JPH05337949A - Fixed position receiving apparatus of member replaced by robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a receiving apparatus receiving the core or hand replaced by a robot at a fixed position with respect to the robot by providing a core receiving part and a hand receiving part on the upper surface part of a base and arranging the core and the hand at the fixed position accessible to the wrist of the robot. CONSTITUTION:In a fixed position receiving apparatus 4, a core receiving part 16 and hand receiving parts 17a-17c are provided on the upper surface part of a base 15, for example, in tiers and set to the positions accessible to the wrist of a robot 3. A core is received in the core receiving part 16 and a preparatory temp. control device can be provided thereto. A core replacing hand 28, a product taking-out hand and the like are received in the hand receiving parts 17a-17c at predetermined positions. When the core is attached to the matrix of an injection molding machine, the robot 13 attaches the core replacing hand 28 to the wrist 14. Subsequently, the core is taken out of the core preparatory temp. control device to be attached to the matrix of the injection molding machine. Continuously, the core used next is received in the preparatory temp. control device and the hand 28 is returned to the original position.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is a highly automated injection system in which an injection molding machine using a core-exchangeable mold is combined with a robot to perform core exchange, product removal, and purge preparation by the robot. The present invention relates to a molding device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A core-replaceable mold is used in an injection molding machine intended for a variety of small-quantity productions, and a core is frequently replaced by a robot. Also, because of the use of robots, the same robots are used to take out products and prepare for purging. In order for the robot to perform these various operations, it is necessary to prepare a hand with a tool suitable for each operation and select and attach an appropriate one to the wrist at the tip of the robot arm. Furthermore, it is necessary to prepare several types of cores corresponding to the types of molded products and replace them for use.

Conventionally, members such as these hands and cores that are exchanged by a robot are not located at a predetermined position, but within an operating area of the wrist of the robot arm, but are respectively at arbitrary standby positions. Was located in. Then, the hand exchange, the core exchange, etc. are performed in a form of interrupting the automatic operation of the injection molding apparatus. As part of automatic operation, hand replacement, core replacement, etc. may be incorporated in the program of the molding plan, but in this case, the position where each hand or core is placed on the robot is taught before the operation starts. Need to be recognized by. However, the teaching operation regarding many points, paths, and members is troublesome, and must be redone every time the position of the hand or the core changes.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a storage device for storing members such as hands and cores that are exchanged by a robot in a fixed position with respect to the robot.

[0005]

A storage device for a member to be replaced by a robot. The base is provided with a core accommodating portion and a hand accommodating portion arranged on an upper surface thereof. By accommodating the core and the hand in the accommodating portion, the core and the hand are arranged at a fixed position with respect to the origin defined on the base and a position where the wrist of the robot can be accessed.

The hand may include a core replacement hand and a molded product takeout hand. The core accommodating part may be provided with a core pre-temperature control device. The core housing may be provided with a holding device that prevents the core components from being displaced from each other. A shutter may be provided to cover the hand changer portion of each hand housed in the hand housing unit. A cover that can be opened and closed may be provided in the core housing.

[0007]

The storage device positions the members, such as the hand and the core, to be replaced by the robot at fixed positions with respect to the robot.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An injection molding apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes an injection molding machine 2, a robot 3, a fixed position storage device 4 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a fixed position storage device) for a member exchanged by the robot 3, and a product stocker 5. And these are robots 3
Are arranged on one robot base 6 with the center as the center, and the arrangement between them is fixed.

The injection molding machine 2 is of a normal type and is provided with a mold temperature control device 7, a core preliminary temperature control device 8, a data display device 9 having a CRT screen, and a molding material drying device 10. .. This injection molding machine 2 uses a core-exchangeable mold, and the plurality of prepared cores 11 (FIGS. 2 and 3) have the same outer shape and various dimensions related to the outer shape. The core 11 is composed of a combination of a fixed core 11a and a movable core 11b, and the movable core 11b is a fixed core 11a.
The parts other than the parting part are formed to have a slightly smaller diameter to form the flange 12. The fixed-side and movable-side cores 11 (a, b) are always handled as a combination except when they are mounted on a mother die (not shown in the figure) and undergo a die opening / closing operation.

