Production system

Abstract

To provide a production system which can easily manage remaining processing times of various types of work-pieces with different processing times by displaying the remaining processing times.SOLUTION: A flexible production system 10 for sequentially processes mixed plural types of work-pieces W, comprises: a machine tool 32; a pallet stocker 12 that stores the work-pieces W before and after processing by the machine tool 32; a conveyance system 14 that supplies the work-pieces W from the pallet stocker 12 to the machine tool 32 and returns the processed work-pieces W to the pallet stocker 12; a remaining production capacity tabulating unit 116 for calculating a remaining processing time RW that totals planned processing times being times required for processing the work pieces W stored in the pallet stocker 12; a remaining production capacity recording unit 118 that stores the calculated remaining processing time RW together with the time; and a remaining production capacity display unit 100 that displays the remaining processing time RW along a time series.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a production system. [Background technology]

[0002] In a production system, since a large amount of workpieces are continuously handled, production management is necessary for efficient processing. For this reason, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a production management system that calculates a material requirements plan based on input information including product item information and configuration information, product production plans, and parts inventory information, and obtains output information including order information and demand information. This makes it possible to quickly calculate parts procurement orders based on input information, and to evaluate and hold the calculated output information.

[0003] However, such a known production management system is mainly intended to manage the number of parts in stock and the number of orders for the same parts, so if production management is to be performed for many types of workpieces with different processing times, production management must be performed for each type of workpiece, making it difficult to grasp the overall inventory situation. Alternatively, if many types of workpieces with different processing times are forcibly mixed and management is attempted by inventory number, some workpieces may not be able to keep up with the processing and may have a surplus in inventory, and for other workpieces, situations may occur where the inventory is depleted even though there is free space in the machine tool, and production management may not go well. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-38848 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a production system capable of displaying and easily managing the remaining machining times of a variety of workpieces having different machining times. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flexible manufacturing system for sequentially processing a mixture of multiple types of workpieces, comprising: a machine tool for processing the workpieces; a pallet stocker for storing the workpieces before and after they are processed by the machine tool; a workpiece supplying device for supplying the workpieces from the pallet stocker to the machine tool and returning the processed workpieces to the pallet stocker; a calculation unit for calculating the remaining processing time, which is the total of the planned processing times, which are the time required to process each of the workpieces stored in the pallet stocker; a memory unit for storing the calculated remaining processing time together with the time when it was calculated; and a display device for displaying the remaining processing time in chronological order. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, the flexible manufacturing system includes a machine tool, a pallet stocker for storing workpieces before and after machining by the machine tool, and a workpiece supplying device for supplying workpieces from the pallet stocker to the machine tool and returning the processed workpieces to the pallet stocker, thereby allowing sequential machining of a plurality of types of mixed workpieces. The system also includes a calculation unit for calculating the remaining machining time obtained by adding up the planned machining times required for machining each workpiece waiting in the pallet stocker, and a storage unit for storing the calculated remaining machining time together with the time. Thus, the remaining machining time obtained by adding up the planned machining times for each workpiece can be calculated and stored. The system also includes a display device for displaying the remaining machining time in a chronological order. Thus, the system can visualize changes in the situation, such as the depletion and surplus of the remaining machining time, in a chronological order, and grasp the trends. Thus, even in a production in which many types of workpieces with different machining times are mixed, the operator can easily manage a state in which production may stagnate or be depleted based on the display of the remaining machining time. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a flexible manufacturing system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows a side view of the pallet stocker according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a flexible manufacturing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows an example of how the remaining processing time is displayed according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 shows an example of a display of the remaining processing time in a modified example of the flexible manufacturing system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, a flexible manufacturing system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Similar or corresponding elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. For ease of understanding, the scale of the drawings may be changed.

