A CNC machining device

Abstract

The application discloses a CNC machining device and relates to the technical field of machining centers of numerical control machine tools, and mainly solves the problem that the prior art cannot improve the tray supply and recovery efficiency on the material table under the premise of ensuring the tray capacity. The application comprises a plurality of CNC machine tables arranged transversely, a material table is arranged on the front side of each machine table, a blank area, a finished product area, a temporary storage area and a mechanical arm are arranged on the material table, a track is arranged above all the CNC machine tables, a blank warehouse is arranged below one end of the track, a finished product warehouse is arranged below the other end of the track, a first shuttle vehicle and a second shuttle vehicle are arranged to move along the track, the first shuttle vehicle is used for pushing empty trays in the blank area to the temporary storage area and supplementing full-load trays, and the second shuttle vehicle is used for taking away full-tray finished product trays in the finished product area and pushing empty trays in the temporary storage area to the finished product area. The application can improve the tray supply and recovery efficiency on the material table under the premise of not reducing the tray capacity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of CNC machine tool machining center technology, and more specifically to a CNC machining device. Background Technology

[0002] A CNC machining center comprises multiple CNC machine tools. Each CNC machine tool has a feed table at its front, comprising a blank area, a finished product area, and a robotic arm. The blank area's pallet is used to supply blanks, while the finished product area's pallet is used to place finished products. The robotic arm is used to pick up blanks from the blank area's pallet and supply them to the CNC machine tool, and also to retrieve finished products from the CNC machine tool and place them into the finished product area's pallet, thus realizing the loading and unloading of blanks and finished products on a single CNC machine tool.

[0003] However, when the blanks on the pallets in the blank area are used up, workers need to manually remove the empty pallets and replenish them with the next pallet full of blanks; similarly, when the pallets in the finished product area are full of finished products, workers need to manually remove the pallets full of finished products and replenish them with empty pallets for holding finished products. This manual operation means that the efficiency of pallet replenishment and recycling on the material platform needs improvement.

[0004] A search revealed that patent CN112108929B discloses "An Intelligent Production Line for Parts Manufacturing and Its Working Method." This patent utilizes a loading / unloading mechanism, a conveying mechanism, a production mechanism, and a pallet mechanism to load a pallet containing blank workpieces into the clamping system of a CNC machine tool, and to remove the finished workpiece from the clamping system of the CNC machine tool. In this patent, the pallet is not only a container for workpiece turnover but also a tooling for clamping workpieces. Therefore, this patent essentially describes the automatic replacement of processing tooling, rather than the replenishment and retrieval of material turnover pallets on the platform. Furthermore, to achieve the clamping function, the pallet in this patent needs to be equipped with a corresponding clamping structure (i.e., the zero-point positioning module in this patent), which reduces the effective load-bearing area of ​​the pallet, resulting in a decrease in pallet capacity.

[0005] Therefore, how to improve the efficiency of pallet replenishment and recycling on the pallet platform without reducing pallet capacity is an urgent problem to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the aforementioned shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention proposes a CNC machining device that can improve the efficiency of pallet replenishment and recycling on the material platform without reducing pallet capacity.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: A CNC machining apparatus includes multiple CNC machine tools arranged horizontally. Each CNC machine tool has a material table on its front side. The material table has a blank area, a finished product area, a temporary storage area, and a robot arm. The blank area holds pallets containing blanks, and the finished product area holds pallets for holding finished products. It also includes a track, a blank storage room, a finished product storage room, a first shuttle, and a second shuttle. The track is located above all the CNC machine tools. The blank storage room is located below one end of the track. The finished product storage room is located below the other end of the track. Both the first shuttle and the second shuttle move along the track. The first shuttle is used to pick up a pallet full of blanks from the blank storage room and move it to the target material table. Then, it moves an empty pallet from the blank area to the temporary storage area and then places a pallet full of blanks in the blank area. The second shuttle is used to pick up a pallet full of finished products from the target material table, then moves a pallet from the temporary storage area to the finished product area and then moves a pallet full of finished products to the finished product storage room.

[0008] Furthermore, the tray has several slots on each of its two symmetrical sides, and support legs at the bottom. Both the first shuttle and the second shuttle include a tray pick-and-place assembly. The tray pick-and-place assembly includes a fixed frame, a movable frame, and an adjusting component. The adjusting component is used to adjust the distance between the fixed frame and the movable frame. The fixed frame is provided with several hollow tubes, and the movable frame is provided with several drive rods. Each hollow tube contains a drive rod. The bottom end of the drive rod is pivotally connected to a connecting rod, and the bottom end of the connecting rod is pivotally connected to a swing rod. The middle part of the swing rod is pivotally connected to the bottom of the hollow tube. The middle part of the swing rod is also provided with a push rod, which is perpendicular to the swing rod. When the swing rod swings to a horizontal position, the push rod swings to a vertical position. The horizontally positioned swing rod is used to support the tray, and the vertically positioned push rod is used to insert into the slot and push the tray.

[0009] Furthermore, both the first shuttle and the second shuttle include a vehicle body that travels along the track. The bottom of the vehicle body is provided with an extension component, the bottom of the extension component is provided with a lifting component, and the bottom of the lifting component is provided with the pick-and-place tray component.

