Machine tool system, and method for controlling machine tool system
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2022157098
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2022-09-29
- Publication Date
- 2025-09-09
AI Technical Summary
Conventional machine tool systems require complex and error-prone manual operations to control both processing equipment and material feeders, necessitating back-and-forth movement between these components during power-up and shutdown, which can lead to operational mistakes.
A machine tool system with integrated control devices that automate the sequence of operations, including bar retraction and supply modes, allowing the first control device to manage both the main shaft and feed arrow operations without manual intervention, simplifying the workflow and reducing the risk of errors.
The system enhances operability by eliminating the need for complex manual procedures, reducing the risk of operational mistakes, and preventing damage to guide bushes from bar tip burrs, while optimizing the control of bar processing and feeding processes.
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Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a machine tool system having a spindle and a feed arrow, and a method for controlling the machine tool system. [Background technology]
[0002] Conventionally, some machine tool systems include a processing device provided with a spindle and a tool rest, and a material feeder that supplies a long bar material to the processing device (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The spindle of the processing device rotates while gripping the bar material in a releasable manner. The spindle is configured to be movable in the axial direction of the bar material in both the state in which the bar material is gripped and the state in which the grip is released. A first control device is incorporated in the processing device. The first control device controls the operation of the tool rest and the spindle to which the processing tools are attached according to a processing program (NC program) created by an operator of the machine tool system or an input operation using an operation panel provided in the processing device. The first control device controls the operation of the tool rest and the spindle according to the processing program, so that the tip of the bar material is processed into a desired shape, and the processed portion is separated. In many cases, the bar material is gripped by the spindle from the time when processing by the processing tool is started until the processed portion is separated. The processing device re-grips the bar material when the processed portion is separated. In re-gripping, the spindle releases its grip on the bar, moves to the rear end of the bar, and then the spindle re-grapples the bar. By repeating multiple cycles of machining with the processing tool and re-gripping the bar, multiple products are produced from a single bar depending on the number of cycles. Note that when producing products that are longer than the travel distance of the spindle, a re-gripping operation may be included in one cycle.
[0003] The material feeder is installed next to the processing device, on the rear end side of the bar material from the processing device. The material feeder includes a feed arrow, a feed arrow drive mechanism for moving the feed arrow in the axial direction of the bar material, and a second control device for controlling the operation of the feed arrow drive mechanism. The feed arrow is equipped with a finger chuck at its tip. The finger chuck grips the rear end of the bar material, so that the feed arrow is connected to the bar material. The feed arrow is sent out toward the tip side of the bar material by the feed arrow drive mechanism, so that the bar material fed into the material feeder is supplied to the processing device. When the processing device is processing the bar material, the feed arrow urges the bar material from the rear end side of the bar material toward the tip side of the bar material with a predetermined load. This load is set to a relatively weak load that does not cause slippage between the bar material and the spindle when the spindle is gripping the bar material. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-313267 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0005] In conventional machine tool systems, the first control device controls the operation of processing devices such as tool rests and spindles, and the second control device controls the operation of material feeders such as feed arrows. For this reason, when turning on the power to the machine tool system or shutting it down, for example, the operator must go back and forth between the processing devices and the material feeder to give instructions and operate the first control device and the second control device in a specific procedure, which is a cumbersome task. There was also a risk that the operator would make a mistake in the work procedure during this work.
[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a machine tool system with good operability that can eliminate complicated operations, and a method for controlling the machine tool system. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] The machine tool system of the present invention which solves the above problems comprises: a main shaft capable of releasably gripping a bar and moving in an axial direction of the bar; a guide bush that is disposed on a tip side of the bar material relative to the main shaft and supports the bar material; a tool rest having a machining tool attached thereto for machining a tip portion of the bar supported by the guide bush; a feed arrow capable of urging the bar from a rear end side of the bar toward a front end side of the bar; a first control device that controls the operation of the spindle and the operation of the tool rest; A second control device for controlling the operation of the feed arrow, The first control device has a bar retraction mode in which, while the spindle is gripping the bar, the tool post is caused to machine the tip of the bar, the spindle is retracted to pull the bar out of the guide bush, and the second control device is caused to release the bias of the feed arrow, thereby releasing the grip of the bar by the spindle.
[0008] According to this machine tool system, in the bar retraction mode, a series of operations including the operation of the feed arrow are executed under the control of the first control device, eliminating the need to give instructions or operate the first control device and the second control device in a predetermined procedure.
[0009] Here, the first control device may be configured to cause the tool post to machine the tip of the bar in the bar retraction mode while the feed arrow is urging the bar toward the tip of the bar.
[0010] In this machine tool system, An input unit for inputting an instruction to the first control device, The bar retraction mode may be a mode that is activated by inputting the instruction from the input unit.
[0011] The bar retraction mode can be easily started by inputting the command.
[0012] The machine tool system of the present invention which solves the above problems comprises: a main shaft capable of releasably gripping a bar and moving in an axial direction of the bar; a tool rest having a processing tool attached thereto for processing the tip portion of the bar material; a feed arrow capable of urging the bar from a rear end side of the bar toward a front end side of the bar; a first control device that controls the operation of the spindle and the operation of the tool rest; A second control device for controlling the operation of the feed arrow, The first control device is characterized in that it has a bar stock supply mode in which it causes the second control device to operate the feed arrow to move the bar stock to a position where the tip portion of the bar stock penetrates the main shaft and protrudes further toward the tip side than the main shaft, causing the main shaft to grip the bar stock, causes the second control device to operate the feed arrow to urge the bar stock toward the tip side, and causes the tool post to cut off the tip of the bar stock.
