JPH0929575A - Method and device for rearranging tools in machine tool - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To overlap a working time with a tool changing time in order to shorten the total time by actuating a pulling and inserting unit for pulling and inserting a tool from an into a magazine during working so as to rearranged tools in the magazine in a using order. SOLUTION: A rearranging time calculating part 14 calculates a time required for rearranging tools in a magazine at reference positions along an arranging direction, and a remaining working time calculating part 12 calculates a remaining time for working by a tool on a spindle. A comparing part 13 compares the time required for the rearrangement with the remaining working time, and delivers the result of the comparison to a unit control part 9 for controlling a pulling and inserting unit 10 in accordance with a function generating part 3, a rearranging order memory part 8 and the comparing part 13. This pulling and inserting unit 10 is actuated during working so as to rearrange tools in the magazine at reference positions along an arranging direction in a using order.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for rearranging tools in a magazine in order of use in a machine tool capable of automatically exchanging tools between a spindle and a magazine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recent machine tools store a plurality of tools in a magazine for automation, and machine workpieces while automatically exchanging them. The tools are stored in a magazine in a state of being annularly arranged, the magazine is rotated, the tools to be used are indexed to a specific position, and the tools are mounted on a spindle of a machine tool or the like by an automatic tool changing function.

As an automatic tool changing method, there are a method in which a tool changing device is interposed between a spindle and a magazine, and a method in which the spindle directly takes a tool to a magazine. According to the former, there is an advantage that the next tool can be indexed to the replacement position while machining with the tool on the spindle. In contrast,
The latter has the drawback that it takes a long time to replace the tool on the spindle after returning it to the magazine and then indexing and mounting the next tool. As a latter improvement proposal, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-236450 proposes a technique of rearranging the tools in the magazine in the order of use by utilizing the movement of the spindle during non-machining.

[0004]

However, according to this conventional improvement, since the rearrangement of the tools is limited to the non-machining, the total time including the machining time and the non-machining time required for one work is long. There was a problem. Moreover, in order to rearrange the tools by using the spindle, it is necessary to secure two empty spaces in the magazine with the tools attached to the spindle, or to provide a spare tool storage space outside the magazine. . In the former case, the number of tools that can be stored is one less than the capacity of the magazine, and in the latter case,
A dedicated space for a reserve space is required. Also,
According to the conventional method using the automatic tool changer, when the machining time is very short, the indexing time of the next tool in the magazine is longer than the sum of the machining time of the spindle and the reciprocating time to the exchange position. In this case, there is a problem that unnecessary waiting time occurs and the total time is extended.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel method and apparatus which can reduce the total time by rearranging the tools during processing and also the rearrangement time itself.

[0006]

In order to solve the above problems, a tool rearrangement method according to the invention of claim 1 is a machine tool capable of automatically exchanging tools between a spindle and a magazine, and the tools are arranged in a magazine. The present invention is characterized in that it has a removing unit for inserting and removing, and operates the removing unit during processing to rearrange the tools in the magazine in the order of use.

According to the tool rearrangement method of the second aspect of the invention, in a machine tool capable of automatically exchanging tools between a spindle and a magazine, the reference position of the magazine and the arrangement of tools in which the number of tools that do not require rearrangement is the maximum value. The direction is determined, and the tools in the magazine are rearranged in the order of use according to the reference position and the arrangement direction.

A tool rearrangement device according to a third aspect of the present invention is a machine tool capable of automatically exchanging tools between a spindle and a magazine, in which the storage position of the tools is determined based on magazine information and the tools are based on a machining program. Means for determining the order of use, a means for determining the reference position of the magazine and the arrangement direction of the tools in which the number of unnecessary tools is maximum based on the storage position and the order of use, and the tools in the magazine And means for rearranging them in the order of use according to the arrangement direction.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the invention, while the work is being processed by the tool on the spindle, the removing unit operates to rearrange the tools in the magazine in the order of use. Therefore, the total time can be shortened by wrapping the tool exchange time in the machining time.

According to the second and third aspects of the present invention, the tools that do not require rearrangement are left at the current position, only the tools that require rearrangement are moved, and the tools in the magazine are rearranged in the order of use. Therefore, the number of tools to be moved can be minimized and the time required for rearrangement can be shortened.

Further, the removal unit operates during machining, only the tools that need to be rearranged are moved, and the tools in the magazine are rearranged in the order in which they are used, so that the tool exchange time can be overlapped with the machining time. The number of tools to be moved can be minimized and the rearrangement time itself can be shortened.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 illustrates a vertical machining center as a machine tool. The machining center is configured so that the spindle 21 can be moved between the processing position and the magazine 22 to directly and automatically exchange tools (not shown) in the magazine 22. In the vicinity of the magazine 22, a removal unit 10 for inserting / removing a tool into / from the magazine 22 is movably provided at a position where it does not interfere with the spindle 21.

FIG. 1 shows a tool rearrangement device for the machining center. The program storage unit 1 stores a machining program input by an input device (not shown).
The program analysis unit 2 analyzes the machining program and sends it to the function generation unit 3, and the motor control unit 4 controls the drive motor 5 for rotating the magazine. The tool information discriminating unit 6 discriminates the use order of the tools based on the analysis data of the program analyzing unit 2, discriminates the storage position of the tools based on the magazine information of the magazine data storage unit 11, and sorts the discrimination results. It is sent to the decision unit 7.

