JPS5815651A - Machining apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a flexible processing for taking care of both unmanned operation for a long time and the work which can not been supplied automatically by providing two systems consisting of the automatically mountable type work feeding apparatus and the manually mountable work feeding apparatus as a work feeding system, in a machining apparatus. CONSTITUTION:A machining center 1 and a lathe 2 are installed on a line, and an automatic conveying device 3 travels on a traveling passage 4 in front of the machining center and the lathe 2. A pallet changer 5 receives a pallet 7 from the automatic conveying device 3 and exchanges the pallet with the work 6 having been worked already by turning it by 180 degrees from the machine tool. On the other side along the traveling passage 4, one unit of automatically mountable type work feeding device 10 and three units of manually mountable type work feeding device 11 are installed in parallel. The automatically mountable type work feeding device 10 permits unmanned operation for a long time, and the manually mountable type work feeding device 11 is used for the workpiece which can not be mounted automatically and the workpiece in small lot-size.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a machining apparatus that performs machining by controlling a large number of automatic machine tools using a computer.

Among various types of machining equipment, in special-purpose transformer machines, the workpiece is automatically transported by a transport device and automatically attached to the machine for processing. In a processing device, the number of types of workpieces to be processed is limited to at most several types, and the processing range is also limited due to functional limitations of the conveyance device, mounting device, and control device. In addition, in the 7-lexiple production system that has been attracting attention in recent years, workpieces are usually manually attached to and removed from pallets, and the pallet with the workpieces attached is automatically fed to a processing machine for processing. However, in this manual attachment/detachment type work supply processing method, there are far fewer restrictions on the types of target workpieces and limitations on the processing range compared to the automatic workpiece attachment/detachment type; however, the number of pallets provided is Automatic driving time is limited.

This invention was proposed against the above background, and takes advantage of the features of both the automatic workpiece loading and unloading system and the manual loading and unloading system to mix and flow a wide variety of small quantities of workpieces, medium-sized and small quantities of workpieces, and 7 large quantities of workpieces. The object of the present invention is to provide a machining device that can cope with these problems and continue automatic operation without any trouble.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a machining center, and 2 is a numerically controlled machine tool such as a vertical lathe with a numerically controlled device (hereinafter both will be abbreviated as No. machine 1.2).

Reference numeral 3 denotes a trolley-type automatic transport device, and the NO machines 1.2 are arranged side by side on one side of the automatic transport device 30 along the travel path 4. A pallet transfer device, that is, an automatic pallet changer 6 in this embodiment, is provided between each No. machine 1.2 and the travel path 4 of the automatic transport device 3.

This automatic pallet changer 5 receives a pallet 7 with an unprocessed workpiece 6 attached thereto from the automatic transfer device 3, and also transfers a pallet 7 with a processed workpiece 6 attached to each No. machine 1. From there, the receiver is removed, rotated 1soP, and the pallet 7 with the unprocessed workpiece 6 attached is moved to each N.

The machine 1.2 is fed into the machine 1.2, and the pallet 7 with the processed workpiece 6 attached thereto is sent out to the automatic conveyance device 3. 8 is a numerical control device for each No. machine 1.2,
9 is a processing monitoring device.

Further, on the other side of the automatic conveyance device 3 along the travel path 4, one automatically removable work supply device 1o and three manual removable work supply devices 11 are provided side by side.

To explain this automatic removable work supply device 1o in detail, as shown in a perspective view in FIG. It is possible to supply two types of workpieces at random, and between both conveyors 12, 13, the workpiece 6 is automatically attached to the pallet 7, or the posture of the workpiece 6 is adjusted. An automatic mounting and reversing machine 14 is provided for performing the conversion. The reversing machine 14 is provided with a pallet dispenser cylinder 21 for carrying in the automatic mounting pallet 7& from the automatic conveying device 3 or unloading it to the automatic conveying device 3. An intermediate stand 22 is also provided for mounting changes that involve changing the posture of the workpiece. Further, this automatic attachment/detachment type work supply device 10 includes the work supply conveyor 12.
, an automatic mounting and reversing machine 14, and a rail running machine manubinlator that runs on a rail 15 provided approximately parallel to the traveling line of the automatic conveyance device 3 so as to straddle the workpiece unloading conveyor 13, and automatically attaches and detaches the workpiece 6. 16 are provided. The pallet 7 is available in two types: an automatic mounting pallet 71L and a manual mounting pallet 7b.The automatic attachment/detachment type work supply device 10 handles the automatic attachment pallet 7&, and the manual attachment/detachment type. Work supply device 11
For manual installation, pallet 7b is used. However, both pallets 7a and 7b can be handled in the same manner by the automatic conveyance device 3, automatic pallet changer 5, and No. machine 1.2.

