JPH0229460B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to an automatic tool assembly device for automatically assembling a modular tool to be mounted on a machine tool such as an NC lathe.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

Cutting tools for lathes consist of a holder section that is attached to the tool rest of the lathe and a cutting edge section provided on this holder section, but recently modular tools have been developed in which the holder section and the cutting edge section can be separated. Ta. This modular tool consists of a holder module and a blade module, and by selectively connecting different types of blade modules to the holder module, the holder module can be made common, and the tool can be stored easily. There are many advantages such as reduced space, easier transportation of tools, and lower costs.

However, conventional modular tools have a connection structure that is very different from fixed tools used in NC lathes, etc. and rotary tools used in machining centers, etc., and the connection and disassembly of the blade module to the holder module, that is, the modular tool Assembly and disassembly work is done manually by workers. Therefore, the efficiency of assembly and disassembly work is poor, and although different blade modules can be exchanged and combined into one holder module and the holder module can be shared, it is difficult to use when frequently changing tools on a machine tool. In order to eliminate waiting time for machine tools, it is necessary to store a large number of modular tools in an assembled state, and as a result, there is a disadvantage that a large number of holder modules must be prepared. Furthermore, the tool is large and heavy, and there is a drawback that it is dangerous to handle during assembly and disassembly work.

[Purpose of the invention]

This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to automatically assemble the blade module to the holder module in a modular tool, and to assemble only the blade module. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic tool assembly device that can reduce storage space and downsize the device by storing it in a magazine.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a main body and a large number of tool holding parts provided on one side of the main body on the outer peripheral surface, and a holder module and a blade module are separated in these tool holding parts. a disk-shaped magazine that can be rotated in forward and backward directions and detachably stores the blade module of a possible modular tool; an assembly position provided on the other side of the main body for assembling the holder module and the blade module; A swiveling arm is provided on the main body between the magazine and the assembly position so as to be able to freely turn and move forward and backward with respect to the magazine and the assembling position; a chuck for gripping the blade module housed in the tool holder and supplying the gripped blade module to the holder module by the rotational movement of the rotation arm; and a coupling mechanism for assembling the blade module to the holder module through forward and backward movements.

Then, the blade module stored in the tool holding part of the magazine is gripped by the chuck provided at one end of the revolving arm by the forward and backward movements of the revolving arm, and the gripped blade module by the revolving action of the revolving arm. Supply the module to the holder module in the assembly position. Further, the holder module and the blade module are assembled by the coupling mechanism provided at the other end of the swing arm by the swing motion and forward/backward motion of the swing arm.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

1 and 2 show the entire automatic tool assembly device, and 1 is the main body. A magazine 2 is provided on one side of the main body 1. The magazine 2 is composed of a disk 3 that can be rotated in forward and reverse directions, a large number of tool holders 4 provided at equal intervals on the outer peripheral surface of the disk 3, and a motor 5 that rotationally drives the disk 3. Different types of blade modules a constituting the modular tool A are removably inserted into the tool holding portion 4.

Further, on the other side of the main body 1, there is provided an assembly position 6 which also serves as a disassembly position for the modular tool A.
As shown in the figure, a holding mechanism 7 for holding the holder module b of the modular tool A is provided. That is, 7a and 7a are a pair of support stands, and these support stands 7a and 7a are provided with bearings 7b and 7b. Rotating shafts 8a, 8b are rotatably supported by these bearings 7b, 7b. Support frames 9a and 9b are fixed to these rotating shafts 8a and 8b, and a clamp mechanism 10 for clamping the holder module b from the radial direction is provided on the support frames 9a and 9b. This slump mechanism 10 can be rotated by 90 degrees by a drive motor 11 that is linked to the rotation shaft 8a, and is configured so that its posture can be changed in the horizontal and vertical directions while the holder module b is clamped. There is.

