JPH07227738A - Character engraving device using general purpose type numerically controlled machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a character engraving device with a general purpose type numerically controlled machine, which is capable of simply and beautifully engraving desired characters on a material to be machined, using the general purpose type NC machine instead of an engraving exclusive machine. CONSTITUTION:A character engraving device with a general purpose type numerically controlled machine is provided with a general purpose type NC machine, a layout setting means S2 for designing the form, etc., for characters for character-engraving by the use of the NC machine, which is processed on the side of a personal computer, a data preparing means S3 for preparing data on the characters for character-engraving, using the NC machine, a data reading means S4 for reading the data on various machining operations and the data on characters in compliance with the NC machine, a cutting condition selecting means S5 for selecting various cutting conditions of tools, etc., used for the NC machine, a G code converting means S6 for preparing the G code program for NC machine based on various cutting conditions and the data on characters, and a transmitting means S7 for transmitting the G code program to the NC machine.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a character engraving device, and in particular, a general-purpose numerical control processing machine (hereinafter referred to as NC processing machine) is used without using a dedicated engraving machine. The present invention relates to a character engraving device using a general-purpose NC processing machine capable of engraving desired characters on a cutting material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a machine parts, automobile parts, etc. processor needs to engrave the type (product name, product number, manufacturing date, etc.) on a part, a machine dedicated to engraving. Are using. Such a dedicated engraving machine has many functions such as being capable of engraving various kinds of pictures and characters. Further, it is possible to display various items such as a product name, a product number, a manufacturing date, etc. by using an electric pen or an engraving without using a machine dedicated to engraving.

[0003]

However, the engraving machine as described above is not very popular because the price is from 1 million yen to 90 million yen, which is extremely expensive. Moreover, the engraving machine cannot be used for other purposes because its use is limited, for example, for engines and gas cylinders.

Although an electric pen or an engraving mark has been used in some cases, the electric pen has a drawback that the quality of engraving is deteriorated because it is handwritten. In the case of the engraving mark, a hammer is used. Since it was struck and engraved, only limited characters such as letters and numbers could be engraved, and the engraving quality was not necessarily good either. In particular, engraving a product number, a lot number, or the like on a precision component with a hammer is not preferable because it may impair the dimensional accuracy of the precision component.

Normally, in the mold manufacturing industry, various NCs are used.
Although processing machines have been introduced and automation in the manufacturing process is relatively advanced, in the mold management department, various markings cannot be made on the mold due to the reasons described above, which causes management problems. Was becoming. The reality is that a new stamping process cannot be established because it causes a significant increase in cost.

For this reason, when engraving is absolutely necessary, characters such as Chinese characters are regarded as a set of straight lines, the length of each straight line is measured, and then the G code of the NC processing machine is created to handle it. It was However, with this method, it is necessary to pick up the coordinates of the required character and create an NC program with the G code based on these, so it takes a lot of time to create the G code of one character. There was a drawback that it cost.

Therefore, according to the present invention, a general-purpose NC machine capable of engraving a desired character on a work material easily and neatly by using a general-purpose NC machine without using a dedicated engraving machine. It is an object to provide a character engraving device with a processing machine.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a character engraving device using a general-purpose NC processing machine.
A processing machine, a layout setting means for designing a character format or the like for character engraving by the NC processing machine, a data creating means for creating character data for character engraving by the NC processing machine, and depending on the NC processing machine Data reading means for reading various machining data and character data, and various cutting conditions such as a tool, a work material, a tool diameter, the number of times of engraving, and the speed in the engraving depth direction, which are used in the NC processing machine, are selected. A cutting condition selecting means, a G code converting means for creating a G code program for the NC processing machine from the various cutting conditions and character data, and a transmitting means for transmitting the G code program to the NC processing machine. It is a thing.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a character engraving device using a general-purpose NC processing machine, wherein
A layout setting means for designing a character format or the like for character engraving by a C processing machine; a data creating means for creating character data for character engraving by the NC processing machine;
Data reading means for reading various processing data and character data according to the C processing machine, and various tools used for the NC processing machine such as a tool, a work material, a tool diameter, the number of times of engraving, and the speed in the engraving depth direction Cutting condition selecting means for selecting cutting conditions, G code converting means for creating a G code program for the NC processing machine from the various cutting conditions and character data, and storage means for storing the G code program in a floppy disk It is equipped with.

