JPS5866646A - Transfer machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce a time required for rearrangement, by equipping plural work stations in a transfer machine and providing tool and work rearranging conveyers concurrently with a return conveyer of the transfer machine. CONSTITUTION:Plural stations 11-17 are arranged in a work line 10 at an equal distance, and pallets P, carried into the inlet station 11, are successively fed to the work stations 12-15 by a transfer bar 28, while a work is processed, and the pallet is carried out from the outlet station 17 via the cleaning station 16, then the work, finished with work, is removed in a mounting-removal station 51, further a work, not finished with work, is mounted, finally the pallet is returned from a return conveyer 52. Rearranging conveyers 57, 58, pooling a tool and work to be replaced, are concurrently provided with the return conveyer 52, then replacement of the tool and rearrangement of the work can be performed in a short time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a transfer machine, and more particularly to a transfer machine that can process many types of workpieces with high efficiency while changing tools.

Generally, transfer machines are effective in producing large quantities of one type of workpiece, but there is a problem in that they cannot immediately respond to changes in workpieces, especially those that require tool replacement.

In other words, conventionally, when the workpiece was changed, the entire machining line was stopped after all the workpieces were removed from the machining line, and in this state, the tools installed in each machining unit by the operator were removed. The actual situation is that the tool is sequentially replaced with the tool for the next scheduled workpiece machining, and then the next workpiece to be machined is brought into the machining line and machining is restarted. However, there is a problem in that it takes a lot of time to change the setup when changing the workpiece, and the operating rate of the machine decreases significantly.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a transfer machine that can reduce the loss time required for setup changes and process many types of workpieces with high efficiency.

Another object of the present invention is to provide the above-mentioned transfer machine, which is equipped with a set-up conveyor capable of pooling pallets for tool change and pallets on which the next scheduled workpiece can be preset.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall plan view of the transfer machine, and 10 indicates a processing line, in which a plurality of (seven) stations 11-17 are arranged in series at equal intervals. The first station 11 is a loading station and the second station 11 is a loading station. Third. 4th and 5th station 2.
13.14.15H addition station, the sixth station 16 is the cleaning station and the seventh station 17 is the unloading station. Processing station 1
On one or both sides of Nos. 2 to 15 are processing units I and 1 for processing the workpieces conveyed to these processing stations.
18 to 24 are installed, and the cleaning station 16 is equipped with cleaning units 1-25 and 26 for cleaning the holes in the workpiece machined by the above-mentioned addition unit.

A fixed guide rail 27 is installed between each of the stations 11 to 17 to guide the pallet P in a sliding manner. form a road. A transfer bar 28 is disposed over the entire length of the JJII I line 10, and one end thereof is connected to a transfer cylinder 29. On the transfer bar 28, an engaging claw 30 (second [x) which can be detached and engaged with the pallet I-P is provided so that it can be raised and lowered, and by the movement of the transfer bar 28, the pallet P can be moved between each station. are transported all at once.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the machining station and machining unit.
An elevating body 32 is mounted on the jig base 31 so as to be movable up and down, and is raised and lowered by a predetermined amount by a clamp cylinder 33. A guide rail 34 that also serves as a clamper is provided on the upper surface of the elevating body 32, and this guide rail 34 is connected to the fixed guide rail 27 at the ascending end of the elevating body 32.
is consistent with A reference block 35 is placed on the jig base 31.
The pallet P, which is provided with knock pins 36 and transported to the processing station 15, is attached to the clamp cylinder 33.
When the elevating body 32 is lowered by a certain amount, it is engaged with the knock pin 36 and positioned, and is clamped to the reference block 35 by pressure.

The processing unit 24 has a base 37 installed opposite to the jig base 31, and a slide unit 38 is mounted on the base 37 so as to be movable forward and backward.

A main shaft 39 on which a tool T is removably mounted is rotatably supported on the slide unit 38, and the tool T can be automatically replaced as described later when the workpiece is changed. The slide unit 38 is controlled in feed via a feed screw 41 by a feed control motor 40 that responds to numerical control commands, and performs prescribed machining on the workpieces on the pallet P. The other processing units 18 to 23 are also configured in the same manner as the processing unit 24.

Each processing unit) 18 to 24 is equipped with a numerical control device [4], and the memory of these numerical control devices stores in advance processing information for all target workpieces, corresponding to the type of workpiece to be processed. It is now possible to call up the processed information.

