Machine tool manual

Abstract

The present invention provides a machine tool hand (1). The machine tool hand (1) comprises: a main body (2) which can be detachably mounted on a main spindle (100) of a machine tool and comprises a flow channel (7) connected to a coolant supply channel (110) formed on the main spindle (100); and two or more hand parts (3), the two or more hand parts (3) being mounted on the main body (2) in a manner such that at least one of the two or more hand parts (3) can swing around a predetermined axis (A, B), and being able to hold an object between the hand parts by closing, and the flow channel (7) discharges the coolant supplied from the coolant supply channel (110) toward the surface of the hand part (3) exposed to the outside, thereby causing the hand part (3) to perform an opening action or a closing action.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a machine tool hand. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a gripping device that drives a plurality of hand members to open and close using coolant supplied to a main spindle of a machining center (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0003] The gripping device includes: a hydraulic cylinder that presses coolant supplied to a spindle; a piston that is movably disposed in the hydraulic cylinder and moves by the pressure of the coolant; and a plurality of hand members that are swingably connected to the piston.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3206020 Summary of the invention

[0007] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0008] The coolant may contain chips or air generated by cutting. In the gripping device of Patent Document 1 that supplies the coolant to a sealed hydraulic cylinder, chips or air may flow into the hydraulic cylinder, causing malfunction. Therefore, there is a need for a machine tool gripper that can carry a workpiece without malfunction even when using a coolant that may contain chips or air.

[0009] Solutions for solving problems

[0010] One embodiment of the present invention is a machine tool hand, which comprises: a main body, which can be installed on the main spindle of the machine tool in a loading and unloading manner and has a flow channel connected to the coolant supply channel formed on the main spindle; and two or more hand parts, the two or more hand parts are installed on the main body in a manner that at least one can swing around a predetermined axis, and can grasp an object between the hand parts by closing, the flow channel has a discharge port, which discharges the coolant supplied from the coolant supply channel toward the surface of the hand part exposed to the outside, and uses the pressure of the coolant to open or close the hand part. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 1 is a front view showing a state in which a machine tool according to an embodiment of the present invention is closed with a pair of hand parts in hand.

[0012] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 The front view of the machine tool in the state of opening the parts with a pair of hands in hand.

[0013] Figure 3 It is shown that the use Figure 1 The front view of the machine tool holding the workpiece by hand.

[0014] Figure 4 It is shown Figure 2 A longitudinal section view of a machine tool with a hand.

[0015] Figure 5 It is shown Figure 2 An enlarged longitudinal section view of a machine tool with the flow of coolant in hand.

[0016] Figure 6 It is shown Figure 1 An enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a first modified example of a machine tool with hands, in a state where a pair of hand parts are closed.

[0017] Figure 7 It is shown Figure 6 An enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a machine tool with a pair of hand parts opened.

[0018] Figure 8 It is shown Figure 1 A front view of a second modified example of a machine tool with a hand in a state where a hand part is opened.

[0019] Fig. 9 It is shown Figure 8 The front view of the machine tool in a state where a pair of hand parts are closed.

[0020] Fig.10 It is shown Fig. 9 A longitudinal section view of a machine tool with a hand.

[0021] Fig.11 This is a front view showing a state where a machine tool according to another embodiment of the present application is closed with a pair of hand parts in hand.

[0022] Fig.12 It is shown Fig.11 The front view of the machine tool in the state of opening the parts with a pair of hands in hand.

[0023] Description of reference numerals:

[0024] 1: Machine tool manual

[0025] 2: Main body

[0026] 3: Hand parts

[0027] 7: Runner

[0028] 9: Exhaust port

[0029] 10: Gear (movable parts)

[0030] 11: Coil spring (force applying component)

[0031] 14: Coil spring (force applying component)

[0032] 15: Sphere (movable body)

[0033] 20: Machine tool manual

[0034] 21: Main body

[0035] 22: Moving parts

[0036] 23: Hand parts

[0037] 100: Spindle

[0038] 110: Coolant supply channel

[0039] A, B, C: Swing axis (axis)

[0040] W:Workpiece (object) DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] Hereinafter, a machine tool hand 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0042] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the machine tool hand 1 of the present embodiment includes a main body 2 and two pairs of hand members 3 .