[0010]

According to the character engraving apparatus using the general-purpose NC processing machine of the first aspect of the invention, desired characters can be engraved on a work material by using the general-purpose NC processing machine without using a dedicated engraving machine. Further, by expanding the character engraving data such as the product name and the manufacturing date into the NC data at the time of the NC design, the character engraving can be performed simultaneously with the product processing during the NC processing.

According to the character engraving device using the general-purpose NC processing machine of the second aspect of the present invention, a desired character is engraved on a work material by using the general-purpose NC processing machine without using a dedicated engraving machine. In addition, the product name,
By expanding character engraving data such as manufacturing date into NC data, not only can character engraving be done at the same time as product processing, but NC can also be done at any time.
A desired character can be engraved on a work material using a processing machine.

[0012]

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be described below.
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an external appearance of a hardware configuration of a character engraving device using a general-purpose NC processing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a general-purpose NC processing machine such as an end mill. The NC processing machine 1 is equipped with a cutting tool 1a. By using this NC processing machine 1, desired characters such as a product number and a manufacturing date are engraved on a product which is a work material 2. A personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a personal computer) is connected to an NC control unit (not shown) of the NC processing machine 1 via a signal transmission line 7.
The personal computer is the personal computer body 3 and the CRT 4 for screen display.
And a keyboard 5 and a mouse 6 for operation used for data input and the like. The data of the personal computer can be stored in the floppy disk 8, and the floppy disk 8 can also be used in the NC control section of the NC processing machine 1.

The personal computer is an ordinary MS-DOS (trademark of Microsoft Corporation) machine, and B
The program can be easily changed using the ASIC language. BASIC language was adopted
The G code sent to the NC processing machine 1 is expressed in ASCII code, and it is convenient to handle such a character string. Since the data for engraving is at most tens of characters,
Even if the processing speed until G code generation is slow, there should be no problem. This is because the software can be easily modified. In addition, in order to facilitate the operation of the personal computer, it is displayed on the CRT 4 in an interactive menu format, and the cursor is moved to the target command using the keyboard 5 and mouse 6 to select the command. And execute. Most parameters are input in a selection format.

In the character engraving device using the general-purpose NC processing machine of this embodiment, necessary characters are edited from the kanji dictionary and font (character) data on the personal computer side, and the characters are written in G code for the NC processing machine 1. Generated program.
Kanji dictionary and font (font) data is on the PC body 3
It is stored in the external memory (such as a floppy disk). Then, the NC processing machine 1 side receives the program through the floppy disk 8 or the signal transmission line 7 (using RS-232C as a serial interface), and engraves a character on the work material 2. That is, in the character engraving device using the general-purpose NC processing machine of this embodiment, characters such as product numbers and lot numbers are designed by the personal computer, and the character string data is stored in a file. Then, based on the data, it is converted into a G code, and the NC processing machine 1 engraves a desired character on the work material 2 such as a precision part.

FIG. 2 is a general-purpose NC which is an embodiment of the present invention.
It is a flow chart which shows the flow of data processing operation of the character engraving device by a processing machine, and this series of each processing is performed by the personal computer side.

As shown in FIG. 2, a general-purpose NC of this embodiment
In a character engraving device using a processing machine, first, initialization is performed in step S1, a design layout such as a character format is set in step S2, and character data for character engraving is created in step S3. The layout setting in step S2 and the data creation in step S3 are processed by each program described later. That is, in step S2, the design of the engraved character format is performed, and in step S3, the character string is input, the image of the engraved character is displayed on the screen, and the data is saved in a file. As the font of characters used for this engraving, fonts up to the first level Chinese character based on the JIS standard are created and used. Each individual font data is composed of a series of points. Characters are input and read from the font data by general FEP.

