JPS58223543A - Automatic tool exchanging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the work efficiency of a machine tool intended for a large- scale work by making a tool to be next used wait at a fixed position having no possibility of interfering with the work during the machining operation so that the tool exchange can be quickly performed. CONSTITUTION:A tool carrier 20 having exchanged a tool from a spindle head 7 delivers the used tool held by a vertical arm 29 or a horizontal arm 28 to a tool pot 27 during its movement along a cross rail 6. On reaching a tool delivery position E, a single arm 18 receives the used tool and returns it to a tool magazine 17. Then, the single arm 18 extracts the next tool from the tool magazine 17 and conveys it to said delivery position E. At this position, the tool carrier 20 receives the tool by means of the post 27, and the vertical or horizontal arm 28, 29 again receives it during the movement to a waiting position G along the cross rail 6. The tool carrier 20 waits until the machining operation is completed and comes to a tool delivery position F after the completion.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to an automatic tool changer.

When using an automatic tool changer consisting of a tool magazine that can store multiple tools in a machine tool such as a machining center, and a tool moving device that transports and exchanges tools between the tool magazine and the spindle, the tool magazine is In order to be able to store a large number of tools, it is often installed on the frame of a machine tool or fixedly installed separately from the machine tool body. On the other hand, in this type of machine tool, the spindle head is movable, so a series of machining operations
The relative positional relationship between the spindle head and the tool magazine is not constant each time the tool is replaced. Therefore, the tool magazine and/or the tool transfer device are placed on a movable table that can slide in the movement direction of the spindle head or the center of the spindle, and the movable table is used to move the spindle head even during machining operations of the spindle head. A conventional technology that allows tools to be changed immediately after the machining operation is completed using a follow-up type automatic tool changer that follows
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 666. However, in this prior art, the next tool to be used must be on standby at a position where the tool can be moved to the spindle simply by the rotation of the tool transfer arm. Therefore, the distance between the standby position of such a tool and the spindle is relatively short and should be determined by the working radius of rotation of the tool transfer arm. Therefore, when machining a large workpiece relative to the length of the tool transfer arm, changing the position of the core workpiece relative to the spindle may cause interference between the workpiece and the waiting tool. be. In order to avoid this possibility of interference, the tool transfer arm can be moved away from the spindle so that the next tool to be used waits at a position far from the spindle, but after the machining operation by the tool attached to the spindle is completed, This method has the disadvantage that it takes a long time to replace the tool with a waiting tool. As described above, it has been difficult for the conventional follow-up type automatic tool changer to adequately adapt to the increasing size of the workpiece to be machined.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to allow the next tool to be used during machining operations to wait at a fixed position # (standby position) where there is no risk of interference with the workpiece, and to When replacing the tool after the operation is completed, we provide an automatic tool changer that moves the waiting tool to a position closer to the spindle (the tool holder on the spindle head side is in the handing position), making it especially suitable for machining large workpieces. The goal is to improve efficiency in the process.

In order to achieve this object, the present invention uses a drive means controlled by a control device of a machine tool in which the position of the spindle head is changed. In a device that transports and exchanges tools, the tool carrier is moved to the transfer position or the tool magazine side tool holder according to a command from the control device after the machining operation by the spindle head is completed or after the tool is replaced on the spindle. A tool holder for switching the driving direction of the drive means so that the trap moves toward the transfer position is a transfer switching means, and when there is no command from the control device to the transfer switching means, the tool carrier is moved to the main axis. The tool holder on the spindle head side with respect to the head has a standby tracking means for switching the drive means so as to follow the spindle head while maintaining a predetermined standby position apart from a transfer position. It has the configuration of a tool changing device.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.The illustrated embodiment will be described as an example of a machining center. An example using the automatic tool changer 2 is shown below.