The terminal end of the processing line 10 (unloading station 17)
A buffer conveyor 50 is connected to one end of the buffer conveyor 50, and at one end of this buffer conveyor 50, workpieces that have been processed in the processing line 10 are removed from the pallet l-P, and newly unprocessed workpieces are transferred to the pallet l-P. Easy-to-use workpiece attachment/detachment station 5
1 is arranged.

A chain conveyor 52 for pallet return is arranged parallel to the processing line 10, and this chain conveyor
That is, one end of the return conveyor 52 is connected to the processing line 10.
The buffer conveyor 50 is connected to the starting end (carry-in station 11) via a chain conveyor 53, and the other end is connected to one end (attachment/disconnection station 51) of the buffer conveyor 50 via a chain conveyor 54. The return conveyor 52, the chain conveyor 53.5qld, and the machining line 10 form a rectangular pallet circulation path that circulates the pallets P in one direction. Ten α) pallets P are circulated.

Chain conveyors 55 and 56 are connected to the two chain conveyors 53 and 54 that connect the processing line 10 and the return conveyor 52, respectively, and two setup change conveyors 57 are connected between these chain conveyors 55 and 56.
．． 58 is arranged parallel to the return conveyor 52. The first set-up conveyor 57 on the side closer to the return conveyor 52 has a conveyor belt [1] for replacing the tools T attached to each of the machining units 18 to 24 when the type of workpiece to be machined is changed. A plurality of balens) P are pooled at regular intervals. This baren) P is the first processing station (12) in the processing line 10.
The final machining station (15) and (7) are provided in twice the number, and half of the pallets in the previous stage are used to position and hold old tools T to be removed from each machining unit. The remaining half of the pallets contain 1 rf of new tools that should be taken to each machining unit.

It is something that cannot be fixed. These pallets P''2 are equipped with a tool positioning and holding device having a structure to be described later. The setup change conveyor 57 is constructed of an intermittent drive type conveyor, and when changing the workpiece, the pallet P is
Next, they are sent out one by one to a chain conveyor 55 and then input into the processing line 10.

Further, on the second setup change conveyor 58 on the side farther from the return conveyor 52, N pallets P equipped with all the jigs for positioning and clamping the next scheduled workpiece are pooled. This setup change competition = 7-A 58 is constituted by an end-packing type conveyor, and the pooled barrels I-P are transferred one by one to the chain conveyor 55 following the ball P on the setup change conveyor 57. The processing line 10 is then fed to the processing line 10.

Incidentally, a chain conveyor that can be raised and lowered is provided at the intersection of each of the conveyors, and the advancing and retreating direction of the baren (P) conveyed to the intersection is changed by raising or lowering the chain conveyor. The mata chain conveyor 54 can be raised and lowered at the intersection with the return conveyor 52 and at the intersection between the chain conveyor 56 and the first setup change conveyor 57.

Stoppers 59 and 60 are provided, and by controlling the elevation of these stoppers 59 and 60 and the elevation control of the conveyor at the intersection, the pallets P sent to the chain conveyor 54 are moved to the return conveyor 52 and the first setup change conveyor 57. Alternatively, it can be selectively conveyed to three chain conveyors 56 leading to the second setup change conveyor 58.

Next, the positioning and holding bag 8- provided on the barrel P will be explained. As shown in FIG. 3, a support base 70 is installed on the pallet P pooled on the first setup change conveyor 57, and on this support base 70 there is a holder that holds the lower surface of the tool T at multiple locations. Block 71 and
A positioning pin 72 that engages with a positioning hole formed on the lower surface of the tool T is provided.

The depth of engagement of the positioning pin 72 with the tool T is set to be smaller than the amount l by which the barren I-P is raised and lowered for clamping and unclamping at the machining station, and the tool T is not replaced when the workpiece is changed. At times, the lifting and lowering of the pallet P is
Then, the positioning pin 72 is engaged and disengaged. The above-mentioned support base 70, holding block 71 and positioning pin 72
A positioning and holding device 73 that positions and holds the tool T by
Configure.

Next, the operation of the transfer machine in the above configuration will be explained as follows: A type of workpiece C (hereinafter referred to as workpiece A) - B type workpiece (hereinafter referred to as workpiece B) - C type workpiece C (hereinafter referred to as workpiece C) An example of serial lot production will be explained based on FIG. 4. In addition, in Fig. 4, the pallet for workpiece A currently being machined has all the APs attached, and the first
The pallets pooled on the second setup change conveyor 57 are given the symbol TP, and the pallets pooled on the second setup change conveyor 58 are given the symbol 13P to distinguish them.

