Processing machine line

Abstract

To provide a processing machine line that can reduce the workload of a worker involved in starting a discharge cycle.SOLUTION: A processing machine line includes a first machine tool and a second machine tool. When a control device of the first machine tool receives an execution instruction of a discharge cycle through operation on an operation panel, the control device executes processing related to the discharge cycle and transmits a start instruction of the discharge cycle to the second machine tool via a communication interface. When a control device of the second machine tool receives the start instruction of the discharge cycle from the communication interface, the control device executes processing related to the discharge cycle on the workpiece.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a machining machine line including a plurality of machine tools.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a machining machine line including a plurality of machine tools. In such a machining machine line, after the workpiece is machined by the machine tool in the first process, the machined workpiece is transferred to the machine tool in the next process, and the transferred workpiece is machined by the machine tool in the next process.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the machining machine line having the above configuration, for example, when the number of machined workpieces reaches the planned number or when the workpiece is changed over, a so-called discharge cycle is executed in which the workpiece in each machine tool is discharged and the machining of the workpiece is stopped. In order to start the discharge cycle for all the machine tools included in the machining machine line, the operator needs to operate the operation panel for each of all the machines included in the machining machine line, and there is a concern that the workload of the operator increases.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a machining machine line capable of reducing the workload of an operator related to starting the discharge cycle in order to solve the above problems.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, in the machining machine line according to the present embodiment, a plurality of machine tools having a processing machine, a control device, an operation panel, and a communication interface, and a work transfer machine are provided. When the control device of the machine tool processes a work piece with the processing machine, the work transfer machine is repeatedly made to supply the work piece to the processing machine and discharge the processed work piece, and when a predetermined instruction is received by an operation on the operation panel, after the work transfer machine discharges the processed work piece from the processing machine, the control device executes a process related to a discharge cycle for stopping the processing machine. Among the plurality of machine tools, the control device of the first machine tool that processes the work piece in the first process executes the process related to the discharge cycle when receiving an execution instruction for the discharge cycle by an operation on the operation panel, and transmits a start instruction for the discharge cycle to a second machine tool that processes the work piece in a process subsequent to the process of the first machine tool via the communication interface. The control device of the second machine tool executes the process related to the discharge cycle when receiving a start instruction for the discharge cycle via the communication interface.

[0007] In the above configuration, the operator can cause not only the first machine tool but also the second machine tool that processes the work piece in a subsequent process to execute the process related to the discharge cycle only by instructing the first machine tool to start the discharge cycle by an operation on the operation panel of the first machine tool. As a result, the man-hours of the operator required for starting the discharge cycle in the machining machine line can be reduced, and the work burden can be alleviated.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a machining machine line capable of reducing the work burden of the operator related to the discharge cycle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] (First Embodiment) An embodiment of the processing machine line will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of the processing machine line 1 according to this embodiment. The processing machine line 1 includes a first machine tool 2 and a second machine tool 3 which are a plurality of machine tools, a relay device 4, a workpiece stocker 5, and a shooter 6 arranged side by side to form one processing line. In the processing machine line 1, the workpiece supplied from the workpiece stocker 5 is processed in order by the first machine tool 2 and the second machine tool 3, and then the processed workpiece is discharged to the shooter 6. In the following description, as shown in FIG. 1, the directions (machine width direction, vertical direction, etc.) of each machine tool 2 and 3 are described based on the direction when the processing machine line 1 is viewed from the front.

[0011] The first machine tool 2 is a turret type lathe, and as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, mainly includes a processing machine 10, a control device 11, a first workpiece transfer robot 12, an operation panel 13, a communication IF 14, and a machine body cover 15. The machine body cover 15 has a substantially box shape and houses the processing machine 10, the control device 11, and the first workpiece transfer robot 12 therein. Note that IF is an abbreviation of Interface.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, the processing machine 10 has a spindle device 16 and a turret device 17. The spindle device 16 is configured such that the central direction of its spindle is in the machine width direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the bed 18. Note that the machine width direction parallel to the spindle is defined as the Z-axis, and the vertical direction orthogonal to the Z-axis is defined as the X-axis. A spindle chuck for gripping a workpiece is rotatably provided on the spindle device 16, and rotation is imparted to the workpiece gripped by the spindle chuck by driving a spindle motor. The turret device 17 has a plurality of tools attached to a tool rest, and a specific tool can be selected by indexing rotation according to the machining content. The turret device 17 is provided with a guide rail in the Z-axis direction so that the tool rest can move in a direction parallel to the spindle, and during machining, the tool indexed by the indexing rotation can be linearly moved in the Z-axis direction.