The manual attachment/detachment type work supply device 11 can carry a plurality of manually attached pallets (7b) and circulate along the annular path, and the manual attachment pallets (7b) can be placed on the automatic conveyance device 3 by hand. can now be done automatically. Incidentally, in this manual mounting, the workpieces are manually mounted on the pallet 7b.

Further, each of the above-mentioned devices is controlled by a computer control device, which is shown in a block diagram in FIG. That is, the respective control devices 1' and z13 for the machining sail 1, the NO vertical lathe 2, the automatic transfer device 3, the automatic attachment/detachment type work supply device 10, and the manual attachment/detachment type work supply device 11
・, 10', 11・ are connected to the combinator 17, and also include a magnetic disk 18 for storing No. 4 Dougram operation schedule data, etc., 01'1T19 for data registration and display correction, and a system. A typewriter 2o is provided for recording the operating status and production results on recording paper. Note that the two CRTs 19 are used for data registration and display at the site.

Next, the operation of the above-mentioned machining device will be explained.

As mentioned above, in this machining device, there are two systems for supplying workpieces: the automatic attachment/detachment type workpiece supply device 10 and the manual attachment/detachment type workpiece supply device 11.
The machines 1 and 2 are operated passively to supply and transport workpieces from either or both of the two systems, based on operation schedules registered in the computer. That is, each No. machine 1.2 can take two types of operation modes: an automatic workpiece attachment/detachment supply operation and a manual attachment/detachment supply operation, and performs machining of the workpiece according to the set operation mode.

(1) In the case of automatic workpiece attachment/detachment supply operation, the No. machine 1.2 set to automatic attachment/detachment/supply operation performs processing according to the procedure shown in FIG. 4. In the flowchart of FIG. 4, as an initial condition, the automatic installation is performed by specifying a No. machine (Palet) 71.

It is in a standby state on the automatic pallet changer 5 of the machine. In this embodiment, the automatic pallet changer 5 is used as a standby place for the automatic mounting pallet 71 for next processing, but the manual removable work supply device 11 can also be set as the standby place. With this method, there is no distinction between manually installed workpieces and automatically installed workpiece processing machines, and the machines can be loaded at random.

To explain the operating procedure according to Fig. 4, the computer 17 determines whether or not there is a machining schedule for a No. machine set for automatic attachment/detachment operation (81), and when it is determined that there is a machining schedule, the automatic transfer device 3 receives the product (processed workpiece) from the automatic pallet changer (abbreviated as mu PO in Figs. 4 and 5) together with the automatic mounting pallet 7 & *C1 automatic attachment/detachment type work supply device (
(Abbreviated as AL in FIG. 4). Automatic attachment/detachment work supply device 10
In this case, automatic mounting pallet 7 with product 6 installed and
The pallet is loaded into the automatic mounting/reversing machine 14 by the pallet loading/unloading cylinder 21. The automatic mounting and reversing machine 14 is then reversed to remove the chips, and then returned to its original position to perform a workpiece reloading operation. In other words, automatic mounting pallet 7 &
The operation of removing the processed workpiece from the machine and attaching the unprocessed workpiece is performed (S,).

The automatic conveyance device 8 is operated by a pallet loading/unloading cylinder 21.
The receiver picks up the next workpiece (the workpiece attached to the automatic attachment pallet 7& in S) carried out from the automatic attachment/detachment type workpiece supply device 10 and conveys it to the automatic pallet changer 5 (S). The automatic pallet changer 5 automatically rotates 00 times to change the positions of the processed workpiece and the unprocessed workpiece, and transfers the unprocessed workpiece to No. machine 1.2@, and the processed workpiece to the automatic transfer device 3@ Turn to (sw,
Sv). Next, the unprocessed workpiece is set in machine No. 1.2 and numerically controlled processing is performed (Ss), while the processed workpiece is automatically transported as long as there is a schedule (31).
% Workpiece reloading (S, ), automatic transport (S4), N
Repeat C machining (S,) and perform fully automatic continuous machining until the last work in the schedule is completed.

The operating mode of this automatic attachment/detachment supply plan can be set to any No. machine 1.2, or may be used in combination with any number of machines, depending on the processing capacity of the automatic attachment/detachment type workpiece supply device 10. .

