Coolant device and machine tool

Abstract

To provide a coolant device which can automatically recover sludge while reducing costs, and to provide a machine tool.SOLUTION: A coolant device includes: a coolant tank 20 having a dirty tank 21 and a clean tank 22; a chip receiver 13 which is disposed at the dirty tank 21 and into which the used coolant flows; a first coolant pump 40 which suctions the coolant accumulated in the dirty tank 21; first discharge nozzles 51 which stir the coolant accumulated in the dirty tank 21 by discharging the coolant, suctioned by the first coolant pump 40 and flowing thereinto, to the dirty tank 21; a filtration device 60 which filters the coolant suctioned by the first coolant pump 40 before the coolant flows into the clean tank 22; a second coolant pump 70 which suctions the coolant accumulated in the clean tank 22; and a filter 30 disposed on a border between the dirty tank 21 and the clean tank 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a coolant device and a machine tool.

Background Art

[0002] Techniques for automatically collecting sludge in a coolant tank provided in a machine tool are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of providing a circulation pump in each of two coolant tanks and collecting sludge by vortices generated by this circulation pump.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the technique of Patent Document 1 has a problem that a high-output circulation pump needs to be provided in each coolant tank in order to generate vortices in the coolant, and the cost tends to be high.

[0005] The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a coolant device and a machine tool capable of automatically collecting sludge while suppressing costs.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, the coolant device of the present invention includes a coolant tank having a dirty tank for storing used coolant and a clean tank for storing filtered coolant, a swarf receiver disposed in the dirty tank into which used coolant flows, a first coolant pump for sucking up the coolant stored in the dirty tank, a first discharge nozzle into which the coolant sucked up by the first coolant pump flows and which discharges the coolant into the dirty tank to stir the coolant stored in the dirty tank, a filter for filtering the coolant sucked up by the first coolant pump before it flows into the clean tank, a second coolant pump for sucking up the coolant stored in the clean tank, and a filter disposed at the boundary between the dirty tank and the clean tank.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the machine tool of the present invention includes a machine body having a machining chamber for machining a material, and the above-described coolant device provided on the machine body for supplying the coolant stored in the clean tank to the machining chamber.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a coolant device and a machine tool that can automatically collect sludge while suppressing costs.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

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Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, the coolant device and the machine tool according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, an X-axis and a Y-axis that are orthogonal to each other in the horizontal direction and a Z-axis that extends in the height direction are defined. In the following description, the XYZ coordinate axes will be referred to as appropriate.

[0011] The machine tool 1 according to the present embodiment is, for example, a CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) lathe. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the machine tool 1 has a machine body 2 and a coolant device 10 provided on the machine body 2.

[0012] Inside the machine body 2, a processing chamber 3 for performing cutting processing of workpieces and the like is provided. When machining a workpiece in the processing chamber 3, coolant is used for lubrication and flushing chips. The coolant is supplied from the clean tank 22 provided in the coolant device 10 via the second coolant pump 70.

[0013] The coolant device 10 separates the machining chips contained in the coolant discharged from the machining chamber 3 to perform regeneration processing of the coolant, and supplies the coolant to the machining chamber 3. The coolant device 10 includes a chip conveyor 11 provided in the bed 4, a drain chute 12 for the coolant attached to the chip conveyor 11, a chip receiver 13 provided at one end of the drain chute 12, and a coolant tank 20.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, an inlet 11a is formed in the chip conveyor 11. The chip conveyor 11 is connected to a machining chamber 3 where workpiece machining is performed via the inside of the bed 4 of the machine body 2 through the inlet 11a. The coolant containing the chips generated by machining the workpiece flows into the chip conveyor 11 from the inlet 11a. As shown in FIG. 2, the chip conveyor 11 has a horizontal conveyance section 11b extending in the +Y direction, a rising conveyance section 11c extending obliquely upward from the horizontal conveyance section 11b to send the chips upward, and a chip discharge section 11d for discharging the chips sent by the rising conveyance section 11c. The chip conveyor 11 collects the larger chips contained in the flowed-in coolant. The chip conveyor 11 sends the collected chips in the +Y-axis direction and the +Z direction by conveyors provided in the horizontal conveyance section 11b and the rising conveyance section 11c, and drops them from the chip discharge section 11d. The dropped chips are stored in the collection box 14. On the other hand, the coolant containing the smaller chips not collected by the chip conveyor 11 is discharged to the drain chute 12.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the drain chute 12 is adjacent to the -X side of the horizontal conveyance section 11b and extends in a direction parallel to the Y axis. The drain chute 12 guides the coolant flowing in from the chip conveyor 11 in the +Y direction and discharges it to the chip receiver 13 as shown in FIG. 5.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 6, the swarf receiver 13 is disposed substantially at the center of the dirty tank 21. As shown in Figs. 8(a) to 8(c), the swarf receiver 13 is assembled into a cage shape by a perforated steel plate. Further, as shown in Figs. 8(b) and 8(c), the swarf receiver 13 has a gripping portion 13a welded to the inner surface of the opposing side walls and a hooking portion 13b welded to the outer surface of the opposing side walls. The gripping portion 13a is composed of a U-shaped bent bar-like member and is the portion that an operator grips when attaching and detaching the swarf receiver 13. The hooking portion 13b is a member having an L-shaped cross section and is hooked on the coolant tank 20. Thereby, the swarf receiver 13 is attached to the dirty tank 21. The hole diameter of the perforated steel plate forming the swarf receiver 13 is, for example, 1 mm. The swarf receiver 13 collects swarf that could not pass through the holes with a diameter of 1 mm. When a certain amount of swarf accumulates in the swarf receiver 13, the swarf receiver 13 is removed from the coolant tank 20 and cleaned.

[0017] The coolant tank 20 is a tank for storing coolant, and a part of it is provided in the bed 4 of the machine body 2. As shown in Fig. 4, the coolant tank 20 has a substantially L-shaped planar shape and is installed with the lower part of the substantially L shape facing the +Y side. That is, the coolant tank 20 has a planar shape including a first rectangular body 20a with its longitudinal direction aligned with the X-axis direction and a second rectangular body 20b extending from the first rectangular body 20a to the -Y side and having the edge on the +X side coinciding with the edge on the +X side of the first rectangular body 20a.

[0018] As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the inside of the coolant tank 20 is partitioned into a dirty tank 21 for storing the coolant that has flowed in from the swarf receiver 13 and a clean tank 22 for storing the filtered coolant. As shown in Fig. 6, the dirty tank 21 occupies a part of the range of the first rectangular body 20a in plan view and is partitioned into a rectangular shape having a longitudinal direction in the X-axis direction. The corner portion, which is the intersection of the +X side edge and the +Y side edge of the dirty tank 21, coincides with the corner portion of the +X side edge and the +Y side edge of the first rectangular body 20a.

[0019] When viewing the coolant tank 20 in a plan view, the clean tank 22 occupies the area excluding the dirty tank 21. The clean tank 22 has a planar area that combines a partial region of the first rectangular body 20a and the entire area of the second rectangular body 20b.

[0020] Between the dirty tank 21 and the clean tank 22, as partitions, a first partition wall 26 extending in the X-axis direction and a second partition wall 27 extending in the Y-axis direction are provided. In the second partition wall 27, a through hole 27a into which a filter pipe 61 is fitted is formed. The filter pipe 61 fitted into this through hole 27a extends from the clean tank 22 to the dirty tank 21, and a filter 30 is attached to one end on the dirty tank 21 side. Also, a filter 60, which will be described later, is connected to the other end of the filter pipe 61.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 9(a), the filter 30 is a cylindrical filter formed by a filter mesh 31 with a corrugated outer peripheral surface. By being corrugated in this way, the surface area of the filter 30 can be increased. At the end of the filter 30, as shown in Fig. 9(b), a threaded portion 32 with a thread 32a for fastening a pipe inside is formed. One end of the filter pipe 61 shown in Fig. 5 is connected to this threaded portion 32.

[0022] As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, an opening 61a is formed in the portion of the filter pipe 61 arranged on the clean tank 22 side to enable the coolant to flow between the inside of the filter pipe 61 and the clean tank 22. In this way, with the formation of the opening 61a, it is possible to prevent sludge from entering the clean tank 22 from the dirty tank 21 while allowing the coolant to move between the dirty tank 21 and the clean tank 22.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 4, in the region on the +Y side of the coolant tank 20 that is not covered by the machine body 2, a first upper cover 24, a second upper cover 25, and a swarf receiver cover 28 are provided. The first upper cover 24 and the second upper cover 25 prevent dust, dirt, etc. from entering the dirty tank 21 and the clean tank 22, and also prevent the coolant from splashing outside the coolant tank 20. The swarf receiver cover 28 covers the swarf receiver 13 from above, preventing dust, dirt, etc. from entering the swarf receiver 13 and also preventing the coolant from splashing outside the swarf receiver 13.

[0024] Also, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the coolant device 10 includes a first coolant pump 40 provided in the dirty tank 21, three discharge nozzles 51 as a first discharge nozzle for stirring the coolant in the dirty tank 21, a filter 60 for filtering the coolant in the dirty tank 21, a second coolant pump 70 provided in the clean tank 22, and discharge nozzles 52, 53, 54 as a second discharge nozzle.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 5, the first coolant pump 40 is attached to the first upper cover 24 and sucks up the coolant in the dirty tank 21. The first coolant pump 40 is arranged on the -X side of the swarf receiver 13. The coolant sucked up by the first coolant pump 40 contains small swarf (sludge) that has passed through the swarf receiver 13. The pipe for sending the coolant sucked up by the first coolant pump 40 branches into a nozzle pipe 41 for sending the coolant to the discharge nozzle 51 and a filter pipe 42 for sending the coolant to the filter 60, as shown in Fig. 6.

[0026] The nozzle pipe 41 is inserted into the dirt tank 21 from the outside into the side wall 20c of the coolant tank 20 facing the +Y side, and branches into three pipes inside the dirt tank 21. Discharge nozzles 51 are attached to the tips of the three branched pipes respectively. As shown in FIG. 5, the three discharge nozzles 51 are near the bottom on the +X side of the dirt tank 21 and are arranged on the +X side of the swarf receiver 13. As shown in FIG. 6, the three discharge nozzles 51 are arranged in the Y-axis direction and discharge the coolant toward the -X side. A handle cock 43 is installed on the nozzle pipe 41 that sends the coolant to the three discharge nozzles 51. By operating the handle cock 43, the amount of coolant discharged from the discharge nozzles 51 can be adjusted.

[0027] The filter 60 is, for example, a cyclone filter and is arranged outside the coolant tank 20. The coolant sucked up by the first coolant pump 40 flows into the filter 60 through the filter pipe 42. The coolant pressurized by the first coolant pump 40 is supplied to the filter 60, and due to the centrifugal force of the vortex generated by the flow of the coolant, the sludge is pushed against the wall surface and accumulated at the bottom. On the other hand, the coolant from which the sludge has been removed is sent from the filter 60 to the outside. The pipe for sending the coolant from the filter 60 branches into a filter pipe 61 for sending the coolant to the filter 30 and a nozzle pipe 62 for sending the coolant to the discharge nozzles 52, 53, 54 provided in the clean tank 22, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. In FIGS. 5 and 6, a part of these pipes is illustrated by a dashed-dotted line.

[0028] The coolant valve 63 is provided in the piping 61 for the filter. The coolant valve 63 is a valve that opens and closes the flow path and switches between opening and closing according to an instruction from the control unit of the machine. As described above, the filter 30 is attached to the tip of the piping 61 for the filter. By opening the coolant valve 63 and flowing the coolant through the piping 61 for the filter, the filter 30 can be cleaned. Note that, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a check valve 68 is provided in the piping 61 for the filter on the upstream side (the side of the filter 60) from the opening 61a. The check valve 68 prevents the backflow of the coolant from the clean tank 22 to the filter 60.

[0029] The coolant valve 66 is provided in the piping 62 for the nozzle. The coolant valve 66 is a valve that opens and closes the flow path and switches between opening and closing according to an instruction from the control unit of the machine. As shown in FIG. 6, the piping 62 for the nozzle passes outside the coolant tank 20 from the filter 60, and is inserted into the clean tank 22 from the outside of the side wall 20d facing the +X side of the coolant tank 20. The portion of the piping 62 for the nozzle inserted into the clean tank 22 branches into three flow paths, and the discharge nozzles 52, 53, and 54 are connected to the tips thereof.

[0030] The discharge nozzle 52 is provided at the location where it first branches from the piping 62 for the nozzle (the most upstream location). The discharge nozzle 52 is arranged in the clean tank 22 near the location where the first partition wall 26 and the side wall 20d of the coolant tank 20 intersect. The discharge nozzle 52 discharges the coolant in the -Y direction.

[0031] The discharge nozzle 53 is provided at the tip of the branch pipe 64 branched from the piping 62 for the nozzle. The discharge nozzle 53 is arranged in the clean tank 22 near the location where the side wall 20e facing the -Y side and the side wall 20f facing the -X side of the second rectangular body 20b intersect. The discharge nozzle 53 discharges the coolant in the +Y direction.

[0032] The discharge nozzle 54 is provided at the tip of a branch pipe 65 branched from a pipe 62 for the nozzle. The discharge nozzle 54 is arranged near the first partition wall 26 and discharges the coolant in the -X direction.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 5, the second coolant pump 70 is attached to the first upper cover 24 and sucks up the coolant in the clean tank 22. The coolant sucked up by the second coolant pump 70 has chips removed by the chip receiver 13 and the filter 60, and is sent to the machining chamber 3 (FIG. 1) through the coolant supply pipe 71.

[0034] Next, the flow of the coolant and the mode in which chips are collected in the machine tool 1 described above will be described with reference to FIG. 10.

[0035] The coolant used in the machining chamber 3 and the chips generated by machining the workpiece fall from the machining chamber 3 into the bed 4 and flow into the chip conveyor 11. In the chip conveyor 11, larger chips are collected and discharged to the outside by the conveyor. On the other hand, the chips that could not be collected by the chip conveyor 11 are discharged together with the coolant through the drain chute 12 to the chip receiver 13 installed in the dirty tank 21.

[0036] The coolant and smaller chips discharged to the chip receiver 13 pass through the holes in the wall surface of the chip receiver 13 and are discharged into the dirty tank 21. Therefore, the coolant discharged into the dirty tank 21 contains sludge, which is fine chips. On the other hand, the chips that cannot pass through the holes in the wall surface of the chip receiver 13 stay on the bottom surface of the chip receiver 13. When a certain amount of chips accumulate on the bottom surface of the chip receiver 13, the chip receiver 13 is removed and cleaned.

[0037] The coolant containing sludge accumulated in the dirty tank 21 is sucked up by the first coolant pump 40 and supplied to a discharge nozzle 51 provided in the dirty tank 21 and the filter 60.

[0038] The discharge nozzle 51 discharges the coolant in the -X direction from its tip. Since the discharge nozzle 51 is provided near the bottom surface of the dirty tank 21 as shown in FIG. 5, it stirs the dirty tank 21 while also lifting up the sludge accumulated at the bottom of the dirty tank 21. As a result, the coolant sucked up by the first coolant pump 40 can contain sludge, and the accumulation of sludge at the bottom of the dirty tank 21 can be prevented. Also, the coolant from the discharge nozzle 51 can be discharged toward the swarf receiver 13 and the filter 30 provided on the -X side, suppressing clogging of these components.

[0039] The filter 60 separates the coolant containing sludge sucked up by the first coolant pump 40 into coolant and sludge. The sludge separated by the filter 60 accumulates on the filter 60. The filtered coolant is discharged from the discharge nozzles 52, 53, 54 into the clean tank 22 or supplied to the filter 30 for cleaning by controlling the opening and closing of the coolant valves 63, 66 by the control unit of the machine. The filter 30 can be cleaned for the necessary timing and duration by the coolant valves 63, 66 provided in the piping extending from the filter 60. The filter 30 is cleaned, for example, by opening the filter piping 61 for an arbitrary number of seconds at regular intervals to supply coolant to the filter 30 for cleaning. When cleaning the filter 30, the opening and closing of the nozzle piping 62 can be either way. For example, the nozzle piping 62 can be kept open at all times to supply coolant to the clean tank 22, and the filter piping 61 can be opened only when necessary to clean the filter 30.

[0040] In the clean tank 22, the coolant is discharged from the discharge nozzles 52, 53, 54 arranged at three locations. By arranging the discharge nozzles 52, 53, 54 as shown in FIG. 4 as described above, as shown by the arrow Y1, a coolant flow that turns back from the -Y direction flow in the second rectangular body 20b and heads in the +Y direction, and as shown by the arrow Y2, a coolant flow that heads in the direction of the second coolant pump 70, i.e., the -X direction, in the first rectangular body 20a can be created.

[0041] The coolant in the clean tank 22 is sucked up by the second coolant pump 70 and supplied to the processing chamber 3.

[0042] Note that a filter 30 is installed at the boundary between the dirty tank 21 and the clean tank 22. By passing through the filter 30, the coolant can balance the coolant amounts in the dirty tank 21 and the clean tank 22. Therefore, it is not necessary to consider the processing capabilities of the filter 60, the first coolant pump 40, and the second coolant pump 70 to balance the coolant amounts in the two tanks.

[0043] (Effect) According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be achieved. (1) In the above embodiment, the coolant device 10 includes a coolant tank 20 having a dirty tank 21 for storing used coolant and a clean tank 22 for storing filtered coolant, a swarf receiver 13 disposed in the dirty tank 21 into which the used coolant flows, a first coolant pump 40 for sucking up the coolant stored in the dirty tank 21, a first discharge nozzle 51 into which the coolant sucked up by the first coolant pump 40 flows and which stirs the coolant stored in the dirty tank 21 by discharging the coolant into the dirty tank 21, a filter 60 for filtering the coolant sucked up by the first coolant pump 40 before the coolant flows into the clean tank 22, a second coolant pump 70 for sucking up the coolant stored in the clean tank 22, and a filter 30 disposed at the boundary between the dirty tank 21 and the clean tank 22. Thereby, it is possible to suck up the coolant accumulated in the dirty tank 21, send it to the first discharge nozzle 51 to stir the coolant in the dirty tank 21, and send it to the filter 60 to filter it, all with a single first coolant pump 40. As a result, a dedicated pump for stirring the coolant is not required, so that the configuration of the coolant device 10 can be simplified, and the cost and energy consumption can be suppressed. Further, the coolant tank 20 is divided into two tanks, a dirty tank 21 and a clean tank 22, and the sludge deposition location is limited to the dirty tank 21. As a result, sludge can be efficiently recovered, and the cleaning of the coolant tank 20 only needs to be performed on the dirty tank 21, which is the sludge deposition location, making maintenance easy. Also, since the sludge can be automatically stirred and recovered by the first discharge nozzle 51 and the filter 60, the coolant can be kept clean. Further, since the coolant can flow back and forth between the dirty tank 21 and the clean tank 22 through the filter 30, the balance of the coolant amounts in the dirty tank 21 and the clean tank 22 can be maintained, and there is no need to consider the processing capacities of the filter 60, the first coolant pump 40, and the second coolant pump 70.

[0044] (2) In the coolant device 10 according to the above embodiment, the first discharge nozzle 51 is disposed at a position where the discharged coolant hits the chip receiver 13. Thereby, the coolant can be discharged from the first discharge nozzle 51 toward the chip receiver 13 provided at the coolant inflow location in the dirty tank 21, and the sludge can be efficiently lifted up. Also, the coolant discharged from the first discharge nozzle 51 can directly hit the chip receiver 13, preventing clogging of the chip receiver 13.

[0045] (3) In the coolant device 10 according to the above embodiment, a plurality of second discharge nozzles 52, 53, 54 for discharging the coolant filtered by the filter 60 into the clean tank 22 are further provided, and the plurality of second discharge nozzles 52, 53, 54 are arranged so that the discharged coolant creates a flow in the direction of the second coolant pump 70 in the coolant stored in the clean tank 22. In this way, by creating a flow in the direction of the second coolant pump 70 in the clean tank 22, it is possible to prevent extremely small sludge that cannot be recovered by the filter 60 from depositing in the clean tank 22.

[0046] (4) In the coolant device 10 according to the above embodiment, a filter pipe 61 for guiding the coolant filtered by the filter 60 to the filter 30, and a coolant valve 63 for switching the opening and closing of the filter pipe 61 are further provided. The coolant valve 63 is opened only during cleaning to clean the filter 30. Thus, by providing the filter pipe 61, the filter 30 can be automatically cleaned without removing the filter 30 while the machine tool is in operation. As a result, the maintenance of the coolant tank 20 is not required for a long time, and the maintenance burden of the machine tool 1 is reduced.

[0047] (5) In the above embodiment, the machine tool 1 includes a machine body 2 having a processing chamber 3 for processing materials, and the coolant device 10 according to any one of (1) to (4) above provided on the machine body 2 and supplying the coolant stored in the clean tank 22 to the processing chamber 3 by the second coolant pump. Thereby, the machine tool 1 having the effects of (1) to (4) above can be provided.

[0048] (6) In the machine tool 1 according to the above embodiment, the dirty tank 21 is provided at a position not covered by the machine body 2. Specifically, the dirty tank 21 is formed in a region on the +Y side of the coolant tank 20 and in a region not covered by the machine body 2. Thereby, the dirty tank 21 can be cleaned without removing the coolant tank 20 from the machine body 2, and maintenance can be easily performed.

[0049] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications and applications are possible. In the above embodiment, a chip conveyor 11 for collecting chips is provided in the bed 4, but a chip receiver may be disposed in the bed 4 instead of the chip conveyor 11. The chip receiver provided in the bed 4 may be a sheet metal formed in a basket shape with holes for discharging the coolant to the dirty tank 21. The holes for discharging the coolant may be formed with larger holes so that the coolant can be easily discharged.

[0050] Also, as an example of the filter 60, a cyclone filter is shown, but other filters may be used, for example, a drum filter or a bag filter may be used.

[0051] Also, although it has been described that three discharge nozzles 51 provided in the dirty tank 21 are arranged in the Y-axis direction, the number and arrangement pattern of the discharge nozzles 51 are arbitrary. Depending on the size of the dirty tank 21, a number of discharge nozzles 51 less than three may be arranged, or a number of discharge nozzles 51 more than three may be arranged. Also, the height positions (positions in the Z-axis direction) and horizontal positions (positions in the X-axis direction) of the plurality of discharge nozzles 51 may be different from each other.

[0052] Also, the number and arrangement form of the discharge nozzles 52, 53, and 54 provided in the clean tank 22 are also arbitrary and can be appropriately changed according to the shape and size of the clean tank 22 and the position of the second coolant pump 70.

[0053] Also, the dirty tank 21 has been described as occupying a part of the first rectangular body 20a in the coolant tank 20 and its corners coinciding with the corners of the first rectangular body 20a. However, its shape, size, and arrangement pattern are arbitrary and can be appropriately changed according to the arrangement of the chip receiver 13, the first coolant pump 40, etc.

[0054] Also, although it has been described that the diameter of the holes formed in the chip receiver 13 is 1 mm, it may be appropriately changed to holes with different diameters according to the material processing method and material. Also, although the chip receiver 13 has been described as being formed of a perforated steel plate, the material and the hole formation pattern are arbitrary, and for example, it may be made of synthetic resin and have square holes formed therein.

[0055] Also, coolant valves 63 and 66 for opening and closing the pipes are provided in the filter pipe 61 and the nozzle pipe 62 according to instructions from the control unit, but instead of the coolant valves 63 and 66, a handle cock or the like may be attached to manually switch the opening and closing of the pipes.

[0056] Also, although one filter 30 is provided at the boundary between the dirty tank 21 and the clean tank 22, the type and number of filters 30 to be installed are not limited to the above-described form. Although it has been described that the filter 30 is formed by a filter mesh 31 with a corrugated outer peripheral surface, a plate-shaped filter may be employed. Also, two or more filters may be installed. Next, as another example of the above-described embodiment, a coolant device with two filters installed will be described with reference to FIG. 11. In FIG. 11, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted in the following explanation.

[0057] In the coolant device 110 shown in FIG. 11, in addition to the filter 30, another filter 130 is provided at the boundary between the dirty tank 21 and the clean tank 22. This filter 130 is provided on the +X side of the chip receiver 13 at the tip of the filter pipe 161 that penetrates the first partition wall 26. The filter pipe 161 extends from the filter 60, similar to the filter pipe 61, and an opening 161a that allows the coolant to flow between the inside of the filter pipe 161 and the clean tank 22 is formed in the portion arranged on the clean tank 22 side. In this way, by forming the opening 161a, it is possible to prevent sludge from entering the clean tank 22 from the dirty tank 21 while allowing the coolant to move between the dirty tank 21 and the clean tank 22.

[0058] Also, a coolant valve 163 is provided in the filter pipe 161, and by opening the coolant valve 163 and flowing the coolant through the filter pipe 161, the filter 130 can be cleaned. A check valve 168 is provided in the filter pipe 161 on the upstream side (filter 60 side) of the opening 161a. The check valve 168 prevents the reverse flow of the coolant from the clean tank 22 to the filter 60.

[0059] According to the coolant device 110 according to another example, the amount of coolant movable between the dirty tank 21 and the clean tank 22 can be doubled compared to the case where one filter is provided, thereby making it less likely to run out of coolant in the clean tank 22.

[0060] Also, by controlling the opening and closing of the coolant valves 63 and 163 by the control unit of the machine, the filters 30 and 130 can be alternately cleaned, and while one filter is being cleaned, the other filter allows the coolant to move between the two tanks. Therefore, the cleaning of the filter can be easily carried out.

Explanation of Signs

[0061] 1... Machine tool, 2... Machine body, 3... Processing chamber, 4... Bed, 10... Coolant device, 11... Chip conveyor, 11a... Inlet, 11b... Horizontal conveying section, 11c... Ascending conveying section, 11d... Chip discharge section, 12... Drain chute, 13... Chip receiver, 13a... Gripping section, 13b... Hanging section, 14... Collection box, 20... Coolant tank, 20a... First rectangular body, 20b... Second rectangular body, 20c, 20d, 20e, 20f... Side walls, 21... Dirty tank, 22... Clean tank, 24... First upper cover, 25... Second upper cover, 26... First partition wall, 27... Second partition wall, 27a... Through hole, 28... Chip receiver cover, 30... Filter, 31... Filter mesh, 32... Threaded portion, 32a... Thread, 40... First coolant pump, 41... Nozzle pipe, 42... Filter pipe, 43... Handle cock, 51... Discharge nozzle (first discharge nozzle), 52, 53, 54... Discharge nozzles (second discharge nozzles), 60... Filter, 61... Filter pipe, 61a... Opening, 62... Nozzle pipe, 63... Coolant valve, 64, 65... Branch pipes, 66... Coolant valve, 68... Check valve, 70... Second coolant pump, 71... Coolant supply pipe, 110... Coolant device, 130... Filter, 161... Filter pipe, 161a... Opening, 163... Coolant valve, 168... Check valve

Claims

1. A coolant tank having a dirty tank for storing used coolant and a clean tank for storing filtered coolant, A swarf receiver disposed in the dirty tank into which used coolant flows, A first coolant pump for sucking up the coolant stored in the dirty tank, A first discharge nozzle into which the coolant sucked up by the first coolant pump flows and which stirs the coolant stored in the dirty tank by discharging the coolant into the dirty tank, A filter for filtering the coolant sucked up by the first coolant pump before it flows into the clean tank, A second coolant pump for sucking up the coolant stored in the clean tank, A filter disposed at the boundary between the dirty tank and the clean tank, and A coolant device.

2. The first discharge nozzle is disposed at a position where the discharged coolant hits the swarf receiver. The coolant device according to Claim 1.

3. Further comprising a plurality of second discharge nozzles for discharging the coolant filtered by the filter into the clean tank, The plurality of second discharge nozzles are arranged so that the discharged coolant creates a flow in the direction of the second coolant pump in the coolant stored in the clean tank. The coolant device according to Claim 1.

4. A filter pipe for guiding the coolant filtered by the filter to the filter, A coolant valve for switching the opening and closing of the filter pipe, and Opening the coolant valve only during cleaning to clean the filter. The coolant device according to Claim 1.

5. A machine body having a processing chamber for processing materials, The machine body is provided with the coolant device according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, which supplies the coolant stored in the clean tank to the processing chamber by the second coolant pump. A machine tool.

6. The dirty tank is provided at a position not covered by the machine body. The machine tool according to Claim 5.

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