[0013] The first workpiece transfer robot 12 is a device that transfers workpieces among the workpiece stocker 5, the first machine tool 2, and the relay device 4. In the present embodiment, the first workpiece transfer robot 12 is a multi-axis robot having a plurality of rotating shafts, and is provided with a chuck mechanism 12A capable of gripping a workpiece at its tip.

[0014] Inside the machine cover 15 of the first machine tool 2, a transfer space in which the workpiece transfer robot 12 can move is formed. Specifically, the first workpiece transfer robot 12 is fixed via a traveling base to a guide rail extending parallel to the Z-axis. The traveling base has a traveling gear that meshes with a rack formed on the guide rail and a traveling servo motor that rotates the traveling gear, and is configured such that its position can be arbitrarily positioned in a direction parallel to the Z-axis by rotation control of the traveling servo motor. Thereby, the first workpiece transfer robot 12 can transfer workpieces among the workpiece stocker 5, the spindle device 16, and the relay device 4 by moving in the Z-axis direction within the transfer space according to the positioning of the traveling base.

[0015] On the work stocker 5, a pallet for accommodating workpieces is placed. In the work stocker 5, the pallet stopped at the supply position is lifted by the pallet lifting device, so that the workpiece is lifted to a predetermined height together with the pallet. When the first workpiece transfer robot 12 takes out the workpiece from the pallet lifted to the predetermined height by the chuck mechanism 12A, the taken-out workpiece is transferred to and set on the spindle device 16 of the processing machine 10. After the workpiece is processed, the first workpiece transfer robot 12 takes out the workpiece from the spindle device 16 and transfers the workpiece to a temporary placement table 19 (to be described later) of the relay device 4.

[0016] In the present embodiment, the first workpiece transfer robot 12 is an example of a first workpiece transfer machine, and the second workpiece transfer robot 32 (to be described later) is an example of a second workpiece transfer machine. Each of the workpiece transfer robots 12 and 32 may be configured without a traveling base that moves in the Z-axis direction within the transfer space. Also, each of the workpiece transfer robots 12 and 32 may be not limited to a multi-axis robot, but may be a swing arm type robot. In addition to this, it may be a gantry type transfer machine that moves a swing arm type robot in the Z-axis direction. Furthermore, the processing machine line 1 may be configured as a workpiece transfer machine with two or more workpiece transfer robots or one workpiece transfer robot.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, and a non-volatile memory 24 are connected to the control device 11 of the first machine tool 2 via a bus line. Programs, parameters, etc. executed by the CPU 21 are stored in the ROM 22. Information necessary for processing performed by the CPU 21, such as a processing control program, is stored in the non-volatile memory 24. The CPU 21 can execute predetermined processing by expanding the programs and parameters stored in the ROM 22 or the non-volatile memory 24 into the RAM 23.

[0018] The control device 11 is provided with an I / O port 25, and the spindle device 16, turret device 17, first workpiece transfer robot 12, operation panel 13, etc. in the processing machine 10 are connected via the I / O port 25 through drivers. The operation panel 13 is provided with various operation buttons and switches, as well as a touch panel type monitor. Various information such as the display of the operation screen and the operation status is displayed on the monitor. The operation panel 13 functions not only as an input interface for operating each device but also as an input interface for loading various drive control programs and operation parameters, etc.

[0019] Furthermore, a workpiece stocker 5 and a relay device 4 are connected to the I / O port 25 of the control device 11. The control device 11 can output various control signals to the workpiece stocker 5 and the relay device 4 according to the program stored in the non-volatile memory 24.

[0020] The communication IF 14 is an interface for performing communication according to a predetermined protocol with the communication IF 34 of the second machine tool 3. The communication IF 14 enables communication between the control device 11 and the control device 31 by constructing a wired LAN via Ethernet or a wireless LAN according to a wireless protocol with the communication IF 34 of the second machine tool 3. In addition to this, the communication IF 14 may be configured to enable communication between the control device 11 and the control device 31 by constructing a wireless LAN via the Internet with the communication IF 34.