[0010] FIG. 1 shows a schematic plan view of a flexible manufacturing system 10 (hereinafter, referred to as the "production system 10") for manufacturing and processing a variety of workpieces. FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of a pallet stocker (storage shelf) 12. The production system 10 includes a pallet P on which a workpiece W is attached and a pallet stocker 12 configured as a storage shelf for storing the pallet P alone. As shown in FIG. 2, the pallet stocker 12 has a plurality of stock areas S of different heights for storing the pallets P, and each stock area S has a pair of leg members Sa for supporting the pallet P. The pallet stocker 12 is electrically connected to a production system control device 110 (see FIG. 1) for managing and controlling the processing process, and is configured to be able to communicate information on the type and number of workpieces W stored in the pallet stocker 12 with the production system control device 110.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, the production system 10 is provided with one or more (two in Fig. 1) machining centers 26A, 26B equipped with a machine tool 32 for machining a workpiece W. The production system 10 also includes workpiece setup devices 34A, 34B (hereinafter referred to as "setup devices 34A, 34B") that allow an operator to attach or remove the workpiece W to or from a pallet P. The setup devices 34A, 34B are electrically connected to the production system control device 110, and are configured to be able to communicate with the production system control device 110 information on the type and number of workpieces W that have been set up on the pallet P by the setup devices 34A, 34B.

[0012] The production system 10 includes a conveying system 14 as a workpiece supply device for transporting a pallet P on which a workpiece W is attached so that the workpiece W can be transferred between the pallet stocker 12, the machining centers 26A, 26B, and one or more setup devices 34A, 34B.

[0013] The conveying system 14 includes a conveying device 18, which includes a cart 16 for horizontally moving a pallet P, a lifting device 20 and a loading platform 22 for vertically moving the pallet P, and a slide device 24 for moving the pallet P to the loading platform 22. The cart 16 is configured to be able to run on rails R installed along the horizontal direction in order to move the workpiece W between the pallet stocker 12, the machining centers 26A and 26B, and the setup devices 34A and 34B. The lifting device 20 is configured to be able to move up and down by a motor M such as a servo motor, and can move the loading platform 22 connected to the lifting device 20 in the vertical direction. Here, the axial direction parallel to the direction in which the cart 16 moves is defined as the X-axis direction. In addition, the horizontal direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction is defined as the Z-axis direction. Furthermore, the direction parallel to the vertical direction in which the lifting device 20 moves up and down is defined as the Y-axis direction. In this embodiment, the transport device 18 will be described. However, the transport device 18 may be in the form of a so-called stacker crane instead of the device shown in FIG. 2 as long as it is capable of transporting the pallet P.

[0014] The slide device 24 is disposed on the loading platform 22, and has one or more slide members that move in the Z-axis direction relative to the loading platform 22, and forks (both not shown) that can engage with the pallet P. Therefore, the slide device 24 can access the machining centers 26A, 26B, the pallet stocker 12, and the setup devices 34A, 34B via the slide members in order to deliver the pallet P on which the workpiece W is attached.

[0015] The conveying system 14 is electrically connected to the production system control device 110 and is configured to transfer the workpiece W between the pallet stocker 12, the machining centers 26A, 26B, and one or more setup devices 34A, 34B in response to commands from the production system control device 110.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the machining centers 26A and 26B are configured to be able to exchange a pallet P on which a workpiece W before machining is attached with a pallet P on which a workpiece W after machining is attached between a pallet P attached to a machining area where the machine tool 32 performs machining and a pallet P waiting at a pallet waiting position 36 (hereinafter referred to as the "waiting position 36"). The workpiece W is attached to the pallet P manually or automatically by an operator using the setup devices 34A and 34B. The pallet P on which the workpiece W is attached is automatically transported by the transport system 14 between the setup devices 34A and 34B, the waiting position side of the pallet changer PC, and the pallet stocker 12. Furthermore, the machining centers 26A and 26B are provided with an NC control device 28 for controlling the NC machining of the machine tool 32 and a tool magazine 30 for storing tools (not shown) to be attached to a spindle 33 of the machine tool 32. The production system 10 also includes a peripheral device 38 for carrying out pre- and post-processing of the machining by the machine tool 32, such as deburring and cleaning (see FIG. 3).

