Machine tool and method of operating machine tool

Abstract

A machine tool is provided with a workpiece support (1000) for supporting at least one workpiece (2001, 2002) to allow machining of the workpiece and a plurality of tools (11A, 12A, 21A, 22A) adapted to machine the at least one workpiece. The machine tool is adapted to position a tool relative to a workpiece support. At least one of the tools is a laser tool (21A, 22A) adapted to remove material from at least one workpiece. Another one of the tools may be a rotary tool (11A, 12A) adapted to remove material from at least one workpiece.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a machine tool for performing machining operations such as cutting, drilling, boring, grinding, chamfering, milling, broaching, etc. on a workpiece that needs to be machined at different positions, such as different positions in an XY plane. Background Art

[0002] It is known in the art to machine workpieces to give the components their final shape and configuration. For example, the shape of a workpiece can be modified by machining (e.g., by removing material from one or more edges or sides of the workpiece), and recesses and openings (through holes) can be provided to the workpiece by machining.

[0003] For example, many products such as vehicles include long beams and / or profiles, such as extruded aluminum profiles, which are used, for example, in battery boxes for electric vehicles. These profiles often require processing to trim edges, create through holes of different shapes and sizes, etc.

[0004] The machining of metal workpieces can usually be carried out in a machine tool comprising one or more tool carriers and a workpiece support, wherein the one or more tool carriers and the workpiece support are arranged so that the machine tool can generate relative motion between each tool carrier and one or more workpieces according to three different axes (usually orthogonal axes, usually referred to as the X axis, the Y axis and the Z axis), and optionally has the ability to rotate or pivot the tool carrier and / or the workpiece. These relative motions are used to correctly position each tool relative to the corresponding workpiece before and during machining. The tool is usually a rotating tool, and the tool carrier usually includes a drive device for driving the tool, such as for rotating the tool about an axis, such as about an axis parallel to the Z axis of the machine tool. Typically, the machine tool includes a tool spindle for rotating the tool.

[0005] Different machining operations may require different tools, such as cutting tools, drilling tools, boring tools, grinding tools, chamfering tools, milling tools, and broaching tools. For example, drilling through holes with different shapes and diameters may require the use of different tools. Therefore, typically, the machine tool includes a tool magazine for automatic tool change operations performed by the machine tool during the machining of the workpiece. Sometimes, the machine tool includes more than one tool carrier suitable for operating on the same workpiece. These tool carriers can carry different tools, which can reduce the time spent on tool change during the machining of the workpiece, thereby reducing the time required to complete the machining of the workpiece. However, at least some tool change operations are frequently required during the machining of the workpiece. For example, if the workpiece is to be provided with through holes with different diameters, different drilling tools may be required.

[0006] In order to increase productivity, a machine tool may typically include a plurality of tool carriers for machining one or more workpieces simultaneously and / or sequentially. Examples of such machine tools are known, for example, from GB-2262461-A, US-2757560-A and EP-3715051-A2.

[0007] Sometimes, workpieces include parts that are flexible and may tend to fall out, become bent or begin to vibrate during machining, for example, during machining with a rotary tool such as a drilling tool or a milling tool. For example, an extruded aluminum profile may have parts that extend in a cantilevered manner from the base body of the profile. These parts may deform and / or vibrate during machining with a rotary tool in such a way that they are incompatible with the required manufacturing tolerances and / or may increase wear on the tool in an undesirable manner.

[0008] In addition to using rotary tools to perform machining operations such as cutting for removing material, it is also known to use laser tools to remove material by heating the material by projecting a laser beam onto the material. Laser tools for operations such as cutting are typically provided with an exhaust nozzle to project a gas (such as air) stream onto the workpiece in the area heated by the laser beam. The projected gas stream can be used for the purpose of driving the molten material out of the cutting gap, for cooling purposes, and / or for the purpose of protecting the optical lens of the laser tool from contamination. Laser cutters are typically used for cutting larger objects such as sheet metal, whereby the workpiece is placed on a table-like structure, and a laser head mounted on a bridge-like structure for displacing the laser tool in the XZ plane is displaced above the workpiece. Examples of such laser cutters are disclosed in US-9718148-B2, US-2009 / 001062-A2, US-2014 / 0083985-A1, US-2017 / 216964-A1, US-2021 / 086296-A1 and WO2018 / 002670-A1. From WO-2019 / 244077-A1, a slightly different arrangement of displaceable arms extending in different directions is known.

[0009] Although sometimes both laser cutters and rotary tools can be considered for performing certain machining operations on a certain type of workpiece, these two tool categories are generally considered to be conceptually different for several reasons. For example, high-power lasers are generally expensive, and laser tools are generally considered to be sensitive, for example, due to the need to avoid contamination of the lens at the output end of the laser tool. The frequent need to use a gas nozzle is also a limitation when approaching certain parts of the workpiece, such as when it is necessary to perforate multiple walls that one is located behind the other. On the other hand, rotary machining tools are subject to wear and usually need to be replaced even before they are completely worn out to avoid the risk of the tool breaking during machining and / or causing the risk of poor machining quality. The need to replace tools due to wear can hinder productivity. In addition, different tools may be required to perform different operations such as operations for producing through holes with different diameters, so it is necessary to perform automatic tool change operations, which may be time-consuming and thereby increase the cycle time, that is, the time required to complete the machining of the workpiece.