The gate-shaped machine tool 1 has a left column 3 and a right column 4 connected at their tops by a dog beam 5 to form a gate shape.
．． The saddle 8 of the spindle head 7 is provided to be movable left and right with respect to the cross rail 6 that moves up and down at 4a, and the saddle 8
A rotating head 11 is attached to a main shaft ram lO which is provided to be movable up and down and has a main shaft motor 9.
Using the tool T attached to either the horizontal main shaft 12 or the vertical main shaft 13 of 1, the tool T is placed on a table 15 that is slidably provided on the bed 14 between the left and right columns 3 and 4. By sequentially processing the top surface and four side surfaces of the placed work W under numerical control using the control device 16 (Fig. 5), five surfaces can be machined without the need for changing the setup of the work W. .

The automatic tool changer 2 (FIG. 1) has a tool magazine 17 and a tool transport device 21 consisting of an elevator 19 with a single arm 18 and a tool carrier 20, and the tool magazine 17 and the tool transport device 21 are The control device 16 (FIG. 5) performs numerical control in conjunction with the processing control described above, as will be described in detail later. First, tool magazine 1
Reference numeral 7 is provided separately from the main body of portal type L 4+ machine E 1, and its structure consists of a roller chain 23 that is stretched around a tool bot 22 for storing a large number of tools so as to be able to freely rotate on a horizontal plane. According to the address given to each tool bot 22 or the tool T stored in the tool bot 22, the tool bot 1-22 storing the desired tool T is moved to the elevator 19 in response to a call command from the control device 16. The single arm 18 can be called up and positioned at a predetermined position liA for receiving and passing tools (see FIG. 6). In this embodiment, the tool magazine 17 stores various tools T necessary for processing work by the portal machine tool 1, and if the desired tool T is received and delivered to the single arm 18, its installation is possible. It is also possible to use a tool magazine having a known configuration without being limited in location, number of units installed, type 4, etc.

The next elevator 19 extends upward from the tool magazine 17. The single arm 18 attached to the elevator 19 has a structure that can hold or release the tool T by opening and closing the arm, and can freely move up and down over the elevator 19, and can also be used as a tool bot 22 or as will be detailed later. The tool holder described above is provided so as to be horizontally rotatable about the axis of the elevator 19 within a predetermined angular range in order to avoid interference with the tool bot 27 for delivery. Therefore, the single arm 18 moves from a predetermined position A where the tool T is to be received and passed between the called tool bot 22 of the tool magazine 17 to a position B corresponding to the tool bot 27, and performs an upward movement or a downward movement for return. (See Figure 6). The single arm 18, in the above-mentioned position B, can move up and down within a limited dimensional range for inserting and removing the tool T with respect to the tool bot 22.27, and prevents interference with the tool bot 22.27. Horizontal rotation movement in a predetermined angle range to avoid the tool T
The tool bot 22 or the tool bot 27
The tool holder performs a passing motion, such as passing the tool T to or taking the tool T from the holder.

19 Next, the tool carrier 20 includes a conveyance table 24, a vertically movable table 25, a horizontally movable table 26, and a tool receiver, as shown in the left side view of FIG. 2, the front view of FIG. 3, and the plan view of FIG. It has the tool bot 27 for handover, a horizontal spindle exchange arm (hereinafter referred to as "horizontal arm") 28, a vertical spindle exchange arm 29 (hereinafter referred to as "vertical arm"), and the like.

As illustrated in FIG. By driving, it can move left and right on the cross rail 6. A vertically movable table 25 is provided on the conveyance table 24 so as to be vertically movable by the operation of a cylinder (not shown). A horizontally movable base 26 is provided on the vertically movable base 25 and is guided by a guide bar 34 and is movable left and right by the operation of a cylinder 35.