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, the production system control device 110 is configured to detect the inventory status of the workpiece W in the pallet stocker 12 and the machining and processing status of the workpiece W in the machining centers 26A, 26B and the setup devices 34A, 34B, and then control them. For this reason, the production system control device 110 has a process information recording unit 112 that records the status of the workpiece W and determines the work content to be instructed to the pallet stocker 12, the machining centers 26A, 26B, and the setup devices 34A, 34B, and a work command unit 114 that transmits commands from the process information recording unit 112 to the control devices 35, 28, 39 of these devices. As a result, the production system control device 110 can operate the conveyor system 14 and carry in or out the workpiece W from the pallet stocker 12 according to the machining status of the workpiece W. Furthermore, the production system control device 110 can instruct the machining centers 26A, 26B to perform the next machining according to the machining status of the workpiece W.

[0018] Specifically, the process information recording unit 112 determines the next work content (work command) to be instructed to each device according to the inventory status and processing status of the work W, and transmits it to the work command unit 114 (F10 in the figure). Upon receiving a work command from the process information recording unit 112, the work command unit 114 transmits the work command to the control device 35 of the setup devices 34A and 34B, the NC control device 28 of the machine tool 32, and the control device 39 of the peripheral device 38 (F20 in the figure). The work command unit 114 is configured to receive a work completion signal from the setup devices 34A and 34B, the machine tool 32, and the peripheral device 38 when the instructed process (work) is completed, and transmits this to the process information recording unit 112.

[0019] Furthermore, the production system control device 110 is configured to calculate the remaining machining time RW of various types of workpieces W having different machining times and display the calculated remaining machining time RW. For this reason, the production system control device 110 has a remaining production capacity tallying unit 116 as a calculation unit that calculates the remaining machining time RW (see FIG. 4) by adding up the planned machining times, which are the times required to machine each workpiece W stored in the pallet stocker 12 without machining. In addition, the production system control device 110 has a remaining production capacity recording unit 118 as a storage unit that stores the remaining machining time RW thus calculated and the time at which it was calculated. Furthermore, the production system control device 110 has a remaining production capacity display unit 100 as a display device that displays the remaining machining time RW in chronological order. In the following description, the remaining production capacity display unit 100 will be described as a display device incorporated in the production system control device 110, but is not limited thereto, and may be a display screen of a mobile terminal held by an operator, a screen of a control panel of a machine tool, or a screen of a computer used for process management. In this embodiment, each workpiece W stored unmachined in the pallet stocker 12 used in calculating the remaining machining time RW is a workpiece W for which it is known that the setup has been completed by receiving a work completion signal from the setup devices 34A, 34B. Each workpiece W for which the setup work has been completed is used to calculate the remaining machining time RW, and the total time is calculated. Also, when a work completion signal is received from the machine tool 32, the workpiece W for which the work completion signal has been received is determined to have been completed, and is excluded from the workpieces W stored unmachined. The time required for the workpiece W for which the machining has been completed, which is preset, is subtracted from the remaining machining time RW.

[0020] The remaining production capacity tallying unit 116 acquires information on the work commanded by the work commanding unit 114 (work content, whether the work has been completed, the time required for processing, whether there is a problem, etc.) from the work commanding unit 114 (F30 in the figure), and acquires process information such as the standard processing time (standard processing time) for the commanded work and the planned processing of the work W waiting in the pallet stocker 12 from the process information recording unit 112 (F40 in the figure). Therefore, based on the information acquired from the work commanding unit 114 and the process information recording unit 112, the remaining production capacity tallying unit 116 can calculate the remaining processing time RW, which is the time required for processing, for each planned processing. The calculated remaining processing time RW (tallying result of the remaining production capacity) is stored (recorded) in the remaining production capacity recording unit 118 together with the calculation time (F50 in the figure). Furthermore, the calculated remaining processing time RW can be displayed in chronological order along the processing time on the remaining production capacity display unit 100 so that the operator can grasp the calculated remaining processing time RW (F60 in the figure).