[0010] Some mechanical devices or systems including a laser tool for performing a laser cutting operation on a sheet or workpiece additionally include a device for operating a rotating tool. An example of such a system is disclosed in DE-29517722-U1, in which a rotating tool is used to establish a through hole, which is used as a point for starting the laser cutting operation in order to reduce the risk that the reflected laser will cause damage to the laser head. Another example is disclosed in CN-108687526-B, in which the workpiece is conveyed through a mechanical device so that the workpiece first passes through a laser cutting station, then a tapping or drilling station, and finally a station where a hydraulic rod is used to subject the workpiece to pressure to bend the workpiece. The workpiece travels through the system together with a collection box for collecting debris. Another example is disclosed in DE-102005050829-A; here, the mechanical device includes both a cutting tool (preferably a plasma cutter or a water jet cutter, but a laser cutter is mentioned as an option) and a rotating tool, the cutting tool and the rotating tool share at least some of the components used to displace the tool relative to the metal sheet, and are arranged so that a selected one of the tools can interact with the workpiece. Thus, the laser cutting operation and the operation using the rotating tool can be performed sequentially one after the other. In all of DE-29517722-U1, CN-108687526-B and DE-102005050829-A1, the laser cutting tool is arranged to operate from above on a horizontally arranged workpiece, and the laser cutting operation and the operation using the rotating tool are performed sequentially one after the other. Summary of the invention

[0011] A first aspect of the present invention relates to a machine tool, comprising a workpiece support for supporting at least one workpiece to allow the workpiece to be processed. In some embodiments, the workpiece support is designed to support a plurality of workpieces and / or to support one or more elongated workpieces extending parallel to a first axis of the machine tool, which is referred to herein as the X axis and can be vertical or horizontal. In many embodiments, the X axis is a horizontal axis. In some embodiments, the machine tool can be particularly advantageous for processing elongated workpieces such as metal workpieces, such as metal profiles or beams, such as aluminum profiles (such as extruded aluminum profiles) or aluminum beams, such as profiles or beams intended to form a part of a vehicle, such as a battery box for an electric vehicle. Such profiles or beams can have considerable lengths and may require complex processing of the following parts: these parts may deflect and / or vibrate if contacted by a rotating tool, such as flanges extending from the body of the workpiece.

[0012] The workpiece support may include an elongated support member for each workpiece to which the respective workpiece may be clamped. The workpiece or the support member clamping the workpiece may be arranged so that it can pivot about an axis parallel to the X axis of the machine tool (e.g., to perform a full 360 degree rotation, or a more limited rotation such as up to 270, 180 or 90 degrees) for the purpose of setting a suitable angle of attack between the workpiece and the tool and / or transferring the workpiece from a position for loading the workpiece onto the workpiece support and unloading the workpiece from the workpiece support, respectively, to a position for machining the workpiece, in which the workpiece faces the respective tool so that the tool can perform a machining operation on the workpiece. In some embodiments, the elongated support member may be arranged between two supports, such as between two substantially vertical columns, which may be spaced apart from each other by a distance of, for example, greater than 1 meter. In the case where several elongated support members are provided, the several elongated support members may be arranged in parallel one after another along an axis parallel to a second axis of the machine tool, referred to herein as the Y axis. Thus, where the Y axis is a vertical axis, the elongate support members may be arranged one above the other, as in many embodiments of the invention.The Y axis may be perpendicular to the X axis.

[0013] The machine tool further comprises a plurality of tools (i.e. at least two tools) adapted to machine at least one workpiece. Where the workpiece support is arranged for supporting a plurality of workpieces, the tools may be arranged such that each tool is assigned to one of the workpieces, or such that two or more tools may operate on one of the workpieces, for example in order to perform different machining operations simultaneously or sequentially on one workpiece. In some embodiments, the tool may be arranged such that it may operate on more than one of the workpieces, for example by being able to be fully displaced in a direction parallel to the Y axis of the machine tool.

[0014] The machine tool is suitable for positioning the tool relative to the workpiece support, for example by displacing the tool according to one or more of the X, Y and Z axes of the machine tool - the X, Y and Z axes being perpendicular to each other - and / or by displacing the workpiece support according to one or more of the X, Y and Z axes.

[0015] At least one of the tools is a laser tool, which is suitable for removing material from at least one workpiece, for example for producing a through hole in the workpiece. One advantage of laser tools over rotary machining tool types that remove material by physical contact with the workpiece is that in the case of laser tools, direct physical contact between the tool and the workpiece is not required, thereby avoiding or reducing problems related to friction wear of the tool, vibration, and / or deformation of the workpiece due to the force applied by the tool on the workpiece. In addition, the laser tool can be used to perform machining operations that are not limited by the characteristics of the tool itself, such as shape and size. For example, a rotary drilling tool is generally only useful for achieving holes with a specific diameter. Therefore, the use of one or more laser tools can enhance flexibility and allow a large number of different machining operations, such as the production of holes with different shapes and sizes, to be performed without the need for any tool replacement operations.