Furthermore, a horizontal arm 28 is attached to the upper F moving table 25 so as to be able to move forward and backward and rotate freely by the operation of an arm forward/backward cylinder 36 and an arm turning cylinder 37, and the vertical arm 29 is also attached to an arm forward/backward cylinder 38 and an arm turning cylinder 39. It is attached so that it can move forward and backward and rotate freely by the operation of the. - The above-mentioned tool bot 27 is attached to the left-right moving table 26 so as to be able to rotate around the horizontal axis, forming a ready station;
The rod 42 of the cylinder 41 supported in the form of a trunnion on the left-right movable table 26 around a rotation axis of 40 turns expands and contracts, so that the tool bot 27 is moved to the lateral position 0 corresponding to the horizontal arm 28 (see FIG. 2). (dashed line) and an upright position 11D (solid line in FIG. 2) corresponding to the upright arm 29 and single arm 18. In order to prevent the tool loaded into the tool bot 27 from accidentally falling off, the tool bot 27 has a structure in which the tip of the rod, which is biased by a spring force, is pressed against the pull stud of the tool. However, in view of the fact that when the tool bot 27 rotates between the horizontal position 0 and the horizontal position as described above, the tool tends to be pulled out due to centrifugal force, it is possible to more reliably prevent the tool from falling off. To do this, attach the pressing rod 46 to the fan-shaped coupling 45 attached to the rod 44 of the tool lock cylinder 43.
It is possible to adopt a structure in which the rod 46 is brought into sliding contact with the pull stud of the tool at a predetermined pressure by causing the rod 44 to be extended.

By having the structure described above, the tool carrier 20 can move to the left along the cross rail 6 to a position close to the elevator 19, and the left-right moving table 26 can move to the left with respect to the vertical moving table 25. The tool holder on the tool magazine side, which is in the position where the
5 is in a downward position so that the horizontal arm 28 or vertical arm 29 is in the same phase as the horizontal main shaft 12 or vertical main shaft 13, and the conveyance table 24 is moved to the right along the cross rail 6 to a position approaching the main shaft head 7. The tool holder on the spindle head side can be moved to the transfer position F (dashed line in FIG.
The tool holder on the spindle head side is placed in a standby position G (3rd position) during the path from 1 to the transfer position F, where it waits while avoiding interference with the workpiece until the machining operation by the spindle is completed.
An important feature of the present invention is that the solid line in the figure is adopted. Therefore, in the standby position 1tG, it is necessary that the spindle head 7 has the following ability to move left and right as the spindle head 7 moves left and right along the cross rail 6 according to the machining procedure.
specifications and operating range, and the shape of various target workpieces W,
Tool carrier 2 should be determined according to dimensions, processing position, etc.
0 or outside the space where there is a risk of interference between the tool T and work W held in the tool carrier 20, the tool holder on the tool magazine side is moved from the tool holder's transfer position [Ig to the tool holder on the spindle head side to the transfer position iiF. It is desirable that the spindle head side tool holder on the path leading thereto be located as close as possible to the transfer position F.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a configuration in which the tool carrier 20 is moved to the standby position G to follow the spindle head 7 while maintaining the relative positional relationship with the spindle head 7 as described above. be. In the figure, the spindle head 7 has a cylinder 47 for setting the following distance of the tool carrier 20.
is attached so that its piston rod 48 faces toward the cylinder 20 in the tool, and an electromagnetic switching valve 49 is installed in the cylinder 47.
Actuating air is supplied by a pressure source 50 via. The electromagnetic switching valve 49 has a structure that can take the H position and the work position, and is controlled by the control device 16 of the portal machine tool 1 as follows. That is, the control device 16 issues a transfer command 52 to the tool holder on the spindle head side when the machining operation by the spindle head 7 is completed, and issues a transfer command 52 to the tool holder on the spindle head side while the machining operation by the spindle head 7 is being performed. issues a command to cancel the When a transfer command 52 is issued from the control device 116 to the tool receiver on the spindle head side, the solenoid 5 is activated.
3 is energized, the electromagnetic switching valve 49 assumes the working position by the action of the solenoid 53, and the piston rod 48 of the cylinder 47 is therefore in a contracted state as shown by the chain line in FIG.

In this case, in addition to the solenoid 53 being energized by the transfer command 52, the tool receiver on the spindle head side is also operated to stop the rotation of the spindle and to adjust the height of the horizontal spindle 12 or vertical spindle 13 and the horizontal arm 28 or vertical arm 29. An operation of lowering the vertically movable table 25 by a predetermined distance with respect to the conveyor table 24 of the tool carrier 20 in order to match the positional relationship, and the horizontal main shaft 12 or the vertical shaft 1
3 and the horizontal arm 28 or the vertical arm 29 performs a series of operations for transferring the tool. Also, the control device 16
When a command to cancel the transfer command 52 is issued to the tool holder on the spindle head side, the solenoid 53 is deenergized and the electromagnetic switching valve 49 returns to the H position by the action of the spring 54, so that the piston of the cylinder 47 The rod 48 is in the extended state J shown by the solid line in FIG. piston rod 48
The displacement from the extended state J to the contracted state K is equal to the amount that the tool carrier 20 should move in the direction of the cross rail 6, that is, in the left-right direction, while the tool carrier 20 moves from the standby position ff1G to the transfer position F. . Reference numerals 55 and 56 are variable throttle valves connected to the exhaust side of the electromagnetic switching valve 49 in order to adjust the operating speed of the cylinder 47.

