pallet stocker having a plurality of pallet storage stands that can be positioned at two pallet exchange positions, a pallet 17 that is movable in parallel between the corresponding exchange devices and the exchange positions and has hooks at a plurality of locations in the movement direction, and the pallet and a shifter having shifter hawks at both ends that are removably engaged with the hooks of the pallets and supporting the center portion of the shifter shaft to move the pallet to the predetermined exchange position.

Operation The processed pallet (17) on which the processed workpiece is attached on the machine table 2 is moved to the pallet exchange position a by NC control.
The NC-driven shifter 25, which is positioned at
The shifter hawk rotates and the front hawk 48A engages with the hook 56B on the rear side of the pallet, and the pallet 17
Moved to C side. At the point when the pallet leaves table 2 during this movement, the table starts moving and is positioned at position b, and during this table movement the processed pallet is moved to position C, where f (the Rear hook 5 of raw bullet 17 with new workpiece attached
The front fork 48A is replaced at 6b, the unprocessed bullet is moved onto the table at position b, the fork 48A is removed, the shifter is moved to intermediate position j, and machining of the workpiece on the table is started.

At the j position, the hawk 48A again engages with the front hook 56A of the processed pallet at the C position, moving the pallet 17 to the g position, and the hawk 48A is disengaged and the shifter 25 moves to the i position.
position, the rear hawk 48B again engages the front hook 56A of the processed pallet, and the pallet 17 is moved onto the empty pallet storage platform 62 indexed at the C position of the pallet magazine 60; The hawk is released and theta returns to position J. Subsequently, the storage stand 62 of the magazine 60 is rotated, and the unprocessed bullet 17 on which the new workpiece to be processed next is attached is indexed to the d position, and as described above, the pallet is removed by repeatedly engaging and disengaging the hawk and moving the shifter. is AP
It is moved to the f position of C and waits.

Embodiment An embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 7
In the figure, in a well-known horizontal machining center, a table 2 that can be rotated and indexed via a saddle having a slide guide surface in the X-axis direction on two-axis slide guide surfaces on the bed.
is mounted so that it can be moved and positioned, and the X-wheel and 2
Axis controlled.

A pallet mounting base 3 having a rectangular upper surface is fixed concentrically to the rotation center on the table 2, and the rectangular long side end surfaces 3a, 3
A plurality of guide rollers 4 are attached to b, and a plurality of guide rollers 5 are attached to the back surface adjacent to the end surfaces 3a and 3b, and are indexed so as to face the APC side in the Z-axis direction when replacing the pallet. .

Further, the pallet mounting base 3 is provided with a pallet clamping device (not shown).

A column 6 having a sliding inner surface in the Y-axis direction is erected on the left side of the bed, and a spindle head 8 supporting a spindle 7 rotatably supported by a plurality of bearings is provided on the column 6 so as to be movable and positionable. , the Y-axis is controlled by NC, and a tool magazine 9 is installed on the side of the column 6 to store a plurality of tools at right angles to the spindle axis. A tool changer 1G is provided.

A frame body 13 of APC12 is installed on the right floor of the machine bed, and two pallets = 14 are lined up in the X-axis direction on the frame body 13.
are provided, and the positions 17a and b on the machine in the Z-axis direction corresponding to the center positions e and f of the two pallet stands 14 are the table 2.
This is the pallet exchange location. and pallet stand 1
4 is formed into a rectangular shape with guide rollers 15, 16 similar to those of the pallet mounting base 3 described above, and rollers 15.1
6 above) 17 moves. Further, in the frame 13, there are intermediate guide tables 23A, 23B, 24A, and 24B for guiding the pallet during movement, which have a plurality of guide rollers 21 and 22 on the machine side and on the pallet magazine side, which will be described later, and are symmetrical with respect to the center of pallet movement. Mounted in shape. A pallet driving device including a shifter 25 for moving the pallet is attached to the center position of both pallet stands 14.degree. 14 of the frame 13. The ball screw 26 of the pallet drive device is mounted on brackets 27 and 28 fixed to both sides of the frame 13 with bearings at 29° and 30°.
It is rotated via a belt 33 by a servo motor 32 having a position detector 31 whose rotation is controlled by an NC.

Furthermore, the guide shaft 3 is parallel to the ball screw 26 on the horizontal plane.
4 is fitted to the aforementioned bracket 27, 28, and a ball spline shaft 35 is rotatably supported by a bearing 36, 37 in parallel above the ball screw 26 and guide shaft 34. A connecting rod 41 provided at the tip of the piston loft 39 of the rotating double cylinder 38 fixed perpendicularly to the side surface of the frame 13 and a lever 43 connected via a pin 42 are fixed to the tip of the spline shaft 35. has been done.

By switching the pressure oil supplied to the double cylinder 38, the shifter fork 4, which will be described later, is transferred via the spline shaft 35.
8A and 48B are in neutral position, left pallet engagement position! ,
It is rotated to three positions: right pallet latching position m. Further, a spline collar 44 is fitted onto the spline shaft 35 so as to be movable only in the axial direction, an arm 46 is fitted onto the outer periphery of the spline collar 44 via a key 45, and a shifter shaft 47 is fitted onto the arm 46 in parallel to the spline shaft. The center right side position is supported and fixed by a pin, and shifter hawks 48A and 48B are fixed to the image tip of the shifter shaft 47.