The robot 3 is an ordinary articulated robot,
The arc in FIG. 1 is the horizontally rotatable region of the arm 13 when viewed on a plane. That is, the reachable area of the wrist 14 attached to the tip of the arm 13 is within the sector defined by the arc. The data display device 9 can be rotated from the normal position indicated by the solid line to the working position indicated by the broken line.

The product stocker 5 is a box for separating and storing the molded products by the injection molding machine 2, and the molded products are conveyed from the injection molding machine 2 by the robot 3 to an appropriate place on the stocker 5. The injection molding machine 2 and the robot 3 are provided with respective control devices (NC devices) and controlled by each, and are configured to mutually communicate with each other regarding the timing of their related operations.

The fixed position storage device 4 will be mainly described below. The fixed-position storage device 4 (FIGS. 2 and 5) includes a core housing portion 16 and a hand housing portion 17 (a to c) on the upper surface of the base 15.
, Which are successively higher and are configured in a step-like manner (FIG. 4), and are positioned so that the wrist 13 of the robot 3 can be accessed.

The core accommodating portion 16 has a box structure and is divided by a middle plate 18 into an upper portion 16a and a lower portion 16b having the same structure, and a vertical plate 19 divides the upper and lower portions 16a and 16b.
Each of (a, b) is divided into four cells 20. The upper and lower portions 16 (a, b) are each closed by a transparent protective cover 21 (a, b) made of acrylic resin (FIG. 6). These covers 2
1 is an air actuator mounted on both sides of the box structure 2
2 (a, b) can be opened and closed respectively. In FIG. 5, the actuator 22b on the right side has a decorative cover for hiding this portion removed.

The upper portion 16a (FIG. 5) of the core accommodating portion 16 is provided with a core holding device 23 at the ceiling portion, and a core receiving plate 24 (FIG. 3) is provided at an intermediate portion in the up-down direction at a substantially vertical center. It is horizontally supported by. The core receiving plate 24 is provided with four core receiving holes 25 at equal intervals, and the core holding device 23 is arranged immediately above each core receiving hole 25. The core receiving holes 25 are open on the front side,
The hole wall has a two-step structure so as to receive the flange 12 of the core 11, and the core holding device 23 has a structure of an air cylinder and a flat pressing plate 26 at the lower end of the piston protruding downward. There is. The lower portion 16b of the core accommodating portion 16 has the same structure.

The vertical plate 19 has a notch 2 whose front surface is open at a location corresponding to the parting surface of the stored core 11.
7 is provided to facilitate the entry of the core replacement hand 28 (shown by the broken line in FIG. 5) of the robot 3. Further, the holding plate 26 shown by the broken line in FIG. 5 shows the position when the core 11 is attached and detached.

The hand accommodating portion 17 (a to c) is formed in a three-tiered projecting manner in a shelf shape, and has a hand receiving hole 29 (a to c) whose front side is open as shown in FIGS. 7 to 10. The hand receiving hole 29 is supported by engaging the flange portion of the hand changer 30, and has a two-step structure similar to the core receiving hole 25, and its size is the same as that of the hand changer 30. Depending on. In FIG. 4, the core replacement hand 28 is stored in the lower hand storage portion 17c,
A product take-out hand (suction hand) 31 is housed in the middle hand housing portion 17b. In addition to these, the hands required for automatic operation of the injection molding apparatus 1, such as a resin processing hand and a gate opening / closing hand, are stored at predetermined positions. Reference numerals 32 (a to c) respectively denote shutters, one for each of the storage locations of the respective hands, which is opened and closed by the rotary actuator 33 (a to c). The broken line position of the shutter 32 in FIG. 4 indicates the position when the hand is attached and detached.

The hand changer 30 of each hand accommodated in the hand accommodating portion 17 (a to c) is the wrist 1 of the robot 3.
It is arranged to be mounted from above by 4,
In combination with the above described step structure, the hand is finally located at a fixed position with respect to the origin determined appropriately on the base 15 when viewed from the robot 3, and the wrist 14 is arranged at a position accessible.

