JPH04105844A - Feeding device for shaft-like work - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To increase a storage efficiency as for a work feeder whole body, by composing a chuck for interposing a work with a stationary interposing piece and a movable interposing piece which interposes a shaft like work located at the work delivery position in the horizontal direction in the space with the stationary interposing piece. CONSTITUTION:Chucks 2a, 2b for loading and unloading fitted to the terminal of the arm 29 of a robot 2 for a work transfer, are composed of an L type stationary interposing piece 34, a freely advanceable and retreatable movable interposing piece 35 located at the inside of the interposing part 34a of the L type stationary interposing piece 34, and a cylinder driving the movable interposing piece 35 with its advance and retreat. On descending of the arm 29, the interposing part 34a of the loading chuck 2a is fitted downward to the medium position between the shaft like work W located at the work delivery position P and the shaft like work W standing by just before thereof. The shaft like work W at the work delivery position P is interposed in the horizontal direction between the L type stationary interposing piece 34 and movable interposing piece 35, with the movable interposing piece 35 of the loading chuck 2a being moved with its advance in this state.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a work feeder that supports unprocessed shaft-shaped workpieces and supplies them one by one to a workpiece delivery position, and a workpiece feeder that supports shaft-shaped workpieces before machining and supplies them one by one to a workpiece delivery position, and The present invention relates to a shaft-shaped workpiece feeding device that includes a workpiece transfer robot that transfers the workpiece.

(Prior art and its problems) A machine tool includes a work feeder that supports unprocessed workpieces and supplies them one by one to a workpiece delivery position, and a workpiece that transfers shaft-shaped workpieces from the workpiece feeder to the machine tool. A workpiece transfer robot is also installed, but if the workpiece to be handled is a shaft-shaped work, the chuck for holding the shaft-shaped workpiece in the conventional workpiece transfer robot of this type is supported so that it can open and close. Therefore, when a workpiece waiting at the workpiece transfer position of the work feeder is to be clamped by the chuck, the pair of movable clamping pieces are opened and moved to the workpiece transfer position. have to be moved.

In such a conventional shaft-shaped workpiece transfer robot, there is a space between the workpiece at the workpiece transfer position of the workpiece feeder and the subsequent workpiece waiting just before the workpiece, so that the open movable clamping piece can enter. A relatively large space must be secured. When the workpiece is disk-shaped, the disk-shaped workpiece is placed vertically on one workpiece support, for example, as in the workpiece delivery conveyor described in JP-A-62-176727. Since they can be stacked, even if a relatively large space is provided between each work support stand, it is possible to increase the number of works stored in the space occupied by the work feeder as a whole, thereby increasing space utilization efficiency. However, in the case of shaft-shaped workpieces that cannot be stacked as described above and must be supported horizontally one by one, a wide space for the clamping piece to enter should be secured between each shaft-shaped workpiece. As a result, the number of works stored in the space occupied by the work feeder as a whole is extremely reduced, and the space utilization efficiency is significantly reduced.(Means for Solving the Problem) The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems. In order to
A workpiece support bracket that supports both ends of a shaft-shaped workpiece in a horizontal position is supported so as to be able to circulate at equal intervals in a state where the supported shaft-like works are parallel to each other, and the workpiece support bracket is circularly moved. A shaft is provided with a drive means and is juxtaposed with a workpiece transfer robot that picks up a shaft-like workpiece from the bracket and transfers it to a machine tool, which stops at a workpiece transfer position set at the end of the horizontal movement path of the workpiece support bracket. The robot arm is a feeding device for a shaped workpiece, and the workpiece clamping chuck attached to the tip of the arm of the robot is placed between the shafted workpiece at the workpiece transfer position and the shafted workpiece waiting immediately before the workpiece. A shaft-shaped workpiece consisting of a fixed clamping piece that can be fitted and removed in the vertical direction by vertical movement of the clamping piece, and a movable clamping piece that horizontally clamps the shaft-shaped workpiece at the workpiece transfer position between the fixed clamping piece and the fixed clamping piece. This paper proposes a workpiece feeding device.