[0016] In some embodiments of the invention, at least one other of the tools is a rotary tool such as a tool for milling, drilling or boring, the rotary tool being suitable for removing material from at least one workpiece. That is, and in contrast to common practice in the art, the machine tool can incorporate both one or more laser tools and one or more rotary tools. Although a distinction is usually made between machines for laser cutting and machine tools that use rotary tools (for milling, drilling, etc.), it has been found that combining the two tools in a single machine tool can sometimes be advantageous because this can optimize performance, for example, for the following reasons: reducing the number of tool changes required to complete the processing, and / or reducing the cycle time, and / or improving the quality, and / or minimizing the wear of the components. For example, and although sometimes a rotary machining tool may be preferred or even necessary for performing certain operations (e.g., due to the difficulty in accessing the inner wall due to the presence of a gas nozzle typically on a tool for laser cutting), other operations may preferably be performed using a laser tool. For example, forming a through hole in a relatively thin flange extending in a cantilevered manner from the body of the profile may sometimes be preferably performed using a laser tool, because a rotary tool may deflect the flange and thereby form an opening in the wrong position and / or cause the flange to vibrate, resulting in tool wear and / or forming an opening in the wrong position and / or forming an opening of the wrong size and / or poor finish. Here, a laser tool may be preferred. In addition, a laser tool can be easily used to produce openings of different sizes and shapes without requiring any tool changes. However, for other machining operations, such as machining operations for a large number of openings of the same diameter, and for milling operations, rotary drilling and / or milling tools may be the most effective choice in terms of cost, cycle time and / or quality.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present invention, the workpiece support is arranged to support at least one workpiece and to pivot at least one workpiece around an axis parallel to the X-axis of the machine tool. Such pivoting can be useful for, for example, displacing the workpiece from a position for loading and unloading the workpiece onto the workpiece support, respectively, and adjusting the orientation of the workpiece relative to a corresponding tool or tools, so as to set a desired angle of attack between the tool and the workpiece. Therefore, the pivoting of the workpiece can be used instead of pivoting the tool, so as to set a desired angle of attack between the laser beam or the rotating tool and the workpiece. Typically, in laser cutting machines, the workpiece is placed in a fixed position such as on a support table, and no pivoting device is provided for pivoting the workpiece around any axis. Any setting of the angle of attack is usually performed by pivoting the laser tool. Although a complete laser device including a subsystem for generating a laser beam is usually quite sturdy and bulky, the following laser head can be small, lightweight and easy to manipulate: the laser head must be positioned relative to the workpiece and is usually connected to the subsystem for generating the laser beam via an optical guide. Therefore, in the technical field of laser cutting, the workpiece is usually stationary during processing or is displaced in a linear direction on some kind of conveyor.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present invention, the workpiece support is arranged to support a plurality of workpieces, such as a plurality of elongated workpieces extending parallel to the X-axis of the machine tool, and to pivot the plurality of workpieces around respective axes parallel to the X-axis of the machine tool. The presence of a plurality of workpieces in the workpiece support at the same time can be used to increase productivity, not only because several workpieces can be processed between each cycle of loading and unloading, but also sometimes because tools can be used more efficiently. For example, one or more laser tools can sometimes be used to process a workpiece while a rotary tool operates on another workpiece. In addition, a rotary tool can be used to perform a series of machining operations on more than one workpiece using a particular tool before performing a tool change operation. In addition, a laser tool can be used to perform machining operations on more than one workpiece, thereby making more efficient use of available laser equipment. Therefore, the use of a plurality of different tools, such as a combination of a rotary tool and a laser tool, combined with the presence of more than one workpiece in the workpiece support can be used to enhance the effective use of tools, thereby minimizing downtime, such as downtime caused by tool change operations, and optimizing the effective use of expensive equipment such as expensive laser equipment.

[0019] In some embodiments of the invention, the machine tool comprises at least one tool-carrying support, which is controllably displaceable parallel to a first axis of the machine tool, such as the X axis of the machine tool, wherein each tool-carrying support supports at least one tool carrier, each tool carrier supporting a respective one of a plurality of tools, such that at least one laser tool is carried by a respective one of the tool carriers, wherein each tool carrier is controllably displaceable relative to the tool-carrying support according to at least a second axis of the machine tool, such as the Y axis and / or the Z axis of the machine tool perpendicular to the X axis. That is, due to the controlled displacement of the tool-carrying support and due to the controlled displacement of the tool carrier relative to the tool-carrying support, the tool is displaceable according to at least two axes, such as the X axis and the Y axis of the system. For example, the tool carrier support may be controllably displaceable parallel to a horizontal X-axis of the system, and the tool carrier may be mounted on the tool carrier support so that the tool carrier may be displaced parallel to a Y-axis of the system, perpendicular to the X-axis, and / or parallel to a Z-axis that is perpendicular to the X-axis and the Y-axis, wherein movement parallel to the Z-axis is used to displace the tool toward and away from the workpiece, respectively.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present invention, at least one tool carrier support is controllably displaceable parallel to an X-axis of a machine tool, and each tool carrier is mounted on a respective tool carrier support such that the tool carrier is displaceable relative to the tool carrier support parallel to a Y-axis of the machine tool and parallel to a Z-axis of the machine tool, wherein movement parallel to the Z-axis is used to move the tool carrier toward and away from a workpiece support, respectively.

[0021] In some embodiments of the invention, the Y axis is a vertical axis and at least one tool-carrying support is configured as a horizontally displaceable column, the tool-carrier being arranged on the respective column so that the tool-carrier can be displaced along the column in a vertical direction parallel to the Y axis and can be displaced perpendicularly to the column parallel to the Z axis. This is a configuration known from, for example, GB-2262461-A and US-2757560-A in the context of chip removal machines. This configuration is different from the configuration usually used for laser cutters, but has proven to be advantageous when it involves, for example, the simultaneous processing of several workpieces, for example, the simultaneous processing of profiles arranged parallel to the X axis in a manner one above the other. Therefore, this configuration can be particularly advantageous in the context of a "hybrid" machine tool involving both a laser tool and a rotary tool.

[0022] In some embodiments of the invention, the machine tool comprises two tool-carrying supports, wherein a first of the tool-carrying supports supports at least one tool-carrying support adapted to carry a rotary tool, and wherein a second of the two tool-carrying supports supports at least one tool-carrying support adapted to carry a laser tool. For example, one of the tool-carrying supports may carry only a tool-carrying support with a rotary tool, while the other tool-carrying support may carry only a laser tool. An advantage of this arrangement is that only one of the tool-carrying supports needs to be associated with a tool magazine for tool change. For example, the tool magazine may be arranged at one end of a track followed by the tool-carrying supports, so that the tool magazine can be approached by a tool-carrying support carrying a rotary tool: a tool-carrying support carrying a laser tool does not need to be approached by the tool magazine. The tool magazine may be arranged so that when a first of the tool-carrying supports is moved to a tool change position, the laser tool can approach the entire workpiece, so that the laser tool can perform a machining operation at an end of the workpiece near the tool change position while performing a tool change. This can even be used more to improve the efficiency of the process and maximize the time that the tool operates during each machining cycle.