[0021] The production system control device 110 also has an equipment operation information collection unit 122 for sequentially acquiring information (equipment operation information) on the operation status of the pallet stocker 12, machining centers 26A, 26B, and setup devices 34A, 34B that are in operation (F70 in the figure). The actual operation status specifically refers to a state in which machining is being performed (during machining), a standby state (standby) before machining starts or after machining ends, and a state in which an alarm is issued due to a malfunction of the machine tool 32. Furthermore, the production system control device 110 has an equipment operation information recording unit 120 for recording the acquired equipment operation information. The operation status thus sequentially acquired can be displayed on the remaining production capacity display unit 100 in chronological order according to the machining time.

[0022] Furthermore, the production system control device 110 has a factory calendar recording unit 124 in which a factory calendar of the factory where the production system 10 is installed, i.e., a calendar indicating whether the factory is operating or not, is recorded. The production system control device 110 also has a worker calendar recording unit 126 in which a calendar indicating the operator's work schedule is recorded. Therefore, the remaining production capacity display unit 100 can display the factory calendar (F80 in the figure) and the worker calendar (F90 in the figure) together with the remaining processing time RW and the time series of the operating status.

[0023] The effects of the production system 10 according to this embodiment will be described below through an explanation of a display example of the remaining production capacity display unit 100 shown in FIG.

[0024] In the example of display shown in FIG. 4, the middle part of the display displays the change in the remaining processing time RW in time series with the horizontal axis being the time. The System Load Timeline display in the middle part shows the change in the level of the remaining processing time RW for the entire production system 10 over time. In the example of display, the level of the remaining processing time RW increases as time passes, that is, it can be seen that although the setup has been completed, many workpieces W waiting to be processed remain in the pallet stocker 12 and are surplus. The middle part also shows a graph of the time series of the remaining processing time RW with the vertical axis being the remaining processing time RW at each time. In this way, by visualizing the remaining processing time RW, which is the sum of the respective scheduled processing times of the workpieces W waiting to be processed, as a graph, the relationship between the remaining processing time RW and the operating time zone of the machine tool 32 can be easily grasped. This allows the operator to easily perform production management such as inventory management of the workpieces W and processing management of the machine tool 32, while suppressing or preventing the workpieces W waiting to be processed from waiting longer than necessary in the production system 10 and becoming surplus, or the workpieces W waiting to be processed in the production system 10 from being depleted.

[0025] Furthermore, in the lower part of the display shown in Fig. 4, the operating status of the machine tool 32 is displayed in chronological order using a Gantt chart. In the display example, the operating status of four machine tools 32 (SP-3165, SP-1850, SP-2277, SP-3241) that each machine a plurality of types of workpieces W is displayed in chronological order. Here, the operating status displayed is when the machine tool 32 is performing machining ("running" in the figure) and when the machine tool 32 is waiting before machining (waiting for machining) ("ready" in the figure). Also, when an alarm is generated, i.e., when a trouble occurs with the machine tool 32, a warning is displayed ("alarm" in the figure). Furthermore, the display is configured to display a single block ("single_block" in the figure) that stops the machine tool 32 one by one for each block of the NC program, and an optional stop ("op_stop" in the figure) that stops the machine tool 32 at any timing, which is an operation used by the operator to debug the NC program of the machine tool 32 or to temporarily stop the machine tool 32 when measuring the workpiece W on the machine during machining. Therefore, the relationship between the remaining machining time RW and the operating state of the machine tool 32 can be easily understood. This makes it easy to take measures (production management), such as increasing the remaining machining time RW, i.e., the stock of workpieces W, if the machine tool 32 is often in standby mode, and identifying the cause of the alarm and performing maintenance on the machine tool 32 if the machine tool 32 is often in warning mode.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 4, many types of workpieces W are mixed, and the multiple (four here) machine tools are not necessarily all of the same specifications, so not all machine tools are configured to perform the same machining. For this reason, as in one machine tool (SP-3165) in the figure, a standby state may occur even though there is a large remaining machining time RW. According to the production system 10 of this embodiment, the relationship between such remaining machining time RW and the operating state of the machine tool 32 can be visualized and easily understood, so that production management can be easily performed, such as reviewing the machining content or the machine tools to be installed.