On the other hand, the rotary motor 32 is attached to the tool carrier 20 in FIG.
Hydraulic oil is supplied through the operation of the pressure source 58. The rotary motor 32 receives hydraulic oil from the conduit 60.
When the tool carrier 20 is supplied to the cross rail 6 and discharged to the pipe line 61, the tool carrier 20 is moved to the right over the cross rail 6, that is, the tool carrier on the spindle head side approaches the transfer position F. When the tool carrier 20 is supplied to the rotary motor 32 from the channel 61 and discharged to the conduit 60, it is driven to move the tool carrier 20 to the left along the cross rail 6, that is, to move the tool holder on the tool magazine side toward the transfer position B. . The tracer valve 57 is an electro-hydraulic servo valve that is fixedly attached to the tool carrier 20 and takes M, N, and P operating positions, and is connected to the piston rod 48 of the cylinder 47.
The structure is such that switching is performed by the action of an abutment rod 62 attached to the tracer valve 57 so as to protrude toward the tip of the tracer valve, a spring 63, and a solenoid 64. That is, when the abutment rod 62 comes into contact with the tip of the piston rod 48 of the cylinder 47 and is pushed in, the tracer valve 57 is at the operating position M.
The tracer valve 57 tends to be switched sequentially from the N position to the P position, and when the solenoid 64 is energized, the tracer valve 57 is switched to the P position, and when the solenoid 64 is not energized, the tracer valve 57 is switched to the abutting rod 62. from the P position to the N position by the urging force of the spring 63 within the range that the pushing state allows.
There is a tendency that the position is sequentially switched to the M position and the M position. Note that the protruding length of the abutment rod 62 is such that when the tool carrier 20 is in the standby position G with respect to the spindle head 7 and the piston rod 48 of the cylinder 47 is in the extended state J, the abutment rod 62 is
2 is pushed into the piston rod 48 of the cylinder 47 so that the tracer valve 57 takes the N position.

When the tracer valve 57 takes the M position, the rotary motor 32 moves the tool carrier 20 along the cross rail 6 because hydraulic oil flows in the direction in which it is supplied to the rotary motor 32 from the pipe line 60 and is discharged to the pipe line 61. The tool holder on the spindle head side is driven to move in a direction approaching the transfer position F6. Also, when the tracer valve 57 takes the P position, the rotary motor 32 receives hydraulic oil from the pipe 61 to the rotary motor 32.
Since the tool carrier 2o flows in the direction of being supplied to the pipe line 6o and being discharged to the pipe line 6o, the tool carrier 2o overflows the cross rail 6 and the tool magazine side tool receiver is driven to move in a direction approaching the transfer position E. Furthermore, when the tracer valve 57 takes the N position, the rotary motor 32 does not allow hydraulic oil to flow into the rotary motor 32, so the tool holder on the spindle head side is in the transfer position F, and the tool holder on the tool magazine side is in the transfer position E. The tool carrier is in a state where it stops moving. Furthermore, 65
1 generally shows a deceleration valve provided in the middle of a conduit 66 which becomes a return conduit from the tracer valve 57 when the tracer valve 57 assumes the P position. Deceleration valve 65
is a switching valve 68 controlled by a roller 67 and a variable throttle 9
Consisting of a valve 69 and a check valve 70, the tool carrier 2o
However, in the final stage of the movement of the tool magazine-side tool holder along the cross rail 6 toward the transfer position @E, the roller 67 engages with the dog 71 attached at a predetermined position relative to the cross rail 6. By combining
The switching valve 68 is switched and the movement of the tool carrier 20 is decelerated by the effect of the variable throttle valve 69. Further, 72 is a pressure reducing valve with an unloading function provided in a branch pipe 74 of a pipe line 73 extending from the hydraulic pump 58 to the tracer valve 57.