[0023] In some embodiments of the invention, M of the tool carriers are suitable for carrying laser tools, and N of the tool carriers are suitable for carrying rotary tools, M and N being integers ≥ 1, M being different from N. However, in some of the arrangements described above, the most straightforward choice may be to use the same number of tool carriers for laser tools and tool carriers for rotary tools, for example assigning one rotary tool and one laser tool to each workpiece to process multiple workpieces simultaneously, and from a cost point of view, it may be preferred to use, for example, more rotary tools than laser tools. Since laser tools may generally be expensive and may only be needed or preferred for a subset of certain operations, and since laser tools do not require tool changes and can therefore be operated without any corresponding interruptions, it may sometimes be preferred to use fewer tool carriers for laser tools than for rotary tools. For example, in some embodiments, a tool carrier support may support 2 (or 4, ...) tool carriers suitable for rotary tools, while another tool carrier support may only support 1 (or 2, ...) tool carrier carrying a laser tool. Thus, for example, 2 (or 4, ...) workpieces can be processed simultaneously by, for example, a respective one of 2 (or 4, ...) rotary tools, while 1 (or 2, ...) laser tool can be used to operate on the workpieces, so that each laser tool operates on two (or more) of the workpieces, thus, for example, moving between one of the workpieces and another of the workpieces. Obviously, these numbers are only examples and there is no need for any fixed ratio between the number of rotary tools and the number of laser tools: the right ratio can be set by taking into account aspects such as the cost of the components, the cost due to tool wear, the cycle time, the quality, etc.

[0024] In some embodiments of the present invention, at least one tool carrier carrying a laser tool can be shifted in a controllable manner, such as parallel to the Y-axis of the machine tool, so that the corresponding laser tool can be brought to a position allowing the laser tool to perform sequential operations on more than one of a plurality of workpieces, wherein the plurality of workpieces are aligned in parallel in the workpiece support, such as extending parallel to the X-axis, and are arranged one after another along the Y-axis, such as one above the other when the Y-axis is the vertical axis of the machine tool.

[0025] Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of operating a machine tool, such as the one described above, comprising the steps of:

[0026] - loading at least one workpiece, such as an elongated workpiece, onto a workpiece support of the machine tool;

[0027] - performing a plurality of machining operations on a workpiece using at least two tools carried by at least two different tool carriers forming part of a machine tool, the tool carriers being optionally displaceable relative to a workpiece support according to an X-axis, a Y-axis and a Z-axis of the machine tool, the X-axis, the Y-axis and the Z-axis being orthogonal axes (i.e. each of these axes is perpendicular to the other two axes);

[0028] - optionally, pivoting at least one workpiece between two of the machining operations so as to set a predetermined angle of attack between the respective tool and the workpiece;

[0029] - unloading at least one workpiece from the workpiece support;

[0030] Wherein at least one of the tools is a laser tool, and wherein the plurality of machining operations include at least some operations involving removing material from the workpiece using a laser beam emitted from the at least one laser tool.

[0031] In some embodiments of the invention, at least one other of the tools is a rotary tool, such as a tool for milling or drilling, and the machine tool further comprises a tool magazine supporting a plurality of rotary tools. In these embodiments, the plurality of machining operations comprises at least some operations involving the removal of material using rotary tools, and the method further comprises performing at least one tool changing operation at the tool magazine to replace a rotary tool carried by one of the tool carriers with another rotary tool.

[0032] In some of these embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0033] - performing at least some machining operations with the laser tool while at least one tool change operation is being performed (since the laser tool does not normally need to be replaced, effective use of the laser device can involve continuing laser machining while at least some of the tool carriers with rotating tools are not performing machining operations due to the need to shift them to face the tool magazine, perform a tool change and return to a position for continuing machining of the workpiece).

[0034] And / or:

[0035] - taking into account that at least some and optionally all of the machining operations involving the use of the laser tool are performed before starting the first machining operation involving the use of the rotary tool, at least with respect to a specific section of the workpiece, which section corresponds, when the workpiece is an elongated workpiece, to a portion of 10%, 25% or 50% of the extension of the workpiece in its longitudinal direction. It has been found that it may be preferred to perform the laser machining operations or at least some of them, such as those concentrated on a certain section of the workpiece, before starting the machining with the rotary tool, in order to avoid that chips and debris generated by the rotary tool interfere with the laser device. For example, machining may be started by laser machining on one end of the workpiece, and the tool carrier with the laser tool may then be moved towards the other end of the workpiece while performing different machining operations, and when they have reached a specific distance from the first end of the workpiece, such as a distance greater than 25 cm, 50 cm, 75 cm or 100 cm, machining with the rotary tool may be started from the vicinity of the first end of the workpiece;

[0036] And / or:

[0037] - With the workpieces arranged in parallel in the workpiece support, at least one tool carrier (21) carrying a laser tool (21A) is moved between a position for machining a first workpiece and a position for machining a second workpiece. Although laser equipment may be relatively expensive, it has the advantage that no tool change is required. Therefore, in some embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of workpieces may be machined simultaneously using one tool carrier with a rotating tool for each workpiece, so that each tool carrier operates only on a single one of the workpieces, while the same laser tool may be used to machine more than one workpiece, such as for machining all of the workpieces. This may increase the efficiency of the use of the laser equipment, which may be operated, for example, during tool change operations and / or only used for machining operations that are particularly suitable for laser machining, such as machining sensitive parts such as overhanging flanges, machining through holes having a shape or size different from most other through holes, etc.