[0013] According to this machine tool system, in the bar supply mode, a series of operations including the operation of the feed arrow are executed under the control of the first control device, eliminating the need to give instructions or operate the first control device and the second control device in a predetermined procedure.
[0014] Furthermore, in this machine tool system, An input unit for inputting an instruction to the first control device, The bar supply mode may be a mode that is activated by inputting the instruction from the input unit.
[0015] The bar supply mode can be started simply by inputting the command.
[0016] A method for controlling a machine tool system according to the present invention that solves the above problems includes: A control method for a machine tool system including a spindle capable of gripping a bar and moving in an axial direction of the bar, a guide bush supporting the bar, a machining tool for machining a tip end portion of the bar supported by the guide bush, and a feed arrow capable of urging the bar from a rear end side of the bar toward a tip end side of the bar, comprising: a tip machining step in which the machining tool machines the tip of the bar material while the spindle is holding the bar material; a bar material withdrawing step, which is executed following the tip processing step, in which the main shaft is retreated to withdraw the bar material from the guide bush; a releasing step of releasing the force applied to the feed arrow, the releasing step being executed following the bar strip drawing step; The method further comprises a grip releasing step, which is executed following the bias releasing step, of releasing the grip of the bar material by the spindle.
[0017] According to this method for controlling a machine tool system, the tip machining process, bar withdrawal process, bias release process and grip release process are carried out in succession, eliminating the need for cumbersome tasks such as issuing instructions or performing operations for each process.
[0018] Here, the tip machining step may be a step in which the machining tool machines the tip of the bar while the feed arrow is urging the bar toward the tip side of the bar.
[0019] A method for controlling a machine tool system according to the present invention that solves the above problems includes: A control method for a machine tool system including a spindle capable of gripping a bar and moving in an axial direction of the bar, a processing tool for processing a tip portion of the bar, and a feed arrow capable of urging the bar from a rear end side of the bar toward a tip side of the bar, comprising: a bar material feeding step of operating the feed arrow to feed the bar material to a position where a tip portion of the bar material penetrates the main shaft and protrudes further toward the tip side than the main shaft; a gripping step, which is executed following the bar feed step, for gripping the bar by the spindle; a biasing step, which is executed following the gripping step, of operating the feed arrow to bias the bar toward a tip side; The method further comprises a tip cutting step, which is executed following the biasing step, in which the processing tool cuts off the tip of the bar material.
[0020] According to this method of controlling a machine tool system, the bar feed process, gripping process, biasing process and tip cutting process are carried out in succession, eliminating the need for cumbersome tasks such as issuing instructions or operating each process.
[0021] Further, the machine tool system of the present invention which solves the above problems comprises: a main shaft capable of releasably gripping a bar and moving in an axial direction of the bar; a guide bush that is disposed on a tip side of the bar material relative to the main shaft and supports the bar material; a tool rest having a machining tool attached thereto for machining a tip portion of the bar supported by the guide bush; a feed arrow capable of urging the bar from a rear end side of the bar toward a front end side of the bar; a first control device that controls the operation of the spindle and the operation of the tool rest; A second control device for controlling the operation of the feed arrow, The first control device is a bar retraction mode in which, while the spindle is gripping the bar, the tool rest is caused to machine the tip of the bar, the spindle is caused to retract and pull the bar out of the guide bush, the second control device is caused to release the biasing force of the feed arrow, the spindle is caused to release the grip of the bar, and the positions of the spindle and the feed arrow are stored in a memory unit; a bar stock supply mode in which the spindle is moved to the position of the spindle stored in the memory unit, and the second control device is operated to operate the feed arrow to move the feed arrow to the position of the feed arrow stored in the memory unit, causing the spindle to grip the bar stock, causing the second control device to operate the feed arrow to urge the bar stock toward the tip side, and causing the tool rest to cut off the tip of the bar stock.
[0022] According to this machine tool system, a series of operations including the operation of the feed arrow in each of the bar retraction mode and the bar supply mode is controlled by the first control device, so there is no need to give instructions or operate the first control device and the second control device in a predetermined procedure. Moreover, there is an effect that the time and power required to move the feed arrow to the origin and the time and power required to move the feed arrow from the origin to a position where the tip of the bar is closer to the tip side than the spindle can be reduced. Effect of the Invention
[0023] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a machine tool system with good operability that can eliminate complicated operations, and a method for controlling the machine tool system. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a lathe system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a simplified internal configuration of the lathe system shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the lathe system shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of a bar retraction mode of the lathe system shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of a bar supply mode of the lathe system shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of a modified example of the bar retraction mode shown in FIG. [Figure 7] 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of a modified example of the bar supplying mode shown in FIG. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0025] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention will be described by taking an example in which the present invention is applied to a lathe system including an NC lathe and a material feeder.
[0026] FIG. 1 is a front view of a lathe system according to the present embodiment.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, the lathe system 1 of this embodiment includes an NC lathe 2, which is a processing device, and a material feeder 4, which is a material supplying device. This lathe system 1 corresponds to an example of a machine tool system. The NC lathe 2 of this embodiment is a so-called Swiss-type lathe. The NC lathe 2 includes a cutting room 22, a spindle room 23, and a lathe operation panel 24. The cutting room 22 is a room in which a space for processing the tip portion of a bar material W (see FIG. 2) is formed, and is disposed on the right side of the NC lathe 2 as viewed from the front side. The spindle room 23 is a room in which a spindle 25 (see FIG. 2) is disposed, and is disposed on the left side of the NC lathe 2 as viewed from the front side.