Before the injection molding apparatus 1 is operated, the robot 3 is taught about each work position and work route. In this case, the positions of the cores 11 and the cores 11 in the fixed-position storage device 4 to be exchanged by the robot 3 such as the various types of cores 11 and the core-changing hand 28, the product take-out hand 31, which are the most cumbersome to teach. Since the arrangement of hands and hands is stored as data in the control device, the position of the fixed position storage device 4 on the robot base 6 during teaching, that is, one fixed position storage device 4 or 2, 3 It only teaches each origin position. As a result, the robot 3 can grasp the positions of various cores 11 and members such as the core exchange hand 28 that are exchanged by the robot.

It is assumed that the fixed-position storage device 4 stores in advance all the cores 11 and all the replacement hands used in the injection molding plan to be executed. The accommodated core 11 is supported by engaging the flange 12 with the core receiving hole 25 of the core receiving plate 24, and is pressed from above by the holding plate 26 of the core holding device 23, thereby being vibrated. The position of the entire core is prevented from being displaced, and the displacement between core-constituting members such as between the fixed side and movable side cores 11 (a, b) is prevented. Further, it is assumed that the core preheating device 8 is loaded with the core 11 to be used this time in the injection molding plan, and the core of the injection molding machine 2 is not mounted with the core 11. ..

The mold temperature controller 7 and the resin dryer 10 are driven. The control device of the injection molding machine 2 detects that the core 11 is not mounted on the mother die, and notifies the control device of the robot 3 to it. The robot 3 is driven and the core replacement hand 28 stored in the fixed position storage device 4 is attached to the wrist 14 at the tip of the arm 13 (FIG. 11). At this time, the rotary actuator 33c is driven to open the shutter 32c on the hand changer 30.

Next, the core 11 is taken out from the core pre-temperature control device 8 by the core exchange hand 28, and the injection molding machine 2
Is attached to the mother mold of. The robot 3 subsequently takes out the core 11 to be used next time from the fixed position storage device 4 and stores it in the core preliminary temperature adjusting device 8 in advance. Then, the robot 3 returns the core replacement hand 28 to the predetermined position of the fixed position storage device 4, then replaces the hand with the product takeout hand 31, and waits. When removing the core 11, the air actuator 22 is driven and the protective cover 2
1 is opened and closed. The protective cover 21 is opened only when the core is taken in and out, and the others are closed.

When the control device of the injection molding machine 2 determines that the conditions of the injection molding operation such as the mold temperature and the nozzle touch pressure are satisfied, the injection molding machine 2 is instructed to perform the molding operation. At the same time, the robot 3 takes out a molded product from the clamp part of the injection molding machine 2 by the product take-out hand 31 attached to the wrist 14 at each end of the molding cycle, conveys it to a predetermined product stocker 5, and stores it.

When the molding cycle corresponding to the product of the predetermined lot is counted, the molding operation is stopped and the core 11 is replaced. That is, the robot 3 changes the hand to the core exchange hand 28, takes out the previous core 11 from the mother die, puts it in the original position of the fixed-position storage device 4, and then from the preliminary temperature control device 8 to this core 11. Take it out and attach it to the mother mold,
Further, the next core 11 is taken out from the fixed position storage device 4 and stored in the core preliminary temperature adjusting device 8. Thereafter, the same operation is performed, but when the resin needs to be changed with the replacement of the core, the nozzle touch is released and purging is performed in the injection molding machine 2 according to the operation program. At this time, the robot 3 selects the resin processing hand from the fixed position storage device 4 and attaches it to the wrist 14. This hand is converted to the original position of the fixed position storage device 4 after the purging operation is completed. The resin processing hand is for receiving the purge resin after closing the tip of the injection nozzle and applying a back pressure for purging. When the purging is completed, the nozzle touch operation is performed, and when the predetermined nozzle touch pressure is reached, the molding cycle is started.