[0038] Another aspect of the invention relates to a method for constructing and / or producing a machine tool based on a basic machine tool layout, which basic machine tool layout, for example, involves at least one, for example two, tool-carrying supports that can be moved parallel to the X axis of the machine tool, and has means such as a carriage member for supporting the tool carrier and for displacing the tool carrier parallel to the Y axis of the machine tool and optionally means for displacing the tool carrier parallel to the Z axis of the machine tool, the machine tool optionally including a workpiece support for supporting a plurality of workpieces in parallel, for example, one behind the other along an axis parallel to the Y axis of the machine tool. The method comprises the following steps:

[0039] A) determining machining requirements for completing machining of one or more workpieces during a machining cycle, the machining cycle comprising at least a period of time starting from a first machining operation after loading the workpiece or workpieces into a machine tool and ending with a last machining operation before unloading the workpiece or workpieces from the machine tool;

[0040] B) selecting a combination of tools to be used to meet the processing requirements from a group of tools including at least one laser tool and a plurality of rotary tools;

[0041] C) defining a machine tool comprising a tool carrier for carrying a selected tool. Step B) and / or step C) are performed in order to optimize the efficiency of the machine tool taking into account the following aspects:

[0042] - cycle time (in particular the time required to complete the machining of a workpiece) and / or productivity (in terms of the number of workpieces that can be produced during a unit of time, for example during an hour), and

[0043] - Costs, including the cost of the original equipment and maintenance costs, including the estimated costs due to tool wear.

[0044] Frequently in the art, machine tool suppliers typically offer machine tools with predetermined configurations, such as a machine tool with a rotary tool, a machine tool with a laser cutting tool, etc., whereby the purchaser selects the machine tool that is considered to be most suitable for the purchaser's needs. Furthermore, typically, if the purchaser believes that a certain workpiece requires processing by both a rotary tool (milling, drilling) and a laser tool (e.g., due to the need to perforate a particular overhang that may bend or cause excessive vibrations if a rotary tool is used; or due to the need to perform a large number of through holes with different sizes, etc.), the purchaser typically selects a first machine tool for the operation requiring the rotary tool and a second machine tool for the operation to be performed using the laser tool. In contrast, the present method involves considering both the laser tool and the rotary tool as options that can be combined within the same machine tool, whereby the final configuration is determined taking into account, for example, cycle time and cost.

[0045] In some embodiments of the invention, the method includes defining the machine tool as including M tool carriers suitable for carrying laser tools and N tool carriers suitable for carrying rotary tools, M and N being integers ≥ 1, M being different from N. That is, in some embodiments, the machine tool may include, for example, a greater number of tool carriers suitable for rotary tools than the number of tool carriers suitable for laser tools, or vice versa. For example, one tool carrier support may carry N tool carriers suitable for carrying rotary tools, for example such that each tool carrier is associated with one of N workpieces intended to be supported simultaneously in a workpiece support to process N workpieces simultaneously, while another tool carrier support may support a smaller number, namely M, of tool carriers supporting laser tools, whereby at least one laser tool is intended to operate sequentially on more than one of the workpieces. Thus, during a processing cycle and between loading and unloading workpieces onto and from the workpiece support, at least one tool carrier with a laser tool will move from a position for processing one of the workpieces to a position for processing another of the workpieces. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] In order to complete the description and to provide a better understanding of the invention, a set of drawings is provided. Said drawings form an integral part of the specification and illustrate embodiments of the invention, which should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention, but only as examples of how the invention can be implemented. The drawings include the following figures:

[0047] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an example of a workpiece that can be machined by a machine tool and method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 2 It is a perspective view of a machine tool according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 3A and Figure 3B It is a perspective view of a machine tool according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Figure 4 and Figure 5 is a flow chart reflecting the steps or stages of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Figure 6 is a flow chart schematically illustrating the considerations underlying the method for constructing and producing a machine tool according to an embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] Figure 1An example of a workpiece is illustrated, which can be processed using a machine tool according to an embodiment of the present invention, such as one of the embodiments described below. The illustrated workpiece 2001 is an extruded aluminum profile, which is characterized by a body having an inner partition wall 2001A and a flange 2001B, which extends from the body in a suspended manner, that is, the flange is supported only at one of its longitudinal ends. As explained above, this may mean that there are problems when using a rotary processing tool to process an opening 2001C in the flange: the flange may be displaced, and vibration may cause the opening to be misplaced, incorrect in shape or size, and / or cause undesirable wear of the tool. Therefore, it has been found that laser cutting may be preferred for the processing of such an opening. However, for other openings, such as some openings in the inner partition wall 2001A, a rotary tool may be preferred, which can penetrate both the outer wall and the inner partition wall, as conventional in the art.

[0053] Figure 2 The machine tool according to an embodiment of the invention is illustrated. The machine tool comprises a workpiece support 1000 comprising two vertically extending columns 1001 provided with schematically illustrated means 1002 for supporting respective workpiece holding means ( Figure 2 3b), the workpiece holding device is arranged to clamp the workpiece, such as Figure 1 In other embodiments, the device 1002 may be arranged to directly hold the respective workpiece by its end. The workpiece support 1000 includes a drive device 1003 for pivoting or rotating the workpiece holding device and the workpiece, for example to set a desired angle of attack between the workpiece and the tool, and / or for moving the workpiece between a position for loading and unloading the workpiece onto and from the workpiece holding device, respectively, in which the workpiece faces away from the tool, and a machining position in which the workpiece faces the tool so that the tool can approach the workpiece.

[0054] The machine tool also comprises two tool-carrying supports 1 and 2, which in this case are configured as vertically extending columns which can be displaced in a controllable manner parallel to a first axis, i.e. the horizontal X-axis of the machine tool. These columns can be displaced in a controllable manner on a machine tool 3 provided with a guide means 31, which in this case is schematically illustrated as a guide rail. The columns 1, 2 are driven in a manner parallel to the X-axis by drive means not illustrated, for example by one or more electric motors mounted on the columns for driving the columns in a manner parallel to the X-axis, for example by means of one or more pinions driven by corresponding motors interacting with a rack. That is, the columns can be displaced in a controllable manner along the X-axis by an electrically operated pinion-rack drive. In other embodiments, other types of drive means can be used. It may be preferred to use two motors per tool assembly in order to reduce the play between the pinion and the rack.

[0055] Although in this embodiment, the tool carrier support is implemented as a vertically extending column, in other embodiments, other configurations may be used. For example, the column may extend in a horizontal plane and / or the tool carrier support may not be implemented as a column.