[0043] The main body 2 includes a front end 4 and a cylindrical shaft 5. The front end 4 is formed in a rectangular block shape. The shaft 5 is arranged at a position closer to the base end than the front end 4 and is used to be detachably mounted on the spindle 100 of the machine tool. Figure 4 As shown, a flow channel 7 extending from an opening 6 at one end along the central axis is provided in the shaft portion 5. When the shaft portion 5 is mounted on the spindle 100, the opening 6 is connected to a coolant supply channel 110 provided in the spindle 100, so that the coolant supplied from the coolant supply channel 110 flows into the flow channel 7.

[0044] A pair of two hand parts 3 are arranged on both sides of the front end portion 4 of the main body 2, and are respectively mounted on the main body 2 so as to be swingable around two parallel swing axes (axes) A, B, which extend along a plane orthogonal to the central axis of the shaft 5.

[0045] like Figure 4As shown, the flow channel 7 provided in the main body 2 is branched into two branch flow channels 8 at the front end 4. The branch flow channels 8 are respectively branched in the direction toward each hand member 3. The branch flow channel 8 has a discharge port 9, and the discharge port 9 opens at two locations on the side of the front end 4. The total opening area of ​​the four branch flow channels 8 and the discharge port 9 is set to be approximately equal to the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow channel 7 in the shaft 5.

[0046] A gear 10 is fixed to each hand member 3 , and the gear 10 rotates about the pivot axes A and B. The gears 10 fixed to the two hand members 3 mesh with each other.

[0047] In addition, a coil spring (biasing member) 11 is provided between the two hand members 3 , and the coil spring 11 biases the hand members 3 in the closing direction by elastic restoring force.

[0048] In the present embodiment, the opposing side surfaces of the pair of hand members 3 are disposed opposite to each other at positions blocking the discharge port 9 provided at the front end portion 4 of the main body 2 .

[0049] exist Figure 1 In the state where the pair of hand members 3 are closed, the side of each hand member 3 is closest to the discharge port 9 and is arranged at a position that almost blocks each discharge port 9. Figure 2 In the open state of the pair of hand members 3 shown, each hand member 3 swings around the swing axis A, B, and the side surface of each hand member 3 is slightly tilted to separate from the discharge port 9, forming a gap between the main body 2 and the hand member 3.

[0050] The elastic restoring force of the coil spring 11 is used to always apply force to each hand member 3 in the closing direction. That is, when no workpiece (object) W is held between the hand members 3 and the coolant is not supplied to the flow channel 7, the side of each hand member 3 blocks the discharge port 9 of the main body 2 by the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 11.

[0051] Then, when the coolant is supplied to the flow channel 7, each hand member 3 is pressed by the coolant discharged from the discharge port 9 and swings in a direction away from each other against the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 11. The discharge pressure of the coolant from the discharge port 9 is, for example, 0.4 MPa to 2 MPa.

[0052] In the figure, reference numeral 12 is an end stopper, which abuts against the hand member 3 in the open position and restricts further movement of the hand member 3 by elastic deformation. In addition, reference numeral 13 is an elastic member such as sponge, which contacts the workpiece W when the workpiece W is held and elastically deforms.

[0053] The operation of the machine tool hand 1 of the present embodiment thus configured will be described below. In the following description, since the machine tool hand 1 of the present embodiment is bilaterally symmetrical, only one side will be described, and the description of the other side will be omitted.

[0054] The machine tool hand 1 of this embodiment is stored in a tool magazine of a machine tool as one of the tools, for example, and is mounted on a spindle 100 as a tool replacement tool or other tool by an automatic tool changer (not shown) provided in the machine tool as needed or regularly.

[0055] For example, when it is necessary to supply the workpiece W to a chuck provided on a rotary table or to change the posture of the workpiece W, the machine tool hand 1 is mounted on the main spindle 100 .

[0056] Then, in a state where the hand member 3 of the machine tool hand 1 is mounted downward on the main spindle 100 , the hand 3 is raised and lowered by the lifting and lowering operation of the main spindle 100 .

[0057] like Figure 1 As shown, when holding the workpiece W disposed vertically below the machine tool hand 1, the machine tool hand 1 is lowered by lowering the spindle 100, and by supplying coolant from the spindle 100, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, a pair of hand parts 3 are placed in an open state. Then, as Figure 3 As shown, in a state where the workpiece W is arranged between the pair of hand members 3, the supply of coolant is stopped so that the pair of hand members 3 is in a closed state, and the workpiece W can be gripped.