[0028] The lathe operation panel 24 has a lathe operation unit 241 and a lathe display screen 242. The lathe operation unit 241 is composed of a plurality of buttons, keys, etc. that accept input operations by the operator of the lathe system 1. The lathe operation unit 241 corresponds to an example of an input unit. The lathe operation unit 241 may be a touch panel integrated with the lathe display screen 242. The operator of the lathe system 1 can store a machining program created using the lathe operation unit 241 or an external computer in a storage unit 203 (see FIG. 3) described later. The operator of the lathe system 1 can also correct the machining program using the lathe operation unit 241 and store the corrected machining program in the storage unit 203. The operator of the lathe system 1 can also operate each component of the lathe system 1 individually or in cooperation with each other using the lathe operation unit 241. The lathe display screen 242 is a display that displays various information related to the lathe system 1, such as the machining program stored in the storage unit 203, various setting values of the lathe system 1, and error contents.
[0029] The material feeder 4 supplies long bar stock W (see Figure 2) to the NC lathe 2. The material feeder 4 is installed alongside the NC lathe 2. A plurality of bars W are stored in the material feeder 4. The material feeder 4 sends out one of the stored bars W towards the NC lathe 2. The material feeder 4 also pulls out and discharges the remaining bar W, which is a bar W that has been shortened by machining, from the NC lathe 2. After discharging the remaining bar, the material feeder 4 sends a new bar W from the stored bars W towards the NC lathe 2. The material feeder 4 is provided with a material feeder operation panel 42, which is an input device for operating the material feeder 4.
[0030] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a simplified internal configuration of the lathe system shown in FIG.
[0031] As shown in Fig. 2, the NC lathe 2 includes a spindle 25, a guide bush 26, a first tool rest 27, a back spindle 28, and a second tool rest 29. The spindle 25, the guide bush 26, the first tool rest 27, the back spindle 28, and the second tool rest 29 are disposed on legs that serve as a base. The spindle 25, the first tool rest 27, the back spindle 28, and the second tool rest 29 operate according to a machining program and inputs from the lathe operation panel 24 (see Fig. 1).
[0032] The spindle 25 can move in the Z1-axis direction. The spindle 25 moves in the Z1-axis direction together with the spindle stock by the spindle stock, but the spindle stock is not shown and the description is also omitted. The Z1-axis direction is a horizontal direction, which is a left-right direction in FIG. 2. This Z1-axis direction corresponds to the axial direction of the bar W. The spindle 25 has a collet chuck 251 at its tip portion for releasably holding the bar W penetrating the inside of the spindle 25. This collet chuck 251 corresponds to an example of a holding portion. The spindle 25 can rotate around the spindle center line CL while holding the bar W. The direction of the spindle center line CL coincides with the Z1-axis direction. Hereinafter, the movement of the spindle 25 toward the tip end of the bar W may be referred to as forward movement, and the movement of the spindle 25 toward the rear end of the bar W may be referred to as backward movement.
[0033] The guide bush 26 is fixed to the legs, which are the base. The end face of the guide bush 26 opposite to the side where the spindle 25 is arranged is exposed in the cutting chamber 22 (see FIG. 1). The guide bush 26 supports the tip end portion of the bar W penetrating the inside of the spindle 25 so as to be freely slidable in the Z1 axis direction. The part of the guide bush 26 supporting the bar W can rotate around the spindle center line CL in synchronization with the spindle 25. The tip end portion of the bar W protruding from the guide bush 26 into the cutting chamber 22 is machined by the first tool T1 attached to the first tool rest 27. This first tool T1 corresponds to an example of a processing tool. The guide bush 26 suppresses the deflection of the bar W during processing, so that the NC lathe 2 can process particularly elongated bar W with high precision.
[0034] The first tool rest 27 can move in the X1-axis direction, which is perpendicular to the Z1-axis direction and faces the horizontal direction, and in the Y1-axis direction, which faces the vertical direction. This first tool rest 27 corresponds to an example of a tool rest. In FIG. 2, the up-down direction is the X1-axis direction, and the direction perpendicular to the paper surface is the Y1-axis direction. On the first tool rest 27, a plurality of types of first tools T1, including cutting tools and cut-off tools, are attached in a comb-like shape in the Y1-axis direction. In addition, a rotary tool such as an end mill or a drill can be attached to the first tool rest 27 as the first tool T1. When the first tool rest 27 moves in the Y1-axis direction, an arbitrary first tool T1 is selected from the plurality of types of first tools T1. When the first tool rest 27 moves in the X1-axis direction, the selected first tool T1 cuts into the tip of the bar W held by the spindle 25 and supported by the guide bush 26 to process it, or cuts off the processed part of the bar W.
