JPS6150743A - Automatic tool supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make a small capacity working magazine have a function similar to that of a large capacity magazine, by providing such a working magazine that it may have an additional function which can always store normally necessary tools. CONSTITUTION:An automatic tool supply device provided with a chain type tool stocker, is composed of a machining center A, a working magazine B, a chain type stocker C, autoloader D, etc. Then, the stocket C is composed of a pair of wheels 1 and an endless chain 1 streched between the wheels 1 and mounted thereon with several pots 3 at suitable intervals. These pockets 3 may be titled at a tool delivery position 4 for the autoloader D, and are controlled to be moved to the delivery position 4 in such a way the motion of a chain drive device is fed-back. Thus, the working magazine having a small capacity may exhibit a function equal to that of a large capacity magazine.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for automatically supplying or retrieving tools from a tool stocker to a magazine of a machining center.

Traditionally, machining centers have a large number of tools, e.g.
The previous and subsequent tools are installed in a magazine, and each time machining with one tool is completed, the tools are replaced one after another, so that multi-step machining can be performed continuously.

Especially recently, unmanned operation at night has been implemented, and at that time, tools installed in the magazine are abnormal (
When it comes to tools that have reached the end of their service life or are damaged,
Machine operation has to be stopped and the operating rate decreases, so it is necessary to store spare tools to replace it.Furthermore, in FMS etc., because many types of workpieces are processed continuously on the same machining center, In addition, a measuring bar for on-the-machine measurement and an air blower for removing chips are required to realize unmanned operation.
The need for special tools such as bars has also increased, and the conventional storage capacity is no longer able to handle the need.

Conventionally, we have adopted a large-capacity magazine system that increases the tool capacity of the magazine, a system that prepares a spare magazine and replaces the entire magazine, or a system that stores spare tools and special tools in a small-capacity spare magazine and uses them when needed. , a parent-child magazine system in a separate room that exchanges tools with the main magazine has been proposed, but the first method reduces the tool exchange time to the spindle,
Alternatively, there is a limit to the increase in tool capacity because it takes a long time to identify the necessary tools. The third method is not reasonable because it requires replacing the entire magazine, and although it is effective for special tools, it is not suitable for increasing the number of different types of tools in this magazine.
There is a problem similar to the first method.

This invention uses a conventional small-capacity magazine of a machining center as a working magazine, and is equipped with a large-capacity tool stocker for storing tools separately from the working magazine. Unnecessary tools are returned from the work magazine to the tool stocker.Even if the total number of tools stored in the system is large, the tools directly involved in machining are used for small-capacity work. The tool is stored in a magazine, and during machining work, tools are efficiently and automatically exchanged between the machining center and the work magazine using a known method, and while machining work is progressing, - pieces of workpieces need to be exchanged. If the number of tools exceeds the storage capacity of the working magazine, the tool that has already been processed is temporarily evacuated to the tool stocker, and the tools required for subsequent processing are stored in the working magazine to continue processing. In addition, regarding the well-known replacement of spare tools when a tool is damaged, the damaged tool becomes an unnecessary tool, and the replacement tool is simply called up from the tool stocker as a necessary tool, without being aware of its equivalence.
The work magazine also has the function of always storing normal necessary tools, and a device is provided in which a small-capacity work magazine can exhibit the same function as a large-capacity tool magazine without impairing its speed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the structure of the present invention shown in the drawings will be described below. FIG. 1 is a plan view of an automatic tool feeding device equipped with a chain-type one-tool stonker, in which (A) is a machining center, (B) is a working magazine, (C) is a chain-type one-tool stocker, (D) is an autoloader.