The tracer valve 57 is controlled by the control device 16 of the portal machine tool 1 as follows. That is, when the control device 16 issues a transfer command 75 to the tool magazine side tool receiver, the solenoid 64 is energized and the tracer valve 57 is activated.
4, the tool carrier 2 assumes the P position.
0, the tool magazine side tool holder moves along the cross rail 6 in a direction approaching the transfer position E.

Further, when the tool carrier 20 is in the tool magazine side tool holder transfer position E, when a command to release the tool magazine side tool holder transfer command 75 is issued, the solenoid 64 is deenergized and the tracer valve 57 is activated by the spring 63. As a result, the tool carrier 20 moves to position M along the cross rail 6 with the tool receiver on the spindle head side ffff and moves toward position PK, but until the machining operation by the spindle head 7 is completed, the tool carrier 20 moves toward the tool receiver on the spindle head side. Since the transfer command 52 is released, the piston rod 48 of the cylinder 47 is in the extended state J as described above, and the tool carrier 20 moves in the direction in which the tool holder on the spindle head side approaches the transfer position iiF. The abutting rod 62 abuts the tip of the piston rod 48 in the extended state J and is pushed in by a predetermined distance, and the tracer valve 57 takes the N position, thereby stopping the movement toward the cross rail 6. The position where the tool carrier 20 has stopped in this manner is a standby position G with respect to the spindle head 7. If the spindle head 7 rests on the cross rail 6 and moves to the right, that is, away from the tool carrier 20, before the machining operation by the spindle head 7 is completed, the piston rod 48 will temporarily disengage from the abutment rod 62. Because it moves in the direction away from
The tracer valve 57 moves to the M position, and therefore the tool carrier 20 is driven by the rotary motor 32 in a direction that is immersed in the cross rail 6 and approaches the spindle head 7.
0 reaches the standby position G with respect to the spindle head 7, the tracer valve 57 returns to the N position, and the movement of the tool carrier 20 overflowing onto the cross rail 6 is stopped. Further, before the machining operation by the spindle head 7 is completed, contrary to the above, if the spindle head 7' moves toward the cross rail 6 to the left, that is, closer to the tool carrier 20, the piston rod 48 pushes the abutting rod 62 further, the tracer valve 57 assumes the P position, and the tool carrier 20 is driven by the rotary motor 32 in a direction away from the spindle head 7 on the cross rail 6. When the tool carrier 20 reaches the standby position G relative to the spindle head 7, the tracer valve 57 returns to the N position and the movement of the tool carrier 20 along the shift rail 6 is stopped. In this way, the tool carrier 20 can maintain the standby position G with respect to the spindle head 7 even if the spindle head 7 moves until the spindle head 7 completes the machining operation.

Next, after the machining operation by the spindle head 7 is completed, when the control device 16 issues a transfer command 52 for the tool holder on the spindle head side, the piston rod 48 of the cylinder 47 is brought into the contracted state K as described above, so that the tracer valve 57 is The tool carrier 20 is driven by the rotary motor 32 in a direction toward the spindle head 7 on the cross rail 6, and the abutment rod 62 is pushed in by a predetermined distance by the piston rod 48, and the tracer valve 57 is moved to the M position. By taking the N position, the tool carrier 20 stops moving against the cross rail 6. The position where the tool carrier 20 has stopped in this manner is the transfer position F of the spindle head tool holder.