[0035] The back spindle 28 can move in the X2-axis direction and the Z2-axis direction. The back spindle 28 moves in the X2-axis direction and the Z2-axis direction together with the back spindle by the back spindle stock, but the back spindle stock is not shown and the description is omitted. The X2-axis direction is the same as the X1-axis direction described above, and the Z2-axis direction is the same as the Z1-axis direction described above. The Z2-axis direction corresponds to the axial direction of the back spindle 28. FIG. 2 shows the back spindle 28 in a position facing the spindle 25 across the guide bush 26. At this position, the back spindle center line, which is the rotation center of the back spindle 28, is arranged on the same line as the spindle center line CL. The direction of the back spindle center line coincides with the Z2-axis direction. The machined portion of the bar W, which has been machined using the spindle 25, is cut off by the first tool T1 for cutting and delivered to the back spindle 28. Hereinafter, the machined portion that has been cut off is referred to as the cut-off portion. The back main shaft 28 releasably holds the cut portion handed over from the main shaft 25. The back main shaft 28 also moves in the X2 axis direction and the Z2 axis direction to transfer the held cut portion.
[0036] The second tool rest 29 is movable in the Y2-axis direction. The second tool rest 29 may be configured to be movable in the X2-axis direction. The Y2-axis direction is the same direction as the Y1-axis direction described above. A second tool T2, such as a drill or an end mill, for processing the cut portion is attached to the second tool rest 29. A plurality of second tools T2 are attached to the second tool rest 29 in the Y2-axis direction. An arbitrary second tool T2 is selected from the plurality of second tools T2 by moving the second tool rest 29 in the Y2-axis direction. Then, the back spindle 28 moves in the X2-axis direction or the Z2-axis direction, so that the cut end side of the cut portion held by the back spindle 28 is processed. The cut portion after the processing of the cut end side becomes a product manufactured by the lathe system 1. There are also cases where the back spindle 28 is not used for processing. In that case, the cut portion becomes a product as it is. The second tool rest 29 is provided with a product receiving opening 291 for receiving the product and a chute (not shown). The chute is provided inside the second tool rest 29. After the back spindle 28 inserts the product into the product receiving opening 291, it releases its grip and pushes it out using a cylinder provided in the back spindle 28, dropping the product into the chute. The dropped product is transported to a predetermined position by a conveyor (not shown) and discharged into a product storage section provided outside the lathe system 1.
[0037] At the bottom end of the cutting chamber 22 (see FIG. 1), there is provided a chip receiving section 221 for receiving chips and defective products generated by machining using the main spindle 25 and the back spindle 28. The machined portion of the bar W that has been machined using the main spindle 25 is delivered to the back spindle 28 by the first tool T1 for cut-off cutting cutting cutting cutting off the machined portion while the back spindle 28, which rotates synchronously with the main spindle 25 at a position opposite the main spindle 25, and the main spindle 25 each grip the bar W. On the other hand, if the machined portion is cut off while the back spindle 28 is not gripping the machined portion, the machined portion falls and is discharged into the chip receiving section 221.
[0038] The material feeder 4 has the above-mentioned material feeder operation panel 42 (see FIG. 1), as well as a feed arrow 44, a feed arrow drive mechanism 45, a feed arrow motor 46, a tip sensor 47, and an origin sensor 48. The feed arrow 44 is guided by a guide (not shown) so as to be movable in the Z1-axis direction. A finger chuck 441 is provided at the tip of the feed arrow 44 for gripping the rear end of the bar W. The finger chuck 441 is rotatably attached to the other parts of the feed arrow 44, so that the finger chuck 441 is rotatable about the spindle center line CL as the rotation center axis. The finger chuck 441 grips the rear end of the bar W, so that the feed arrow 44 is connected to the bar W. That is, while the finger chuck 441 grips the bar W, the feed arrow 44 moves in the Z1-axis direction together with the bar.
[0039] The feed arrow drive mechanism 45 is composed of pulleys (not shown) provided at the front and rear ends of the material feeder 4, and a drive belt stretched around the pulleys. A connecting portion 451 is fixed to the drive belt. The connecting portion 451 connects the drive belt to the rear end of the feed arrow 44. The pulley provided at the rear end of the material feeder 4 is fixed to the output shaft of the feed arrow motor 46.
[0040] When the output shaft of the feed arrow motor 46 rotates in one direction, the feed arrow 44 moves toward the NC lathe 2 along the Z1 axis by the feed arrow drive mechanism 45 and the connecting part 451. Conversely, when the output shaft of the feed arrow motor 46 rotates in the other direction, the feed arrow 44 moves in a direction away from the NC lathe 2 along the Z1 axis by the feed arrow drive mechanism 45 and the connecting part 451. Among the multiple bars W stored in the material feeder 4, the bar W whose axis is aligned with the spindle center line CL is gripped by the finger chuck 441. Then, as the feed arrow 44 moves, the bar W gripped by the finger chuck 441 moves in the axis direction of the bar W. That is, when the output shaft of the feed arrow motor 46 rotates in one direction, the bar W moves to its tip side, and when the output shaft of the feed arrow motor 46 rotates in the other direction, the bar W moves to its rear end side. The feed arrow motor 46 has a feed arrow encoder 461. The arrow encoder 461 may be installed separately from the arrow motor 46. The arrow encoder 461 detects the number of rotations and the amount of rotation of the arrow motor 46. The detection result of the arrow encoder 461 is transmitted to the second control device 40 (see FIG. 3).
[0041] The tip sensor 47 detects the tip of the bar W. The origin sensor 48 detects whether the feed arrow 44 is located at the origin. The origin of the feed arrow 44 is located at the rear end of the movement range of the feed arrow 44. The detection results of the tip sensor 47 and the origin sensor 48 are respectively transmitted to the second control device 40 (see FIG. 3). The second control device 40 determines the position of the tip of the bar W before processing based on the detection results of the tip sensor 47 and the feed arrow encoder 461. The feed arrow encoder 461 and the tip sensor 47 correspond to an example of a bar tip position detection means. The second control device 40 determines the position of the feed arrow 44 based on the detection results of the origin sensor 48 and the feed arrow encoder 461. The feed arrow encoder 461 and the origin sensor 48 correspond to an example of a feed arrow position detection means.