The machining center (A) may be either a shaping or horizontal type, and is similar to a known machining center controlled by an NC control device, so a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

The work magazine (B) is rotatably installed in a part of the main body of the machining center (A), and is equipped with at least the minimum required number of tool mounting pots. B) and attached to the main shaft of the main body. In this case, all tools installed in each pot of the work magazine (B) are NC
The work magazine (B) is indexed and rotated by the NC control device according to the given cutting program which is registered in the storage device of the control device so that the tools required for machining come to the automatic tool exchange position. Since these are the same as those conventionally known, detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

Next, the structure of the chain-type one-piece strike 7 (C) will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The chain-type one-item stocker (C) has a pair of chain wheels (1) and the chain wheel (1).
The endless chain (2) has a large number of bows/bows at appropriate intervals.
)(3), each pot (3) can be tilted at the tool transfer position (4) with the autoloader (D), and the tool transfer position of each pot (3) is The drive control to (4) is performed by feedback controlling the movement of a chain drive device (not shown). Since this mechanism is similar to a conventionally known chain type magazine, detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. And each pot (3) above
The type of tool (5) to be attached to the autoloader (D ) and hand over the tools. The drawing shows the case where two chain-type one-item stockers (C1) (Cz) are installed, but it is also possible to install multiple units if necessary.
At that time, the reciprocating stroke of the carrier body of the autoloader (D), which will be described later, is changed. In the drawings, (6) shows the pot of the working magazine (B), (7) shows the automatic tool changer, and (8) shows the main shaft of the machining center (A).

The pot (3) of the chain-type 1-item stocker (C) is 1
It is capable of holding a book tool, specifically, into which the handle of the tool can be inserted, and the handle has a tapered shape and a correspondingly tapered hole.

In any case, among the various tools stored in the tool stock section consisting of a large number of pots (3), a desired tool is automatically taken out according to a request from the work magazine (B), and the tool is loaded into the aforementioned autoloader. It is only necessary to automatically control the tool to be brought to the tool delivery location (4) to (D).

An example of the shape of the tool (5) is shown in Fig. 5, in which reference numeral (9) is a tapered handle, (10) is an annular gripping groove, and pot (3) is similar to the tool described above. It has a tapered receiving hole that receives the tapered handle (9) of (5), and the pot of the magazine (B) described earlier also has a similar shape. It is.

Next, the configuration of the O1-loader (D) will be explained with reference to FIGS. 41 and 5. The autoloader (D) has a carrier body (12) running on a carrier guide rail (11).
) is attached to the twin arm (13) via a pivot shaft (14), and clamps are mounted at symmetrical positions on both ends of the twin arm (13) and are operated by claw clamp motors (15) and (15) for clamping and unclamping, respectively. Claws (16) (1
6) is installation. In the figure, (17) is the carrier traveling cylinder, and (18) is the twin arm (
13) 180 degrees? 'This is a turning cylinder for rotating the RM.

The tool (5) is clamped by the twin arms (13) as shown in Fig. 5.
These are performed in an antisymmetrical state, facing outward from each other.

As shown in the plan view of Fig. 1, the autoloader (D) is
It is installed between the tool delivery position (4) of the chain-type one-tool striker (C) and the working magazine (B).The overall operation will be explained next.

First, when a tool needs to be replaced in the working magazine (B), the tool stocker (C) carries the tool required by the working magazine (B) to the tool delivery position.

Then, move the twin arm (13) of the autoloader (D) to the tool stocker CC) side, and
) at the tool delivery position (4).
) The receiver picks up the tool (5) that is waiting. In this receiving operation, the carrier body (12) is at the tool delivery position (4).
When this point is reached, the pot (3) is tilted as shown by the chain line in Figure 1, and the tool (5) held in this pot (3)
) to one clamp claw (16) of the twin arm (13).
This is done by clamping the tool (5) from the pot (3) by slightly moving the carrier body (12).

Then, the carrier body (12) moves as it is to the work magazine (B) side, and the other clamp claw (16) picks up the unnecessary tool in the work magazine (B). To receive and remove unnecessary tools on the working magazine (B) side, the pot of the working magazine (B) supporting the unnecessary tool is tilted to 1 (using the function that exists when the magazine automatically exchanges tools). When the empty clamp claw (I6) of the twin arm (13) reaches and clamps the carrier (12), the carrier (12) is moved back slightly and the working magazine (B)
This is done by removing unnecessary tools from the pot.

Then, the twin arm (13) is rotated 180 degrees to replace a new tool in the pot of the work magazine (B), and then the carrier (12) is moved to the tool stocker (C) side and the unnecessary tool is transferred to the pot ( 3) Insert it into
Use the carrier (12) to insert and remove tools from the port and throat.
This is done by utilizing the movement of

The bore (3) from which the unnecessary tool was removed returns to its original state by tilting.