Details of the layout setting program in step S2 will be described below. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a layout setting program during the data processing operation of FIG. 2, and the format of engraved characters is sequentially set according to this program. When designing the format with default settings, enter the characters immediately.

In step S21 of FIG. 3, the character string format is selected. That is, it is selected whether the engraved characters are written horizontally or vertically. The default is horizontal writing, and in the case of vertical writing, the orientation of the characters is rotated 90 degrees while the screen display of the frame remains horizontal. In step S22, the frame size is set. The frame is a boundary line that determines the engraving area, and determines the vertical and horizontal dimensions of this size. The size of the frame also determines the size of the characters automatically. Step S23
Now, set the number of steps. Set whether to engrave the engraved character string in one step or in two steps. It should be noted that when a two-column system is used, the size of the character is halved because the frame is divided into two. In step S24, the character type is set. There are three types of character types: standard, long and flat. The long body halves the width of the standard type,
The flat body is obtained by doubling the width of the standard type. In step S25, it is selected whether or not to perform the mirror inversion of the character. When the mirror inversion is selected, the characters are left and right reversed. With this item, not only NC machine tools but also the electrodes of electric discharge machines can be engraved.
By using the electrodes thus created, it is possible to deal with protruding characters and the like.

Next, details of the data creating program in step S3 of FIG. 2 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a data creation program during the data processing operation of FIG. 2, which is executed after all the engraving character formats have been set by the layout setting program described above.

First, in step S31 of FIG. 4, a character string of a desired engraving character is input. Entering this character string is a commercially available F
It is performed by EP (when the number of columns is two, input every one column). Then, in step S32, the number of characters is recognized based on the code (shift JIS code) of the input character string, and the size of the character is determined and the positioning for even allocation is performed. Then, in step S33, the font is extracted from the font disk for each character, the font data is analyzed in step S34, the characters are transformed into the engraved character format according to the design in step S35, and the file is saved in step S36. And the engraved character is drawn on the screen in step S37. This step S
The series of operations from 33 to step S37 is the same as step S3.
It is repeated until it is judged at 8 that the character string has ended.
The accuracy of the data stored in the file is in units of microns, and it is possible to create considerably fine engraved character data. Other functions include a screen zoom function for designing small engraved characters. After executing this data creation program, the process returns to step S4 during the data processing operation of FIG.

Returning to FIG. 2 again, in step S4, the display character string generated as described above is read from the file, and various processing data (work material) when the end mill is used as the NC processing machine is read. Type, drill diameter, cutting speed, etc.). Then, in step S5, NC
Select various cutting conditions such as tools used for processing machines.
This cutting condition is selected by a menu in consideration of convenience and ease of use for beginners.

FIG. 5 is a general-purpose NC which is an embodiment of the present invention.
It is explanatory drawing which shows the cutting conditions of the character engraving apparatus by a processing machine, and is a list | wrist which shows the selection item in a menu. For the tool selection, prepare so that you can choose between two types, the most widely used end mill and the drill for the marking machine. Further, as for the work material and the tool diameter, those which are commercially available can be selected. If you select the appropriate end mill tool diameter and work material in this menu,
The rotation speed and feed rate can be set automatically from standard cutting conditions. On the other hand, when the work material is not a selection item such as copper, plastic, or acrylic, the number of rotations, the feed rate, the number of engravings, the speed in the depth direction, etc. can be dealt with by a method of correcting. In this way, it is possible to engrave letters on all work materials.

Then, in step S6 of FIG. 2, the tool path and the like are determined from the various cutting conditions and the character data, and a G code program for the NC processing machine 1 is created. The G code conversion processing in step S6 is performed by converting the G code into N codes.
C compiler function (subprogram) and actually NC
It is composed of an NC processing machine control function (main program) for embedding commands (positioning, motor control, grinding oil adjustment, reading of subprograms, etc.) for operating the processing machine 1. In the character engraving device by the general-purpose NC processing machine 1 of the present embodiment, only the characters and the frame surrounding the characters are engraved with a drill, so that only the basic five functions of the G code are used. There is. FIG. 6 shows a G used in a character engraving device using a general-purpose NC processing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
It is a correspondence diagram showing a code and a function.