[0042] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the lathe system shown in Fig. 1. Note that in Fig. 3, parts of the hardware configuration of the lathe system 1 that are less relevant to the present invention are omitted from the illustration even if they operate the components described above.
[0043] As shown in FIG. 3, the NC lathe 2 has a first control device 20, the lathe operation panel 24, a Z1-axis motor 252, a spindle motor 253, and a spindle actuator 254. The first control device 20 is a so-called NC (Numerical Control) device, and has a CPU 201, a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) 202, and a storage unit 203. The first control device 20 is a computer having a calculation function by the CPU 201. The first control device 20 controls the operation of each component such as the spindle 25, the first tool rest 27, the back spindle 28, and the second tool rest 29 shown in FIG. 2 according to the machining program stored in the storage unit 203 and input from the lathe operation panel 24. In addition, the storage unit 203 also stores various programs such as ladder programs and macro programs in addition to the machining program created by the operator. FIG. 3 shows some of the motors and actuators that drive each component. The first control device 20 mainly performs numerical control on the servo motors provided in the NC lathe 2. The PLC 202 included in the first control device 20 mainly performs sequence control of the operation of devices other than the servo motors, such as cylinders and valves, provided in the NC lathe 2. The storage unit 203 is composed of non-volatile memories such as ROM, HDD, and SSD, and volatile memories such as RAM.
[0044] The Z1-axis motor 252 is a servo motor that rotates upon receiving a command from the first control device 20. The rotation of the Z1-axis motor 252 moves the spindle 25 (see FIG. 2) in the Z1-axis direction. An amplifier (not shown) is provided between the first control device 20 and the Z1-axis motor 252, and the Z1-axis motor 252 is controlled by the first control device 20 sending a command to the amplifier. Hereinafter, a description of the amplifier will be omitted. The Z1-axis motor 252 has a Z1-axis encoder 2521. The output of the Z1-axis encoder 2521 is fed back to the first control device 20, so that the first control device 20 constantly grasps the position of the spindle 25 (see FIG. 2) on the Z1 axis. This Z1-axis encoder 2521 corresponds to an example of a spindle position detection means.
[0045] The spindle 25 (see FIG. 2) is provided with a spindle motor 253 such as a built-in motor. The spindle motor 253 rotates upon receiving a command from the first control device 20. When the spindle motor 253 rotates, the spindle 25 and the bar material W (see FIG. 2) held by the spindle 25 rotate about the spindle center line CL (see FIG. 2). Note that, like the spindle 25, the back spindle 28 is also provided with a back spindle motor, but the description thereof is omitted. The spindle actuator 254 is an actuator such as a hydraulic cylinder for operating the collet chuck 251 (see FIG. 2). When the spindle actuator 254 moves a chuck sleeve (not shown) to the tip side, the collet chuck 251 closes and the bar material W is held by the spindle 25. When the chuck sleeve moves to the rear end side, the collet chuck 251 opens and the grip of the bar material W by the spindle 25 is released.
[0046] The material feeder 4 has a second control device 40 in addition to the above-mentioned material feeder operation panel 42, feed arrow motor 46, tip sensor 47, and origin sensor 48. The second control device 40 is a control device that performs sequence control for each component of the material feeder 4. The second control device 40 controls the operation of the feed arrow motor 46 and an actuator (not shown) provided in the material feeder 4 based on information received from each sensor, the feed arrow encoder 461, etc. The second control device 40 also controls the operation of the material feeder 4 in response to an operation request from the first control device 20.
[0047] The feed arrow motor 46 is a servo motor that rotates upon receiving a command from the second control device 40. The feed arrow 44 (see FIG. 2) moves in the Z1-axis direction as a result of the rotation of the feed arrow motor 46. As described above, the second control device 40 grasps the movement distance of the feed arrow 44 from the origin based on the detection result of the origin sensor 48 and the detection result of the feed arrow encoder 461, thereby constantly grasping the position of the feed arrow 44 in the Z1-axis direction, and transmits this information to the first control device 20 as information related to the material feeder 4. In addition, the second control device 40 transmits to the first control device 20 the position in the Z1-axis direction of the tip of the bar material W to be newly supplied and the tip of the bar material W that was first sent to the NC lathe 2 after the power was turned on. After the NC lathe 2 starts processing, the second control device 40 controls the feed arrow motor 46 to rotate in one direction with a basically constant torque until the start of pulling out the remaining material. As a result, the bar material W is urged by the feed arrow 44 toward the tip side of the bar material W with a set load. This load is set to a relatively low load so that there is no risk of slippage occurring between the bar W and the spindle 25 when the spindle 25 is gripping the bar W.
[0048] The material feeder operation panel 42 is a touch panel in which an operation section and a display screen are integrated. In addition to the material feeder operation panel 42, the material feeder 4 is provided with an emergency stop button, a torque setting switch for the feed arrow motor 46, and the like. Using the material feeder operation panel 42, the operator of the lathe system 1 can manually move the feed arrow 44 (see FIG. 2) in the Z1-axis direction and input various setting values for the material feeder 4. In addition, the material feeder operation panel 42 displays various information related to the material feeder 4, such as the various setting values and error contents of the material feeder 4, as well as operation buttons for the material feeder 4.