Also, holder module b is shown in Figures 6 and 7.
As shown in the figure, it consists of a tapered part 12 that is mounted on a cutting tool mount of a machine tool, and a holder part 13 that is detachably fixed to this tapered part 12.
An annular groove 14 is provided in the tapered portion 12, and the clamp mechanism 10 holds the holder module b by clamping the annular groove 14. Further, the holder portion 13
A blade module holder 15 is protruded from the front surface of the blade module holder 15, and a drawbar 16 is provided in the holder part 13 located on the blade module holder 15 so as to be freely protrusive and retractable. The base of the drawbar 16 is slidably inserted into a guide hole 17 provided in the holder portion 13, and a tapered hole 18 made of a square hole is protruded from the base of the drawbar 16. A key groove 20 is provided in the tapered surface 19 of the tapered hole 18 along the vertical direction, and the tapered hole 18 has an engaging portion 21 that engages with the key groove 20 and matches the taper hole 18. A slider 22 having a tapered surface is inserted so as to be vertically movable. A screw hole 23 is provided in the slider 22 and projects in the vertical direction, and a drive screw 24 inserted from above the holder portion 13 is screwed into the screw hole 23. Therefore, this drive screw 24
For example, when the slider 22 is rotated to the right, the slider 22 rises through the screw hole 23, and when the slider 22 is rotated to the left, the slider 22 descends through the screw hole 23. The drawbar 16 can be pulled into the guide hole 17 by raising the slider 22, and can be made to protrude from the guide hole 17 by lowering the slider 22. Further, the base of the blade module a is provided with an engagement recess 25 that can be engaged with the drawbar 16 provided in the holder part 13 of the holder module b by inserting it from above. By retracting the drawbar 16 in this state, the engagement recess 2
5 is coupled to the drawbar 16 and the holder module b
The blade module a is integrally connected to the
Conversely, by protruding the drawbar 16, the connection with the engagement recess 25 is released, allowing for disassembly.

Further, a brake 26a is provided between the magazine 2 and the assembly position 6 in the upper part of the main body 1.
A rotating arm 27 is provided that rotates 180 degrees by a rotational drive mechanism 26 such as a rotary actuator, and this rotating arm 27 is connected to the air cylinder 2.
8 so that it can be raised and lowered. moreover,
A chuck 30 that is opened and closed by a rotary actuator 29 is provided at one end of the swing arm 27, and a nut runner 31 as a coupling mechanism is provided at the other end. The chuck 30 has a claw portion 3 that holds the blade module a stored in the tool holding portion 4 of the magazine 2 from both sides thereof.
The nut runner 31 is constructed as shown in FIG. 8. The nut runner 31 is configured as shown in FIG. 8. That is, 32 is the pivot arm 27
This is a motor fixed to the motor 32 via a bracket 33, and a drive gear 3 is attached to a rotating shaft 34 of this motor 32.
5 is fitted. A gear housing 36 fixed to the bracket 33 is provided adjacent to the drive gear 35.
A rotating cylindrical body 38 rotatably supported via an oil-impregnated bearing 37 is provided inside. A driven gear 39 that meshes with the driving gear 35 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating cylinder 38, and a spline groove 40 is provided on the inner circumferential surface. A spline shaft 41 is inserted into the spline groove 40 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and the spline shaft 41 is always urged downward by a spring 42. A tightening shaft 43 is attached to the lower end of the spline shaft 41, and a tightening shaft 43 is attached to the holder portion 13 of the holder module b.
A driving screw 24 provided in the housing can be tightened and loosened.

The automatic tool assembly device for fixed tools configured in this way is installed adjacent to the automatic tool assembly device 45 for rotary tools, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, and has a traverser device 46 that communicates between the two devices. A fixed tool and a rotary tool are selectively carried out to a tool stocker 48 by a tool gripper 47 provided at the
Tools are transported from the tool stocker 48 to a machine tool (not shown) by a transport robot or the like, and these are controlled by a control device 49.