The molding operation is roughly as described above, and the robot hand is exchanged for operations necessary for maintaining automatic operation of the injection molding apparatus 1, such as core replacement by the robot 3, removal of molded products, or purging. Is performed smoothly because the fixed position storage device 4 always arranges these hands at fixed positions. Further, the core 11 housed in the fixed position storage device 4 is arranged in a space that is almost closed by the protective cover 21, and is less likely to be contaminated by dust in the factory. Further, when a gate opening / closing hand is provided, the gate is opened / closed in the clamp part of the injection molding machine when the core 11 is mounted or replaced.

FIG. 12 shows another embodiment of the core holding device 23 in which the holding plate 26 is the air actuator 22.
It has a structure in which it is attached not directly to the piston of FIG. Further, the core receiving hole 25 portion of the core receiving plate 24 has a cylindrical shape with the front face opened. According to this embodiment, since the air actuator 22 is arranged on the back side of the cylindrical core receiving hole 25, the height of the fixed position storage device 4 can be reduced. Further, the booster mechanism can strongly prevent the core 11 from being displaced.

FIG. 13 shows another embodiment of the core receiving hole 25 portion of the core receiving plate 24 and the pressing plate 26.
In this embodiment, the core receiving hole 25 has a cylindrical shape with an open front, is filled with a heat insulating material, and a heater 35 is arranged inside. The pressing plate 26 is also made of a heat insulating material. According to this embodiment, the core 11 is preliminarily temperature-controlled while being stored in the fixed-position storage device 4, and if this temperature control can be performed while adjusting each core 11, The preliminary temperature adjusting device 8 provided on the injection molding machine 2 side can be omitted. Further, since the pressing plate 26 is made of a heat insulating material, it is less likely that the temperature control heat escapes to the core holding device 23 through it.

The above is an embodiment, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated structure. For example, the hand storage unit 17 may be a stand type provided on the upper surface of the base instead of the shelf type.

[0028]

The teaching work for the robot is simplified. Since the hands and cores used by the robot are always arranged at fixed positions, the robot can accurately exchange hands and cores, and the automatic operation of the injection molding apparatus can be performed smoothly. There is no displacement between the fixed and movable cores during storage. The core and the hand changer part of the hand prepared for replacement are less likely to be contaminated with dust in the factory.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall plan view.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a fixed position storage device.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the main part.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the fixed position storage device.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a main part.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a main part.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a main part.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a main part.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the main part.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a main part.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing an operating state.

FIG. 12 is another embodiment of the core holding device.

FIG. 13 is a front view of the core receiving hole portion (partial cross section).

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Injection Molding Device 2 Injection Molding Machine 3 Robot 4 Fixed Position Storage Device 11 Core 14 Wrist 15 Base 16 Core Storage Unit 17 Hand Storage Unit 21 Protective Cover 23 Core Holding Device 26 Holding Plate 28 Core Replacement Hand 30 Hand Changer 32 Shutter

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Akira Koki, Abu Yamanashi, Shinobu, Oshinomura, Minamitsuru-gun, 3580 Kobaba, FANUC Co., Ltd. Local FANUC Co., Ltd.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A base accommodating portion and a hand accommodating portion are provided on an upper surface of the base, and the core and the hand are arranged at fixed positions with respect to an origin defined on the base and accessible by a wrist of the robot. A fixed-position storage device for a member to be replaced by a robot, which is characterized in that 2. The fixed-position storage device for a member to be replaced by a robot according to claim 1, wherein the hand includes a core replacement hand and a molded product takeout hand. 3. The fixed-position storage device for a member to be replaced by a robot according to claim 1, wherein the core storage part is provided with a pre-temperature control device for the core. 4. The robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the core accommodating portion is provided with a holding device for preventing positional displacement between the core constituent members. Device for fixed position storage of components. 5. The robot according to claim 1, further comprising a shutter for covering a hand changer portion of each hand accommodated in the hand accommodating portion. Device for fixed position storage of components. 6. The core accommodating portion is provided with a protective cover that can be opened and closed, and the member to be exchanged by the robot according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is stored in a fixed position. apparatus.