[0056] In the illustrated embodiment, two tool carriers are arranged on each of these columns. In particular, the two tool carriers 11, 12 carrying the rotary tools 11A, 12A are arranged on a controllably vertically displaceable carriage member 1A attached to the first column 1, while the two tool carriers 21, 22 carrying the laser tools 21A, 22A are arranged on a controllably vertically displaceable carriage member 1A attached to the second column 2. Figure 2 The carriage member can be driven by respective drive means 1B, 2B to move along the column parallel to the vertical Y axis (the second axis of the machine tool). The drive means may comprise one or more electric motors which may, for example, operate a pinion-rack mechanism or any other suitable mechanism.

[0057] Each tool carrier 11, 12, 21, 22 is controllably displaceable relative to the respective carriage member and column parallel to the third axis of the machine tool, which in this embodiment is the Z axis, a horizontal axis perpendicular to the horizontal X axis. In this embodiment, the rotary tool 11A, 12A rotates during machining about a respective axis parallel to the Z axis. In this embodiment, the displacement of the tool carrier parallel to the Z axis is controlled by a respective electric motor ( Figure 2), these electric motors drive the corresponding ball screw mechanism in this embodiment to displace the corresponding tool carrier parallel to the Z axis. However, it is obvious that any other type of suitable drive system can be used. The movement in the Z direction can be used to bring the tool carried by the corresponding tool carrier 11, 12, 21 and 22 to a position for operating on the corresponding workpiece (in the case of a rotary tool, the position is the position where the tool contacts the workpiece, and in the case of a laser tool, the position is a position where the tool is a suitable distance from the workpiece for processing, taking into account aspects such as the optical focus, the position of the gas exhaust nozzle, etc.), and to bring the tool away from the workpiece. In this embodiment, the movement of each tool carrier parallel to the Z axis is independent of the movement of other tool carriers parallel to the Z axis: each tool carrier has its own drive device. The movement in the Z direction can also be related to the replacement operation of the tool, in particular to the replacement of the rotary tool. For this purpose, the tool magazine 4 is arranged at the end of the machine tool along the X axis that is closer to the first tool carrier support 1 than to the second tool carrier support 2, that is, at the end of the machine tool corresponding to the rotary tool 11A, 12A. The position of the tool magazine along the X-axis exceeds the position occupied by the workpiece during machining so that when the first tool carrier support 1 is in the tool change position with the tool carriers 11 and 12 of the first tool carrier support 1 facing the tool magazine 4 along the Z-axis, the laser tools 21A, 22A can approach any part of the workpiece that may need laser machining.

[0058] Therefore, if Figure 2 As can be easily understood in the drawings, a workpiece arranged in a workpiece support 1000 can be processed at any position over its entire length by a rotary tool 11A or 12A and a laser tool 21A or 22A, the rotary tool 11A or 12A, such as a milling or drilling tool, being supported in a tool carrier 11 or 12 mounted on a first tool-carrying support 1, and a laser tool 21A or 22A being mounted in a tool carrier 21 or 22 mounted on a second tool-carrying support 2. For example, the machine tool can be operated to first perform all or most of the machining operations assigned to the laser tool, and then perform all or most of the machining operations assigned to the rotary tool, so as to prevent, for example, debris or other debris generated by the machining operations performed by the rotary tool from interfering with the laser beam from the laser tool. In addition or alternatively, the machine tool can be operated to perform machining operations with the rotary tool and machining operations with the laser tool simultaneously and / or in an alternating manner. For example, some operations using the laser tool can be performed when the first tool-carrying support 1 is in the tool change position.

[0059] Figure 3A Another embodiment is shown, which is based on Figure 2The same basic machine layout as the machine layout of FIG. 1 , but without the second tool carrier 22 carrying the laser tool. In other words, Figure 3A The machine tool has only one tool carrier 21 carrying a laser tool 21A, but has two tool carriers 11, 12 carrying rotary tools 11A, 12A. Thus, two workpieces 2001 and 2002 are machined using a single laser tool 21A, such as before starting machining with rotary tools 11A, 12A carried by tool carriers 11, 12 mounted on a first tool carrier support 1 and / or when the first tool carrier support is displaced to a tool magazine 4 for a tool change operation, to give just a few examples. The tool carrier 21 with the laser tool 21A is displaced parallel to the Y axis in order to move the laser tool 21A from a position along the Y axis suitable for operating on one of the workpieces (facing the workpiece along the Z axis) to a position along the Y axis suitable for operating on the other of the workpieces (facing the workpiece along the Z axis).

[0060] Figure 3B Pictured Figure 3A , but also shown here is a workpiece holding device 1004, which is attached to the previously referenced Figure 2 The device 1003 for holding these workpiece holding devices is described. The workpiece holding device 1004 clamps the corresponding workpiece 2001, 2002. In the illustrated position, the workpiece faces the side where the tool is arranged, so that the tool can approach the workpiece for machining at the following angle of attack: This angle of attack can be set by pivoting the workpiece holding device 1004 about its longitudinal axis (i.e., about an axis parallel to the X axis of the machine tool). In addition, after the machining operation, the workpiece holding device can be pivoted, for example, by about 180 degrees, so that the workpiece is away from the tool, thereby facilitating the operations of loading and unloading the workpiece onto and from the workpiece support, respectively.

[0061] Figure 4 is a flow chart showing some stages of a method according to an embodiment of the invention, which may be used, for example, according to Figure 2 After loading the workpiece onto the workpiece support and clamping the workpiece, the tool carrier support 2 can be positioned to face the end of the workpiece closest to the tool magazine 4, and the workpiece is laser processed starting from those ends, moving toward the other end of the workpiece. In some embodiments of the present invention, laser processing can be completed before starting processing using a rotating tool. However, in Figure 4In an embodiment, machining with the rotary tool is started before laser machining is terminated, for example, once the laser tool reaches a position along the X-axis that is far enough from the position where machining with the rotary tool is started so that the risk of chips removed by the rotary tool interfering with the laser tool is considered sufficiently small. This overlap between laser machining and machining with the rotary tool can be used to reduce cycle time.