[0027] According to the production system 10 of this embodiment, the system includes a machine tool 32, a pallet stocker 12 that stores the workpieces W before and after machining by the machine tool 32, and a transport system 14 that supplies the workpieces W from the pallet stocker 12 to the machine tool 32 and returns the machined workpieces W to the pallet stocker 12, so that the system can sequentially machine a plurality of types of workpieces W that are mixed together. The system also includes a remaining production capacity tallying unit 116 that calculates the remaining machining time RW, which is the total of the planned machining times that are the time required to machine each workpiece W waiting in the pallet stocker 12, and a remaining production capacity recording unit 118 that stores the calculated remaining machining time RW together with the time. Therefore, the system can calculate and store the remaining machining time RW, which is the total of the planned machining times of the workpieces W. The system also includes a remaining production capacity display unit 100 that displays the remaining machining time RW in a chronological order. Therefore, the system can visualize changes in the situation, such as the depletion and surplus of the remaining machining time RW, in a chronological order, and grasp the tendency. This makes it possible to display and easily manage the remaining machining times RW of various types of workpieces W having different machining times.

[0028] According to the production system 10 of this embodiment, the production system 10 includes setup devices 34A, 34B and a standby position 36. Since the remaining processing time RW can be visualized in the remaining production capacity display unit 100, the operator can easily determine, via the setup devices 34A, 34B and the standby position 36, whether to input the workpiece W to increase the remaining processing time RW or to withdraw the workpiece W to decrease the remaining processing time RW. This makes it easy to manage production.

[0029] As described above, the production system 10 according to this embodiment displays the remaining machining times RW of various types of workpieces W having different machining times, and therefore can be easily managed.

[0030] (Modification) Further, the effects of the modified example of the remaining production capacity display unit 100 will be described below through the explanation of the display example of the remaining production capacity display unit 100 shown in Fig. 5. Elements similar to or corresponding to the present embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

[0031] In the display example shown in FIG. 5, the upper part of the display shows a time series graph of the remaining processing time RW with the vertical axis being the remaining processing time RW at each time (solid line in the figure). The remaining processing time RW here indicates the total sum of the planned processing time of the work W that has been set up and is waiting to be processed and the processing time of the work W being processed. When multiple processes are performed in one set up, the planned processing time for all processes is added together. In addition, the planned processing time of the work W that has started to be processed is excluded from the remaining processing time RW. In addition to this, a time series graph (one-dot chain line in the figure) is shown with the vertical axis being the total sum of the remaining planned processing time of the work W being processed. Here, when processing starts, the remaining planned processing time of the work W is added and subtracted according to the progress of processing. In addition, a time series graph (two-dot chain line in the figure) is shown with the vertical axis being the total sum of the planned processing time of the work W that has been set up but is intentionally put on hold by the operator and is waiting. Here, the scheduled processing time of the waiting workpiece W is added, and is subtracted when the waiting is released and processing starts. Therefore, the scheduled processing time of the workpiece W being processed and the scheduled processing time of the waiting workpiece W in the remaining processing time RW can be visualized, and the scheduled processing time of the workpiece W actually stored in the pallet stocker 12 can be clarified. This makes it easy to perform production management of the workpiece W, such as inventory management and processing adjustment.

[0032] Furthermore, in the lower part of the display, the operating state of the machine tool 32 is displayed in chronological order using a Gantt chart. In the display example, the operating states of two machine tools 32 (MC1, MC2) that machine multiple types of workpieces W are displayed in chronological order. Here, the operating states are displayed as "in cycle" (in the figure), in which the machine tool 32 is performing machining, and "idle" (in the figure), in which the machine tool 32 is waiting before machining (waiting for machining). In addition, the operating state is displayed as "alarm" (in the figure), in which an alarm is generated, that is, when a trouble occurs in the machine tool 32. Therefore, the relationship between the remaining machining time RW and the operating state of the machine tool 32 can be easily grasped. This makes it easy to take measures (production management), such as increasing the remaining machining time RW, that is, increasing the inventory of workpieces W, if the machine tool 32 is often in the waiting state, and identifying the cause of the alarm and performing maintenance of the machine tool 32, if the machine tool 32 is often in the warning state.