[0010] Furthermore, the track includes a first horizontal rail and a second horizontal rail. The blank storage is located below the left end of the first horizontal rail, and the finished product storage is located below the right end of the second horizontal rail. The car body in the first shuttle travels along the first horizontal rail, and the car body in the second shuttle travels along the second horizontal rail.

[0011] Furthermore, the blank warehouse includes a first conveyor that longitudinally transports the pallets filled with blanks. The first conveyor is provided with multiple first partitions, and a blank storage area is provided between each pair of adjacent first partitions. The blank storage area is used to stack pallets filled with blanks. The finished product warehouse includes a second conveyor that longitudinally transports the pallets filled with finished products. The second conveyor is provided with multiple second partitions, and a finished product storage area is provided between each pair of adjacent second partitions. The finished product storage area is used to stack pallets filled with finished products.

[0012] Furthermore, the pallet includes two symmetrical first sides and two symmetrical second sides, the first sides being longer than the second sides, and the first sides having the slots; the first side of the pallet in the blank area extends longitudinally; the first side of the pallet in the finished product area extends laterally; the temporary storage area is provided with a lifting and reversing assembly, which is used to lift and lower the pallet located in the temporary storage area, and to rotate the pallet located in the temporary storage area horizontally by 90°.

[0013] Furthermore, the lifting and reversing assembly includes a lifting rod, a lifting cylinder, a reversing cylinder, and a crank. The top end of the lifting rod is provided with a square shaft, which engages with a reversing hole opened in the temporary storage area. The bottom end of the lifting rod is rotatably connected to the piston rod of the lifting cylinder through a rotating seat. The cylinder body of the lifting cylinder is located at the lower part of the material platform. The cylinder body of the reversing cylinder is pivotally connected to the lower part of the material platform. The piston rod of the reversing cylinder is pivotally connected to one end of the crank, and the other end of the crank is slidably connected to the lifting rod in the vertical direction.

[0014] Furthermore, it also includes a detection module and a control module. The detection module is used to detect the status of the pallets in the blank area and the finished product area, and transmit the detection information and position information to the control module. Both the first shuttle and the second shuttle are electrically connected to the control module.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: 1. This invention divides the material platform outside the CNC machine tool into three zones and uses tracks, a first shuttle, a second shuttle, a blank warehouse, and a finished product warehouse to achieve automated mechanical replacement of pallets on the material platform, improving the efficiency of pallet replenishment and recycling. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for clamping fixtures on the pallets, thus not occupying pallet storage space and reducing pallet capacity. The pallets of this invention are more versatile.

[0016] 2. The temporary storage area on the material platform of this invention serves as a buffer and redistribution node for the flow of empty trays, transforming the trays after the blanks are consumed into trays required for receiving finished products, which helps to simplify the process and improve overall efficiency.

[0017] 3. In the pallet pick-up and drop-off assemblies used by the first and second shuttle cars, the push rod has the opposite posture to the swing rod. When the swing rod in a horizontal posture supports the pallet, the push rod in a vertical posture can push the pallet on the platform. This allows the first and second shuttle cars to complete multiple actions of picking up, pushing, and dropping the pallet in a single round trip, avoiding multiple round trips on the track to complete these actions, further simplifying the process and improving overall efficiency.

[0018] 4. The pallet pick-up and drop-off assembly used in the first and second shuttles picks up pallets by using a swing arm to support the bottom of the pallet. This allows for the pickup of both wall-less and wall-mounted pallets, improving adaptability. In contrast, the currently common side-wall clamping method requires the pallet to have an upright external wall structure on its side for reliable pickup.

[0019] 5. When the second shuttle's pallet loading and unloading assembly places pallets into the finished goods warehouse, the vertical push rod will insert into the slot of the top pallet of the pallet stack. At this time, the push rod plays a positioning role, ensuring that the pallet to be placed is aligned horizontally with the pallet stack below. At the same time, combined with the outward swinging release action of the swing arm, the support legs at the bottom of the pallet will smoothly land on the lower pallet, ensuring the neatness of the pallet stack and preventing the risk of tilting or collapse when multiple layers are stacked.

[0020] 6. Pallets in the blank area are placed longitudinally along their first side edge, while pallets in the finished product area are placed laterally along their first side edge. This placement method reduces empty areas, makes reasonable use of the worktable space, and improves the utilization rate of the worktable space.

[0021] 7. By installing a lifting and reversing component in the temporary storage area, it can adapt to situations where the requirements for pallet placement direction differ between the blank area and the finished product area, thus improving adaptability. Integrating the lifting and reversing function into the material platform allows the pallets in the temporary storage area to be adjusted in advance before using the second shuttle to replace pallets fully loaded with finished products, which is conducive to further improving pallet changing efficiency.