[0062] Figure 5 is a flow chart showing some stages of a method according to an embodiment of the invention which can be implemented using, for example, a machine tool according to the embodiment of FIG. 3 having two tool carriers 11, 21 for rotary tools and only one tool carrier 21 for laser tools. Figure 5 One way of operating such a machine tool, illustrated in the flowchart of , involves using the time period during a tool change operation at the tool magazine 4 to perform laser machining operations. During the first tool change operation, the laser tool 21A may, for example, operate on a first of two workpieces, and during the second tool change operation, the laser tool 21A may, for example, perform a tool change operation on a second of the two workpieces.

[0063] As is readily understood from these examples, there are a variety of ways in which the invention can be implemented, such that aspects such as cycle time and productivity, quality, and cost can be optimized, for example, in view of the characteristics of the workpieces and the needs for productivity. The number of workpieces to be processed simultaneously and the number of rotary tools and laser tools, for example the number of tool carriers assigned to each tool carrier support and the type of tool (rotary tool, laser tool) assigned to each tool carrier can be determined and / or modified based on aspects such as the type of machining operation to be performed on each workpiece, and the relationship or ratio between the number of machining operations (and / or the time allocated to machining operations) that need to be performed by a rotary tool (e.g. due to accessibility issues), that need to be performed by a laser tool (e.g. due to the need to operate on components such as thin overhanging flanges), and that can be performed by both a rotary tool and a laser tool.

[0064] Figure 6 The process of selecting a machine configuration starting from a basic machine layout or configuration, such as, for example, Figure 2 and the one in Fig. 3, but without the tool carrier, the tool magazine and the workpiece support. That is, the basic machine tool configuration may include a machine tool and two workpiece carrying supports (or one of them).

[0065] Based on the specific workpiece layout, the first aspect to be considered is the need to use both rotary tools and laser tools for machining: sometimes it is necessary to use at least one of these types of tools, sometimes both types of tools are needed. Another aspect to be considered is the cost involved for each type of tool: the laser equipment, the drive device for the rotary tool, the maintenance costs including the cost of replacing the rotary tool due to wear, etc. And another aspect to be considered is the requirement for productivity. Based on these aspects, the machine tool configuration is selected, including the workpiece supports (in particular, the number of workpieces to be processed in parallel, i.e., the number of workpieces supported in the workpiece supports at the same time), the number of tool carriers with rotary tools, and the number of tool carriers with laser tools. For example, if laser tools are only needed or recommended for a small number of machining operations, while most machining operations are preferably performed using rotary tools, the configuration according to Figure 3 may sometimes be superior to the configuration according to Figure 3. Figure 2 configuration, whereby a single laser tool can be used to perform all laser machining operations required for two workpieces, for example operating on the workpieces when the tool carrier support 1 with the rotating tool is in its tool change position.

[0066] In this document, the term "include" and its derivatives (such as "comprises", etc.) should not be understood in an exclusive sense, that is, these terms should not be interpreted as excluding the possibility that the described and defined contents may include other elements, steps, etc.

[0067] The present invention is obviously not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, but also includes any modifications (for example, regarding the selection of materials, dimensions, components, configurations, etc.) that may be considered by a person skilled in the art within the general scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A machine tool comprising: A workpiece support (1000) for supporting at least one workpiece (2001, 2002) to allow machining of the workpiece; as well as a plurality of tools (11A, 12A, 21A, 22A), wherein the plurality of tools (11A, 12A, 21A, 22A) are suitable for processing the at least one workpiece; The machine tool is adapted to position the tool relative to the workpiece support, in, At least one of the tools is a laser tool (21A, 22A) adapted to remove material from the at least one workpiece.

2. The machine tool according to claim 1, wherein: At least another of the tools is a rotary tool (11A, 12A) adapted to remove material from the at least one workpiece.

3. A machine tool according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The workpiece support (1000) is arranged for supporting at least one workpiece (2001, 2002) and for pivoting the at least one workpiece (2001, 2002) about an axis parallel to an X-axis of the machine tool.

4. The machine tool according to claim 3, wherein: The workpiece support (1000) is arranged for supporting a plurality of workpieces (2001, 2002) and for pivoting the plurality of workpieces (2001, 2002) about respective axes parallel to the X-axis of the machine tool.

5. The machine tool according to claim 3, wherein: The workpiece support (1000) is arranged to support a plurality of elongated workpieces (2001, 2002) extending parallel to each other and to the X-axis of the machine tool, and to pivot the plurality of workpieces (2001, 2002) around respective axes parallel to the X-axis of the machine tool.

6. A machine tool according to any one of claims 3 to 5 when dependent on claim 2.

7. Machine tool according to any of the preceding claims, comprising at least one tool-carrying support (1, 2) which can be displaced in a controllable manner parallel to a first axis (X) of the machine tool, wherein Each tool carrier supports at least one tool carrier (11, 12; 21, 22), each tool carrier supports a respective one of the plurality of tools (11A, 12A; 21A, 22A), so that the at least one laser tool (21A, 22A) is carried by a respective one of the tool carriers (21, 22), wherein each tool carrier (11, 12; 21, 22) is controllably displaceable relative to the tool carrier support according to at least a second axis of the machine tool.

8. The machine tool according to claim 7, wherein: The at least one tool-carrying support (1, 2) is controllably displaceable parallel to an X-axis of the machine tool, and wherein each tool-carrying support (11, 12; 21, 22) is mounted on a respective tool-carrying support such that each tool-carrying support (11, 12; 21, 22) is displaceable relative to the tool-carrying support parallel to a Y-axis of the machine tool and parallel to a Z-axis of the machine tool, wherein movement parallel to the Z-axis is used to displace the tool-carrier towards and away from the workpiece carrier, respectively.