Next, a procedure for exchanging the tool T using the automatic tool exchanger 2 described above will be explained. Starting the explanation from the time when the spindle head 7 has finished changing the tool, the control device 16 issues a transfer command 75 for the tool magazine side tool holder, and therefore the tool carrier 20 overflows to the cross rail 6 and the tool magazine side tool holder is transferred. is moved toward the transfer position E, and while being decelerated by the action of the deceleration valve 650, the tool magazine-side tool holder arrives at the transfer position E and stops by positioning means (not shown). While the tool carrier 20 is moving in this way, when it comes to an area where there is no risk of interference with the workpiece, etc., the spindle head 7 undergoes a relative positioning operation with the workpiece, and then the spindle head 7 performs a machining operation. Start. Used tools that the tool carrier 20 picks up from the horizontal main shaft 12 or the vertical main shaft 13 with the horizontal arm 28 or vertical arm 29 are placed on the tool magazine side toward the transfer position E as described above. During the movement movement, the tool is passed to the toolbot 27 which takes the horizontal position (IO or sentence position).If the toolbot 27 receives the tool in this way at the horizontal position 0, By the time the tool carrier 20 reaches the transfer position E, the tool holder on the tool magazine side is rotated so as to take the correct position.On the other hand, the single arm 18 of the elevator 19 has already risen to position [B] without holding a tool. are doing.

Therefore, as mentioned above, the tool holder on the tool magazine side is in the transfer position l.
The tool carrier 20 that has arrived at 1li'B transfers the tools held by the tool bot 27 to the single arm 18 at position B. The single arm 18 descends to the position holding this tool and returns the tool to the tool bot 22, which is a predetermined location in the tool magazine 17, or returns it to an empty tool bot 22 in the tool magazine 17 and returns it to the tool bot 22. Attach a designated location. After that, the tool bot 22 that stores the tools to be used for the next machining is called out in the spindle head 7, and the single arm 18 receives the 7-rule from the tool bot 22 and positions it while holding this tool. 11B, and the tool magazine-side tool holder passes the tool to the tool bot 27 of the tool carrier 20, which is stopped at the transfer position E. When the tool carrier 20 picks up the tool in this manner, a command is issued from the control device 16 to cancel the tool magazine-side tool carrier transfer command 75, and therefore the tool carrier 20 moves to the cross rail 6.
The spindle head side tool holder moves in a direction approaching the transfer position F along the line, and waits at a standby position G until the machining operation by the spindle head 7 is completed. The tool gear rear 20 takes the receiver from the single arm 18 by the tool bot 27, and the tool i to be used next, the tool carrier 2''0, moves the tool receiver on the spindle head side toward the transfer position F as described above. While the tool carrier 20 is in the standby position, it is passed to the vertical arm 29, or after the tool bot 27 is rotated to the horizontal position O, it is passed to the horizontal arm 28.Also, while the tool carrier 20 is in the standby position, the spindle head 7 is When moving its position along the cross rail 6, the tool carrier 20 also moves along the cross rail 6 while following the movement of the spindle head 7, as explained based on FIG.
0 always maintains the standby position 1iG with respect to the spindle head 7. After that, when the machining operation by the spindle head 7 is completed, the control device 16 issues a transfer command 52 to the tool holder on the spindle head side, so that the tool carrier 20 is stuck to the cross rail 6 and the tool holder on the spindle head side is in the transfer position. Move to F and stop at limb position 1tF. In this manner, when the tool carrier 20 and the tool receiver on the spindle head side are in the transfer position F, the horizontal arm 28 or the vertical arm 29 is connected to the horizontal spindle 12 or the vertical spindle 1.
After gripping and holding the tool attached to 3, the horizontal arm 28
Alternatively, the vertical arm 29 sequentially performs an extension operation, a 180 degree rotation operation, and a contraction operation, so that the horizontal main shaft 12 or the vertical main shaft 13 holds the tool to be used next, and the tool that has already been used is transferred to the horizontal arm 28. Alternatively, the vertical arm 29 will hold it.

Next, a transfer command 75 is issued from the control device @ 16 to the tool holder on the tool magazine side, while a command to cancel the transfer command 52 is issued to the spindle head side holder, and at the same time
starts machining operation using the newly installed tool.

Thereafter, by controlling the control device 16 so as to repeat the same procedure as described above, the horizontal spindle 12 and the vertical spindle 13 are used selectively while automatically exchanging tools, and the five sides of the workpiece W are machined by continuous machining operations. Can be processed.