[0022] 8. The blank storage area uses a first conveyor to store pallets filled with blanks. The position of the blank storage area can be adjusted by moving the first conveyor longitudinally, allowing pallets from the next blank storage area to be moved to the left end of the first horizontal rail for continuous pallet replenishment. Similarly, the finished product storage area uses a second conveyor to provide continuous storage positions for pallets filled with finished products, improving production continuity. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a 3D view of a CNC machining device; Figure 2 This is a front view of a CNC machining device; Figure 3It is a 3D view of the CNC machine tool and the material table; Figure 4 It is a 3D view of the material handling platform; Figure 5 It is a partial 3D view of the material platform; Figure 6 This is a 3D view of the material platform when pallets are placed in the blank area, finished product area, and temporary storage area. Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the rotating base; Figure 8 It is a three-dimensional tray Figure 1 ; Figure 9 It is a three-dimensional tray Figure 2 ; Figure 10 It is a 3D view of the tray loading and unloading assembly; Figure 11 It is a 3D view of the fixing frame and adjusting components; Figure 12 It is a 3D diagram of the movable frame; Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram showing the tray loading and unloading assembly carrying a tray. Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram showing the state of the pallet pick-up and drop-off assembly picking up a pallet from a pallet stack. Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram showing the process of the pallet pick-up and drop-off assembly picking up a pallet from the finished product area of ​​the material station; Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram showing the state of the pallet picker / placer assembly carrying a pallet full of finished products and pushing the pallet in the temporary storage area. Figure 17 It is a 3D view of the first shuttle and the first horizontal rail; Figure 18 It is the three-dimensional version of the first shuttle. Figure 1 ; Figure 19 It is the three-dimensional version of the first shuttle. Figure 2 ; Figure 20 It is a 3D view of the second shuttle car and the second horizontal rail; Figure 21 It is the three-dimensional version of the second shuttle. Figure 1 ; Figure 22 It is the three-dimensional version of the second shuttle. Figure 2 ; Figure 23 It is a three-dimensional lifting component Figure 1 ; Figure 24 It is a three-dimensional lifting component Figure 2 ; Figure 25 It is a 3D view of the raw material warehouse; Figure 26 This is a 3D view of the finished goods warehouse.

[0024] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1-CNC machine tool, 2-Material platform, 21-Blank area, 22-Finished product area, 23-Temporary storage area, 24-Robot arm, 25-Lifting and reversing assembly, 251-Lifting rod, 252-Lifting cylinder, 253-Reversing cylinder, 254-Crank, 255-Square shaft, 256-Rotating seat, 2561-Seat body, 2562-Rotating cavity, 2563-Turntable, 2564-Annular cover, 26-Reversing hole 3-track, 31-first horizontal rail, 32-second horizontal rail, 4-Raw material warehouse, 41-First conveyor, 42-First partition, 5-Finished goods warehouse, 51-Second conveyor, 52-Second partition, 6a - First shuttle, 6b - Second shuttle 61-Plate loading / unloading assembly; 611-Fixed bracket; 6111-Hollow tube; 612-Modible bracket; 6121-Drive rod; 6122-Connecting rod; 6123-Swing rod; 6124-Push rod; 613-Adjusting component. 62-Car body, 63-Extension component, 631-Base frame, 632-Extension frame, 633-Extension drive structure, 64-Lifting assembly, 641-First frame, 642-Second frame, 643-Third frame, 644-Fourth frame, 645-Fifth frame, 646-Lifting drive structure. 7-Tray, 71-Slot, 72-First side, 73-Second side, 74-Square slot 81 - Inspection parts in the raw material area; 82 - Inspection parts in the finished product area. Detailed Implementation

[0025] To better understand the present invention, it will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Example 1: A CNC machining device, see Figure 1 or Figure 2 It includes multiple CNC machine tools 1 arranged horizontally, and each CNC machine tool 1 has a material table 2 on its front side.

[0027] See Figure 4The material table 2 is divided into a blank area 21, a finished product area 22, and a temporary storage area 23. The blank area 21 is used to place trays 7 containing blanks, which are workpieces to be processed. The finished product area 22 is used to place trays 7 containing finished products, which are processed workpieces. The temporary storage area 23 is used to place empty trays 7. A robot arm 24 is fixedly installed on the material table 2. The robot arm 24 is used to pick up blanks from the trays 7 in the blank area 21 and send them to the CNC machine 1 for processing, or to take finished products from the CNC machine 1 and place them on the trays 7 in the finished product area 22.

[0028] See Figure 1 The device has a track 3 mounted above all CNC machine tools 1. The track 3 includes a first horizontal rail 31 and a second horizontal rail 32.

[0029] See Figure 1 or Figure 2 The device also includes a blank storage 4, a finished product storage 5, a first shuttle 6a, and a second shuttle 6b. The blank storage 4 is located below the left end of the first horizontal rail 31 and is used to supply pallets 7 filled with blanks. The finished product storage 5 is located below the right end of the second horizontal rail 32 and is used to retrieve pallets 7 filled with finished products. The first shuttle 6a moves along the first horizontal rail 31, and the second shuttle 6b moves along the second horizontal rail 32, both responsible for transporting the pallets 7.

[0030] This device also includes a detection module and a control module. The detection module is used to detect the status of the pallets 7 in the blank area 21 and the finished product area 22, and transmit the detection information and position information to the control module.

[0031] Specifically, the detection module includes a blank area detection component 81 and a finished product area detection component 82 installed on each material platform 2; the blank area detection component 81 is used to detect in real time whether the tray 7 in the blank area 21 is empty and transmits the detection information and position information to the control module; the finished product area detection component 82 is used to detect in real time whether the tray 7 in the finished product area 22 is full and transmits the detection information and position information to the control module.

[0032] For example, both the blank area detection component 81 and the finished product area detection component 82 can be weight sensors; the weight sensor located in the blank area 21 of the material platform 2 compares the weight information of the tray 7 collected with the first set weight inside the control module. If it drops to or is lower than the first set weight, it indicates that the tray 7 in the blank area 21 has become an empty tray; the weight sensor located in the finished product area 22 of the material platform 2 compares the weight information of the tray 7 collected with the second set weight inside the control module. If it rises to or exceeds the second set weight, it indicates that the tray 7 in the finished product area 22 has become a full tray.