(Example) An example of the present invention will be described below based on the attached illustrative drawings. In this example, the workpiece feeder is also used as a stocker for processed shaft-shaped workpieces, so
The work feeder is called a work transfer device.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, ■ is a machine tool that horizontally supports a shaft-shaped workpiece W between a chuck 1a and a tailstock 1b for cutting, etc., and 2 is a loading chuck 2a and an unloading chuck 2a. A work transfer robot 3 is equipped with a loading chuck 2b and a work transfer device. This work transfer device 3 includes a pair of left and right endless chains 7a and 7b suspended along a zigzag endless transfer path 5 that repeats a horizontal path 4 in the vertical direction, and the endless chains 7a and 7b, as shown in FIG. , 7b, a pair of left and right workpiece support brackets 6 each independently supported by a concentric horizontal support shaft 8 so as to maintain a hanging posture due to gravity, and a pair of left and right endless chinos 7a, 7b, and a motor 9 that intermittently drives the bracket 6 one pitch at a time,
Each workpiece support bracket 6 is provided with a projecting support 10 that supports the end of the shaft-like workpiece W in a centered state, and is provided with a support 10 that supports the uppermost horizontal path 4 in the zigzag endless transfer path 5. A workpiece delivery position P is located at the end of the workpiece transfer robot 2 side.
is set.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the workpiece transfer robot 2 includes a base 25 equipped with a rotary table 27 that can rotate around a horizontal support shaft 26, and a rotary table 27 that is rotatable around a horizontal support shaft 26. 26, an arm 29 attached to the tip of the main shaft 28 in a right angle direction, and the loading device attached to the tip of the arm 29. and unloading chucks 2a and 2b.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, inside the tip of the arm 29, there are rotating shaft ends 30a from both ends.

A rotary actuator 31 from which 30b protrudes, or a rotating plate 3 that is attached so that its axis is parallel to the length direction of the arm 29 and attached to the outer end 30a of the rotating shaft.
2, the loading chuck 2a and the unloading chuck 2b are arranged side by side, and a rotation angle regulating means 33 is arranged between the rotary shaft inner end 30b and the arm 29.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the loading chuck 2a and the unloading chuck 2b have an L-shaped fixed clamping piece 34 having a clamping part 34a and a support part 34b.
, a movable clamping piece 35 located inside the clamping part 34a of the fixed clamping piece 34, which can move in and out, and this movable clamping piece 3.
The pillar part 34b of the fixed clamping piece 34 has an elongated hole 38, a fixing bolt 39, and a fixing circumferential hole in a column 37 protruding from the rotary plate 32. The movable clamping piece 35 is attached to the arm 29 so that it can be raised and lowered in the longitudinal direction by a backing plate 40.
Elongated holes 4 are formed on both left and right sides of the V-shaped mounting base 41 connected and supported by the piston rods of the two cylinders 36a and 36b.
2 and fixing bolts and nuts 43 to be height-adjustable.

As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. wing plates 46 and 47 protruding from two locations in the axial direction of the rotary shaft 45 with their orientations changed by 90 degrees; A pair of parallel movable tables 51 and 52 each individually driven up and down by .50, and this
A pair of upper and lower stopper bolts 53.54 and 55.56 are attached to each movable base 51.52, and upper and lower stopper bolts 53.54 and 55,56 are attached to the movable bases 5] and 52 at respective intermediate positions. shock absorber 57.5
It consists of 8.

When the workpiece transfer robot 2 or the workpiece transfer device 3 picks up an unprocessed shaft-like workpiece W at the workpiece transfer position P, the main shaft 28 stands up vertically and the arm 29 moves as shown in FIG. In a state in which the main shaft 28 is laid down horizontally toward the workpiece transfer device 3 and the loading chuck 2a is on the lower side, the main shaft 28 is retracted in the axial direction and the arm 29 is lowered. As a result, the clamping part 34a of the L-shaped fixed clamping piece 34 of the loading chuck 2a is moved downward to an intermediate position between the shaft-shaped workpiece W at the workpiece transfer position P and the shaft-shaped workpiece W waiting just before it. insert. At this time, the mounting position of the L-shaped clamping piece 34 is adjusted in advance so that the inner surface of the clamping portion 34a is close to the circumferential surface of the shaft-shaped workpiece W. In such a state, the movable clamping piece 35 of the loading chuck 2a
are advanced and moved by the cylinders 36a and 36b, and the axial work W at the work transfer position P is held between the L-shaped fixed holding piece 34 and the movable holding piece 35 in the horizontal direction.