[0058] In this case, according to the machine tool hand 1 of the present embodiment, when the pair of hand members 3 are in the open state, the coolant is supplied from the coolant supply channel 110 to the flow channel 7 of the main body 2 via the opening 6 using the coolant supply channel 110 used when machining the workpiece W. As a result, the coolant supplied to the flow channel 7 in the main body 2 is discharged from the discharge port 9 opened in two directions, pushing the side surface of each hand member 3, so that each hand member 3 can be swung around the swing axis A, B.

[0059] Since the flow channel 7 of the main body 2 is open to the outside at the discharge port 9, the coolant discharged from the discharge port 9 flows along the side of the hand member 3 while pushing the side of the hand member 3, and flows downward from the front end of the hand member 3. The coolant that flows down is recovered to the coolant tank (not shown) for circulation as in the processing.

[0060] At this time, although fine chips and the like are mixed in the coolant, in this embodiment, the coolant used to open and close the hand member 3 is discharged to the outside from the discharge port 9 of the flow channel 7 of the main body 2, and the hand member 3 is swung by utilizing the flow energy during the discharge. Therefore, there is an advantage that since the coolant is not supplied to the closed space, even if fine chips and the like are mixed in, malfunction will not occur due to chip clogging, and the workpiece can be transported.

[0061] In addition, according to the machine tool hand 1 of this embodiment, since the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 11 is always applied to the pair of hand parts 3 in the closing direction, the hand parts 3 can be easily closed by stopping the supply of coolant. In addition, there is the following advantage: since the mutually meshing gears 10 are fixed to the pair of hand parts 3, the pair of hand parts 3 swing at the same angle through the center distribution, and the holding position of the workpiece W can be arranged at the center.

[0062] In addition, if Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, if a pair of hand parts 3 is in an open state, the hand parts 3 swing around the swing axes A and B, and the side surface pushed by the coolant is arranged at an angle greater than 90° relative to the discharge direction. Thus, a guide unit for the coolant is formed, and the coolant is guided along the side surface toward the front end direction of the hand parts 3 and flows. As a result, there is the following advantage: whenever a pair of hand parts 3 is opened, the portion holding the workpiece W can be cleaned with the coolant.

[0063] In addition, in the present embodiment, since the flow channel 7 in the main body 2 is branched into four branch flow channels 8, and the cross-sectional area of ​​each branch flow channel 8 and the discharge port 9 is set to 1 / 4 of the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow channel 7, there is no need to change the flow cross-sectional area of ​​the flow channel 7 and the branch flow channels 8, thereby reducing the loss.

[0064] In addition, in this embodiment, the coolant itself discharged from the discharge port 9 pushes the side surface of each hand member 3. Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, a movable metal, for example, a sphere (movable body) 15 made of steel may be disposed in the branch flow channel 8 near the discharge port 9 .

[0065] like Figure 6 As shown, the diameter of the ball 15 is smaller than the inner diameter of the branch flow channel 8, and a gap is formed between the ball 15 and the inner surface of the branch flow channel 8 to allow the coolant to flow out. In the figure, reference numeral 16 is a cylindrical body forming the inner wall of the branch flow channel 8 within the movable range of the ball 15, and reference numeral 17 is a stopper embedded in the side surface of each hand member 3 opposite to the discharge port 9.

[0066] When the main body 2 and the hand member 3 are lightweighted by using aluminum alloy or the like, the cylinder 16 and the abutment member 17 are made of a hard material, such as steel, in order to suppress the wear of the main body 2 and the hand member 3 caused by contact with the sphere 15. The abutment member 17 is replaceably fixed to the hand member 3 by screwing.

[0067] In addition, reference numeral 12 is an end stopper, which limits the swing angle of each hand member 3 around the swing axis A, B. The end stopper 12 in this embodiment contacts the hand member 3 when the amount of the ball 15 discharged from the discharge port 9 is a swing angle of less than a half sphere, thereby stopping the swing of the hand member 3. Figure 6 and Figure 7 The coil spring 11 is omitted in the figure.