[0049] The first control device 20 and the second control device 40 are connected by a signal cable. The first control device 20 transmits operation requests and the like to the second control device 40 via the signal cable. In addition, the second control device 40 transmits various information related to the material feeder 4, including position information of the feed arrow 44, to the first control device 20 at any time via the signal cable.
[0050] Fig. 4 is a flow chart showing the operation of the bar retraction mode of the lathe system shown in Fig. 1. The operation of the bar retraction mode shown in Fig. 4 is mainly executed by the first control device 20 shown in Fig. 3 controlling the operation of the lathe system 1. In detail, the first control device 20 executes calculations and judgments related to this operation based on a program stored in the storage unit 203, controls the operation of each component of the NC lathe 2, and also transmits an operation request to the second control device 40.
[0051] The bar stock retraction mode is a mode that is started by inputting an instruction to start the bar stock retraction mode from the lathe operation unit 241 to the first control device 20. Specifically, the bar stock retraction mode is started by pressing a switch for starting the bar stock retraction mode or inputting a command for instructing the bar stock retraction mode in the lathe operation unit 241. The bar stock retraction mode is a mode that is used when the lathe system 1 is put away after the machining for the day is finished or when it is necessary to pull out the bar stock W from the guide bush 26 during setup work. This bar stock retraction mode is executed after the machining of the product is completed. Therefore, at the start of the bar stock retraction mode, the spindle 25 usually holds the bar stock W in a state where the feed arrow 44 is biasing the bar stock W toward the tip side. Also, the tip of the bar stock W protrudes further toward the tip side than the guide bush 26 and is therefore inside the cutting chamber 22. If the spindle 25 does not grip the bar W at the start of the bar retraction mode, control is performed so that the spindle 25 grips the bar W before step S12, which will be described later. After that, if the feed arrow 44 is not biasing the bar W, the feed arrow 44 is biased to bias the bar W before step S12.
[0052] In the bar retraction mode, the first control device 20 first obtains the diameter information of the bar W stored in the storage unit 203 and the machining dimension information of the tip of the bar W in the bar retraction mode to generate a machining command (step S11). This machining command is a command to perform machining for deburring the tip of the bar W, for example, chamfering the tip of the bar W. The machining dimension information can be rewritten from the lathe operation unit 241, and by rewriting it, it is possible to switch between R chamfering and chamfering (C chamfering), change the chamfering dimension, etc. Note that the diameter information of the bar W may be extracted from a description in the machining program and stored in the storage unit 203, or may be specified by the operator separately from the machining program and stored in the storage unit 203. Thereafter, machining of the tip of the bar W is executed based on the machining command generated in step S11 (step S12). This step S12 corresponds to an example of a tip machining process.
[0053] Next, the spindle 25 is moved backward to pull out the bar W from the guide bush 26 (step S13). The spindle 25 is then moved backward to the spindle origin, which is the most rearward position. This step S13 corresponds to an example of a bar pulling process. When pulling out the bar W, the movement speed of the spindle 25 is slowed down so as not to damage the guide bush 26, and after the bar W is pulled out from the guide bush 26, the spindle 25 is moved backward at high speed to the spindle origin.
[0054] Next, the first control device 20 causes the second control device 40 to stop the torque of the feed arrow motor 46, thereby releasing the force of the feed arrow 44 toward the tip of the bar W (step S14). After that, the first control device 20 causes the spindle 25 to release the grip of the bar W (step S15). This step S15 corresponds to an example of a grip releasing step. Finally, the first control device 20 causes the second control device 40 to retract the feed arrow 44, and moves the feed arrow 44 together with the gripped bar W to the origin (step S16). When the movement is completed, the bar retraction mode is terminated.
[0055] Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing the operation of the bar stock supply mode of the lathe system shown in Fig. 1. The operation of the bar stock supply mode shown in Fig. 5 is an operation that is executed mainly by the first control device 20 shown in Fig. 3 controlling the operation of the lathe system 1, similar to the operation of the bar stock retraction mode. In detail, the first control device 20 executes calculations and judgments related to this operation based on a program stored in the storage unit 203, controls the operation of each component of the NC lathe 2, and also transmits operation requests to the second control device 40.
[0056] The bar stock supply mode is a mode that is started when the lathe operation unit 241 inputs an instruction to start the bar stock supply mode to the first control device 20. Specifically, the bar stock supply mode is started when the lathe operation unit 241 presses a switch to start the bar stock supply mode or inputs a command to start the bar stock supply mode. The bar stock supply mode is a mode that is used to enable the lathe system 1 to start machining after the power of the lathe system 1 is turned on. When this bar stock supply mode is executed, in most cases, the collet chuck 251 of the spindle 25 is in an open, released grip state, the feed arrow 44 is located at the origin, and the tip of the bar stock W is located on the rear end side of the spindle 25.