The above operation is an operation when only one tool is replaced, and when only one tool is requested from the work magazine (B) side, the above operation is used to replace and supply the tool. Additionally, if there is a pot with no tools installed in the work 2 magazine (B), it is regarded as an unnecessary tool, and the above operation can supply -7 tools to the work magazine. .

However, if the request from the work magazine (B) side requests the replacement of multiple tools in succession, the stocker side reads in advance two tools, and the first one is replaced by the tool stocker. (C) Prepare a new tool using Il+, remove the catch using one of the clamp claws (16) of the twin arm (13), carry it to the work magazine (B), and replace it with the first unnecessary tool. This operation is similar to that described above.

However, while the carrier (12) is replacing the first unnecessary tool on the magazine (B) side, the second necessary tool is prepared on the tool stocker (C) side.

Then, when the carrier (12) carries the first unnecessary tool to the tool stocker 7 (C) side, the twin arm (13) first receives the second necessary tool from the pot (4). After passing the first unnecessary tool to the pot (4), the carrier (12) moves to the work magazine (B) side and replaces the second unnecessary tool with the second new tool. to do.

Then, when the work magazine (B) side requests the replacement of the third tool in succession, the next third tool is replaced before the carrier (12) carries the second unnecessary tool to the tool stocker (C) side. The necessary tools are taken out and prepared, and the process is repeated from now on.

The above operation can be performed on the machining center (A) side when a tool change is requested due to a shortage of tools or unnecessary tools. In other words, the drive control device of the tool stocker (C) and autoloader (D) (A)
By linking it with the NC control device, tools can be automatically replenished and replaced. Of course, all these control functions may be performed by an NC control device, or may be added to a conventional one.

As explained above, this invention has a relatively small tool storage capacity, automatically indexes and rotates the tool to the tool exchange position on the spindle under NC control, and transfers the tool to the spindle via an automatic tool changer. A work magazine installed near the machining center spindle where automatic exchange of the a
- A large-capacity tool stocker installed near the work magazine that stores a large number of tools in order to supply necessary tools in a timely manner, and a space between the work magazine and the seven tool stocks. The tool stocker is installed in and a group of pots tiltably provided at appropriate intervals on the endless chain constitute an automatic tool feeding device, so that if the required tools for - pieces of work exceed the storage capacity of the work magazine, The tool that has already finished machining is temporarily evacuated to the tool stone force,
It has a hidden function that stores the tools necessary for subsequent machining in the work magazine and continues machining, and when it comes to replacing spare tools in the event of tool breakage, the damaged tool becomes an unnecessary tool and a replacement tool can be used to replace it. The work magazine also has the function of always storing the necessary tools in normal condition, just by calling them from the force, without having to be conscious of their equality, and with the small capacity work magazine, the quickness It is possible to provide a device that exhibits the same functionality as a large-capacity magazine without causing any damage. Further, there is an advantage that a large-capacity tool storage function can be provided without changing the tool capacity of the small-capacity magazine of a conventional machining center and without impairing the magazine function.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an explanatory plan view showing the overall arrangement relationship in the case of the chain-type one-tool stocker according to the present invention -/force type, and Fig. 2 shows the relationship between the stock part of the chain-type one-tool stocker and the work magazine. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the chain-type one-tool striker 7, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the autoloader, and FIG. 5 is a front view of the autoloader. (A)... Machining center, (B)...One work magazine, (C)...Tool stocker, (D)...Autoloader, 5)...-Tools.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) The tool storage capacity is relatively small, the tool is automatically indexed and rotated to the tool exchange position on the spindle under NC control, and tools are automatically exchanged with the spindle via an automatic tool changer. A work magazine installed near the machining center spindle and a large-capacity work magazine installed near the work magazine that stores a large number of tools are used to supply necessary tools to the work magazine in a timely manner. a tool stocker, installed between the work magazine and the tool stocker,
The machining center consists of an autoloader that stores tools required for machining from a tool stocker into a work magazine, or automatically returns unnecessary tools in the work magazine to the tool stocker. An automatic tool feeding device comprising a chain and a group of pots provided at appropriate intervals so as to be tiltable.