[0068] When coolant is supplied to the flow channel 7 from the coolant supply channel 110, a portion of the coolant that branches into the two branch flow channels 8 pushes the sphere 15 to move toward the discharge port 9, and the remaining portion is discharged from the discharge port 9 to the outside through the gap between the sphere 15 and the inner surface of the branch flow channel 8. The spheres 15 pushed by the pressure of the coolant protrude from the discharge ports 9 to the outside, thereby pushing the abutment components 17 of the hand components 3, causing the hand components 3 to swing around the swing axes A and B. As a result, the front ends of the two hand components 3 are opened.

[0069] Since the center of the sphere 15 is maintained at a position further inside than the discharge port 9, the minimum value of the cross-sectional area of ​​the coolant formed by the gap between the inner surface of the branch flow channel 8 and the sphere 15 is independent of the posture of the sphere 15 and the swing angle of the hand member 3, but is maintained constant. In other words, since the pressure on the sphere 15 from the coolant does not change with the swing angle of the hand member 3, the hand member 3 can be opened with a stable and large force simply by increasing the pressure of the coolant. As a result, there are the following advantages: the spring rigidity of the coil spring 11 can be increased, the gripping force of the workpiece W can be increased, and stable transportation can be achieved.

[0070] Furthermore, by providing a gap around the sphere 15, the coolant is not trapped in the flow path 7, but can be discharged to the outside from the discharge port 9. This can prevent malfunction caused by clogging due to chips mixed in the coolant.

[0071] In addition, among the coolant supplied to the flow channel 7, the amount of coolant discharged from the discharge port 9 can be limited by the ball 15. This has the following advantages: it is possible to prevent a large amount of coolant from being discharged when the hand member 3 is opened, and the operator can easily confirm the status of each hand member 3 and the workpiece W by visual observation.

[0072] In the above embodiment, the shape of the movable body 15 is spherical, but it is not limited thereto, and any shape such as a cylindrical shape or a cannonball shape may be adopted. Even by adopting a cylindrical shape or a cannonball shape, the posture change of the movable body 15 can be suppressed, and the minimum value of the flow cross-sectional area formed by the gap between the inner surface of the branch flow channel 8 and the movable body 15 can be maintained substantially constant.

[0073] In addition, in this embodiment, the gear 10 for making the two hand members 3 swing synchronously may not be provided. In addition, the example of the two hand members 3 swinging around the swing axes A and B is described, but one of them may be fixed and only the other one may be made to swing. In this way, the workpiece W can also be grasped.

[0074] Furthermore, although the machine tool hand 1 including two pairs of hand members 3 has been described as an example, the present invention may be applied to a machine tool hand 1 including three or more hand members 3 instead.

[0075] In addition, although four branch flow channels 8 are provided, two or more branch flow channels 8 for swinging two or more hand members 3 may be provided instead.

[0076] Furthermore, the shape of the hand member 3 is arbitrary, and a plurality of machine tool hands 1 having different shapes may be prepared according to the shape of the workpiece W to be gripped.

[0077] In addition, in this embodiment, the cooling liquid is supplied when the hand member 3 is opened, instead of Figures 8 to 10 As shown, cooling liquid can also be supplied when the hand piece 3 is closed.

[0078] In this case, a coil spring (urging member) 14 that always urges the opponent member 3 in the opening direction may be used.

[0079] Next, a machine tool hand 20 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In the description of this embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to portions having the same configuration as the machine tool hand 1 according to the above embodiment, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0080] like Fig.11 As shown, the machine tool hand 20 of the present embodiment includes a main body 21 , a movable member 22 , and two pairs of hand members 23 .

[0081] The front end portion 24 of the main body 21 has a groove 25 at the center in the width direction, and the groove 25 extends from the end on the opposite side of the shaft portion 5 along the central axis of the shaft portion 5. The flow channel 7 extends from the opening 6 at one end of the shaft portion 5 along the central axis of the shaft portion 5, and has a discharge port 9 at the bottom of the groove 25.

[0082] The movable member 22 is arranged inside the groove 25, and is supported relative to the front end portion 24 in a manner that allows it to move only in the direction of the central axis of the shaft portion 5. In addition, a coil spring (biasing member) not shown is provided between the movable member 22 and the front end portion 24, and the elastic restoring force of the coil spring is used to always bias the movable member 22 toward the direction of approaching the discharge port 9. The movable member 22 is arranged at a position that blocks the discharge port 9 by approaching the groove bottom.