In addition, in FIG. 1, the automatic mounting pallet 71 on the automatic pallet changer 5 is one that is waiting to be loaded with a workpiece for next processing, or one that is loaded with a processed workpiece and is waiting for automatic transportation. The automatic mounting pallet 7& set in indicates the workpiece currently being processed.

Note that one workpiece is mounted horizontally (workpiece supply conveyor 1
2), perform the first process processing, and then
After the process processing is completed, for example, vertical installation (1st process and 9th process)
It is possible to carry out two-step machining in succession, rather than performing the second-step machining by changing the position (mounting with a different orientation).

When performing this two-step processing, the automatic mounting will be carried out using the pallet 7&, which is not shown in the figure, but a pallet with a horizontal mounting jig (hereinafter referred to as the pallet for the first process) and a pallet with a vertical mounting jig (hereinafter referred to as the pallet for the first process). (referred to as a two-step pallet) is used.

During processing in the first step, the pallet for the first step is introduced into the reversing machine 14, and then the reversing machine 14 is rotated to remove chips.
After that, the manipulator 16 takes out the processed workpiece from the first process pallet and temporarily places it on the intermediate table 22. Next, a new workpiece is picked up from the workpiece supply conveyor 12, attached to the first process pallet, and automatically transported. It is extruded into device 3 and transported to the scheduled MC machine.

On the other hand, the pallet for the second process is transported to this automatic attachment/detachment type work supply device 10 after the second process processing of the workpiece attached thereto is completed, and is drawn into the reversing machine in the same way as the pallet for the first process. It is rotated to create a chip path. In the case of the pallet for the second process, in order to change the workpiece mounting attitude, the reversing machine 14 is stopped and positioned at the required angle, and the workpieces are replaced in that attitude. That is,
After removing the workpieces processed in the second process from the pallet for the second process and placing them on the conveyor, the workpieces processed in the first process on the intermediate table 22 are mounted on the pallet for the second process, Next, the reversing machine 14 is returned to the original angle when the pallet for the second process was first drawn in. As a result, the workpiece posture necessary for the second process processing is obtained, and the pallet for the second process is pushed out and placed on the automatic conveyance device 3, and the scheduled second process is carried out.
After being transported to the MC machine for process processing, the first and second steps with different processing postures are performed successively as described above.

(2) In the case of manual attachment/detachment supply operation of workpieces In machine No. 1.2 set to manual attachment/detachment supply operation, machining is performed according to the procedure shown in the flowchart shown in FIG.

In this case, this manual removable work supply device 11
Attach the workpiece by hand to the manual attachment (pants) 7m) stored in the warehouse and leave it on standby. In the flowchart of FIG. 3, the above-mentioned standby state is used as an initial condition.

First, the computer 17 determines whether or not there is a machining schedule for the MC machine 1.2.
When it is determined that "Yes", the next workpiece is taken out from the workpieces stored in the manual removable workpiece supply device (abbreviated as APM in FIG. 5) 11 (SSt). The next workpiece that has been cut out is sent to the automatic transport device 3 while being placed on a manual mounting pallet 7b.
Automatic transport device 3 is for this manual installation pallet 7b
is transported to the automatic pallet changer 5 of the VXa machine 1.2 (81 m). In the automatic pallet changer 5, the conveyed automatic mounting pallet 7b is received and removed, and the automatic pallet changer 5 rotates at 18oC to change the positions of the processed workpiece and the unprocessed workpiece. to the MC machine 1.2 side, and the processed workpiece to the automatic transfer device 3 side (81-8n).Then, the workpiece to be processed is set to the NC machine 1.2, and numerically controlled processing is performed (sss)s On the other hand, after the processed workpiece has been determined (SSt), the return position of the manually removable workpiece supply device 11 has been determined (SSt), and the return position of the manual removable workpiece supply device 11 has been determined in advance by the automatic conveyance device 3. (5ta) *In Figure 1, the manual mounting pallet 7b on top of the automatic pallet changer 5 is one that is waiting with a workpiece loaded for next processing, or one that is loaded with a processed workpiece and is automatically transported. Time thing, No.
The manual mounting pallet 7b set on the machine 1.2 is the one on which the work is currently being processed, and the manual mounting pallet 7b set on the manual removable workpiece supply device 11 is the one on which the machining schedule is coming. It shows either a machine waiting for a machine or a machine with a completed workpiece (product) on it and waiting to be removed by hand.