[0033] Or see Figure 3 or Figure 4Both the blank area inspection component 81 and the finished product area inspection component 82 employ cameras. The camera used to capture the state of the tray 7 in the blank area 21 compares the captured image information with the first stored image inside the control module. If they match the first stored image, it indicates that the tray 7 in the blank area 21 has become an empty tray. The camera used to capture the state of the tray 7 in the finished product area 22 compares the captured image information with the second stored image inside the control module. If they match the second stored image, it indicates that the tray 7 in the finished product area 22 has become a full tray.

[0034] The working principle is as follows: In the initial state, the blank storage 4 contains multiple trays 7 filled with blanks. The first shuttle 6a moves and waits at the left end of the first horizontal rail 31 (i.e., above the blank storage 4), and the second shuttle 6b moves and waits at the right end of the second horizontal rail 32 (i.e., above the finished product storage 5). The detection module detects the status of the trays 7 on the material table 2 in front of each CNC machine 1.

[0035] When the robotic arm 24 on a certain material platform 2 feeds all the blanks on the tray 7 in the blank area 21 into the CNC machine 1 one by one, the tray 7 becomes an empty tray. The detection module detects that the tray 7 in the blank area 21 is empty, and sends the empty tray information and information including the position of the material platform 2 to the control module. The control module issues control commands: First, the control module controls the first shuttle 6a to pick up a tray 7 full of blanks from the blank storage 4 and move it along the first horizontal rail 31 to directly above the blank area 21 of the target material platform 2; then, the control module controls the first shuttle 6a to push the empty tray 7 in the blank area 21 of the target material platform 2 into the temporary storage area 23 of the same material platform 2; next, the control module controls the first shuttle 6a to place the tray 7 full of blanks it carries into the blank area 21; finally, the control module controls the first shuttle 6a to return to the left end of the first horizontal rail 31. This completes the resupply operation of pallet 7, which is now filled with blanks.

[0036] When the robotic arm 24 on a certain material platform 2 places finished products into the tray 7 of the finished product area 22 until it is full, the detection module detects that the tray 7 in the finished product area 22 is full. The detection module transmits this full tray information and information including the position of the material platform 2 to the control module. The control module issues control commands: First, the control module controls the second shuttle 6b to travel along the second horizontal rail 32 to directly above the finished product area 22 of the target material platform 2; then, the control module controls the second shuttle 6b to pick up the full tray 7 from the finished product area 22; next, the control module controls the second shuttle 6b to push the empty tray 7 in the temporary storage area 23 to the finished product area 22, so that it can be used as a new tray 7 to receive finished products; finally, the control module controls the second shuttle 6b to transport the full tray 7 to the finished product warehouse 5 for recycling. Thus, the recycling operation of a tray 7 full of finished products is completed.

[0037] As can be seen from the above working principle, this embodiment divides the material platform 2 outside the CNC machine tool 1 into three zones, and uses the track 3, the first shuttle 6a and the second shuttle 6b, the blank warehouse 4 and the finished product warehouse 5 to realize the mechanical and automated replacement of the pallets 7 on the material platform 2, which improves the replenishment and recycling efficiency of the pallets 7 on the material platform 2. Furthermore, this embodiment does not require setting clamping fixtures on the pallets 7, and will not occupy the storage space of the pallets 7, thus not reducing the capacity of the pallets 7. The pallets 7 in this embodiment are more versatile.

[0038] By dividing the material platform 2 into a blank area 21, a finished product area 22, and a temporary storage area 23, an internal circulation system for the pallet 7 is established. Empty pallets 7 in the blank area 21 are pushed to the temporary storage area 23 for temporary storage. When the finished product area 22 needs an empty pallet 7, the pallet 7 in the temporary storage area 23 is directly pushed to the finished product area 22 for use. Empty pallets 7 do not need to be immediately transported over long distances, reducing the frequency of round trips for the first shuttle 6a and the second shuttle 6b, simplifying the process, and improving overall efficiency.

[0039] Example 2: This embodiment 2 illustrates the specific structure of the first shuttle 6a, the second shuttle 6b, and the adapted pallet 7 in embodiment 1.

[0040] See Figure 8 and Figure 9 The tray 7 is rectangular, comprising two symmetrical first sides 72 and two symmetrical second sides 73, with the first sides 72 being longer than the second sides 73. Each of the two first sides 72 has two slots 71. Support legs are fixedly mounted at the four bottom corners of the tray 7.

[0041] See Figure 4 Both the blank area 21 and the finished product area 22 are provided with an upper layer and a lower layer, forming a height difference between the upper layer and the lower layer. The upper layer is used to directly support the legs of the pallet 7, and the slot 71 of the pallet 7 is located above the lower layer.

[0042] See Figure 10 Both the first shuttle 6a and the second shuttle 6b include a tray pick-and-place assembly 61, which is used to pick up, release, and push the tray 7.