[0057] In the bar material supply mode, first, if the collet chuck 251 of the spindle 25 is closed, the first control device 20 opens the collet chuck 251 to release the grip of the spindle 25 (step S31). The first control device 20 also causes the second control device 40 to move the feed arrow 44 to a position where the tip of the bar material W penetrates the spindle 25 and protrudes further to the tip side than the spindle 25 (step S32). This step S32 corresponds to an example of a bar material delivery process. The second control device 40 grasps the tip position of the bar material W by the tip sensor 47 detecting the tip of the bar material W after power is turned on and the amount of rotation of the feed arrow encoder 461 thereafter. Then, in step S32, the second control device 40 advances the feed arrow 44 by a predetermined distance after the tip sensor 47 detects the tip of the bar material W in accordance with the operation request from the first control device 20. As a result, the tip of the bar material W is positioned between the spindle 25 and the guide bush 26. Furthermore, when the feed arrow 44 has been moved by the predetermined distance, the second control device 40 stops the feed arrow motor 46 and transmits to the first control device 20 a message indicating that the bar W has reached the predetermined position.
[0058] When the movement of the feed arrow 44 in step S32 is completed, the first control device 20 causes the spindle 25 to grip the bar W (step S33). This step S33 corresponds to an example of a gripping process. Next, the first control device 20 issues an operation request to the second control device 40 to cause the feed arrow motor 46 to generate torque. This causes the feed arrow 44 to bias the bar W toward the tip side (step S34). This step S34 corresponds to an example of a biasing process.
[0059] Next, using the position information of the feed arrow 44, a cut-off processing command for cutting off the tip of the bar W is generated (step S35), the spindle 25 is advanced to a position where the tip of the bar W can be cut (step S36), and the tip of the bar W is cut off with the tool attached to the first tool rest 27 (step S37). This step S37 corresponds to an example of a tip cutting process. Note that the first tool rest 27 may be controlled to select the first tool T1 for cut-off processing prior to step S37. When cutting of the tip of the bar W is completed, the bar supply mode is ended.
[0060] According to the lathe system 1 described above, by starting the bar retraction mode, a series of operations including machining the tip of the bar W and releasing the force of the feed arrow 44 are executed by the first control device 20, so that it is no longer necessary to give instructions or operate the first control device 20 and the second control device 40 in a predetermined procedure, which was conventionally required when shutting down the lathe system 1. In this way, the cumbersome work of giving instructions or operating by going back and forth between the NC lathe 2 and the material feeder 4 can be omitted, so that the operability of the lathe system 1 is improved. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the operator from making a mistake in the operating procedure. Moreover, since the bar retraction mode is started by an input from the lathe operation unit 241, a series of operations in the bar retraction mode can be executed by a simple operation. Furthermore, since the tip of the bar W is machined before the bar W is pulled out of the guide bush 26, it is possible to prevent the guide bush 26 from being damaged by a burr at the tip of the bar W.
[0061] According to the lathe system 1 described above, by starting the bar stock supply mode, a series of operations including the movement and energization of the feed arrow 44 are executed by the first control device 20, so that it is no longer necessary to give instructions or operate the first control device 20 and the second control device 40 in a predetermined procedure, which was conventionally necessary when starting up the lathe system 1. In this way, the cumbersome work of going back and forth between the NC lathe 2 and the material feeder 4 to give instructions or operate them can be omitted, improving the operability of the lathe system 1. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the operator from making mistakes in the operating procedure. Also, since the bar stock supply mode is started by an input from the lathe operation unit 241, a series of operations in the bar stock supply mode can be executed by a simple operation.
[0062] According to the control method of the lathe system 1 described above, by starting the bar retraction mode, the tip machining process, the bar pull-out process, the bias release process, and the grip release process are executed in a series, so that the operator does not have to give instructions or perform operations for each process, which is troublesome. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the guide bush 26 from being damaged by burrs on the tip of the bar W. Moreover, by starting the bar supply mode, the bar feed process, the grip process, the bias process, and the tip cutting process are executed in a series, so that the operator does not have to give instructions or perform operations, which is troublesome.
[0063] Next, a modified example of this embodiment will be described. In the following description, the same reference numerals as those used so far will be used to designate components, controls, and operations that have the same names as those of components that have been described so far, and duplicated descriptions may be omitted.
[0064] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of a modified example of the bar retraction mode shown in FIG.
[0065] 6, in the bar stock retraction mode of this modification, instead of step S16 in which the second control device 40 moves the feed arrow 44 back to the origin, the positions of the feed arrow 44 and the spindle 25 at that time are stored in the non-volatile memory constituting the storage unit 203 (step S161). In addition to the effects of the bar stock retraction mode of the previous embodiment, the bar stock retraction mode of this modification has the effect of reducing the time and power required to move the feed arrow 44 to the origin.
[0066] FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the operation of a modified example of the bar supplying mode shown in FIG.
[0067] The bar stock supply mode of this modified example is a mode used to enable the lathe system 1 to start machining after executing the bar stock retraction mode of the modified example shown in Fig. 6. In other words, it is a bar stock supply mode used in combination with the bar stock retraction mode of the modified example shown in Fig. 6.
[0068] As shown in Fig. 7, in the bar stock supply mode of this modification, first, the positions of the feed arrow 44 and the spindle 25 stored in step S161 of the bar stock retract mode of the modification shown in Fig. 6 are obtained (step S310). Then, instead of step S32 in which the feed arrow 44 is moved to a position where the tip of the bar W protrudes further toward the tip side than the spindle 25, the feed arrow 44 and the spindle 25 are moved to the position obtained in step S310 (step S321). Note that, before step S36, the distance that the spindle 25 can advance from the position is calculated based on information on the movable range of the spindle 25 and information on the position of the spindle 25 at that time, and the advanceable distance is compared with the advance distance of the spindle 25 in the machining command generated in step S35. If the latter is longer, the lathe system 1 may be stopped with an alarm.