Next, as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 2, the main shaft 28 is advanced in the axial direction to raise the arm 29, and the axial workpiece W held by the loading chuck 2a is lifted from the workpiece transfer position P. Afterwards, rotate the rotary table 27 90 degrees in the normal direction to tilt the main shaft 28 horizontally backward and move the arm 2.
9 stand up vertically. After that, both chucks 2a, 2b (
The rotating plate 32) is rotated in the forward direction, but in its initial state before this rotation, the stopper bolts 53, 54, 55. 56
is lowered to the lower limit position by the cylinder 49 and the movable base 51 and the cylinder 50 and the movable base 52, and the lower wing plate 47 is in contact with the stopper bolt 54 and the shock absorber 57 at the lower limit position, so that the rotary actuator 31
Before starting the operation, the stopper bolts 55 and 56 on one side are switched to the upper limit position by the cylinder 50 and the movable base 52, as shown in FIG. 9B.

When the rotary actuator 31 is operated in such a state, when both the chucks 2a and 2b (rotary plate 32) have rotated 270 degrees in the forward direction, as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. Of the upper and lower wing plates 46 and 47 that rotate together, the upper wing plate 46 abuts against the stopper bolt 55 and the shock absorber 58 at the upper limit position, and both chucks 2a and 2b are positioned.

By the above-mentioned rotation of 270 degrees in the positive direction, the axial workpiece W held by the loading chuck 2a becomes parallel to the workpiece setting direction of the machine tool 1, as shown in the virtual line in FIG. 1 and in FIG. Moreover, the unloading chuck 2b is located on the machine tool 1 side. When the arm 29 is rotated 90 degrees toward the machine tool 1 by the main shaft 28 in this state, the machined shaft shape set between the chuck 1a and the tailstock 1b of the machine tool 1, as shown in FIG. The unloading chuck 2b is fitted onto the workpiece W' as shown by the imaginary line in FIG.

L-shaped fixed clamping piece 34 of unloading chuck 2b
When the machined axial workpiece W' is fitted between the movable clamping piece 35 and the movable clamping piece 35, the movable clamping piece 35 is advanced and moved by the cylinders 36a and 36b of the unloading chuck 2b, as shown in FIG. Both clamping pieces 34.35
The machined shaft-like workpiece W' is held between them, and then the main spindle 28 is moved forward with the tailstock 1b being retracted, thereby slightly moving the machined workpiece W' that has been held therein in the axial direction. to release it from the chuck 1a. After this, Figure 9C
As shown in the figure, with the stopper bolts 53 and 54 raised from the lower limit position to the upper limit position by the cylinder 49 and movable base 51, both chucks 2a and 2b (rotary plate 32) are reversed by the chuck rotation rotary actuator 31. When rotated in the direction, both chucks 2a, 2b (rotating plate 3
2) rotates 180 degrees in the opposite direction, as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. When the stopper bolt 53 and the shock absorber 57 are in the limit position, the vertical positional relationship between the loading chuck 2a and the unloading chuck 2b is reversed, and the unprocessed shaft-shaped work W held by the loading chuck 2a is rotated.
is positioned between the chuck 1a and the tailstock 1b of the machine tool 1.

Next, the main spindle 28 is moved backward to fit and grip one end of the unprocessed shaft-shaped workpiece W held by the loading chuck 2a to the chuck 1a of the machine tool 1, and the tailstock 1b is moved forward. Then, the unprocessed shaft-shaped workpiece W is set. After this, move the movable clamping piece 35 of the loading chuck 2a to the cylinders 36a, 36.
b is moved backward to release the unprocessed shaft-shaped workpiece W.

When the setting of the shaft-like workpiece W to be machined on the machine tool 1 is completed, the main shaft 28 is reversed 90 degrees to raise the arm 29 as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 11, and then as shown in FIG. 9. After the stopper bolts 55 and 56 are lowered from the upper limit position to the lower limit position by the cylinder 50 and the movable table 52, both chucks 2a and 2b (rotary plate 32) are rotated in the forward direction by the chuck rotation rotary actuator 31. . As a result, as shown by the imaginary lines in Figure 9, when both chucks 2a and 2b (rotary plates 32) have rotated 90 degrees in the forward direction, both upper and lower wing plates 46 and 47 rotate integrally via the rotation shaft 45. Among them, lower wing plate 47
The stopper bolt 56 and the shock absorber 5 are at the lower limit position.
As shown in FIG. It is converted once.