[0043] See Figure 10 , Figure 11 and Figure 12The tray loading / unloading assembly 61 includes a fixed frame 611, a movable frame 612, and an adjusting member 613. Four hollow tubes 6111 are fixedly mounted on the fixed frame 611. Drive rods 6121, corresponding to the number of hollow tubes 6111, are fixedly mounted on the movable frame 612, each drive rod 6121 being vertically slidably housed within a hollow tube 6111. The adjusting member 613 (such as an electric push rod or cylinder) is fixedly mounted on the fixed frame 611, with its piston rod end fixedly connected to the movable frame 612. The adjusting member 613 drives the movable frame 612 to move up and down relative to the fixed frame 611, and is electrically connected to the control module. A swing rod 6123 is pivotally connected to the bottom end of each hollow tube 6111, with the middle of the swing rod 6123 serving as the pivot point. Inside the hollow tube 6111, the bottom end of the drive rod 6121 is pivotally connected to one end of a connecting rod 6122, and the other end of the connecting rod 6122 is pivotally connected to the first end (non-supporting end) of the swing rod 6123, the second end of the swing rod 6123 being the supporting end. A push rod 6124 is also fixed in the middle of each swing rod 6123, and the push rod 6124 is perpendicular to the swing rod 6123.

[0044] See Figure 17 , Figure 18 , Figure 19 , Figure 20 , Figure 21 and Figure 22 Both the first shuttle 6a and the second shuttle 6b include a body 62, which is electrically connected to the control module. The body 62 of the first shuttle 6a travels on the first horizontal rail 31, and the body 62 of the second shuttle 6b travels on the second horizontal rail 32. (See also...) Figure 18 or Figure 21 The bottom of the vehicle body 62 is provided with an extension component 63 and a lifting component 64. The extension component 63 is used to adjust the horizontal position of the pick-and-place tray component 61, and the lifting component 64 is used to adjust the height of the pick-and-place tray component 61.

[0045] See Figure 18 or Figure 21 The extension assembly 63 includes a base frame 631, an extension frame 632, and an extension drive structure 633. The base frame 631 is fixedly installed at the bottom of the vehicle body 62. The extension frame 632 is horizontally slidably connected to the bottom of the base frame 631 via a slider guide pair. The extension drive structure 633 adopts a motor gear rack structure to drive the extension frame 632 to extend or retract horizontally relative to the base frame 631. The extension drive structure 633 is electrically connected to the control module.

[0046] See Figure 23 and Figure 24The lifting assembly 64 includes a first frame 641, a second frame 642, a third frame 643, a fourth frame 644, and a fifth frame 645 nested from the outside in. The top of the first frame 641 is fixed to the bottom of the extension frame 632, and the bottom of the fifth frame 645 is fixedly mounted on the fixing frame 611 of the tray loading and unloading assembly 61. Vertical sliding guidance is achieved between each pair of adjacent frames through a slider-slide joint. Vertical relative movement between each pair of adjacent frames is achieved through a lifting drive structure 646, which adopts a motor gear rack structure. All lifting drive structures 646 are electrically connected to the control module.

[0047] The working principle is as follows: When the control module controls the first shuttle 6a to pick up the pallet 7 from the blank storage 4, firstly, the first shuttle 6a moves via the vehicle body 62 to directly above the blank storage 4, so that the swing arm 6123 in the pallet pick-and-place assembly 61 is directly above the slot 71 of the uppermost pallet 7. Then, the lifting assembly 64 lowers the pallet pick-and-place assembly 61 until the swing arm 6123 is inserted into the slot 71 of the uppermost pallet 7. Next, the adjusting component 613 drives the movable frame 612 to descend relative to the fixed frame 611. The movable frame 612 drives the drive rod 6121 to descend, and the drive rod 6121 pushes the swing arm 6123 to swing inward around its central pivot point via the connecting rod 6122. This action causes the swing arm 6123 to change from a vertical position to a horizontal position, with its supporting end supporting the bottom of the uppermost pallet 7. At this time, the uppermost pallet 7 is supported by the swing arms 6123 on both sides. See below. Figure 13 This enables pickup; furthermore, the legs at the bottom of tray 7 provide a separation height for two stacked trays 7, allowing the swing arm 6123 to swing smoothly; simultaneously, the push rod 6124 swings from a horizontal to a vertical position, and the vertically positioned push rod 6124 swings into the slot 71 of the second-highest tray 7. Here, the slot 71 of the second-highest tray 7 provides a buffer for the push rod 6124. See [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 14 Then, the uppermost pallet 7 is lifted by the lifting assembly 64. Finally, the uppermost pallet 7 is moved by the vehicle body 62 to be directly above the blank area 21 of the target material platform 2.

[0048] When the control module controls the first shuttle 6a carrying the pallet 7 to push the empty pallet 7 from the blank area 21 to the temporary storage area 23, firstly, the first shuttle 6a, which has already moved to the top of the blank area 21 on the target platform 2, lowers the entire pallet pick-and-place assembly 61 via the lifting component 64 until the vertical push rod 6124 is inserted into the slot 71 of the pallet 7 in the blank area 21. Next, the extension component 63 pushes the pallet 7 in the blank area 21 to the temporary storage area 23. Then, the lifting component 64 raises the entire pallet pick-and-place assembly 61, causing the vertical push rod 6124 to move upward and out of the slot 71. Finally, the extension component 63 reverses the movement of the pallet pick-and-place assembly 61, returning the pallet 7 filled with blanks carried by the pallet pick-and-place assembly 61 to the top of the blank area 21.