[0021] The relay device 4 is a device used to transfer workpieces between the machine tools 2 and 3, that is, to relay workpieces. As shown in Fig. 2, the relay device 4 is provided with a temporary placement table 19, and is configured such that the workpiece conveyed by the first workpiece transfer robot 12 can be temporarily placed on the temporary placement table 19. The relay device 4 is configured such that inspections and the like can be performed on the workpiece temporarily placed on the temporary placement table 19 by an inspection machine (not shown). In this embodiment, only one workpiece can be temporarily placed on the temporary placement table 19. In addition, the temporary placement table 19 may be configured to be able to temporarily place more than one workpiece. Further, the relay device 4 may have a workpiece inverter in addition to the temporary placement table 19, which inverts the orientation of the workpiece and then takes it out by the second workpiece transfer robot 32.

[0022] In Fig. 1, the second machine tool 3 is arranged on the left side of the relay device 4 in the figure. The second machine tool 3 is a turret lathe similar to the first machine tool 2, and mainly includes a processing machine 30, a control device 31, a second workpiece transfer robot 32, an operation panel 33, a communication IF 34, and a machine body cover 35. The configurations of the respective parts 30 to 35 in the second machine tool 3 are the same as the corresponding parts 10 to 15 in the first machine tool 2, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0023] In this embodiment, in the second machine tool 3, the control device 31 is not connected to the workpiece stocker 5 and the relay device 4. Instead, the relay device 4 may be connected to the control device 31 of the second machine tool 3, and only the workpiece stocker 5 may be connected to the control device 11 of the first machine tool 2.

[0024] In the second machine tool 3, the second workpiece transfer robot 32 takes out the workpiece temporarily placed on the temporary placement table 19 of the relay device 4 and sets it on the processing machine 30. After the workpiece is processed by the processing machine 30, the second workpiece transfer robot 32 takes out the processed workpiece from the processing machine 30 and conveys the workpiece to the shooter 6. Thus, the second workpiece transfer robot 32 can automatically transfer the workpiece among the relay device 4, the second machine tool 3, and the shooter 6.

[0025] Next, the operation when the processing machine line 1 with the above configuration processes the workpiece will be described. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the workpiece placed on the workpiece stocker 5 will be referred to as the "pre-processed workpiece", and the workpiece processed by the first machine tool 2 will be referred to as the "intermediate workpiece". The workpiece conveyed from the first machine tool 2 to the temporary placement table 19 of the relay device 4 by the first workpiece transfer robot 12 is the "intermediate workpiece". The workpiece processed by the second machine tool 3 will be referred to as the "processed workpiece". The workpiece conveyed from the second machine tool 3 to the shooter 6 by the second workpiece transfer robot 32 is the "processed workpiece".

[0026] FIG. 4 is a timing chart for explaining the flow of processing executed when the first machine tool 2 and the second machine tool 3 process the workpiece. First, when the operator operates the operation panel 13 of the first machine tool 2 to start processing the workpiece, the control device 11 causes the first workpiece transfer robot 12 to take out the pre-processed workpiece from the workpiece stocker 5 at timing T1. Specifically, the first workpiece transfer robot 12 grips the pre-processed workpiece by the chuck mechanism 12A and conveys the gripped pre-processed workpiece toward the processing machine 10. Hereinafter, the timing will also be referred to as "T".

[0027] The control device 11 of the first machine tool 2 causes the first workpiece transfer robot 12 to set the pre-processed workpiece on the spindle device 16 at T2 and causes the processing machine 10 to process the workpiece according to the program. In the processing machine 10, after the turret device 17 performs the rotation indexing of the tool, the tool is applied to the rotating workpiece by moving in the Z-axis direction along the guide rail, and predetermined processing such as outer diameter turning is performed. The control device 11 causes the chuck mechanism 12A of the first workpiece transfer robot 12 to grip the processed workpiece, that is, the intermediate workpiece, at T3 and conveys this intermediate workpiece to the temporary placement table 19 of the relay device 4 (discharge of the workpiece).

[0028] On the other hand, also in the second machine tool 3, an operator performs an operation on the operation panel 33 to start processing the workpiece. First, the control device 31 of the second machine tool 3 causes the intermediate workpiece temporarily placed on the temporary placement table 19 to be taken out by the second workpiece transfer robot 32 at T11. Note that the intermediate workpiece taken out by the second workpiece transfer robot 32 from the temporary placement table 19 at T11 is not limited to the workpiece discharged by the process at T3. For example, before the workpiece is processed by the first machine tool 2, an operator may temporarily place the intermediate workpiece on the temporary placement table 19 in advance, and at T11, the second workpiece transfer robot 32 may take out this intermediate workpiece.