When engraving characters with various drills, it is not always the case that one pass completes. Therefore, the main program of the NC processing machine control function employs a method of engraving while calling the sub program a plurality of times to gradually increase the offset in the Z direction. As an example of this,
FIG. 7 shows a program list that calls the 8001st subprogram four times while changing the offset in the Z direction. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a program list of a character engraving device using a general-purpose NC processing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In this list, the Z-direction offset is assigned to the variable A and changed by 0.15 mm to call the subprogram. The subprogram side receives this, and the depth in the Z direction changes each time it is called,
Can be carved to the desired depth. The subprogram side is an example of a G code program for engraving "mountain", and engraving is performed according to the procedure shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing an engraving example of a character engraving device using a general-purpose NC processing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Then, the completed G code data is transmitted to the NC processing machine 1 in step S7 of FIG. That is, the completed G code program is transmitted to the NC control unit of the NC processing machine 1 via the RS-232C. Therefore, the NC processing machine 1 can engrave a desired character on the work material 2.
If character engraving data such as product name and date of manufacture is expanded into NC data during NC design, character engraving can be performed simultaneously with product processing during NC processing.

Further, instead of step S7, step S8
The G code program can be stored in the floppy disk 8 as a text file in the MS-DOS format. When the user inputs a file name, the file is stored by adding the extension ".NC" to the file name. This floppy disk 8
By using, the desired character can be engraved on the work material 2 using the NC processing machine 1 at any time and at any desired time.

As described above, the character engraving apparatus using the general-purpose NC processing machine according to the present embodiment includes a general-purpose NC processing machine 1 and a character format for character engraving by the NC processing machine 1 processed on the personal computer side. Data including the layout setting means (step S2 in FIG. 2) including the layout setting program illustrated in FIG. 3 for designing the design and the data generation program illustrated in FIG. 4 for generating the character data for character engraving by the NC processing machine 1. Creating means (step S3 in FIG. 2), data reading means (step S4 in FIG. 2) for reading various processing data and character data according to the NC processing machine 1, and tools used in the NC processing machine 1. , Cutting material, tool diameter, number of engravings, engraving depth direction speed, and other cutting conditions selecting means for selecting various cutting conditions as shown in FIG. 5 (step S in FIG. 2).
5) and from the various cutting conditions and character data, the NC
From the NC compiler function (subprogram) that converts the G code program for the processing machine 1 into the G code and the NC processing machine control function (main program) that embeds the instructions for actually operating the NC processing machine 1 The G code conversion means (step S6 in FIG. 2) and the transmission means (step S7 in FIG. 2) for transmitting the G code program to the NC processing machine 1 via RS-232C.
Further, instead of the transmission means (step S7 in FIG. 2), storage means (step S8 in FIG. 2) for storing the G code program in the floppy disk 8 may be provided.

Therefore, the general-purpose type N having the above-mentioned configuration
In the character engraving device using the C processing machine 1, characters such as product numbers and lot numbers including kanji are designed by a personal computer,
Since the data can be converted for engraving and further converted into a G code based on the data, a desired character can be engraved on the work material 2 such as a precision part by the NC processing machine 1. It is possible to easily engrave a desired character on the work material 2 by using the relatively inexpensive general-purpose NC processing machine 1 without using an expensive dedicated engraving machine. Moreover, the quality of engraving is improved compared to the case of using an electric pen or engraving,
You can sculpt neatly. Further, when the work material 2 is a precision component, there is no risk of impairing the dimensional accuracy as in the conventional case, so that high quality and high added value can be realized. Further, by expanding the character engraving data such as the product name and the manufacturing date into the NC data at the time of the NC design, the character engraving can be performed simultaneously with the product processing during the NC processing, so that the engraving processing time can be shortened.

