JPS6389248A - Automatic machining line - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To aim at miniaturization in a system, by placing plural units of machine tools in a row, while installing two swiveling arms for loading and unloading in each of these machines, and delivering a work directly between these swiveling arms of adjacent machine tools. CONSTITUTION:Numerically controlled lathes 10 are installed in a row, and tow swiveling arms 42 and 44 for loading and unloading shiftable in vertical and both directions are installed in each of them. During machining a work on a spindle 14, these swiveling arms 42 and 44 are moved to the left, while a work on a conveyor 34 is held by the swiveling arm 42, and it is put back to a position corresponding to the spindle 14. When machining is over, the swiveling arm 44 is turned round and the work on the spindle 14 is held, swiveled, and simultaneously the swiveling arm 42 is swiveled and the work is mounted on the spindle. And these swiveling arms 42 and 44 are further moved to the right, stopped at a work delivery position, and the arm 44 is turned round so that the held work turns upside, thus it is delivered to the loading arm 42 of the next machine tool.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field The present invention includes a plurality of automatic machine tools arranged in a row, each having a main shaft that can be rotated about a vertical axis, and a device for loading and unloading workpieces thereon. This relates to automatic processing lines.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Automatic machining lines that include a plurality of automatic machine tools, each machine tool sequentially machining different parts of a workpiece, are already well known. It is also known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-95860 that loading and unloading of workpieces to and from each machine tool in this processing line is carried out by a device provided in each machine tool.

In this publication, automatic machining aFds each having a main shaft that can be rotated around a horizontal axis are arranged in a row, and a loading/unloading device loads and unloads the workpiece. An automatic processing line is described in which workpieces are directly transferred between a machine tool and a loading/unloading device provided for an adjacent machine tool. This loading/unloading device includes a rotating arm having two chuck devices provided back to back, and the rotating arm has a
The automatic machine tools are rotated around an axis parallel to the direction in which they are arranged and an axis perpendicular to the axis in a horizontal plane, and rotated around their own axis,
By being moved in the direction in which the machine tools are arranged, the workpieces are loaded and unloaded from the machine tools and transferred between adjacent loading and unloading devices.

This automatic processing line eliminates the need for a transport device to transport workpieces between machine tools, reduces equipment costs and space requirements, and also allows workers to have closer access to machine tools and loading/unloading equipment. This has the effect of making inspection and maintenance easier.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in automatic machine tools equipped with a spindle that can be rotated around a horizontal axis, it is necessary to arrange and move the headstock, tool rest, etc. in the horizontal direction. However, there was a problem that the installation space would be large. Further, the operation of the swing arm is complicated, and the driving device is complicated, resulting in a problem that the loading/unloading device is heavy and large.

On the other hand, if the main shaft is provided to rotate around the vertical axis, the main spindle stock, tool rest, etc. can be arranged in the vertical direction, and the installation space can be reduced. Moreover, loading/unloading and transfer of workpieces can be performed by rotating the swing arm around the vertical axis, rotating it around its own axis, and moving it horizontally and vertically. Compared to the loading/unloading device described in the above-mentioned publication, the operation of the swing arm is simpler, the driving device can be simplified, and the loading/unloading device can be made smaller and lighter.

On the other hand, in automatic processing lines, it is desirable to shorten the time required for loading and unloading workpieces as much as possible, and the workpieces are transferred in parallel with the processing of the workpieces, and the rotating arm moves the workpiece to be processed next. It is desirable to hold it and wait. However, if you try to transfer workpieces using a single rotating arm that rotates around the vertical axis, you will have to rotate the rotating arm and alternately change its posture between facing upstream and downstream of the automatic processing line. However, since the swivel arm interferes with the turret, etc., it cannot be swiveled toward the machine tool during machining.

Also, since there is a risk of hitting the worker when going to the opposite side, □
Therefore, if a turning space is provided to avoid interference with the turret, etc. while turning toward the machine tool side, the installation space of the automatic processing line will become large, resulting in space saving. It is difficult to simultaneously reduce the time required for loading and unloading.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a method for arranging a plurality of automatic machine tools in a row, each having a main shaft that can be rotated about a vertical axis, and for each of these machine tools, A loading/unloading device having two rotating arms each rotating around a vertical axis is provided so as to be movable in a direction parallel to the arrangement direction of the machine tools and in an up-down direction, and one of the rotating arms is attached to a workpiece for each machine tool. The other is a loading arm that performs loading, and the other is a ten loading arm that performs unloading. The workpiece is directly transferred in a posture extending almost parallel to the .

Functions and Effects In the automatic machining line configured as described above, the unloading arm of the loading/unloading device on the upstream side of the automatic machining line and the loading arm of the loading/unloading device on the downstream side are aligned with the machine tools. The workpiece is delivered in a posture extending substantially parallel to the direction, and the workpiece can be delivered without turning the swing arm. In other words, the loading/unloading device may cause interference with the machine tool's tool rest while the machine tool is machining the workpiece, and the loading/unloading device may cause problems due to interference with the machine tool's tool rest, etc. It is possible to transfer workpieces and hold and wait for the next workpiece to be machined without causing the problem of increased space requirements, and it has a machine tool whose main axis can be rotated around a vertical axis. This has the effect of making it possible to both save installation space and shorten processing time on an automatic processing line.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

Figure 1 shows the present invention being applied to multiple numerically controlled lathes (hereinafter referred to as NC).
1 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the present invention is applied to an automatic processing line including a lathe (referred to as a lathe), and in the diagram, reference numeral 10 is an NC lathe. A headstock 12 of the NC lathe 10 is attached to a base 13 and supports a main shaft 14 rotatably around a vertical axis. A chuck 16 is attached to the upper end of the main shaft 14, and the chuck 16 grips the workpiece and
rotates with.

A first slide 20 is disposed above the headstock 12 and is guided by a guide 18 and moved in the vertical direction. This first slide 20 is moved by a servo motor 22 and a feed screw (not shown), and a second slide 24 is attached to the front surface thereof. The second slide 24 is driven by a servo motor 26 shown in FIG. 2 and a feed screw (not shown), and guided by a guide 30 in a direction parallel to the direction in which the NC lathes 10 are arranged (
Hereinafter, this direction will be referred to as the line direction). A cutting tool such as a cutting tool is attached to this second slide 24 via a tool rest (not shown), and a workpiece rotated by the main shaft 14 is cut. Headstock 12. A cover 32 is provided around the turret. The front part of the cover 32 can be raised and lowered, and when processing a workpiece, the front part is lowered to cover the workpiece and prevent cutting fluid and chips from scattering. Further, a workpiece supply conveyor 34 is provided at the left end of this automatic processing line, and a workpiece discharge conveyor 36 is provided at the right end.

Each NC lathe 10 is provided with a loading/unloading device 40 for mounting and removing a workpiece. Each loading/unloading device 4
0 is equipped with two pivot arms 42, 44, each pivotable about a vertical axis, and can be moved horizontally and vertically by a displacement device 46 attached to the headstock 12. The bodies 48, 49 of the pivot arms 42, 44 are respectively fixed to the upper ends of the pivot shafts 50, 51, as shown in FIG. 52
, 54 are provided with chucks 56 and 58, respectively. These chucks 56 and 58 are equipped with three claw members, and these claw members are simultaneously moved by a drive mechanism operated by hydraulic pressure to contract and expand, thereby gripping and releasing the workpiece. This chuck is similar to the chuck described in detail in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 117039/1983 filed by the applicant of the present application, and is not essential to understanding the present invention, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

Further, the swing arms 42 and 44 are provided so that their swing centers are spaced apart from each other by a small path in the line direction.
serves as a loading arm, and the swing arm 44 located on the downstream side serves as an unloading arm. Hereinafter, the swing arm 42 will be referred to as a loading arm, and the swing arm 44 will be referred to as an unloading arm.

The moving device 46 includes a moving frame 62 that moves in the line direction while being guided by a guide rail 60 on a fixed frame 59 fixed to the base 13, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

A pair of legs 64 having a U-shaped cross section are attached to the lower end of the moving frame 62 at an appropriate distance in the line direction, and the legs 64 engage with the guide rail 60. It is being The moving frame 62 includes a feed screw 66 and an AC servo motor 68, which are supported rotatably and immovably in the axial direction by a fixed frame 59.
be moved by The feed screw 66 is screwed into a NAND member 69 fixed to the lower part of the moving frame 62, and has a fixed timing pulley 70 and a fixed timing pulley 70 at one end thereof.
The rotation of the AC servo motor 68 is transmitted by a timing belt 76 that is passed between an output shaft 72 of the C servo motor 68 and a fixed timing pulley 74. The moving frame 62 is driven by an AC servo motor 6'
8 is controlled by a control device (not shown), the workpiece receiving position and the main shaft 1 are controlled by a control device (not shown).
a loading/unloading position directly facing 4;
The workpiece can be accurately stopped at the workpiece transfer position.

Two guide rods 80 extending in the vertical direction are erected on the movable frame 62, and an elevating frame 82 is slidably fitted into the guide rods 80. Fitting hole 8 that fits into guide rod 80 of lifting frame 82
The inner diameter of the guide rod 80 is larger than the outer diameter of the guide rod 80, and a piston 86 that exactly fits into the fitting hole 84 is provided in the middle part of the guide rod 80, and hydraulic chambers 88 and 90 are formed on both upper and lower sides of the piston 86. has been done. The lifting frame 82 serves as a cylinder housing, and the guide rod 80 serves as a piston rod to form a hydraulic cylinder.
A port 92. formed in the guide loft 80 from a pump (not shown) is connected to the upper hydraulic chamber 88. Hydraulic pressure is constantly supplied through the oil passage 94 to keep applying an upward force slightly smaller than the weight of the lifting frame 82 to the lifting frame 82.

On the other hand, the hydraulic chamber 90 has an oil passage 96. It is connected to a tank (not shown) by a hose connected to the boat 98.

A rack 100 is fixed to the elevating frame 82 in a posture extending in the vertical direction, and a pinion 102 meshed with the rank 100 is rotated by an AC servo motor 104, thereby elevating the elevating frame 82. An AC servo motor 104 is connected to the headstock 12.
The pinion 102 is spline-fitted to a spline shaft 108 supported by the fixed frame 106 in a posture extending in the line direction, and is rotatable and movable in the axial direction by the movable frame 62. The movable frame 62 remains unsupported and fitted onto the spline shaft 108.
move with The spline shaft 108 has a timing pulley 110 fixed to one end thereof. AC servo motor 1
The rotational force of the AC servo motor 104 is transmitted by a timing pulley 114 and a timing belt 116 fixed to the output shaft 112 of the 04, and the pinion 102 is rotated, thereby raising and lowering the elevating frame 82.

The lifting frame 82 is raised and lowered while hydraulic pressure is supplied to the hydraulic chamber 88, and the lifting frame 82 is supported with a force slightly smaller than its weight. The AC servo motor 104 can be small. Further, the rotation of the AC servo motor 104 is controlled by a control device (not shown), so that the elevating frame 82 can be accurately stopped at any vertical position. Note that dampers 118 made of urethane rubber are fixed to the upper and lower surfaces of the elevating frame 82, respectively. The lifting frame 82 is
Although it is designed to stop at a position where it does not hit the part of the moving frame 62 that supports the guide rod 80, if the ACC servomorph 10 rotates too much and comes into contact with the moving frame 62, the damper 118 cushions the impact. This is how it is supposed to be done.

The elevating frame 82 includes the two pivot shafts 50.5.
1 is mounted rotatably around a vertical axis,
These pivot shafts 50 and 51, which support the loading arm 42 and unloading arm 44, respectively, are driven via a parallel cam mechanism 124. A support member 126,128 is attached to the lower end of each of the pivot shafts 50,51 in a non-rotatable and axially shifted manner. Two rollers 130 are installed in each of the two spaces so as to alternate with the rollers 130 in the other space. The roller 130 has a cam 13 fixed to a drive shaft 132 rotatably arranged around a vertical axis between pivot axes 50.51.
4,136 (see Figure 4), respectively. These cams 134 and 136 each have two temporary cams, and are attached to the drive shaft 132 with a phase shift, so that the drive shaft 132 reciprocates alternately by the same angle in the forward and reverse directions from the original position. By being rotated, the pivot shafts 50 and 51, that is, the loading arm 42 and the unloading arm 44, are rotated alternately in cooperation with the rollers 130 attached to the pivot shafts 50 and 51, respectively. Loading arm 42. The position of the drive shaft 132 when both the unloading arms 44 extend in the line direction is the original position, and the cam 134.13
6. Roller 130. The phase of the drive shaft 132 is such that when the loading/unloading device 40 is in a position directly facing the main shaft 14, the first position where the arm 42.44 extends in the line direction and the axis of the chuck 56.58 are aligned with the axis of the main shaft chuck 16. It is set so that it can be rotated back and forth alternately between the center and a second position that coincides with the center.

The drive shaft 132 is rotated by a rack cylinder 142 rotating a pinion 140 fixed to an intermediate portion thereof. As shown in FIG. 5, a rack piston 146 is slidably fitted into a cylinder bore 144 provided in the elevating frame 82, and a pinion 140 is engaged with the rack portion.
The hydraulic chambers 148 and 150 on both sides are alternatively connected to a hydraulic source and a tank, thereby moving the rank piston 146 and rotating the drive shaft 132. The rack piston 146 is normally located at the center of the cylinder bore 144, and at this time the drive shaft 132 is in its original position and the arm 42 is
．． 44 are both in the first position. In this state, the rack piston 146 is moved to the cylinder bore 1.
When moved to the left end position where it abuts the left end of 44,
The pivot shaft 51 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 5, and the unloading arm 44 is pivoted from the first position to the second position. The stroke of the rank piston 146 is set to be large enough to swing the unloading arm 44 between the first position and the second position, and the stroke of the rack piston 146 is set to be large enough to swing the unloading arm 44 between the first position and the second position, and the stroke of the rack piston 146 is set to be large enough to swing the unloading arm 44 between the first position and the second position. As a result, the unloading arm 44 is returned to the first position. When the rank piston 146 is reciprocated between the center position and the right end position where it abuts the right end of the cylinder bore 144, the loading arm 42
is rotated back and forth between the first position and the second position. Note that the three dogs 152, 154° 156 (see FIG. 3) attached to the drive shaft 132 are detected by the proximity switches 158, 160, 162, respectively, so that the rack piston 146 is at the left end position,
It is detected that the center position and the right end position have been reached, and the supply of hydraulic pressure is controlled.

The chuck 58 of the unloading arm 44 is configured to be able to reciprocate 180 degrees around the axis of the arm 44. The arm portion 54 supporting the chuck 58 has a sixth
As shown in the figure, it is rotatably attached to the main body 50 of the arm 44.

The main body 50 is made up of a plurality of members fixed to each other, and a sleeve 172 is fitted into a fitting hole 170 formed inside the main body 50, and an arm 54 is rotatably fitted into the sleeve 172. There is.

A portion of the arm portion 54 fitted into the sleeve 172 has a small diameter, and an annular space 175 is formed between the small diameter portion 174 and the sleeve 172, as shown in FIG. There is. A stopper 176 is fitted within this space 175. The stopper 176 is attached to the arm body 50.
The pin 1 is fitted through the sleeve 172 in the radial direction.
78, and a piece 180 is fitted in the space 175 so as to be slidable in the circumferential direction. This piece 180 is fixed to the small diameter part 174 of the arm part 54 by a bolt 182, and by selectively supplying hydraulic pressure to hydraulic chambers 184 and 186 formed on both sides of the piece 180, the piece 180 is fixed to the small diameter part 174 of the arm part 54. It is selectively rotated between a position where it contacts one end face and a position where it contacts the other end face, and the arm portion 54 is rotated 180 degrees and the chuck 58 is directed upward or downward. A dog 188 is fixed to the end surface of the arm 54 as shown in FIG. 6, and when the arm 54 is rotated, two proximity switches 190 fixed to the main body 50 (one of which is (only the rotation end position is shown) is detected, and the supply of hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic chambers 184 and 186 is controlled. The chuck 56 of the loading arm 42 is provided facing downward, and the chuck 58 of the unloading arm 44 is also directed downward except when delivering the workpiece to the loading arm 42 of the loading/unloading device 40 provided on the adjacent NC lathe 10. It is said that

The hydraulic pressure is supplied to the chucks 56, 58 of the arms 42, 44, the hydraulic chambers 184, 186, and the rack cylinder 142 using four electromagnetic switching valves fixed to the lifting frame 82, as shown in FIG. 192, 194, 196.
Done at 198.

Next, the operation will be explained. Machining has already been carried out in each of the NC lathes 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A description will be given of the process from when the device 40 completes the transfer of the workpiece to the loading/unloading device 40 of the adjacent NC lathe 10, and then picks up the workpiece to be machined onto the workpiece supply conveyor 34.

First, the moving frame 62 is moved to the left in FIG. The front part is lowered so that it can pass in front of the NC lathe 10 during processing. The arms 42, 44 are also in a position where the chuck 56 is above the workpieces placed on the workpiece supply conveyor 34, with the chucks 56,58 both pointing downward and in an open position.

After the moving frame 62 is stopped with the chuck 56 positioned directly above the workpiece on the workpiece supply conveyor 34, the elevating frame 82 is lowered a short distance, and the workpiece is placed between the jaws of the chuck 56. After being inserted into the gap and being gripped, the elevating frame 82 is raised, and the movable frame 62 is moved to the right and stopped at a position directly facing the main shaft 14.

At this position, wait for the processing by the NC lathe 10 to be completed, and after the processing is completed, the turret, the front part of the cover 32, etc. are raised, and then the unloading arm 44 is rotated and the chuck 58 is moved to the chuck 16. It is positioned directly above. From this state, the lifting frame 82 is lowered, the workpiece is fitted between the jaws of the chuck 58, and the chuck 58 is contracted to grip the workpiece.
The spindle chuck 16 is expanded to release the workpiece.

After that, the lifting frame 82 moves the workpiece to the spindle chuck 16.
The karanuki is raised a sufficient distance to remove it, and
The unloading arm 44 is rotated to the first position, and then the loading arm 42 is rotated so that the work gripped by the chuck 56 is positioned directly above the spindle chuck 16. From this state, the elevating frame 82 is lowered, and the workpiece is moved from the chuck 56 to the spindle chuck 1.
After the transfer, the elevating frame 82 is raised and the loading arm 42 is returned to the first position to complete loading and unloading of the workpiece.

The workpiece removed from the NC lathe 10 is delivered to the loading/unloading device 40 provided in the adjacent NC lathe 10 by the loading/unloading device 40 itself that removed the workpiece. That is, the moving frame 62 is moved to the right and stopped at the work transfer position shown by the solid line in FIG.

During this movement, the arm portion 54 of the unloading arm 44 is rotated so that the chuck 58 is directed upward, and the elevating frame 82 is lowered. When the moving frame 62 is moved to the work transfer position, the chuck 58 is moved upward.
The work gripped by 8 is positioned at the same height as the work on the work supply conveyor 34, and at the work receiving position, the work is waited at the same height as when going to pick up the work on the work supply conveyor 34. It is positioned directly below the loading arm 42 of the adjacent loading/unloading device 40. From this state, the lifting frame 82 of the adjacent loading/unloading device 40 is lowered, and the chuck 5 of the workpiece is
8 to the chuck 56, and then the elevating frame 82 of the loading/unloading device 40 that received the workpiece is raised to complete the workpiece transfer. That is, the loading/unloading device W40 shown at the left end receives and takes the workpieces from the unloading arm 44 by operating based on the same program as when taking the workpieces from the workpiece supply conveyor 34. The loading/unloading device 40 that has delivered the workpiece is moved to the left again and receives the workpiece from the workpiece supply conveyor 34, but during this movement the lifting frame 82 is raised. , the chuck 56 is positioned directly above the work on the work supply conveyor 34, and the arm 54 is rotated so that the chuck 58 is directed downward.

The loading/unloading device 40 that has received and received the work loads and unloads the work to and from the NC lathe 10 equipped with the device 40 in a similar manner, and then loads and unloads the work to and from the NC lathe 10 equipped with the device 40. - Deliver the workpiece to the unloading device 40.

A workpiece processed by the NC lathe 10 equipped with this loading/unloading device 40 is delivered to the workpiece discharge conveyor 36 and carried out.

In this embodiment, the loading/unloading device 40 can be moved vertically and horizontally by the moving device 46, but the loading/unloading device 40 can be moved vertically and horizontally.
．． 46 can also be seen as one robot that loads, unloads, and transfers workpieces.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this is literally an illustration, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various other forms with various modifications and improvements.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an automatic processing line according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view. FIG. 3 is a front view (partially) showing the loading/unloading device provided on the line together with the moving device, and FIG. 4 is a side view (partially). FIG. 5 is a plan view (partial view) showing the rack cylinder provided in the loading/unloading device and its surroundings. FIG. 6 is a front sectional view showing the main body and arm portion of the unloading arm, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line -■ in FIG. 10: NC lathe 12: Headstock 14: Main spindle 40: Loading/unloading device 42: Swivel arm (loading arm) 44: Swivel arm (unloading arm) 46: Movement device 50.5
1: Rotating axis 56.58: Chuck 62: Moving frame 66: Feed screw 68: AC servo motor 80 guide rod 82: Lifting frame 86: Piston
100 Nirakku 102: Pinio 7 104:
AC”l--Homotor 108 Spline shaft 124: Parallel cam mechanism 130: Roller 134.1
36: Cam 140: Pinion 142 Rack cylinder 146: Rack piston

Claims (1)

[Claims] A plurality of automatic machine tools each having a main axis that can be rotated around a vertical axis are arranged in a row, and each of these machine tools is equipped with two rotating arms that each rotate around the vertical axis.
Loading/unloading devices each having one unit are provided so as to be movable in a direction parallel to the arrangement direction of the machine tools and in an up and down direction, one of these rotating arms serves as a loading arm for loading workpieces to each machine tool, and the other serves as an unloading arm. The unloading arm performs loading, and the loading arm and the unloading arm of a machine tool adjacent to the machine tool equipped with the loading arm directly load the workpiece in a posture extending substantially parallel to the arrangement direction of the machine tools. An automatic processing line characterized in that it performs delivery.