[0029] Next, the control device 31 of the second machine tool 3 executes an activation determination process at T12 to determine whether the taken-out intermediate workpiece is a target of the discharge cycle. The details of the discharge cycle will be described later. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of the activation determination process executed by the control device 31 of the second machine tool 3. First, the control device 31 determines at step 10 whether it has received a discharge cycle start signal described later. Hereinafter, the step will also be referred to as "S". In this example, the control device 11 determines that it has not received the discharge cycle start signal (S10: NO) and ends the activation determination process.

[0030] Returning to FIG. 4, the control device 31 of the second machine tool 3 causes the second workpiece transfer robot 32 to set the intermediate workpiece on the spindle device at T13, and causes the processing machine 30 to process the intermediate workpiece according to the program. When the processing of the intermediate workpiece is completed, the control device 31 causes the second workpiece transfer robot 32 to grip the processed intermediate workpiece, that is, the processed workpiece, and convey it toward the shooter 6 (discharge of the workpiece) at T14.

[0031] Although not shown in FIG. 4, thereafter, a series of processes of "workpiece extraction", "workpiece processing", and "workpiece discharge" are repeated by the same processes as T1 to T3 by the first machine tool 2 and the same processes as T11 to T14 by the second machine tool 3.

[0032] In the first machine tool 2, at T4, the first workpiece transfer robot 12 takes out the Mth workpiece before processing from the workpiece stocker 5, and at T5, the workpiece before processing is set in the processing machine 10, and thus the processing of the workpiece before processing is performed. Here, "M pieces" indicates the number planned in the production plan, and the Mth workpiece before processing is also the so-called "final workpiece".

[0033] When the operator confirms that the final workpiece has been transferred towards the first machine tool 2 by the first workpiece transfer robot 12, the operator operates the operation panel 13 to activate the "discharge cycle". The "discharge cycle" is a mode for discharging all the workpieces set in each machine tool 2, 3 and the relay device 4 when the number of processed workpieces reaches the planned number or when workpiece changeover is performed.

[0034] In this embodiment, first, the control device 11 of the first machine tool 2 causes the processing machine 10 to process the workpiece at T5. Next, the control device 11 determines that it has received an activation instruction for the discharge cycle according to the operation of the operation panel 13, and at T6, reads out the program related to the discharge cycle and shifts the state of the first machine tool 2 to the discharge cycle (activation of the discharge cycle). By activating the discharge cycle at T6, a new program corresponding to the discharge cycle is read out. Note that when the reading of the processing control program is stopped, the processing of the workpiece is completed in the first machine tool 2.

[0035] The control device 11 executes the processing related to the discharge cycle according to the program corresponding to the newly read discharge cycle at T7. For example, as the processing related to the discharge cycle, the control device 11 causes the first workpiece transfer robot 12 to take out the processed workpiece from the processing machine 10 and transfer it to the temporary placement table 19 of the relay device 4, thereby discharging the workpiece.

[0036] The control device 11 transmits a discharge cycle start signal to the second machine tool 3 via the communication IF14 at T8. The "discharge cycle start signal" is information indicating that the discharge cycle has been started in the first machine tool 2. In other words, the "discharge cycle start signal" is also information indicating that the final workpiece targeted by the discharge cycle is discharged onto the temporary placement table 19.

[0037] On the other hand, in the second machine tool 3, during the processes from T4 to T8 by the first machine tool 2, as described above, the intermediate workpiece is taken out from the temporary placement table 19, and for the taken-out intermediate workpiece, the start determination process, workpiece processing, and workpiece discharge are repeatedly executed. The control device 31 of the second machine tool 3 causes the second workpiece transfer robot 32 to take out the intermediate workpiece temporarily placed on the temporary placement table 19 at T15, and executes the start determination process at T16.