In particular, when engraving Chinese characters or the like with the NC processing machine 1, it took a long time to create a G code program, but if the apparatus of this embodiment is used, the NC processing machine 1 will be used. Even if you don't know the program, the computer will create the program automatically, so it will be possible to create the program in an extremely short time (1/10 to 1/100) compared to the conventional method and the quality of engraved characters will be improved. To do.

By the way, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case of engraving the product number, the lot number, etc. of the precision component has been mainly described, but various other components can be applied. Further, if the number of stages is expanded and various functions such as support for the second level Kanji are increased, it is possible to realize higher quality and higher added value.

[0033]

As described above, the character engraving device using the general-purpose NC processing machine according to the first aspect of the present invention uses a relatively inexpensive general-purpose NC processing machine without using an expensive dedicated engraving machine. Since the characters can be engraved on the work material, desired characters can be engraved easily and neatly, and high quality products and high added value can be realized. Moreover, by engraving character engraving data such as product name and manufacturing date into NC data at the time of NC design, engraving of characters can be done at the same time as product processing at NC processing, so engraving time can be shortened and cost can be reduced. Can be realized.

The character engraving device using the general-purpose NC processing machine according to the second aspect of the present invention does not use an expensive special machine for engraving, but uses a relatively inexpensive general-purpose NC processing machine to perform characters on a work material. Since it is possible to engrave, desired characters can be engraved easily and neatly, and high quality products and high added value can be realized. Moreover, by engraving character engraving data such as product name and manufacturing date into NC data at the time of NC design, engraving of characters can be done at the same time as product processing at NC processing, so engraving time can be shortened and cost can be reduced. Not only can you realize that, but whenever you want, NC
Since a desired character can be engraved on the work material by using the processing machine, the utilization is increased.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an appearance of a hardware configuration of a character engraving device using a general-purpose NC processing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of data processing operation of the character engraving device by the general-purpose NC processing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a layout setting program during the data processing operation of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a data creation program during the data processing operation of FIG.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing cutting conditions of a character engraving device using a general-purpose NC processing machine that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a correspondence diagram showing G codes and functions used in a character engraving device using a general-purpose NC processing machine that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a program list of a character engraving device using a general-purpose NC processing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an engraving example of a character engraving device using a general-purpose NC processing machine that is an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 NC processing machine 1a Tool 2 Work material 3 Personal computer body 4 CRT 5 Keyboard 6 Mouse 7 Signal transmission line 8 Floppy disk

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Naonori Ohno 47 Kokumatsu, Kasamatsu-cho, Hashima-gun, Gifu, Gifu Prefectural Industrial Technology Center (72) Hiroshi Komori 7-11, Uedo-cho, Kakamigahara-shi, Gifu Stock Company Komori Seiki (72) Inventor Kazuhiro Komori 7-11 Uedocho, Kakamigahara-shi, Gifu Komori Seiki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masaho Ukai 7-11 11 Ueto-cho, Kakamigahara, Gifu Komori Seiki Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A general-purpose numerical control processing machine, a layout setting means for designing a character format for character engraving by the numerical control processing machine, and character data for character engraving by the numerical control processing machine. Data creating means, a data reading means for reading various processing data and character data according to the numerical control processing machine, a tool used for the numerical control processing machine, a work material, a tool diameter, the number of engraving, Cutting condition selection means for selecting various cutting conditions such as engraving depth direction speed, G code conversion means for creating a G code program for the numerically controlled machine from the various cutting conditions and character data, and the G code A character engraving device using a general-purpose numerical control processing machine, comprising: a transmission means for transmitting a program to the numerical control processing machine. 2. A general-purpose numerical control processing machine, layout setting means for designing a character format for character engraving by the numerical control processing machine, and character data for character engraving by the numerical control processing machine. Data creating means, a data reading means for reading various processing data and character data according to the numerical control processing machine, a tool used for the numerical control processing machine, a work material, a tool diameter, the number of engraving, Cutting condition selection means for selecting various cutting conditions such as engraving depth direction speed, G code conversion means for creating a G code program for the numerically controlled machine from the various cutting conditions and character data, and the G code A character engraving apparatus using a general-purpose numerical control processing machine, comprising: a storage means for storing a program on a floppy disk.