Figure 4 (A) shows the state in which workpiece A is being machined on the machining line 10. When the predetermined work is completed at the machining and cleaning stations 12 to 16, the AP positioning clamp is released and Baren+-AP
They are transported all at once to the next station by the ld I transport bar 28. The AP is then positioned and clamped at processing and cleaning stations 12-16,
Processing units 18 to 24 and cleaning units 25 and 26
As the workpiece A advances, predetermined operations are sequentially performed on the workpiece A.

The pallet AP carried out from the carry-out station 17 is sent to the buffer conveyor 5o, and is transferred to the loading/unloading station 5.
1, the machined workpiece A is removed by the operator, and the unprocessed workpiece A is attached. Workpiece A
AP is chain conveyor 54
and is returned via the return conveyor 52. As mentioned above, transfer bar 28.
: When the riverlets A and P are generally fed once, the return barrel I-AP waiting on the chain conveyor 53 is carried into the carry-in station 11.

“such as this” – during crop loft production, the first
'fPM Ballen 1- pooled on replacement conveyor 57
Tools T to be used for adding the next scheduled workpiece B are set on the latter half of the pallets of the TP, and N barrels are still pooled on the second setup change conveyor 58) on the BP. Workpiece B to be machined next is mounted on the machine.

Dll At the loading/unloading station 51, the ballen 1-
When the final workpiece A is picked up (=J) and sent out on the AP, the completion of sending out the final workpiece is instructed by a button operation by the operator, and thereafter, at the loading/unloading station 51, the workpiece A that has been processed is removed. The pallet AP is sent to the chain conveyor 54 in an empty state.

After installing the final workpiece A, the barrel 1-AP is re-11.
- When conveyed to the turn conveyor 52, the stopper 59°6
0 is lowered and the subsequent empty barren 1-AP is shown in Figure 4 (B
), it is controlled to be conveyed to the second setup change conveyor 58 via the chain conveyor 56.

Further, the final pallet AP or turn conveyor 52
, the first set-up conveyor 57 is driven based on confirmation of the passage, and the pallet TP of No. 1 TP pooled on this conveyor 57 is sent to the chain conveyor 55. Thereafter, every time a pallet on the processing line 10 is transported to the next station by the transfer bar 28, the first setup change conveyor 57 is moved intermittently for the time necessary to feed all pallets TP to the chain conveyor 55. Driven.

As a result, the empty pallet AP sent out from the loading/unloading station 51 is conveyed to the second setup change conveyor 58, and the empty pallets AP sent out from the first setup change conveyor 57 are sequentially transferred to the loading station 11. It is carried in and transported to a processing station by a transfer operation. In the machining station 12-, after the last pallet AP loaded with the workpiece A has passed, the activation of the machining units is sequentially stopped.

As shown in FIG. 4(0), when the four pallets TP in the previous stage sent out from the first changeover conveyor 57 are conveyed to the processing stations 12 to 15, these pallets TP are clamped for positioning. , In such a state, each machining unit 18 to 24 is advanced to a predetermined position for tool exchange. Subsequently, the positioning clamp of the pallet TP is released. Due to this unclamping operation, the barrel 1-TP is raised by a certain amount as shown in FIG. 72 is engaged with the positioning hole of the tool T, and the holding block 71 is engaged with the lower surface of the tool T. At the same time, the tools T are unclamped in the machining units 18-24, and in this state, the machining units 18-24 are retracted, and the tools T are removed from the machining units 18-24 and positioned and held on the pallet TP. In this way, the tools T are removed simultaneously at a plurality of processing stations 12-15.

J-, when the removal of the tool T is completed as described, only the pallet is conveyed four times in succession by the transfer bar 28, and as a result, as shown in FIG. 4(D),
The four subsequent pallets TP that position and hold the tool T used for the next machining are conveyed to the machining stations 12 to 15, respectively. When these four pallets TP are conveyed to the machining station, each Kaeunits I・18~2
4 again to the position determined for tool change [] [J
(2) The tool T held on the baren TP is mounted on the processing units 18 to 24 and clamped. At the same time, the positioning pin 72 is moved away from the tool T by J1sv, and the holding block 71 is moved away from the lower surface of the tool T. After that, the tool T is mounted on J3 for machining. unit 18
24 is retracted, and the 21-tool exchange due to the change of the workpiece is completed.