[0038] When the control device 31 determines that the discharge cycle start signal has been received in the start determination process at T16 (S10: YES), it proceeds to S11. At S11, the control device 31 determines whether the intermediate workpiece currently taken out by the second workpiece transfer robot 32 is the workpiece taken out from the temporary placement table 19 after the reception of the discharge cycle start signal. In this embodiment, since only one intermediate workpiece is temporarily placed on the temporary placement table 19, the workpiece taken out from the temporary placement table 19 after receiving the discharge cycle start signal from the first machine tool 2 is the workpiece targeted by the discharge cycle in the first machine tool 2.

[0039] If the intermediate workpiece taken out by the process at T15 is the workpiece taken out from the temporary placement table 19 after the reception of the discharge cycle start signal (S11: YES), the control device 31 proceeds to S12 and shifts the state of the second machine tool 3 to the discharge cycle (start of the discharge cycle). In the second machine tool 3, due to the start of the discharge cycle at S12, a new program corresponding to the discharge cycle is read.

[0040] Note that if the taken-out intermediate workpiece is a workpiece taken out from the temporary placement table 19 before receiving the discharge cycle start signal (S11: NO), since the taken-out workpiece is not the final workpiece, the start determination process ends. In this case, although not shown in FIG. 4, the control device 31 causes the processing machine 30 to process the intermediate workpiece by the same process as T13 already described, and causes the second workpiece transfer robot 32 to discharge the processed workpiece to the shooter 6 by the same process as T14. In this case, in the next cycle, the control device 31 causes the second workpiece transfer robot 32 to take out the intermediate workpiece from the temporary placement table 19, thereby making an affirmative determination in S11 (S11: YES), proceeding to S12, and starting the discharge cycle.

[0041] Returning to FIG. 4, after starting the discharge cycle by the start determination process in T16, the control device 31 of the second machine tool 3 causes the second workpiece transfer robot 32 to set the intermediate workpiece in the processing machine 30 in T17, and causes the processing machine 30 to process the set intermediate workpiece.

[0042] The control device 31 executes the process related to the discharge cycle in T18. In the process related to the discharge cycle executed in the second machine tool 3, the second workpiece transfer robot 32 conveys the processed workpiece set in the processing machine 30 to the shooter 6 (that is, discharges the workpiece). Also in the second machine tool 3, by executing the process related to the discharge cycle, the final workpiece is discharged, so that in the machine tool line 1, the discharge of all workpieces is completed and the processing of the workpieces is finished. Therefore, when the operator finishes the work, the operator can perform cleaning work and the like accompanying the end of the workpiece processing, and can perform the work accompanying the change of the workpiece in the case of changing the workpiece.

[0043] In this embodiment, when the discharge cycle is started, each of the machine tools 2 and 3 executes the process related to the discharge cycle in T7 and T18 after processing the final workpiece. Not limited to this, each of the machine tools 2 and 3 may execute the process related to the discharge cycle in T7 and T18 without processing the final workpiece when the discharge cycle is started.

[0044] In the present embodiment described above, the following effects can be achieved. When the control device 11 of the first machine tool 2 receives an execution instruction for the discharge cycle by an operation on the operation panel 13, it executes the processing related to the discharge cycle and transmits a discharge cycle start signal to the second machine tool 3 via the communication IF 14. When the control device 31 of the second machine tool 3 receives the discharge cycle start signal, it executes the processing related to the discharge cycle. Thereby, the operator can start the discharge cycle with each of the machine tools 2 and 3 included in the machining machine line 1 only by operating the operation panel 13 of the first machine tool 2, and the work load related to the start of the discharge cycle can be reduced.

[0045] After the control device 31 of the second machine tool 3 receives the discharge cycle start signal, when the second work transfer robot 32 transfers a work from the temporary placement table 19 to the processing machine 30, the control device 31 executes the processing related to the discharge cycle for the transferred work. Here, in the machining machine line 1, conventionally, it has been necessary to determine the timing for discharging the final work at each of the machine tools 2 and 3 in order to discharge all the works. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the operator only needs to operate the operation panel 13 without determining the timing for individually starting the discharge cycle for the second machine tool 3, and the work load related to the start of the discharge cycle can be further reduced.

[0046] After the control device 31 of the second machine tool 3 receives the discharge cycle start signal, when the second work transfer robot 32 transfers the work temporarily placed on the temporary placement table 19 to the processing machine 30, the control device 31 executes the processing related to the discharge cycle for the transferred work. Thereby, even in the configuration having the work transfer robots 12 and 32 for each of the machine tools 2 and 3, the work load of the operator related to the start of the discharge cycle can be reduced.

[0047] (Other Embodiments) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit thereof. The processing machine line 1 may be configured to include not only the machine tools 2 and 3 but also a third machine tool. In this case, upon receiving the discharge cycle start signal, the second machine tool 3 executes the processes related to the discharge cycle at T18 and then transmits the discharge cycle start signal to the third machine tool via the communication IF34. In the third machine tool, by the same startup determination process as T16 already described, if a workpiece is being taken out after receiving the discharge cycle start signal (S11: YES), the discharge cycle is started in the same manner as S12. Thereby, by operating the operation panel 13 of the first machine tool 2, the discharge cycle can also be started in the third machine tool, and all workpieces can be discharged from the processing machine line 1.

[0048] The processing machine line 1 may not include the relay device 4 and may include a temporary placement table 19 inside the machine body cover 15 of the first machine tool 2. In this case, the first workpiece transfer robot 12 transfers the processed intermediate workpiece to the temporary placement table 19 inside the machine body cover 15, and the second workpiece transfer robot 32 may be configured to transfer the workpiece temporarily placed on this temporary placement table 19 to the second machine tool 3. In addition to this, the processing machine line 1 may include a temporary placement table 19 inside the machine body cover 35 of the second machine tool 3, and the first workpiece transfer robot 12 may be configured to transfer the processed intermediate workpiece to the temporary placement table 19 provided inside the machine body cover 35 of the second machine tool 3.

[0049] The temporary placement table 19 may be configured to temporarily place more than one workpiece. In this case, after receiving the discharge cycle start signal, the control device 31 of the second machine tool 3 counts the number of workpieces taken out each time a workpiece is taken out from the temporary placement table 19. When the number of counting times associated with the taking out of the workpiece from the temporary placement table 19 matches the number of workpieces that can be temporarily placed on the temporary placement table, the currently taken out workpiece is determined as the final workpiece, and the discharge cycle may be started in the same manner as S12 already described.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0050] 1... machining machine line, 2... first machine tool, 3... second machine tool, 4... relay device, 10... processing machine, 11... control device, 13... operation panel, 19... temporary placement table, 30... processing machine, 31... control device, 33... operation panel.

Claims

1. A machining line comprising a plurality of machine tools having a processing machine, a control device, an operation panel, and a communication interface, and a work transfer machine, wherein the control device, when processing a work by the processing machine, causes the work transfer machine to repeatedly execute the supply of the work to the processing machine and the discharge of the processed work, when receiving a predetermined instruction by an operation on the operation panel, executes processing related to a discharge cycle of causing the work transfer machine to discharge the processed work from the processing machine and then stopping the processing machine, among the plurality of machine tools, the control device of the first machine tool that processes a work in the first process, when receiving an execution instruction of the discharge cycle by an operation on the operation panel, executes the processing related to the discharge cycle and transmits a start instruction of the discharge cycle to a second machine tool that processes a work in a process after the process of the first machine tool via the communication interface, the control device of the second machine tool, when receiving the start instruction of the discharge cycle via the communication interface, executes the processing related to the discharge cycle.

2. Comprising a temporary placement table on which the work conveyed from the first machine tool is temporarily placed, the control device of the second machine tool, after receiving the start instruction of the discharge cycle, when the work transfer machine conveys the work from the temporary placement table to the processing machine of the second machine tool, executes the processing related to the discharge cycle for the conveyed work. The machining line according to claim 1.

3. The work transfer machine includes, a first work transfer machine capable of transferring a work between the first machine tool and the temporary placement table, a second work transfer machine capable of transferring a work between the temporary placement table and the second machine tool, the control device of the second machine tool, after receiving the start instruction of the discharge cycle, when the second work transfer machine conveys the work from the temporary placement table to the processing machine, executes the processing related to the discharge cycle for the conveyed work. The machining line according to claim 2.

4. As the plurality of machine tools, comprising a third machine tool that processes a work in a process after the process of the second machine tool, the control device of the second machine tool, When receiving an activation instruction for the discharge cycle from the first machine tool, the activation instruction for the discharge cycle is transmitted to the third machine tool via the communication interface. The control device of the third machine tool The machine tool line according to claim 1, wherein when receiving an activation instruction for the discharge cycle via the communication interface, the process related to the discharge cycle is executed.

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