Next, the operation of the tool assembly device configured as described above will be explained. When the machining order is determined based on the production management information and the tools required for the machining are known, a tool designation signal is input from the control device 49 to the automatic tool assembly device. For example, if the specified tool is a fixed tool used in an NC lathe, first, disk 3 of magazine 2 is connected to motor 5.
The tool holder 4, in which the designated blade module a is housed, is located at the transfer position 4a and stops. On the other hand, the holder module b carried in by the tool gripper 47 of the traverser device 46 at this time is clamped by the clamp mechanism 10 provided at the assembly position 6 and held in a horizontal state. Next, air cylinder 28
As a result, the rotating arm 27 in the raised position is rotated by the rotation drive mechanism 26, and the chuck 30 at one end thereof faces the blade module a located at the transfer position 4a. Then, the chuck 30 which is in the open state by the rotary actuator 29
When the rotating arm 27 is lowered to face both sides of the blade module a, the chuck 30 closes and clamps the blade module a. When the chuck 30 chucks the blade module a, the swing arm 27 rises and then is moved by the rotary drive mechanism 26.
Turn 180°. The blade module a chucked onto the chuck 30 by the pivoting movement of the pivoting arm 27 faces the holder module b located at the assembly position 6. Here, rotating arm 2
When the blade module 7 descends again, the engagement recess 25 of the blade module a engages with the drawbar 16 provided in the holder part 13 of the holder module b, and is placed on the blade module holder 15. When the transfer of the blade module a to the holder module b is completed in this manner, the swing arm 27 rises and then swings 180 degrees. Therefore, the nut runner 31 provided at the other end of the swing arm 27 faces the assembly position 6, and the tightening shaft 43 of the nut runner 31 is connected to the holder portion 1 of the holder module b.
3. Opposite the drive screw 24 provided at 3. Then, when the swing arm 27 descends again, the tightening shaft 43 engages with the drive screw 24, and the motor 32 is driven. Therefore, the rotation of the rotating shaft 34 is transmitted from the driving gear 35 to the rotating cylinder 38 via the driven gear 39, and the tightening shaft 43 is further rotated via the spline shaft 41. When the drive screw 24 is rotated to the right by the rotation of the tightening shaft 43 and the drawbar 16 is retracted, the engaged blade module a
is integrally connected to the holder module b, completing the assembly of the modular tool A. When the assembly of the modular tool A is completed, the swing arm 27 rises, turns 90 degrees, and waits in a neutral state. When the nut runner 31 is retracted from the assembly position 6 by the rotation of the rotation arm 27, the drive motor 11 is activated and the support frames 9a and 9b are rotated via the rotation shaft 8a. Then, when the clamp mechanism 10 rotates 90 degrees, the modular tool a moves to its holder module b.
The posture is changed to a vertical state with the tapered portion 12 facing upward. When the modular tool A is on standby at the assembly position 6 in this way, the traverser device 46 is activated, and its tool gripper 47 grips the tapered portion 12 of the modular tool A, and the tool stocker 48
At the same time, the used modular tool A from the machine tool is carried from the tool stocker 48 to the assembly position 6 of the automatic tool assembly apparatus by the traverser device 46. In this assembly position 6, the used modular tool A is clamped in a vertical position by the clamp mechanism 10 of the holding mechanism 7 described above, and then changed in position in the horizontal direction. When the modular tool A is positioned at a predetermined position, the swing arm 27 swings and the nut runner 31 faces the holding mechanism 7. Then, the drive screw 24 provided in the holder portion 13 of the holder module b is rotated to the left by the tightening shaft 43 of the nut runner 31. Drive screw 2
4 is rotated to the left, the drawbar 16 protrudes, and the drawbar 16 is disengaged from the engagement recess 25 of the blade module a. Next, when the turning arm 27 turns 180 degrees, the nut runner 31 is retracted from the assembly position 6 and the chuck 30 is opposed to it. Then, the chuck 30 chucks the blade module a, and the swing arm 27
By this rotation, only the blade module a is stored in the tool holder 4 of the magazine 2. Also,
The holder module b clamped by the clamp mechanism 10 of the holding mechanism 7 is in a standby state for assembly of the modular tool A to be used for the next machining, and various different blade modules a are connected to the common holder module b. can do.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, the assembly and disassembly of the blade module with respect to the holder module that constitutes the modular tool can be performed automatically and efficiently, and only the blade module can be stored in a compact magazine. This allows the device to be made more compact. Furthermore, by communicating with the machine tool through the traverser device and creating a system, unmanned operation becomes possible. In addition, by providing a chuck at one end of the swivel arm and a coupling mechanism at the other end, when the swivel arm is swung and the blade module holding the chuck is supplied to the assembly position, the coupling mechanism is attached to the swivel arm. Since the coupling mechanism is retracted from the assembly position with the turning operation, there is no risk of interference between the chuck or blade module and the coupling mechanism, and the structure is much simpler than when the coupling mechanism is provided at the assembly position and the coupling mechanism is retracted each time. It can also be made smaller and simpler.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the invention.
The figure is a side view of the automatic tool assembly device, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the holding mechanism, and FIG. 4 is a side view of the holder module held in a horizontal state.
Fig. 5 is a side view of the holder module with its posture changed in the vertical direction, Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the relationship between the holder module and the blade module, Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the same, and Fig. 8 is FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway side view of the coupling mechanism and a plan view of the automatic tool assembly and conveyance system. 2... Magazine, 4... Tool holding section, 27...
Swivel arm, 30...Chuck, 31...Nut runner (coupling mechanism), a...Blade module, b
...Holder module, A...Module tool.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A main body, and a modular tool having a number of tool holding parts provided on one side of the main body and on the outer peripheral surface, and in which the blade module of a modular tool is separable from the holder module and the blade module. a disk-shaped magazine that can be freely rotated forward and backward; an assembly position provided on the other side of the main body for assembling the holder module and the blade module; and a main body between the magazine and the assembly position. A swivel arm that is rotatable and movable forward and backward with respect to the magazine and the assembly position, and a blade module that is provided at one end of the swivel arm and is housed in the tool holder by the movement of the swivel arm back and forth. a chuck that grips and supplies the gripped blade module to the holder module by the swinging action of the swinging arm; and a chuck provided at the other end of the swinging arm that supplies the gripped blade module to the holder module by the forward and backward movement of the swinging arm. An automatic tool assembly device characterized by comprising a coupling mechanism for assembling blade modules.