[0049] When the control module controls the first shuttle 6a to place the tray 7 filled with blanks it carries into the blank area 21, firstly, the height of the tray picking and placing assembly 61 is lowered by the lifting assembly 64, so that the support legs at the bottom of the tray 7 fall on the upper level of the blank area 21. The support legs of the tray 7 can support the tray 7, providing height space for the outward swing of the swing arm 6123. In addition, the push rod 6124, which is set to a vertical position on the lower level of the blank area 21, provides height space. Then, the control module controls the adjusting component 613 to reverse the action, pulling the movable frame 612 upward. The drive rod 6121 drives the swing arm 6123 to swing outward through the connecting rod 6122, so that the swing arm 6123 returns from the horizontal position to the vertical position, releasing the support state of the swing arm 6123 on the tray 7, so that the tray 7 falls into the blank area 21. At the same time, the push rod 6124 returns from the vertical position to the horizontal position.

[0050] When the control module controls the second shuttle 6b to pick up a full pallet 7 from the finished product area 22, the second shuttle 6b, which has moved to the top of the finished product area 22 of the target material platform 2, firstly lowers the pallet picking and placing assembly 61 as a whole through the lifting assembly 64 until the swing arm 6123 is inserted into the slot 71 of the pallet 7 in the finished product area 22. Then, the movable frame 612 is driven to descend relative to the fixed frame 611 by the adjusting component 613. The movable frame 612 drives the drive rod 6121 to descend, and the drive rod 6121 pushes the swing rod 6123 to swing inward around its central pivot point through the connecting rod 6122. This action causes the swing rod 6123 to change from a vertical posture to a horizontal posture. The supporting end of the swing rod 6123 supports the bottom of the tray 7. At this time, the tray 7 is horizontally supported by the swing rods 6123 on both sides, realizing the picking up. At the same time, the push rod 6124 swings from a horizontal posture to a vertical posture. The height difference between the upper and lower layers of the finished product area 22 provides a space for the push rod 6124. See Figure 15 Finally, the pallet 7 filled with finished products is lifted using the lifting assembly 64.

[0051] When the control module controls the second shuttle 6b to push the empty tray 7 in the temporary storage area 23 to the finished product area 22, firstly, the tray pick-and-place assembly 61 is moved laterally by the extension assembly 63 until the push rod 6124 in the tray pick-and-place assembly 61 moves directly above the slot 71 of the tray 7 in the temporary storage area 23. Then, the lifting assembly 64 drives the tray pick-and-place assembly 61 to descend, so that the vertically positioned push rod 6124 is inserted into the slot 71 of the tray 7 in the temporary storage area 23. See [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 16 Then, the extension component 63 drives the pallet loading and unloading component 61 to move in the opposite direction, and the push rod 6124 pushes the pallet 7 in the temporary storage area 23 horizontally into the finished product area 22. Finally, the lifting component 64 lifts the fully loaded pallet 7 to the transport height.

[0052] When the control module controls the second shuttle 6b to transport the fully loaded pallet 7 to the finished product warehouse 5, firstly, the second shuttle 6b moves from above the target platform 2 to above the finished product warehouse 5 via the vehicle body 62. Then, the lifting assembly 64 lowers the fully loaded pallet 7 onto the top pallet 7 of the pallet stack in the finished product warehouse 5. At this time, the push rod 6124 is inserted into the slot 71 of the top pallet 7 of the pallet stack, where the slot 71 of the top pallet 7 avoids the push rod 6124. Next, the adjusting component 613 in the pallet pick-and-place assembly 61 reverses its action, pulling the movable frame 612 upward. The drive rod 6121 drives the swing rod 6123 to swing outward through the connecting rod 6122, causing the swing rod 6123 to return from a horizontal to a vertical position, releasing the support of the pallet 7. At the same time, the push rod 6124 swings outward from a vertical position to a horizontal position, and the push rod 6124 swings outward and exits the slot 71 of the top pallet 7.

[0053] As can be seen from the above working principle, the pallet picking and placing assembly 61 in the first shuttle 6a and the second shuttle 6b of this embodiment can realize the switching between the horizontal and vertical postures of the swing arm 6123 through the lifting frame 612. When picking up the pallet 7, the swing arm 6123 swings from the vertical posture to the horizontal posture; when releasing the pallet 7, the swing arm 6123 returns to the vertical posture. The posture of the push rod 6124 is opposite to that of the swing arm 6123. When the horizontal posture of the swing arm 6123 supports the pallet 7, the vertical posture of the push rod 6124 pushes the pallet 7 on the platform 2. This allows the first shuttle 6a and the second shuttle 6b to complete multiple actions of picking up, pushing, and placing the pallet in a single round trip, avoiding multiple round trips on the track 3 to complete these actions. This further simplifies the pallet 7 replenishment and recycling process and helps to further improve overall efficiency.

[0054] Example 3: In this embodiment, see Figure 6The pallets 7 in the blank area 21 are placed longitudinally with their first side 72 extended, while the pallets 7 in the finished product area 22 are placed laterally with their first side 72 extended. This placement method reduces empty areas, makes reasonable use of the tabletop space of the material platform 2, and improves the utilization rate of the tabletop space.

[0055] See Figure 5 In response to the inconsistency in the placement direction of the pallet 7 in the blank area 21 and the finished product area 22, this embodiment provides a lifting and reversing assembly 25 in the temporary storage area 23 to adjust the placement direction of the pallet 7.