Moreover, while machining operations are performed on the spindle head 7 after tool exchange, the tool carrier 20 follows the movement of the spindle head 7 while maintaining a standby position while holding the next tool to be used on the spindle head 7. Since the operations that should be performed until the tool carrier 20 takes the standby position after the previous tool change are normally completed while the spindle head 7 is performing the machining operation, this machining The time required for the tool change operation to start the hot machining operation after the machining operation is completed in the spindle head 7 is from the standby position G of the tool carrier 20 to the transfer position of the tool holder on the spindle head side. Move to F and tool carrier 2 again
The time required to transfer the tool between the spindle head 7 and the spindle head 7 is sufficient. In particular, the standby position G is determined by the shape of the workpiece.
Depending on the size and other conditions, the tool holder on the spindle head side can be positioned as close to the transfer position F as possible within the range where the tool carrier 20 does not interfere with the workpiece, so that the machining operation in the spindle head 7 described above can be The time required for the tool carrier 20 to move from the standby position G to the transfer position F of the spindle head side tool holder after the completion of the process can also be made as short as possible. In addition, the standby position G (d) can be set at a position where the tool carrier 20 should be set relative to the spindle head 7, depending on the size of the workpiece and the shape of the spindle head 7, so that there is no risk of interference with the spindle head 7. By applying the present invention to a machine tool that uses a machine tool, it is possible to safely reduce the time required for tool replacement without the tool carrier 20 interfering with a workpiece.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments thereof, but to explain the correspondence between some of the constituent elements of the present invention and the embodiments, the tool receiver and the transfer switching means are different from each other in the illustrated embodiment. Tracer valve 57 with solenoid 64
, a cylinder 47 equipped with a piston rod 48 to be brought into contact with the abutting rod 62 of the tracer valve 57, an electromagnetic switching valve 49 for contracting the piston rod 48, and a pressure source 50.
It is. Further, in the illustrated embodiment, the standby follow-up means moves the three positions M, N, and P between the abutting rod 62 and the spring 63.
The tracer valve 57 is switched by the action of the tracer valve 57. Accordingly, the present invention provides a combination of the tool carrier and the drive means described in the claims, the tool carrier, the transfer time switching means, and the standby time follow-up means, so that the tool carrier can be moved during the machining operation in the spindle head. The feature is that it follows the spindle head while taking a standby position that does not interfere with the spindle.Various changes and changes can be made without being limited to the specific configuration shown in the above embodiments without losing this feature. It is possible.

As explained in detail above, the present invention aims to improve productivity by shortening delays in machining time due to tool exchange, and has great utility effects that can be applied to automatic tool changing devices for machine tools that target large workpieces. This is a highly advanced invention.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a front view showing a gantry type stingray machine equipped with an automatic tool changer according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a left side view showing the vicinity of the tool carrier, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial front view, FIG. 4 is a partial plan view, FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the operating direction of each part of the automatic tool changer. l...Portal machine tool 2...Automatic tool changer 7...Spindle head 16...Control device 17...Sole magazine 20...Tool carrier 32...Rotary motor 47... Cylinder 48...Piston rod 49...Solenoid switching valve 50...Pressure source 52...Main shaft head side tool holder transfer command 53...
Solenoid 57...Tracer valve 62...Abutment rod 63...Spring 64...Solenoid 75...Tool magazine side tool holder is passing command E...
・The tool holder on the tool magazine side is at the transfer position F°...The tool holder on the spindle head side is at the transfer position G, 1. Standby position T...tool

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an apparatus in which a tool is transferred and exchanged between the spindle head and a tool magazine via a tool carrier by a drive means controlled by a control device of a machine tool in which the position of the spindle head is variable, processing by the spindle head is performed. The drive means is configured to move the tool carrier toward the transfer position for the spindle head side tool holder or the tool magazine side tool holder based on a command from the control device after the end of the operation or after tool exchange on the spindle. The tool carrier for switching the driving direction is provided with a transfer switching means, and when there is no command from the control device to the transfer switching means, the tool carrier is moved relative to the spindle head, and the spindle head side tool holder is moved from the transfer position. and a standby follow-up means for switching the drive means to follow the spindle head while maintaining a predetermined standby position at a distance from the tool changer.