9. The machine tool according to claim 8, wherein: The Y axis is a vertical axis, wherein the at least one tool carrier support (1, 2) is constructed as a horizontally displaceable column, and the tool carrier (11, 12; 21, 22) is arranged on the corresponding column so that the tool carrier (11, 12; 21, 22) can be displaced along the column in a vertical direction parallel to the Y axis, and can be displaced perpendicular to the column parallel to the Z axis.

10. Machine tool according to any one of claims 7 to 9, comprising two tool-carrying supports (1, 2) which are controllably displaceable parallel to the first axis (X) of the machine tool, wherein A first one of the tool-carrying supports (1) supports at least one tool-carrying support (11, 12) adapted to carry a rotary tool (11A, 12A), and a second one of the two tool-carrying supports (2) supports at least one tool-carrying support (21, 22) adapted to carry a laser tool (21A, 22A).

11. The machine tool according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein: M of the tool carriers are adapted to carry laser tools, and wherein N of the tool carriers are adapted to carry rotary tools, M and N being integers ≥ 1, M being different from N.

12. The machine tool according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein: At least one tool carrier (21, 22) carrying a laser tool (21A, 22A) is controllably displaceable so that the respective laser tool can be brought into a position that allows the laser tool to perform sequential operations on more than one of a plurality of workpieces aligned in parallel in the workpiece support (1000).

13. A method of operating a machine tool, such as a machine tool according to any one of the preceding claims, the method comprising the steps of: - loading at least one workpiece (2001, 2002) onto a workpiece support (1000) of the machine tool; - performing a plurality of machining operations on the workpiece using at least two tools (11A, 12A; 21A, 22A) carried by at least two different tool carriers (11, 12; 21, 22) forming part of the machine tool, the tool carriers being optionally displaceable relative to the workpiece support (1000) according to an X-axis, a Y-axis and a Z-axis of the machine tool, the X-axis, the Y-axis and the Z-axis being orthogonal axes; - optionally, pivoting said at least one workpiece (2001, 2002) between two of said machining operations in order to set a predetermined angle of attack between the respective tool and said workpiece; - unloading the at least one workpiece (2001, 2002) from the workpiece support (1000); wherein at least one of the tools is a laser tool (21A, 22A), and wherein the plurality of machining operations include at least some operations involving removing material from the workpiece using a laser beam emitted from at least one of the laser tools.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: At least another of the tools is a rotary tool (11A, 12A), such as a tool for milling or drilling, and wherein the method comprises simultaneously performing a machining operation with the rotary tool and a machining operation with the laser tool.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein: At least another of the tools is a rotary tool (11A, 12A), such as a tool for milling or drilling, and wherein the machine tool further comprises a tool magazine (4) supporting a plurality of rotary tools, wherein the plurality of machining operations include at least some operations involving the removal of material using the rotary tools (11A, 12A), wherein the method further comprises performing at least one tool change operation at the tool magazine (4) to replace a rotary tool carried by one of the tool carriers (11, 12) by another rotary tool, and wherein the method further comprises performing at least some machining operations with a laser tool while the at least one tool change operation is being performed.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The method includes simultaneously performing a machining operation with a rotary tool and a machining operation with a laser tool.

17. A method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, comprising, before starting the first machining operation involving the use of a rotary tool, performing at least some and optionally all of the machining operations involving the use of a laser tool, taking into account a specific section of the workpiece, which section corresponds to 10%, 25% or 50% of the extension of the workpiece in the longitudinal direction of the workpiece when the workpiece is an elongated workpiece.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, comprising: - starting processing of the workpiece by laser processing on a first end of the workpiece; - moving the tool carrier with the laser tool towards the other end of the workpiece while performing different machining operations with the laser tool; - starting machining with the rotary tool in the vicinity of the first end of the workpiece when the laser tool has reached a distance from the first end of the workpiece greater than 25 cm.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18 comprises moving at least one tool carrier (21) carrying a laser tool (21A) between a position for processing a first workpiece and a position for processing a second workpiece when the workpieces are arranged parallel to each other in the workpiece support.

20. The method according to claim 14, in, The machine tool comprises a first tool-carrying support (1) which is controllably displaceable parallel to a first axis (X) of the machine tool, wherein the first tool-carrying support (1) supports a tool-carrying support (11, 12) carrying the rotary tool (11A, 12A), the machine tool further comprising a second tool-carrying support (2) which is controllably displaceable parallel to the first axis (X) of the machine tool, wherein the second tool-carrying support (2) supports a tool-carrying support (21, 22) carrying the laser tool (21A, 22A), wherein each tool-carrying support (11, 12; 21, 22) is controllably displaceable relative to the respective tool-carrying support (1, 2) according to at least a second axis (Y) of the machine tool; wherein the workpiece support (1000) is arranged to support a plurality of elongated workpieces (2001, 2002) extending parallel to each other and parallel to the first axis (X) of the machine tool, and to enable the plurality of workpieces (2001, 2002) to pivot around respective axes parallel to the first axis (X) of the machine tool; and Therein, the method comprises displacing the tool-bearing support parallel to the first axis (X) of the machine tool.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising moving the tool carrier (21) carrying the laser tool (21A) between a position for processing a first workpiece and a position for processing a second workpiece with the workpieces arranged in parallel in the workpiece support.

22. A method for constructing a machine tool based on a basic machine tool layout, the method comprising the following steps: A) determining machining requirements for completing machining of one or more workpieces during a machining cycle; B) selecting a combination of tools (11A, 12A; 21A, 22A) to be used to meet the processing requirements from a group of tools including at least one laser tool and a plurality of rotary tools; C) defining a machine tool comprising a tool carrier (11, 12; 21, 22) for carrying a selected said tool; Therein, step B) and / or step C) are performed taking into account the following aspects in order to optimize the efficiency of the machine tool: - cycle time and / or production rate, and -cost.

23. The method of claim 22, comprising defining the machine tool to include M tool carriers adapted to carry laser tools and N tool carriers adapted to carry rotary tools, M and N being integers ≥ 1, M being different from N.

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