[0056] See Figure 4 and Figure 5 The lifting and reversing assembly 25 includes a lifting rod 251, a lifting cylinder 252, a reversing cylinder 253, and a crank 254. The lifting rod 251 is a vertically arranged round rod with a square shaft 255 welded to its top. The bottom end of the lifting rod 251 is rotatably connected to the piston rod end of the lifting cylinder 252 via a rotating seat 256. (See also...) Figure 7 The rotating seat 256 includes a seat body 2561 welded and fixed to the end of the piston rod of the lifting cylinder 252, which has a rotating cavity 2562 inside. A turntable 2563 for rotatably engaging with the rotating cavity 2562 is welded to the bottom of the lifting rod 251. An annular cover 2564 is fitted over the lifting rod 251 and fixed to the seat body 2561, axially confining the turntable 2563 within the rotating cavity 2562. See also... Figure 5 The cylinder body of the lifting cylinder 252 is vertically fixedly installed at the lower part of the material platform 2. The end of the cylinder body of the reversing cylinder 253 is pivotally connected to the lower part of the material platform 2, and the end of the piston rod of the reversing cylinder 253 is pivotally connected to one end of the crank 254. The other end of the crank 254 is provided with a sliding hole, which is sleeved on the outside of the lifting rod 251. A vertically extending guide rod is welded and fixed to the side wall of the lifting rod 251, and the sliding hole slides in cooperation with the lifting rod 251 and the guide rod in the vertical direction.

[0057] See Figure 4 To facilitate reversing, a reversing hole 26 is provided in the temporary storage area 23 for the square shaft 255 to pass through; see also Figure 9 The bottom center of the tray 7 has a square groove 74 that matches the shape of the square shaft 255. The lifting cylinder 252 and the reversing cylinder 253 are both electrically connected to the control module.

[0058] The working principle is as follows: When the first shuttle 6a pushes the empty pallet 7 from the blank area 21 to the temporary storage area 23, see Figure 6 The first side 72 of the pallet 7 extends longitudinally, which does not meet the requirement that the first side 72 of the pallet 7 in the finished product area 22 needs to extend laterally. Therefore, the control module drives the lifting and reversing assembly 25 to perform a reversing action.

[0059] First, the control module controls the piston rod of the lifting cylinder 252 to extend upward, pushing the rotating seat 256 and the lifting rod 251 upward together. The lifting rod 251 slides upward relative to the crank 254. The square shaft 255 at the top of the lifting rod 251 passes upward through the reversing hole 26 and inserts into the square groove 74 at the bottom of the tray 7 in the temporary storage area 23. As the lifting rod 251 continues to rise, the tray 7 is smoothly lifted. Until the piston rod of the lifting cylinder 252 extends upward to the preset stroke, the tray 7 in the temporary storage area 23 is higher than the blank on the tray 7 in the blank area 21, so as to avoid hitting the blank on the tray 7 in the blank area 21 during subsequent reversals.

[0060] Next, the control module controls the piston rod of the reversing cylinder 253 to extend, pushing the crank 254 to swing, which in turn drives the lifting rod 251 to rotate. Since the turntable 2563 can rotate freely within the rotating cavity 2562, the lifting rod 251 can rotate smoothly. In this embodiment, the stroke of the reversing cylinder 253 is designed to cause the crank 254 to rotate the lifting rod 251 by 90°. The lifting rod 251, through the cooperation of the square shaft 255 and the square groove 74, drives the tray 7 to rotate synchronously by 90°. At this time, the originally longitudinally extending tray 7 becomes laterally extending.

[0061] Then, the control module controls the piston rod of the lifting cylinder 252 to retract, causing the lifting rod 251 to descend. The lifting rod 251 slides down relative to the crank 254, and the tray 7, after the reversing is completed, falls back onto the platform of the temporary storage area 23. The square shaft 255 disengages from the square groove 74, and the square shaft 255 retracts from the reversing hole 26 below the platform. At this time, the tray 7 on the temporary storage area 23 has changed to a state where the first side 72 extends laterally, waiting for the second shuttle 6b to push it to the finished product area 22.

[0062] Finally, the control module controls the piston rod of the reversing cylinder 253 to perform a retraction action, and drives the lifting rod 251 to rotate 90° in the opposite direction through the crank 254 to complete the reset.

[0063] As can be seen from the above working principle, this embodiment uses the lifting and reversing component 25 to change the placement direction of the pallet 7 in the temporary storage area 23, which can adapt to the inconsistent requirements of the blank area 21 and the finished product area 22 for the placement direction of the pallet 7, thus improving adaptability.

[0064] Furthermore, by setting the lifting and reversing assembly 25 on the material platform 2, the pallet 7 in the temporary storage area 23 can be adjusted in advance before the second shuttle 6b is used to replace the pallet 7 fully loaded with finished products, which helps to improve the pallet changing efficiency.

[0065] Example 4: This embodiment provides a specific structure for the blank storage 4 and the finished product storage 5.

[0066] See Figure 25 The blank warehouse 4 includes a first conveyor 41, such as a chain conveyor or a belt conveyor, which transports pallets 7 filled with blanks longitudinally. Multiple first partitions 42 are installed on the first conveyor 41, and a blank storage area is provided between each two adjacent first partitions 42. The blank storage area is used to stack pallets 7 filled with blanks.