After that, the rotary table 27 is reversed 90 degrees, and the main shaft 28 is vertically erected as shown in FIG. 13, and the arm 29 is
When the unloading chuck 2b is laid down horizontally toward the workpiece transfer device 3 side, the unloading chuck 2b is located directly above the workpiece transfer position P of the workpiece transfer device 3 as shown in the figure, so the main shaft 28 is then moved back and forth in the axial direction. The arm 29 is moved to lower the arm 29, and the processed axial workpiece W'' held by the unloading chuck 2b is fitted between the empty workpiece support brackets 6 waiting at the workpiece transfer position P. In this state, unloading chuck 2
The movable clamping piece 35 of b is moved backward by the cylinders 36a and 36b to release the machined shaft-shaped workpiece W', and after the workpiece W'' is transferred between the workpiece support brackets 6, the main shaft 28 is moved forward. Then, the arm 29 is raised, and the unloading chuck 2b is raised and retracted from the workpiece transfer position P of the workpiece transfer device 3.

When the unloading of the processed axial workpiece W' is completed, the pair of endless chinos 7a and 7b of the workpiece delivery device 3
is rotated by one pitch of the bracket 6 by the motor 9, and the machined shaft-like workpiece W' is sent out one pitch from the workpiece delivery position P to the lower horizontal path 4 side, and at the same time waits just before the workpiece delivery position P. The unprocessed axial workpiece W currently in the machine is moved to the workpiece delivery position P. On the other hand, the 9th
As shown in Figure E, after the stopper bolts 53 and 54 are switched to the lower limit position by the cylinder 49 and the movable base 51, the chuck rotation rotary actuator 31 rotates both chucks 2a and 2b (rotary plate 32) in the opposite direction. let As a result, both chucks 2a, 2b (rotary plate 32
), the lower wing plate 46, 47 of the upper and lower wing plates 46 and 47, which rotate integrally via the rotating shaft 45, is rotated 180 degrees as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 9E and as shown in FIG. 4
7 comes into contact with the stopper bolt 54 and the buffer device 57 which are at the lower limit position, and the vertical positional relationship between the loading chuck 2a and the unloading chuck 2b is reversed. That is, the loading chuck 2a or the workpiece delivery device 3
Since it returns to the initial state located directly above the work transfer position P, the series of operations described above can be repeated thereafter.

By repeating the above action, the workpiece support bracket 6
When all the unprocessed shaft-shaped workpieces W supported by the machined shaft-like workpieces W are replaced with machined shaft-like workpieces W', the workpiece machining operation by the machine tool l is finished, and the unprocessed shaft-like workpieces W are replaced with the machined shaft-like workpieces W for each workpiece support. The machined shaft-like workpiece W'' can be picked up from between the workpiece support brackets 6 and carried out by reversing the procedure for transferring and supporting the workpiece between the brackets 6.

As shown by the imaginary lines in FIG. 6, when the diameter of the axial workpiece W to be handled changes, the position of the L-shaped fixed clamping piece 34 of each chuck 2a, 2b is adjusted in and out. Since the movable clamping piece 35 presses and clamps the axial workpiece W between the fixed clamping piece 34 using the biasing force of the cylinders 36a and 36b, there is no need to adjust the position according to the diameter of the axial workpiece W. . However, as shown by the imaginary line in Fig. 7, the axial workpiece W
If the movable clamping piece 35 has a stepped or tapered shape and the diameter of the workpiece is different at the point where the pair of clamping plates 44a and 44b of the movable clamping piece 35 come into contact, it is necessary to adjust the insertion and removal of both clamping plates 44a and 44b separately. .

In addition, the workpiece transfer device 3 only needs to have a horizontal path in which the workpiece transfer position P is set at the end of the workpiece transfer path by the workpiece support bracket 6 (as in the embodiment, the horizontal path 4 is The present invention is not limited to the zigzag endless transport path il@5 consisting of vertical repeats.