Note that this operation mode can be applied to any No. machine for which the automatic workpiece attachment/detachment supply operation described in the previous section is not set. In addition, the workpieces mounted on the manual mounting pallet 7b and waiting in the manual removable workpiece supply device 11 are processed by dividing into a plurality of processes and placed in separate N
o It is possible to implement a continuous automatic processing method by incorporating into the processing schedule of machines 1 and 2 and performing processing that takes advantage of the features of each No. machine. Even in such a multi-step continuous processing method, the manual mounting pallet 7b is returned to its original position in the manual removable work supply device 11 after each step, and the timing of the next step processing can be adjusted. This eliminates the need for takt time coordination and facilitates schedule organization.

Note that the automatic transport device 3 in the embodiment is a trolley type,
Although it is a track running type, it can also be a conveyor type transport type or a trackless running type.

Further, although a numerically controlled machine tool is installed as the automatic machine tool in the embodiment, it goes without saying that an automatic machine tool that does not perform numerical control may also be used.

As explained above, in the machining device of the present invention,
There are two systems for supplying workpieces: an automatic workpiece supply device that automatically attaches and detaches workpieces to and from the pallet, and a manual workpiece feeder that manually attaches and detaches the workpieces. Therefore, by equipping an automatic removable workpiece supply device, it is possible to operate unattended for long periods of time without using up the capacity of the equipment.Especially when the machining time per cycle is short and the microcut size is large, the efficiency is significant. In addition, by providing a manual attachment/detachment type workpiece supply device, it is possible to handle workpieces with a wide variety of shapes that are difficult to handle with automatic attachment/detachment, or with small lot sizes and automatic attachment/detachment. Even in the case of high-variety, low-volume production, such as products that do not require the preparation of pallets, it is possible to maintain the flexibility of operation without causing traffic jams.

Both workpiece supply devices are not fixed to a specific machine tool, and can be configured to supply workpieces to any machine tool, so the number of devices required can be adjusted according to the machining mode of the input workpiece. It is possible to increase the operating rate evenly by avoiding play and concentration on each machine tool, and it is more flexible than when two types of independent machining equipment are installed. Production efficiency improves.

In addition, if you are targeting workpieces that can be automatically attached and detached by performing some preparatory work, you can do so during daytime manned operation! It is also possible to adopt a production system in which pre-processing is performed using a manual attachment/detachment supply mode, and machining is performed in automatic attachment/detachment supply mode at night or on holidays. This increases the processing ratio within one system of processing equipment.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of the machining device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the automatic attachment/detachment type work supply device in Fig. 1 and its vicinity, Fig. 4 is a block diagram of the control system, and Fig. 4 FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the sequence of operations in the form of automatic detachable supply operation; FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the sequence of operations in the form of automatic detachable supply operation. 1...i thinning center, 2-...wa vertical lathe ss...automatic transport device, 4...-traveling path, 5...automatic pallet changer, 6...
...Work, 7...Pallet, 71...
・・Pallet for automatic installation, 7b・Old・・Pallet for manual installation, 10・・・Automatic attachment/detachment type work supply device, 11・・・・・Manual attachment/detachment type workpiece supply device, 14・・...Automatic mounting reversing machine, 16...
...Rail-running manudulator. Figure 4 Figure 5

Claims (1)

[Claims] An automatic transport device that automatically transports a pallet with a workpiece attached to a desired position, a plurality of automatic machine tools installed along the travel path of this automatic transport device, and an automatic transport device that transports the pallet with the automatic transport device. A pallet transfer device that transfers the pallet to and from the machine tool, and a pallet transfer device that is installed along the travel path of the automatic transport device, and that automatically attaches and detaches workpieces to and from the pallet. An automatic attachment/detachment type work supply device that automatically transfers workpieces, and a pallet that is also installed along the travel path of the automatic conveyance device and that transfers pallets with workpieces manually attached and detached to the automatic conveyance device. A computer control device that controls the operations of an automatic manual attachment/detachment workpiece supply device, the automatic transfer device, automatic machine tool, pallet transfer device, automatic attachment/detachment type workpiece supply device, and manual attachment/detachment type workpiece supply device; According to the operation schedule registered in this computer control device, each automatic machine tool receives workpieces from at least one of two systems: the automatic attaching/detachable workpiece supply device and the w = Yual detachable workpiece supply device. A machining device designed to machine workpieces.