JPH05162036A - Workpiece pallet clamp device of machine tool - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a clamp device for fixedly locating a pallet mounting a workpiece on a table of a machine tool. CONSTITUTION:A plurality of cylinder units at intervals of a predetermined pitch in a plurality of rows are embedded in a stable 5 in a cramp device for fixedly locating a workpiece pallet P transferred onto the table 5 of a machine tool. The cylinder units are respectively provided with T-shaped clampers 17 movable vertically, while the upper end of the clamper is faced on the table 5. A plurality of T-shaped grooves t are provided on the lower surface of the pallet P along the direction of bringing in the pallet. When the pallet P is brought on the table 5, the T-shaped clamper 17 at the ascent position can be inserted into the T-shaped groove and after the pallet is brought in, the clamper 17 is lowered to clamp the pallet P.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a clamp device for positioning and fixing a pallet carrying a work on a table of a machine tool.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a work such as a die is machined, a die material may be mounted on a pallet and transferred together with the pallet onto a table of a machine tool for machining.
Then, such a pallet is configured to be positioned and fixed at a predetermined position by a clamp device after being transferred onto a table of a machine tool by, for example, a transfer mechanism. As such a clamp device, for example, a positioning device as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-28740. Fixation devices are known. This device allows a clamp mechanism equipped with a pusher that presses and supports the side surface of the pallet to be movable.When loading the pallet onto the table, the clamp mechanism is retracted to a position where it does not interfere, and when the loading is completed, the clamp mechanism is clamped. The pallet is moved to the position and the side surface of the pallet is pressed and held by the pusher.

[0003]

However, in the case of the above-mentioned device, the device becomes complicated because the clamp mechanism needs to be moved on the table. For example, an existing machine tool may be additionally processed. If so, there is a problem in that it takes time and that the space is restricted.
Further, it takes time to position and fix the work pallet on the table after it has been carried in, and it has been desired to improve the work efficiency.

[0004]

In order to solve such a problem, the present invention embeds a plurality of rows and a plurality of cylinder units at a predetermined pitch in a table of a machine tool, and each cylinder unit is provided with each T-type clamper. Up and down. The upper end of the T-type clamper is made to face the table, and when the T-type clamper moves upward, it can be inserted into the T-shaped groove formed on the lower surface of the work pallet to be transferred. The work pallet was clamped directly on the table surface.

[0005]

The work pallet is carried in with the T-type clamper on the table moved upward, and at the same time, each T-type clamper is inserted into the T-shaped groove on the lower surface of the work pallet. When the work pallet is loaded and positioned, the cylinder unit embedded in the table is operated to move the T-type clamper downward, and the T-type clamper and the T-shaped groove are engaged to clamp the pallet. Further, by clamping the work pallet directly on the table surface, the posture of the work is lowered and the degree of freedom of the cutting jig located above the machine tool is increased.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of a work pallet clamp device of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a layout around a machine tool, FIG. 2 is a side view of the machine tool seen from the direction A in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of a table of the machine tool on which a pallet is placed.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, pallet stockers 2 are provided at a plurality of locations around a plurality of machine tools 1 for machining a die, and in front of the machine tool 1, the pallet stocker runs left and right in the drawings. A rail 3 and an orthogonal rail 3 that runs in the vertical direction in the figure via a turntable 50 are provided. A carriage 4 is arranged on the traveling rail 3 so that the pallet stocker 2 can be reciprocated between the pallet stocker 2 and the machine tool 1 or a machine tool of another station.

At the position of the pallet stocker 2,
A die material (hereinafter, referred to as a work W) is placed and fixed on the pallet P, the pallet P is transferred onto the transport carriage 4 in front of the pallet stocker 2, and the transport carriage 4 is mounted on the machine tool 1. The pallet P is moved forward and is sent together with the work W onto the table 5 of the machine tool 1 for positioning and machining.

The work pallet clamp device of the present invention is for positioning and fixing the pallet P transferred onto the table 5, and by fixing the pallet P, the work W mounted on the pallet P is fixed. It is for positioning and fixing in position.

Further, the table 5 is provided with a transfer mechanism 6 capable of receiving and retracting the pallet P pushed in from the trolley 4 side. As shown in FIG. 3, the transfer mechanism 6 is a table. 5 on one side.

Before describing the work pallet clamp device of the present invention, the structure of the pallet P will be described first with reference to FIG. 8 shows the pallet P,
A is a plan view of the whole, and B is a partially enlarged side view.

The pallet P has a plate thickness thinner than that of a conventional mold pallet, and has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. Four pallets P are arranged in parallel on the back side along the longitudinal direction. It has a T-shaped groove t. The T-shaped groove t is designed to allow a T-shaped clamper 17 on the table 5 side, which will be described later, to enter therein, and also a guide roller 16 to guide movement during loading and unloading. ing.