[0083] The base ends of the pair of hand members 23 are supported on the movable member 22, and can swing around a swing axis (axis) C that is orthogonal to the central axis of the shaft portion 5. In addition, a long hole-shaped guide hole 26 is provided at the middle position of each hand member 23, and the guide hole 26 extends obliquely in the direction away from the central axis of the shaft portion 5 toward the front end direction of the hand member 23.

[0084] Pins 27 extending parallel to the swing axis C are inserted into the guide holes 26 on the side surface of the front end portion 24 .

[0085] The operation of the machine tool hand 20 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described below.

[0086] When the coolant is supplied to the flow channel 7, the coolant flows through the flow channel 7 and is discharged from the discharge port 9 toward the movable member 22. The discharged coolant is sprayed onto the movable member 22 arranged at a position blocking the discharge port 9. As a result, the movable member 22 moves in a direction away from the discharge port 9 along the central axis of the shaft portion 5.

[0087] In response to the movement of the movable member 22, each hand member 23 connected to the movable member 22 moves along the length direction of each guide hole 26 relative to each pin 27 fixed to the front end portion 24. Fig.12 As shown, each hand member 23 swings around the swing axis C, and the front end of each hand member 23 is opened.

[0088] In addition, if the supply of coolant is stopped, the elastic restoring force of the coil spring pulls the movable member 22 back toward the discharge port 9. Thus, each hand member 23 swings toward the direction of closing the front end in accordance with the movement of the movable member 22. Thus, the workpiece W can be gripped between the hand members 23.

[0089] Thus, according to the machine tool hand 20 of this embodiment, as in the machine tool hand 1 of the first embodiment, the pair of hand parts 23 can be opened and closed by using the coolant discharged from the discharge port 9. In addition, there is an advantage that even if fine chips etc. are mixed in the coolant, by discharging it to the outside from the discharge port 9, malfunction due to clogging by chips etc. will not occur, and the workpiece W can be transported.

[0090] In addition, since the coolant discharged from the discharge port 9 flows along the surface of each hand member 23, each time a pair of hand members 23 is opened, they can be cleaned with the coolant.

[0091] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the case where the hand member 23 is opened by the discharge of the coolant is exemplified, but vice versa.

Claims

1. A machine tool hand, characterized in that: have: a main body portion that is detachably mounted on a main spindle of a machine tool and includes a flow passage connected to a coolant supply passage formed on the main spindle; and Two or more hand members are mounted on the main body in a manner such that at least one of the two or more hand members can swing around a predetermined axis, and can hold an object between the hand members by closing, The flow channel has a discharge port, which discharges the coolant supplied from the coolant supply channel from the main body and toward the surface of the hand part exposed to the outside of the main body, and utilizes the pressure of the coolant discharged from the discharge port to open or close the hand part.

2. The machine tool hand according to claim 1, characterized in that: The machine tool hand includes a movable body that is disposed near the discharge port in the flow channel so as to be movable along the flow channel and that presses the hand member.

3. The machine tool hand according to claim 2, characterized in that: The movable body is a spherical body.

4. The machine tool hand according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The machine tool hand includes a biasing member that biases the hand member in a direction opposite to a movement direction caused by the pressure of the coolant by utilizing an elastic restoring force.

5. The machine tool hand according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The machine tool hand includes a guide unit that guides the coolant discharged from the discharge port and causes the hand member to move, and causes the coolant to flow along the inner surface of the hand member.

6. The machine tool hand according to claim 5, characterized in that: The guide unit is configured by forming the flow channel into a shape in which an angle formed by a discharge direction of the coolant discharged from the discharge port and a flow direction of the coolant along the inner surface is larger than 90°.

7. A machine tool hand, characterized in that: have: A main body part which is detachably mounted on a main spindle of a machine tool and has a flow passage connected to a coolant supply passage formed on the main spindle; A movable member supported on the main body portion so as to be movable in one direction; and Two or more hand members, the two or more hand members are mounted on the movable member in a manner such that at least one of the hand members can swing around a predetermined axis, and can hold an object between the hand members by closing, The flow channel includes a discharge port disposed at a position where the hand member is opened or closed by discharging the coolant supplied from the coolant supply passage toward a surface of the movable member exposed to the outside.

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