The rearrangement order determination unit 7 determines the reference position of the magazine 22 and the arrangement direction of the tools in which the maximum number of the rearrangement-free tools is the maximum, based on the storage position and the use order of the tools, and the result is the rearrangement order storage unit. Store in 8. The rearrangement time calculation unit 14 calculates the time required when the tools in the magazine 22 are rearranged according to the reference position and the arrangement direction, and the machining remaining time calculation unit 12 calculates the machining remaining time of the tool on the spindle 21. . The comparison unit 13 compares the time required for rearrangement with the remaining machining time, and sends the result to the removal unit control unit 9. The removal unit control unit 9 controls the removal unit 10 based on each data input from the function generation unit 3, the rearrangement order storage unit 8, and the comparison unit 13, operates the unit 10 during processing, and operates the magazine. Two
The tools in 2 are rearranged in the order of use according to the reference position and the arrangement direction.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a method for rearranging tools. In this embodiment, the following program is executed during machining. First, the rearrangement order of tools is determined by a method described later (step S1). Next, the time required for actually rearranging the tools in the determined order is calculated (S2), and the machining remaining time of the tool on the spindle currently used for machining is calculated (S3). The rearrangement time is compared with the remaining machining time (S4). If the rearrangement time is longer, the rearrangement is not performed, the magazine 22 is swung to index the next tool to the replacement position (S8), and the spindle 21 is used to replace the tool. After performing (S9), the process for the next tool is started (S2). On the other hand, if the remaining processing time is longer than the rearrangement time, the removal unit 10 operates during the processing to rearrange the tools in the magazine 22 (S5). When the rearrangement of all tools is completed (S6), the magazine 22 is rotated to index the next tool to the exchange position (S7), and the rearrangement process is ended. If the rearrangement is not completed, the process for the next tool is started. (S2).

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a method of determining the rearrangement order of tools, and FIG. 4 is a supplementary explanatory view thereof. First, the pot number 1 of the magazine 22 is set as a reference (step S11). Then, the numbers of the tools arranged counterclockwise from the pot number 1 are collated with the use order specified in the machining program, and the number of tools that do not require rearrangement is calculated and stored, and the clockwise sequence is also rearranged in the same manner. The number of unnecessary tools is stored (S12). In the illustrated example, since the number of pots is 12, the counterclockwise and clockwise rotation calculation processes are repeated for each pot number 1 to 12 (S12, S1).
3, S14). Next, among these calculated values, the number of the tool pot for which the number of tools that do not require rearrangement becomes the maximum value, that is, the reference position of the magazine 22 and the arrangement direction of the counterclockwise or clockwise rotation are obtained. (S15). In the example shown in the drawing, when the tools are arranged counterclockwise from the pot number 10, there are the most three tools that do not require rearrangement, so
The rearrangement order is determined with the pot number 10 as the reference position of the magazine 22 and the counterclockwise direction as the arrangement direction of the tools (S16).
Then, a series of processing is ended.

In the above embodiment, in the machining center of the type in which the spindle 21 directly exchanges the tools, the removal unit 10 is arranged to rearrange the tools in the magazine 22 during machining. The present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 6, in the machining center of the type in which the automatic tool changer 24 changes the tool between the spindle 21 and the magazine 22, the changer 24 is operated to perform the above-mentioned embodiment. You may comprise so that a tool may be rearranged by the method similar to. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, it is possible to apply the method of the present invention to a machining center of a type in which an automatic tool changer 24 moves to the vicinity of a spindle 21 being machined to change a tool. The exchange method is not particularly limited. Further, the tool rearrangement method and apparatus according to the inventions of claims 2 and 3 can be carried out without providing a dedicated slipping unit, for example, by utilizing a spindle during non-machining or similar to the above. It can also be applied to a machining center that uses a tool changer to rearrange the tools in a magazine.
By reducing the rearrangement time, it is possible to reduce the total time including the processing time and the non-processing time.

[0018]

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the invention, since the removal unit rearranges the tools during machining, the tool exchange time can be overlapped with the machining time to shorten the total time. It has an excellent effect.

According to the second and third aspects of the invention, since only the tools that require rearrangement are moved and rearranged, there is an effect that the number of tools to be moved can be minimized and the time required for rearrangement can be shortened.

In addition, during the machining, the removal unit moves only the tools that need to be rearranged to perform rearrangement, thereby making it possible to wrap the tool exchange time with the machining time to shorten the total time and minimize the number of tool movements. As a result, the sorting time itself can be shortened.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a tool rearrangement device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a tool rearrangement method according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing in detail the rearrangement order determining method of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a magazine for supplementarily explaining the method of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a vertical machining center showing an application example of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a machining center showing another application example of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a machining center showing still another application example of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Program storage unit, 2 ... Program analysis unit, 6
..Tool information discriminating unit, 7 ... Sort order determining unit, 9.
・ Sliding unit control unit, 10 ・ ・ Sliding unit, 11 ・
・ Magazine data storage unit, 21 ・ ・ Spindle, 22 ・ ・ Magazine, 24 ・ ・ Automatic tool changer

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A machine tool capable of automatically exchanging tools between a spindle and a magazine, comprising a removing unit for inserting / removing the tool into / from the magazine, and operating the removing unit during machining to remove the tools in the magazine. A method for rearranging tools characterized by rearranging in order of use. 2. In a machine tool capable of automatically exchanging tools between a spindle and a magazine, the reference position of the magazine and the arrangement direction of the tools are determined so that the maximum number of tools that do not need rearrangement is determined, and the tools in the magazine are determined. A method for rearranging tools, characterized in that the tools are rearranged in a use order according to a reference position and an arrangement direction. 3. In a machine tool capable of automatically exchanging tools between a spindle and a magazine, a means for determining the storage position of the tool based on the magazine information and a use sequence for the tools based on a machining program, A means for deciding the reference position of the magazine and the arrangement direction of the tools in which the number of unnecessary tools is maximum based on the storage position and the use order, and a means for rearranging the tools in the magazine in the use order according to the reference position and the arrangement direction. A tool rearranging device consisting of.