On one end of the side surface of the pallet P, a pair of front and rear side grooves s that engage with the transfer mechanism 6 are provided along the longitudinal direction. In other words, the side surface groove s can be engaged with the roller chain 11 of the transfer mechanism 6 which will be described later, and is used for moving the pallet P into and out of the table 5 by the reciprocating circulation of the roller chain 11.

Next, the structure around the table 5 on the machine tool 1 side will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the table 5 of the machine tool 1 is provided with an intermediate roller 7 at the end portion (the left side in the drawing) near the side of the carriage 4 and the tip of the pallet P fed from the carriage 4. It is designed to receive the bottom surface.

A plurality of T-grooves 8 orthogonal to the loading / unloading direction are provided on the surface of the table 5, and an elevating / lowering support roller 9 described later is disposed in the T-grooves 8 so as to be retractable. The transfer mechanism 6 is provided at one end of the end portion on the table 5 side.

The transfer mechanism 6 is provided with a roller chain 11 which is an endless track on a horizontal plane, a pair of horizontal rotary sprockets 12, and a drive sprocket 13, and adjusts the tension of the roller chain 11. A tensioner 14 is provided. The top roller 15 of the roller chain 11 engages with the side surface groove s of the pallet P. That is, the top roller 15 is hooked in the side surface groove s to receive and send out the pallet P.

Further, when the pallet P is carried in and out, two rows of guide rollers 16 are arranged to prevent lateral shake. The guide roller 16 is a horizontal roller that rotates around a vertical axis so that, out of the four rows of T-shaped grooves t on the lower surface of the pallet P, the guide rollers 16 can be inserted into the two rows of T-shaped grooves t from the end near the transfer mechanism 6 side. In each row, three guide rollers 16 are provided, three in each row.

In addition, at the time of carrying in, a plurality of T's indicated by broken lines in FIG.
The mold clampers 17 and the like will also enter, but details will be described later.

Two side push cylinder units 18 are provided in the vicinity of the transfer mechanism 6 described above. That is, the side push cylinder unit 18 presses the side surface of the loaded pallet P and presses it toward the side stopper 19 provided at the end of the table 5 on the opposite side to position and fix the pallet P. A guide roller 1 that engages in a T-shaped groove t on the lower surface with a play gap.
6. This is for more accurate positioning in the horizontal width direction by eliminating a clearance error with the T-type clamper 17.

In addition to the shock absorber 21 and the stopper 22 for receiving the tip of the pallet P to be carried in, the air supply manifold 23 for blowing air from the lower surface of the pallet P onto the surface of the table 5 is provided in the back of the table 5.
Is provided.

Now, the elevating support roller 9 incorporated in the T groove 8 of the table 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 shows a vertically movable support roller embedded in the T groove of the table. FIG. 7A is a side view showing a part along the longitudinal direction, and FIG. 7B is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. is there.

The elevating and lowering support roller 9 is provided in each T groove 8 of the table 5 as described above, and has a long cylinder case 24 positioned at the bottom of the T groove, and a predetermined pitch in the cylinder case 24. A plurality of pistons 25 provided at intervals and a roller support member 26 connected to the upper end of the piston 25 are provided, and the roller support member 26 supports a plurality of rollers 27.

Then, for example, when the piston 25 moves upward by hydraulic drive, the upper end of the roller 27 jumps slightly upward from the upper surface of the table 5, and when the piston 25 lowers, the upper end of the roller 27 sinks downward from the table 5 surface. Therefore, when the pallet P is received or sent, the roller 2
7 is projected upward, and when positioning the pallet P, the roller 27 is immersed.

Next, the structure of the T-type clamper 17 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 4, and FIG.
It is an E line sectional view.

As described above, the T-type clamper 17 is inserted into the T-shaped groove t on the lower surface of the pallet P when the pallet P is loaded on the table 5, but as shown in FIG. For example, three T-type clampers 1 for the T-shaped groove t of
I am trying to insert 7.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the T-type clamper 17 includes a cylinder 29 fixed to the table 5,
Clamp piston 30 provided in this cylinder 29
And a rectangular clamp plate 31 fixed to the upper part of the clamp piston 30, and the diameter of the cylinder 29 protruding above the table 5 is smaller than the narrow groove width at the lower end of the T-shaped groove t of the pallet P. The clamp plate 31 has a small diameter so that it can be inserted into the groove, and the width of the clamp plate 31 is wider than the narrow groove width at the lower end of the T-shaped groove t and the T-shaped groove t.
It is designed so that it can enter the wide groove at the top.