Furthermore, the outer peripheries of the nut 51 screwed onto the ball screw 26 and the slide bearing 52 fitted onto the guide shaft 34 are fitted into holes drilled at corresponding positions in the shifter block 53. is fixed at both ends of a hole 53a drilled concentrically with the spline shaft 35 of the
54 and 55 sandwich the spline collar 44 in the axial direction, and as the ball screw 26 rotates and the nut 51 moves, the shifter hawks 48A and 48B move. and palette 1
Four hooks 56A, 56B fixed to the front and back of both sides 17a, 17b in the moving direction of 7 and a shifter hawk 48A,
48B is selectively and removably engaged by the double cylinder 38, and the pallet is rotated by the rotation of the servo motor 32.
17 is moved.

A pallet magazine device 60 is installed on the right floor of the APC 12, and a plurality of pallet storage stands 62 are movably placed on a guide 61a provided on a frame 61 of the pallet magazine. The storage stand 62 is not shown in the figure.
It is rotated by a CIII-controlled drive device and indexed to exchange positions c and d corresponding to the exchange positions a and b of the machine described above.

The upper surface of the storage table 62 is formed into a rectangular shape with guide rollers 15 and 16 similar to the pallet table 14, and a pallet 17 with a workpiece attached is placed on the storage table 62, and the pallet 17 is attached to a clamp (not shown). It is stored in a state where it is clamped to a storage stand by a device.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. In A, the machined pallet 17 on which the machined workpiece is attached to the pallet exchange position a of this machine
is positioned, and at the mouth, the ball screw 26 is rotated via the belt 33 by the servo motor 32 whose rotation is controlled by NG, and the shifter 25, which is waiting at the 1st position, moves to the forward end on the machine side, and the double cylinder 38 The pressure oil supplied to the connecting rod 41. The spline shaft 35 is rotated via the lever 43, and the spline collar 44.
Arm 46. The front shifter hawk 48A pivots to the 1 position via the shifter shaft 47, and the hook 56 on the rear side of the pallet
engage with B. In c, the ball screw 26 is rotated again, the shifter 25 is moved to the rearward end on the pallet magazine side, and the processed pallet 17 is moved to the APC position e. During this movement, the empty table 2 is moved to the pallet exchange position. Then, the hawk 48A pivots to the m position and engages with the rear hook 56B of the unprocessed bullet 17 to which a new workpiece is attached, which is waiting at the f position of the APC, and the unprocessed bullet is replaced by the reverse movement of the mouth. Position table 2
Move up. And shifter hawk 48A is in neutral position k
After the shifter 25 is rotated and released from the hook 56B, and the shifter 25 is moved to the intermediate position j on the pallet magazine side by the rotation of the ball screw 26, machining of the workpiece attached to the pallet on the table is started. .

Second, Hawk 48A! It engages with the front hook 56A of the processed pallet that has been rotated to position e and is stopped at position e. At E, the shifter 25 moves to the rear end position on the pallet magazine side, and the processed pallet is moved to position G. At this time, the hawk 48A is disengaged, the shifter 25 moves toward the machine and returns to position i, and the rear hawk 48A is disengaged.
Front hook 56A of pallet B is stopped at position g!
'To be united. At this point, the shifter 25 moves to the rearward end and moves the processed pallet onto the empty pallet storage table 62 indexed to the exchange position C of the pallet magazine.

In H, the hawk 48B and the hook 56A are disengaged, and the shifter 25 moves to the j position.

Then, the pallet magazine 60 is rotated and the unprocessed bullet 17 with the new workpiece attached is indexed at the exchange position d.
After the operation of the above-mentioned route, the process returns to step 2, and the unprocessed pallet 17 with the new workpiece attached waits at the f position.Then, the shifter 25 returns to the standby position l and waits until the next pallet exchange command is issued.

The order shown in FIG.
It is not necessary to follow this order, and the above operation description is an example of an operation that can shorten the non-cutting time.

Furthermore, the pallet magazine is not limited to the rotating stocker that can carry 10 areas as shown in Figure 1, but can also be attached to any type of stocker, such as a shuttle type stocker, transport vehicle, or stanker crane. There is no need for a drive mechanism for carrying in and out of the APC.

Effects Since the present invention is configured as described above, it produces the following effects.

It is possible to upgrade the functionality to a multi-sided APC by simply adding a pallet magazine without making any major modifications to the 2-sided side-by-side APC, and since the type and structure of the pallet magazine is not selected, the layout is flexible and floor space is saved. can do. Also, like the two-sided side-by-side type APC, it is possible to speed up the pallet exchange time, and the non-cutting time is shortened.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a top view of a machining center with a multi-sided APC according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the main parts of the APC and its surroundings, Fig. 3 is a top view of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a top view of the pallet drive device. 5 is a side view of the pallet drive device, FIG. 6 is a side cutaway view of the pallet drive device, FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the main parts of the pallet drive device, and FIGS. 8-1 are operation explanations. 9 are top views of a conventional machining center with multi-face APC. 2...Table 17...Pallet 25...Shifter 47...Shifter shaft 48A, 48B...Shifter hawk 56A, 56B...Hook 60...Pallet magazine device 62...Pallet storage stand

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) Two pallet exchange positions of NC machine tools (a, b
), the table (2) is moved and positioned under NC control;
A pallet stocker (60) having a plurality of pallet storage stands (62) positionable at two pallet exchange positions (c, d) corresponding to the pallet exchange positions (a, b), and the corresponding exchange device (a). , c) and exchange position (b,
d) A pallet (17) that can be moved in parallel between each other and has hooks (56A, 56B) at multiple locations in the direction of movement, and shifter hawks (48A, 48B) that are releasably engaged with the hooks of the pallet at both ends. a shifter (25) that moves the pallet to the predetermined exchange position by supporting the center part of a shifter shaft (47), and the pallet is intermittently moved by repeatedly engaging and disengaging the shifter hawk and moving the shifter. A multi-sided automatic pallet exchange device characterized by: