JPS6125499B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an automatic tool changer suitable for machining centers, particularly vertical machining centers.

Conventionally, in small general single-column machining centers, the magazine is mounted on the side of the spindle head or the side of the column so that the tool axis is perpendicular to the spindles, so that it is easy to attach or remove tools from the magazine. It is installed horizontally. Therefore, when changing the tool, it is necessary to turn the tool 90 degrees, which has the disadvantage that this turning mechanism is complicated. Therefore, in order to simplify the mechanism, each pot of the magazine is supported so that it can be rotated 90 degrees, and the pot indexed to the exchange position is rotated 90 degrees, or the indexed pot is removed and placed on standby and used as a spindle tool. A mechanism that allows the pot and tool to be replaced at the same time is commonly used. However, in this case, although the exchange operation is faster, it is a sequential method. In addition, in the case of random selection, the tool change time becomes long, and when using large diameter tools, it is necessary to keep adjacent pots empty in the magazine, so it is necessary to use a completely unique number system, and it is also necessary to change the tool as quickly as possible. In order to meet this requirement, it is necessary to provide a waiting station.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a tool changer that simplifies the mechanism, has a quick tool change time, and allows random selection.
A slider is provided in the vicinity of the magazine having a tool axis forming an angle of 90 degrees, and is perpendicular to the main axis and the tools of the magazine, and the slider is rotatably supported on the main axis end side of the slider with its axis oriented in the direction of movement of the slider. An exchange arm that is movable and pivotable in the axial direction is provided on the rotating shaft such that the arm rotation axis is at right angles, and a drive device is provided to move the slider from the standby position to the magazine delivery position and the main shaft exchange position. The exchange arm is characterized by being provided with a turning means that rotates the exchange arm 90 degrees around the rotation axis by the movement of the slider while moving toward the main shaft, and the turning axis is parallel to the main shaft.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. A table 2 is placed on the top surface of the bed 1 and whose movement is controlled in the X and Y axis directions by an NC device (not shown). In addition, a column 3 integrally provided on the side surface of the bed 1 has a vertical direction (Z
A guide surface 4 for the shaft (shaft) is formed on which the upper and lower
A spindle head 5 whose movement is controlled by NC and rotatably supports a spindle 6 is slidably mounted. On the side of the column 3, a magazine 7 with a horizontal axis of rotation and a plurality of pots arranged horizontally on the same circumference is mounted so as to be indexable at a tool delivery position 7a. The two parallel shafts 8 and 9 of the slider, which serves as a tool changer for conveying and exchanging the tool housed in the pot 7a at the delivery position to the main spindle 6, are perpendicular to the tool axis of the pot and in a direction perpendicular to the main axis. In the example, the bracket 10 is located horizontally and vertically at the back of the magazine 7, and the shaft 8 is a fixed shaft and is fixed to the column 3.
The shaft 9 is a rotary shaft and is slidably supported on brackets 12 and 13 fixed to the column.
Rotatably mounted. The shafts 8 and 9 are assembled at both ends with end plates 14 and 15 to form a slider, and the fixed shaft 8 is assembled with end plates 14 and 15 at both ends.
4 and 15, and the rotating shaft 9 is rotatably attached to the end plate 1.
4 and 15, the main shaft 6 side is made to protrude, and a gear 16 is keyed to the shaft end. A first cylinder 18 is provided between the shafts 8 and 9, in which a piston of a piston rod 17 whose end is fixed to a bracket 30 fixed to the column is fitted, and a second cylinder 19 is connected to the end of the cylinder 18. The piston rod 20 end of the fitted piston is connected to the center of the end plate 14 of the slider. In this example, the stroke of the first cylinder is made longer than the stroke of the second cylinder. and the first cylinder 1
8 moves the slider from the standby position to the tool exchange position of the spindle, and the second cylinder 19 moves the slider from the standby position to the magazine 7.
It is responsible for moving the tool to the tool delivery position. At the center of the end plate 15, a rotary shaft 22, which has a gear 21 having twice the number of teeth that engages with the gear 16, is rotatably supported in parallel to the moving direction of the slider. 90° and 180° on the outer edge
゜Known tool exchange drive body 2 having a Z-shaped exchange arm 23 which is a tween arm that is rotatable and movably supported in the rotational axis direction and has a tool gripping portion at both ends.
4 is fixed with a key so that the rotation axis of the exchange arm is perpendicular to the rotation axis 22. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a grooved cam A parallel to the shaft center is provided on the rotating shaft 9 by cutting the stroke length of the second cylinder from the exchange arm standby position to the magazine delivery position. Groove cam B is slightly extended toward the end plate 14 side, and then groove cam C is cut with a lead that rotates the half-rotation shaft 9 in the clockwise direction. At the position where , a grooved cam D parallel to the shaft is again cut to the tool exchange position of the main shaft. Groove cam B,
The sum of C and D is equal to the stroke length of the first cylinder. Then exchange arm 2 in the standby position.
A cam follower 25 that engages with this grooved cam is pivotally supported on the bracket 13 so that the slider 3 is vertical and the tool change drive body 24 is horizontal.
Rotated 180°. This turning angle is the gear 16, 21
The rotating shaft has a turning angle of 90°. The pivot axis of the exchange arm can therefore be pivoted through 90° and positioned parallel to the main shaft 6. Further, at the end of the movement of the grooved cams A and D, the gripping portion of the exchange arm grips the magazine and the tool on the main shaft. 26 and 27 are pressure fluid supply and discharge channels for the first cylinder 18, and 28 and 29 are pressure fluid supply and discharge channels for the second cylinder 19.

The operation of the present invention having such a configuration will be explained. When the tool on the main spindle 6 is machining a workpiece, the exchange arm 23 of the slider has its upper gripping part gripping the tool needed for the next machining, and the lower gripping part is empty and in a vertical position, and the groove cam is placed against the cam follower 25. are A, B
It shall be in the standby position at the border. When the machining is finished and the tool change command of auxiliary function M06 is issued from the NC device, the spindle head 5 is raised and positioned at the change position, and the spindle 6 is indexed. On the other hand, pressure fluid is sent to the chamber on the end plate 15 side of the first cylinder 18 from the flow passage 26, and as the first cylinder 18 is pulled toward the main shaft 6, the slider moves to the right, and on the way, the rotating shaft 9 is connected to the cam follower 25 and the groove. It is rotated 180° by the control of cam C. This rotation causes the rotation of gear 16 to rotate to gear 21.
Rotate 90°. That is, the tool exchange drive body 24 is tilted 90 degrees from the front so that it faces downward, and the pivot axis of the exchange arm 23 is parallel to the main axis. At the parallel movement portion of the grooved cam D, the exchange arm 23 advances to the tool exchange position of the main spindle 6, and the arm gripping portion of the exchange arm 23 on the side that does not grip the tool grips the tool of the main spindle 6. A drive device (not shown) within the tool exchange driving body 24 causes the exchange arm 23 to move in the axial direction, extend to extract the tool, rotate forward 180 degrees, and move in the opposite axial direction to mount the tool. When this operation is completed, the pressure fluid supply path of the first cylinder 18 is switched and the pressure fluid is supplied from the flow path 27, and the first cylinder 18 is moved in the direction of the magazine 7 together with the slider, and the rotating shaft 9 is moved straight by the grooved cam D. Then, it is reversed 180 degrees from C, the rotating shaft 22 is reversed 90 degrees by the gears 16 and 21, and the tool exchange drive body 24 is raised horizontally. Then turn it vertically and return to the standby position. Here, the tool changing arm 23 is moved and extended in the axial direction by the driving device of the tool changing drive body 24.
Pressure fluid is sent to the flow path 28 of the cylinder 19, the piston rod 20 is advanced toward the magazine 7, and the exchange arm 23 of the slider is advanced to the tool delivery position, and the gripping tool is positioned in front of the pot at the delivery position 7a.
Next, the exchange arm 23 is moved in the reverse axial direction to attach the tool to the pot. When the installation is completed, the supply path of the second cylinder 19 is switched, pressure air is sent to the flow path 29, the piston rod 20 is retracted, and the exchange arm 23 is returned to the standby position. According to the command from the NC device, the magazine 7 selects the next processing tool and determines the delivery position 7a. When the indexing is completed, the supply path of the second cylinder 19 is switched, and pressurized air is sent to the flow path 28, the piston rod 20 is advanced, the tool is gripped by the grip part of the exchange arm 23, and the tool is extracted by the drive device of the tool exchange drive body 24. Then, the supply path of the second cylinder 19 is sent to the switching flow path 29, the piston rod 20 is moved back, and the exchange arm 23 is returned to the standby position.The exchange arm 23 is moved in the opposite direction in the axial direction and stands by.In this state, the next tool is inserted. Wait for exchange command. In the next tool exchange with the main spindle 6, the exchange arm 23 rotates 180 degrees in the opposite direction to the previous rotation, and this forward and reverse rotation is repeated alternately. In the embodiment, the tool of the magazine and the main axis are perpendicular to each other, the slider is perpendicular to both, and the exchange arm is rotated by 90 degrees, but these angles can be changed freely and easily, and the present invention It is included in.

As detailed above, according to the present invention, only the exchange arm member is provided between the magazine and the main spindle, and the tool exchange arm is rotated by 90 degrees during the movement of the slider, so that the tool exchange arm can be rotated 90 degrees between the tool axis of the magazine and the main axis perpendicular to the tool axis. Since the magazine is automatically exchanged, there is no need for a complicated structure such as providing a pot rotation or removal mechanism for the magazine, or a separate standby station to save time, and there is no need to provide a separate standby station to save time. Since the operation is performed by one cylinder, the structure can be simplified and the replacement operation can be made faster. Furthermore, random selection is possible without increasing the exchange time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a machining center equipped with the automatic tool changer of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a schematic front view of the same, and Fig. 3 shows a part of the automatic tool changer with the change arm turned 90 degrees. An explanatory diagram showing a cross section, FIG. 4 is a developed view of the grooved cam. 2...Table, 3...Column, 5...Spindle head, 6...Spindle, 7...Magazine, 8...Fixed shaft, 9...Rotating shaft, 16, 21...Gear, 18...
...First cylinder, 19...Second cylinder, 22...
...Rotating shaft, 23... Exchange arm, 24... Tool exchange drive body, A, B, C, D... Groove cam.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a machining center that is equipped with a tool storage magazine and automatically changes tools on a spindle by a tool changer, the tool changer is arranged near the magazine to store the tools stored in the magazine and at right angles to the spindle. a slider that moves in the direction; and an exchange arm that is provided such that the arm rotation axis is perpendicular to a rotating shaft that is rotatably supported on the main shaft side end of the slider so that the axis is oriented in the moving direction of the slider; a driving means for moving the slider from a standby position to a magazine delivery position and a spindle exchange position; and a drive means for moving the slider from a standby position to a magazine delivery position and a spindle exchange position; an automatic tool changer comprising: a turning means for making the turning axis of the changing arm parallel to the spindle axis, which was parallel to the main shaft axis. 2. The automatic tool changer according to claim 1, wherein the slider has a frame including two parallel shafts supported by a bracket of a column. 3. The turning means includes a grooved cam cut into one of the parallel shafts provided rotatably, a fixed cam follower that engages with the grooved cam, and the grooved cam is regulated by the cam follower when the slider moves. 3. The automatic tool changer according to claim 2, further comprising a gear mechanism or a pulley member for transmitting the resulting rotation of the parallel shaft to the rotating shaft. 4. The automatic tool changer according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the driving means comprises two cylinders connected in series.