An unclamping spring 32 is provided below the clamp piston 30 to constantly urge it upward, and when the clamp piston 30 is in the upper position, the clamp plate 31 is located above the T-shaped groove t. The upper and lower surfaces can be inserted with a clearance in the wide groove, and when the clamp piston 30 is lowered, the clamp plate 31 presses the stepped portion of the T-shaped groove t and the pallet P is placed on the table 5 surface. I'm trying to clamp between and.

At both ends of the T-shaped groove t, which is pressed by the clamp plate 31 at the time of clamping and whose lower surface is pressed against the surface of the table 5, a hardened plate h which is hardened to enhance its strength is provided. It is embedded, and the lower surface thereof is projected slightly below the lower surface of another pallet P. Therefore, when clamped by the T-type clamper 17, the portion of the quenching plate h is
They will come into close contact with each other.

In addition to the above structure, a forward end confirmation limit switch 3 for confirming the forward position of the pallet P as shown in FIG. 3 is provided near the transfer mechanism 6 of the table 5.
3 and a pallet pull-in confirmation limit switch 34 for confirming the pull-in of the pallet P, and a data lead 35 for reading the data such as the type of the work is provided on the left side of the opposite side in the drawing. It faces the front of the attached data carrier d.

The outline of the operation of the work pallet clamp device having the above-mentioned structure will be described.

The work pallet P sent from the trolley 4 side is received by the transfer mechanism 6 on the table 5 and drawn onto the table 5. At this time, the lifting support roller 9 provided on the table 5 rises to support the lower surface of the pallet P,
In addition, the two rows of guide rollers 16 enter the T-shaped grooves t in the two rows on the lower side of the pallet P to prevent the pallet P from swinging laterally. Also, a plurality of T-type clampers 1 that are simultaneously in the upward movement position
7 also enters the T-shaped groove t without contact.

Next, when the tip of the pallet P comes into contact with the stopper 22, air is sent from the air supply manifold 23 to the air passage in the pallet P, is blown out through a plurality of air blow holes on the lower surface of the pallet P, and the upper surface of the table 5 is blown. Blow away any debris, etc.

At the same time, the side push cylinder unit 18 shown in FIG. 3 operates to push the pallet P toward the opposite side stoppers 19 and position them. Therefore, the positioning in the horizontal width direction is surely performed.

After that, the elevating and lowering support roller 9 that had been raised up to that point gently descends, and when the lower surface of the pallet P contacts the table 5, the T-type clamper 17 operates. That is, the clamp piston 30 descends, and the clamp plate 31 moves to the T-shaped groove t.
The pallet P is attracted and clamped toward the table 5 by engaging with the inner step portion.

Therefore, not only the pallet P can be clamped very quickly, but also the pallet P can be clamped directly on the surface of the table 5 to ensure the clamp, and the posture of the work W can be lowered so that the cutting tool can be used. The degree of freedom of can be increased.

Then, the work is carried out in such a clamped state, and when the work is completed, the work is unclamped and dispensed.

[0038]

As described above, in the work pallet clamping device of the present invention, a plurality of cylinder units embedded in the table are provided with respective T-type clampers so as to face the table, and the T-type clampers are carried in at the same time when the pallet is loaded. Since it is inserted into the T-shaped groove on the lower surface of the pallet, the clamp mechanism does not require any extra space, and the time required for clamping can be shortened. Therefore, work efficiency can be improved. Further, by clamping the pallet directly on the table, the posture of the work is lowered, and, for example, the degree of freedom of the cutting jig facing upward is increased. Furthermore, by clamping the pallet directly on the table by, for example, finishing the lower surface of the work on the pallet in advance, the flatness of the work can be kept highly accurate.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a layout around a machine tool.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the machine tool as viewed from A in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a table of a machine tool on which a pallet is placed.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a T-type clamper, which is a partially enlarged view of FIG.

5 is a sectional view taken along line DD of FIG.

6 is a sectional view taken along line EE of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing an elevating and lowering support roller, where A is a part along the longitudinal direction, and B is a sectional view taken along line BB of A.

FIG. 8 shows a pallet, where A is an overall plan view and B is a partially enlarged side view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Machine tool 5 Table 17 T-type clamper 29 Cylinder 31 Clamp plate P Pallet t T-shaped groove

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A clamp device for positioning and fixing a work pallet transferred onto a table of a machine tool, the device comprising a plurality of rows embedded in the table,
A plurality of cylinder units having a predetermined pitch interval and a plurality of T-type clampers that can be moved up and down by the operation of the cylinder units are provided. The upper end of the T-type clamper faces the table and the T-type clamper moves upward. A work pallet clamp device for a machine tool, which can be inserted into a T-shaped groove formed on the lower surface of the work pallet to be transferred. 2. The work pallet is clamped directly on a table surface.
A work pallet clamp device for a machine tool as described in.