(Operations and Effects of the Invention) According to the shaft-like workpiece feeding device of the present invention that can be implemented as described above, the shaft-like workpiece before processing is in a horizontal position with both ends supported by workpiece support brackets, and each The shaft-shaped workpieces are transferred in parallel to the workpiece delivery position, and at the workpiece delivery position, the arm of the workpiece transfer robot I is lowered and the workpiece clamping chuck (in the example) attached to the tip of the arm is moved. Fitting the fixed clamping piece of the loading chuck 2a) between the shaft-like workpiece at the workpiece transfer position and the shaft-like workpiece waiting immediately before the workpiece,
By horizontally moving the movable clamping piece of the chuck to one side of the fixed clamping member in this state, the shaft-shaped workpiece located at the workpiece transfer position can be horizontally clamped between the fixed clamping piece and the movable clamping piece. Thereafter, the arm is raised to pick up the axial workpiece from the workpiece support bracket, and by a predetermined movement, the axial workpiece held by the chuck can be transferred to a predetermined location on the machine tool.

As mentioned above, between each axial workpiece supported by the workpiece support bracket, there is a space between the fixed clamping pieces of the workpiece clamping chuck of the workpiece transfer robot that can be fitted and removed in the vertical direction. It is sufficient to secure a narrow space. Therefore, the support pitch of the shaft-like workpiece by the workpiece support bracket should be made sufficiently narrow to ensure that the space occupied by the entire circulating movement path of the workpiece support bracket (the entire workpiece feeder) is The number of workpieces stored can be increased.

Moreover, since the shaft-shaped workpieces are supported horizontally in parallel by one workpiece support bracket, as shown in the embodiment, the circulating movement path of the workpiece support bracket is
It is possible to minimize wasted space throughout the three-dimensional space in a zigzag pattern, increasing the storage efficiency of the work feeder as a whole.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the entire equipment, Fig. 2 is a partially cutaway side view showing the workpiece transfer device and the workpiece transfer robot, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the main parts of the workpiece transfer device, and Fig. 4
The figure is a partially cutaway side view showing the arm and chuck part of the workpiece transfer robot, FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional front view of the same part, and FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway side view showing the chuck part of the robot. 7 is a partially cutaway side view of the same, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional plan view showing the rotation angle regulating means, FIGS. 9 A-E are perspective views illustrating the action of the rotation angle regulating means, and FIGS. 1O to 13. 10 and 11 are front views, FIG. 12 is a plane view in one direction, and FIG. 13 is a partially cutaway side view. ■...Machine tool, 2...Work transfer robot, 2
a... Loading chuck, 2b... Unloading chuck, 3... Workpiece delivery device, 4.
...Horizontal path, 5...Zigzag endless transfer path, 6.
・Pair of left and right workpiece support brackets, 7a, 7b・
... Endless ceno, 9 ... Motor for driving workpiece delivery device, 10 ... ■ Form support tool, 27 ... Rotating table, 28
. . . Main shaft, 29 . . . Arm, 31 . 36b... Cylinder, 45... Rotating shaft, 46.4
7... Wing plate, 49.50... Cylinder, 51.5
2...Movable base, 53-56...Stopper bolt,
57°58...Buffer device. Patent applicant Matsuura Iron Works Co., Ltd. Figure 1o No. 111! l

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A workpiece support bracket that supports both ends of a shaft-like workpiece in a horizontal position is supported so that the supported shaft-like works are parallel to each other and can be circulated at regular intervals, and the workpiece support bracket A workpiece transfer robot is provided with a driving means for circularly moving the workpiece, and picks up a shaft-shaped workpiece from the bracket that stops at a workpiece transfer position set at the end of a horizontal movement path of the workpiece support bracket and transfers it to a machine tool. A feeding device for axial workpieces installed in parallel, wherein a workpiece clamping chuck attached to the tip of the arm of the robot is placed between the axial workpiece at the workpiece transfer position and the axial workpiece waiting just before the workpiece. , consisting of a fixed clamping piece that can be fitted and removed in the vertical direction by vertical movement of the robot arm, and a movable clamping piece that horizontally clamps the shaft-like workpiece at the workpiece transfer position between the fixed clamping piece and the fixed clamping piece. A feeding device for shaft-shaped workpieces. (2) At the tip of the robot arm, the two workpiece clamping chucks for loading and unloading are arranged side by side, and both chucks are selectively opposed directly above the workpiece transfer position. A chuck rotation actuator is provided, and the workpiece support bracket is provided with a chuck rotation actuator.
The axial workpiece feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the axial workpiece feeding device is configured to support both an unprocessed axial workpiece and a processed axial workpiece.