[0067] See Figure 26 The finished goods warehouse 5 includes a second conveyor 51, such as a chain conveyor or a belt conveyor, which transports pallets 7 filled with finished products longitudinally. Multiple second partitions 52 are installed on the second conveyor 51, and a finished goods storage area is provided between two adjacent second partitions 52. The finished goods storage area is used to stack pallets 7 filled with finished products.

[0068] The blank storage 4 stores pallets 7 filled with blanks via a first conveyor 41. If the pallets 7 in the blank storage area corresponding to the left end of the first horizontal rail 31 are used up, the position of the blank storage area can be adjusted longitudinally via the first conveyor 41 to send the next pallet from the blank storage area to the left end of the first horizontal rail 31, facilitating continuous replenishment of pallets 7. Similarly, the finished product storage 5 provides continuous storage positions for pallets 7 filled with finished products via a second conveyor 51, improving production continuity.

Claims

1. A CNC machining apparatus, comprising a plurality of CNC machine tools arranged laterally, each CNC machine tool having a material table on its front side, the material table having a blank area, a finished product area, and a robot arm, the blank area holding a tray containing blanks, and the finished product area holding a tray for holding finished products, characterized in that, The material platform is also equipped with a temporary storage area; it also includes a track, a blank storage area, a finished product storage area, a first shuttle car and a second shuttle car; the track is located above all the CNC machine tools; the blank storage area is located below one end of the track; the finished product storage area is located below the other end of the track; both the first shuttle car and the second shuttle car move along the track; the first shuttle car is used to pick up a pallet filled with blanks from the blank storage area and move it to the target material platform, then move the empty pallet from the blank area to the temporary storage area, and then place the pallet filled with blanks in the blank area; the second shuttle car is used to pick up a pallet filled with finished products from the target material platform, then move the pallet in the temporary storage area to the finished product area, and then move the pallet filled with finished products and place it in the finished product storage area.

2. The CNC machining apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tray has several slots on its two symmetrical sides and support legs at the bottom. Both the first shuttle and the second shuttle include a tray pick-and-place assembly. The tray pick-and-place assembly includes a fixed frame, a movable frame, and an adjusting component. The adjusting component is used to adjust the distance between the fixed frame and the movable frame. The fixed frame is provided with several hollow tubes, and the movable frame is provided with several drive rods. Each hollow tube contains a drive rod. The bottom end of the drive rod is pivotally connected to a connecting rod, and the bottom end of the connecting rod is pivotally connected to a swing rod. The middle part of the swing rod is pivotally connected to the bottom of the hollow tube. The middle part of the swing rod is also provided with a push rod, which is perpendicular to the swing rod. When the swing rod swings to a horizontal position, the push rod swings to a vertical position. The horizontally positioned swing rod is used to support the tray, and the vertically positioned push rod is used to insert into the slot and push the tray.

3. The CNC machining apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, Both the first shuttle and the second shuttle include a car body that travels along the track. The bottom of the car body is provided with an extension component, the bottom of the extension component is provided with a lifting component, and the bottom of the lifting component is provided with the pick-and-place tray component.

4. The CNC machining apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The track includes a first horizontal rail and a second horizontal rail. The blank warehouse is located below the left end of the first horizontal rail, and the finished product warehouse is located below the right end of the second horizontal rail. The car body in the first shuttle car travels along the first horizontal rail, and the car body in the second shuttle car travels along the second horizontal rail.

5. A CNC machining apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The blank warehouse includes a first conveyor that longitudinally transports pallets filled with blanks. The first conveyor is equipped with multiple first partitions, and a blank storage area is provided between each pair of adjacent first partitions. The blank storage area is used to stack pallets filled with blanks. The finished product warehouse includes a second conveyor that longitudinally transports pallets filled with finished products. The second conveyor is equipped with multiple second partitions, and a finished product storage area is provided between each pair of adjacent second partitions. The finished product storage area is used to stack pallets filled with finished products.

6. A CNC machining apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The pallet includes two symmetrical first sides and two symmetrical second sides, the first sides being longer than the second sides, and the first sides having the slots; the first side of the pallet in the blank area extends longitudinally; the first side of the pallet in the finished product area extends laterally; the temporary storage area is provided with a lifting and reversing assembly, which is used to lift and lower the pallet located in the temporary storage area, and to rotate the pallet located in the temporary storage area horizontally by 90°.

7. A CNC machining apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The lifting and reversing assembly includes a lifting rod, a lifting cylinder, a reversing cylinder, and a crank. The top end of the lifting rod is provided with a square shaft, which engages with a reversing hole opened in the temporary storage area. The bottom end of the lifting rod is rotatably connected to the piston rod of the lifting cylinder through a rotating seat. The cylinder body of the lifting cylinder is located at the lower part of the material platform. The cylinder body of the reversing cylinder is pivotally connected to the lower part of the material platform. The piston rod of the reversing cylinder is pivotally connected to one end of the crank, and the other end of the crank is slidably connected to the lifting rod in the vertical direction.

8. A CNC machining apparatus according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, It also includes a detection module and a control module. The detection module is used to detect the status of the pallets in the blank area and the finished product area, and transmit the detection information and position information to the control module. The first shuttle and the second shuttle are both electrically connected to the control module.

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