On the other hand, the pallet AP used to support the last workpiece A
is the chain conveyor 56 and the first setup change conveyor 57
When the entire intersection with TP has passed, the stopper 6o provided at the intersection is projected, and the subsequent pallet, that is, the positioning and holding device n73 is installed.
The setup change conveyor 57 is then repooled. Also, when the first setup change conveyor 57 sends out the last baren 1-TP or the chain conveyor 55 for the above-mentioned tool change, the first baren 1-BP pooled on the F2 setup change conveyor 58 is sent. After that, the cylinder 2 is sent to the chain conveyor 55, and thereafter, each time the pallet on the processing line 10 is conveyed to the next station by the L-transfer bar 28, the first bar (BP) is transferred to the chain conveyor one by one. Send it to 55.

When the tool change is completed as described above, one of the positioning clamps of the pallet (TP) is removed at each processing station, the pallet is transported to the next station, and the first positioning clamp with workpiece B attached to the first processing station 12 is removed. The pallet BP is transported, and thereafter the machining units 18 to 24 are sequentially activated in a predetermined machining cycle for the workpiece B.

15- However, when the last pallet TP equipped with the positioning and holding device 73 passes through the intersection between the chain conveyor 54 and the return conveyor 52, the stopper 59 provided at the intersection is projected, and the subsequent pallets, i.e. ]The BP with second-quality crops is returned to the return conveyor 52 as shown in FIG. 4(E).

During lot production of the workpiece B, the tool T used for machining the workpiece A is removed from the four previous stage barrels (TP) pooled on the first setup change conveyor 57, and the tool T used for machining the workpiece A is newly machined from the four subsequent stage barrels (TP). ) Set the tool T to be used for machining the next scheduled workpiece C on TP, and set the N balls pooled on the second setup change conveyor 58) Mount the workpiece C on AP, and then The above-mentioned operation is repeated every time the value is changed.

In the above embodiment, the tool T due to the change of the workpiece
Although we have described an example in which tools are replaced using the lifting and lowering movements of the pallet in the processing station and the advancing and retreating movements of the processing unit, various configurations can be adopted for tool replacement, such as using an exchange arm. Of course it is a thing.

As described above, the present invention provides two set-up change conveyors connected to the processing line of a lanceforce machine, and the first set-up change conveyor includes a pallet for receiving tools attached to the processing unit and The pallets for holding the tools to be attached to the processing unit are pooled and
The pallets for mounting the next scheduled workpiece are pooled on the set-up conveyor, and when the workpiece is changed, the pallets are pooled on the first and second set-up conveyor after the last work currently being processed. Since the configuration is such that the pooled pallets are fed into the processing line 1110 times, and the used pallets carried out from the processing line are pooled again on the first and second setup change conveyors, the workpiece This has the effect of greatly reducing loss time due to setup changes due to changes, and making it easier to change tools.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 1 is an overall plan view of the transfer machine, Fig. 2 is a view showing the processing station, Fig. 3 is a view showing the tool replacement state, and Fig. 4 (
A) to (E) are diagrams showing the operation of setup change. 10... Processing line, 12-15... Processing station, 18-24... Processing unit, 28... Transfer bar, 52.O. Return conveyor, 53-5
6...Conveyor, 57.58...Ft replacement port conveyor P...Pallet, T...Tool. Special d ↑ Applicant Toyota Machinery Co., Ltd. 3 Figure 38

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A machining line consisting of a plurality of machining stations in which machining units, all of which are removably equipped with tools, are arranged in the order of machining steps, a transfer device that transports pallets to these machining stations, and In a transfer machine equipped with a return conveyor for returning pallets, a first boule for receiving the tools mounted on the processing unit and for holding all the tools to be used for processing the next scheduled workpiece is provided.
a set-up conveyor and a second set-up conveyor for carrying a plurality of pallets for mounting and drying the next scheduled workpiece, and one end of each of the first and second set-up conveyors is provided. The conveyor is connected to the starting end of the machining line so that, when changing workpieces, the pallets pooled on these conveyors can be sequentially input into the machining line following the pallet on which the last workpiece currently being machined is mounted, and each other end of the second setup change conveyor is connected to the terminal end of the processing line so that used pallets carried out from the processing line can be pooled, and the second setup change conveyor is connected to the processing station from the first setup change conveyor. A transfer machine equipped with a means for exchanging tools between a transported pallet and a processing unit.