[0033] Furthermore, the upper display shows the appropriate value of the remaining processing time RW with a dotted line. Therefore, it is possible to visualize whether the remaining processing time RW is more or less than the appropriate value. This makes it easy to perform production management of the work W, such as inventory management and processing adjustment.

[0034] Furthermore, the display in the upper section can distinguish between manned time periods when an operator is present inside the production system 10 and unmanned time periods when the operator is outside the production system 10, i.e., when no operator is present inside the production system 10, by using different colors, patterns, etc. Therefore, for example, during automatic operation at night when no operator is present, it is possible to predict the possibility that the remaining inventory amount will become zero and adjust the inventory amount.

[0035] Furthermore, according to the production system 10 according to the modified example, when the remaining machining time RW becomes zero for a predetermined time, the remaining production capacity display unit 100 is configured to display a first warning display, a Starvation warning display. Also, when the remaining machining time RW is not zero, when the remaining machining time RW does not change for a predetermined time, the remaining production capacity display unit 100 is configured to display a second warning display, a Stagnation warning display. Therefore, when the Starvation warning display is displayed, the operator can easily understand that the inventory is depleted, and when the Stagnation warning display is displayed, the machining by the machine tool 32 is stagnating and some kind of trouble is occurring. This allows the operator to easily avoid excess inventory due to too many pallets waiting to be processed and to judge the timing of inputting the material of the workpiece W in order to efficiently operate the production system.

[0036] As described above, the production system 10 according to the modified example can easily manage the remaining machining times RW of various types of workpieces W having different machining times by displaying them.

[0037] Although the embodiment of the production system 10 has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. In addition to the above, it is considered that a person skilled in the art would understand that various modifications of the above embodiment are possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 10 Flexible Manufacturing System (Production System) 12 Pallet Stocker 14 Conveyor system (workpiece supply device) 32 Machine tools 34A Work setup device (setup device) 34B Work setup device (setup device) 100 Remaining production capacity display unit (display device) 116 Remaining production capacity calculation section (calculation section) 118 Remaining production capacity record section (memory section) W Work (processed item)

Claims

1. A flexible manufacturing system for sequentially processing a plurality of types of mixed workpieces, comprising: A machine tool that processes the workpiece; a pallet stocker for storing the workpiece before machining by the machine tool and the workpiece after machining by the machine tool; a workpiece supplying device that supplies the workpiece from the pallet stocker to the machine tool and returns the machined workpiece to the pallet stocker; a calculation unit that calculates a remaining processing time by adding up a scheduled processing time, which is a time required to process each of the workpieces stored in the pallet stocker; A storage unit that stores the calculated remaining processing time together with the calculated time; A display device that displays the remaining processing time in chronological order; A flexible manufacturing system comprising:

2. 2. The flexible manufacturing system according to claim 1, further comprising: displaying the remaining machining time in the pallet stocker at each of the calculated times, together with an operating state of the machine tool.

3. 3. The flexible manufacturing system according to claim 2, wherein the remaining machining time is displayed using a graph, and the operating status of the machine tool is displayed using a Gantt chart.

4. 3. The flexible manufacturing system according to claim 2, wherein the operating status of the machine tool includes: in process, on standby, and in warning state.

5. 3. The flexible manufacturing system according to claim 2, wherein the operating status of the machine tool is displayed separately for a manned time period during which an operator is present and an unmanned time period during which the operator is not present.

6. The flexible manufacturing system according to claim 1 , further comprising a workpiece setup device.

7. 2. The flexible manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein, when the remaining machining time remains at zero for a predetermined period of time, a warning is displayed to indicate that there is a shortage of the workpieces to be machined in the pallet stocker, and when the remaining machining time remains other than zero and does not fluctuate for a predetermined period of time, a warning is displayed to indicate that machining is stagnating.

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