[0069] The bar material supply mode of this modified example also has the same effect as the bar material supply mode of the previous embodiment. Moreover, in step S321, the feed arrow 44 is directly moved to the position stored in step S161 without moving it to the origin. As a result, the movement distance of the feed arrow 44 in step S321 is shorter than the movement of the feed arrow 44 in step S32 shown in Fig. 5, and the time and power required to move the feed arrow 44 can be reduced.
[0070] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. For example, the back spindle 28 and the second tool rest 29 of the NC lathe 2 may be omitted. Furthermore, the first control device 20 may execute other processes or controls between or in parallel with each step in the bar stock retraction mode and the bar stock supply mode.
[0071] Even if a constituent element is included only in the description of each of the modified examples described above, that constituent element may be applied to other modified examples. [Explanation of symbols]
[0072] 1. Lathe system (machine tool system) 20 First control device 25 Spindle 26 Guide bush 27 First tool rest (tool rest) 40 Second control device 44 Sending Arrow T1 1st tool (processing tool) W Bar material
Claims
1. a main shaft capable of releasably gripping a bar and moving in an axial direction of the bar; a guide bush that is disposed on a tip side of the bar material relative to the main shaft and supports the bar material; a tool rest having a machining tool attached thereto for machining a tip portion of the bar supported by the guide bush; a feed arrow capable of urging the bar from a rear end side of the bar toward a front end side of the bar; a first control device that controls a motion of the spindle and a motion of the tool rest; A second control device for controlling the operation of the feed arrow, The machine tool system is characterized in that the first control device has a bar retraction mode in which, while the spindle is gripping the bar, the tool post is caused to machine the tip of the bar, the spindle is retracted to pull the bar out of the guide bush, and the second control device is caused to release the biasing force of the feed arrow, thereby releasing the grip of the bar by the spindle.
2. An input unit for inputting an instruction to the first control device, 2. The machine tool system according to claim 1, wherein the bar retraction mode is a mode that is activated when the instruction is input from the input unit.
3. a main shaft capable of releasably gripping a bar and moving in an axial direction of the bar; a tool rest having a processing tool attached thereto for processing the tip portion of the bar material; a feed arrow capable of urging the bar from a rear end side of the bar toward a front end side of the bar; a first control device that controls a motion of the spindle and a motion of the tool rest; A second control device for controlling the operation of the feed arrow, a bar stock supply mode in which the first control device has a bar stock supplying mode in which the first control device operates the feed arrow to move the bar stock to a position where the tip portion of the bar stock passes through the spindle and protrudes further toward the tip side than the spindle, causing the spindle to grip the bar stock, and causes the second control device to operate the feed arrow to urge the bar stock toward the tip side, and causing the tool post to cut off the tip of the bar stock.
4. An input unit for inputting an instruction to the first control device, 4. The machine tool system according to claim 3, wherein the bar supply mode is a mode that is activated when the instruction is input from the input unit.
5. A control method for a machine tool system including a spindle capable of gripping a bar and moving in an axial direction of the bar, a guide bush supporting the bar, a machining tool for machining a tip end portion of the bar supported by the guide bush, and a feed arrow capable of urging the bar from a rear end side of the bar toward a tip end side of the bar, comprising: a tip machining step in which the machining tool machines the tip of the bar material while the spindle is holding the bar material; a bar material withdrawing step, which is executed following the tip processing step, in which the main shaft is retreated to withdraw the bar material from the guide bush; a releasing step of releasing the force applied to the feed arrow, the releasing step being executed following the bar strip drawing step; a grip release step, executed following the bias release step, of releasing the grip of the bar material by the spindle.
6. A control method for a machine tool system including a spindle capable of gripping a bar and moving in an axial direction of the bar, a processing tool for processing a tip portion of the bar, and a feed arrow capable of urging the bar from a rear end side of the bar toward a tip side of the bar, comprising: a bar material feeding step of operating the feed arrow to feed the bar material to a position where a tip portion of the bar material penetrates the main shaft and protrudes further toward the tip side than the main shaft; a gripping step, which is executed following the bar feed step, for gripping the bar by the spindle; a biasing step, which is executed following the gripping step, of operating the feed arrow to bias the bar toward a tip side; a tip cutting step, which is executed subsequent to the biasing step, in which the machining tool cuts off the tip of the bar material.
7. a main shaft capable of releasably gripping a bar and moving in an axial direction of the bar; a guide bush that is disposed on a tip side of the bar material relative to the main shaft and supports the bar material; a tool rest having a machining tool attached thereto for machining a tip portion of the bar supported by the guide bush; a feed arrow capable of urging the bar from a rear end side of the bar toward a front end side of the bar; a first control device that controls a motion of the spindle and a motion of the tool rest; A second control device for controlling the operation of the feed arrow, The first control device is a bar retraction mode in which, while the spindle is gripping the bar, the tool rest is caused to machine the tip of the bar, the spindle is caused to retract and pull the bar out of the guide bush, the second control device is caused to release the biasing force of the feed arrow, the spindle is caused to release the grip of the bar, and the positions of the spindle and the feed arrow are stored in a memory unit; a bar stock supply mode in which the spindle is moved to the position of the spindle stored in the memory unit, and the second control device is operated to operate the feed arrow to move the feed arrow to the position of the feed arrow stored in the memory unit, causing the spindle to grip the bar stock, causing the second control device to operate the feed arrow to urge the bar stock toward a tip side, and causing the tool rest to cut off the tip of the bar stock.