Chip collecting device

Abstract

To provide a chip collecting device by which chips can be efficiently discharged, a trouble due to accumulation of chips is dissolved, and maintenance such as cleaning work can be eliminated.SOLUTION: A chip collecting device 10 comprises: a belt conveyor 2 for conveying chips to a chip discharge part 2c; a conveyor frame 11 in which the chips falling from the belt conveyor 2 are received by a bottom plate 13 positioned below the belt conveyor 2; and a cleaning mechanism 12 for discharging cleaning liquid for discharging the chips to the outside of the conveyor frame 11. A cross section of the bottom plate 13 of the conveyor frame 11 has a shape being deeper toward the center. The cleaning mechanism 12 has a bottom plate cleaning nozzle 14 which discharges the cleaning liquid so that the chips received by the bottom plate 13 of the conveyor frame 11 are guided toward the chip discharge part 2c.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a chip recovery device for recovering chips produced by various machine tools. [Background technology]

[0002] Known chip recovery devices include those that use a belt conveyor known as a chip conveyor (for example, Patent Document 1), and those that recover chips by a chip recovery chute without using a belt conveyor (for example, Patent Document 2).

[0003] The conventional chip collection device (1) that is the subject of the present invention includes a belt conveyor (2) and a conveyor frame (3) that houses the belt conveyor (2) inside, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

[0004] The belt conveyor (2) is a chip conveyor for collecting chips, and is a caterpillar type belt conveyor (2) made up of a number of hinge pans (4) connected together.

[0005] Drive devices (not shown) are provided on the left and right sides of the belt conveyor 2, and the belt conveyor 2 is driven by these drive devices to rotate endlessly inside the conveyor frame 3. In Figure 3, the belt conveyor 2 has a horizontal outgoing path 2a that passes leftward through the upper side from inside the machine to outside the machine, and a horizontal returning path 2b that passes rightward through the lower side and returns to inside the machine, as shown by the arrows.

[0006] The belt conveyor (2) moves forward (left in Figure 3) on its outbound path (2a) while receiving chips falling from above along with cutting coolant, and reaches the chip discharge section (2c) at the end of the outbound path (2a). After dropping and discharging the chips and cutting coolant into a tray (5) located below the chip discharge section (2c), it moves backward (right in Figure 3) on the return path (2b) along the bottom plate (3a) of the conveyor frame (3). The chips that fall into the tray (5) are received by the mesh-like bottom of the tray (5), and the cutting coolant that passes through the mesh-like bottom is stored in a tank (6) located below the tray (5). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 5-19229 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-185585 DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In the above-mentioned chip collection device (1), there is a problem that chips adhere to the hinge pan (4) part of the belt conveyor (2) shown by A in Figures 3 and 4 and accumulate on the bottom plate (3a) part of the conveyor frame (3) shown by B in Figures 3 and 4. It is desired to be able to efficiently discharge chips, to eliminate problems caused by chip accumulation, and to reduce maintenance such as cleaning work.

[0009] In the system described in Patent Document 1, in addition to the chip bucket that collects the chips normally discharged from the chip conveyor, a separate chip collection box must be provided to collect chips that have adhered to the surface of the hinge pan.Furthermore, if the chips do not fall into the chip collection box during cleaning, they will accumulate on the bottom plate of the chip conveyor, resulting in the problem of increased maintenance work such as cleaning.

[0010] Furthermore, the device disclosed in Patent Document 2 does not have a belt conveyor and is structured only with a chip collection chute, so when a large amount of chips are generated and the chips become tangled and form large clumps, a large amount of cleaning liquid is required to discharge the clumped chips, which poses the problem of requiring a large pump and tank for supplying the cleaning liquid.Furthermore, when the machine is large, the path the chips have to travel before being discharged is long, which raises the risk of chips remaining in the collection chute, resulting in an increase in maintenance work such as cleaning.

[0011] The object of this invention is to provide a chip recovery device that solves the problems of chips accumulating on the bottom plate of the conveyor frame and chips adhering to the hinge pan of the belt conveyor, thereby eliminating the need to clean the inside of the conveyor for many years. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises the following aspects.

[0013] 1) A chip recovery device comprising: a rotatable belt conveyor that transports chips to a chip discharge section located in front; a conveyor frame that houses the belt conveyor inside and has a bottom plate located below the belt conveyor to receive chips dropped from the belt conveyor; and a cleaning mechanism that discharges cleaning liquid to discharge the chips outside the conveyor frame, A chip recovery device characterized in that the cross section of the bottom plate is shaped to become deeper toward the center, and the cleaning mechanism has a bottom plate cleaning nozzle that ejects cleaning liquid so that chips received by the bottom plate are directed toward the chip discharge section.

[0014] 2) The chip recovery device of 1) above, characterized in that the cleaning mechanism further has a conveyor cleaning nozzle that ejects cleaning liquid so that chips adhering to the surface of the belt conveyor fall onto the bottom plate.

[0015] 3) The chip recovery device according to 2) above, characterized in that cleaning by the bottom plate cleaning nozzle and cleaning by the conveyor cleaning nozzle are carried out simultaneously.

[0016] 4) A chip recovery device comprising: a rotatable belt conveyor that transports chips to a chip discharge section located in front; a conveyor frame that houses the belt conveyor inside and has a bottom plate located below the belt conveyor to receive chips dropped from the belt conveyor; and a cleaning mechanism that discharges cleaning liquid to discharge the chips outside the conveyor frame, The cleaning mechanism has a bottom plate cleaning nozzle that sprays cleaning liquid so that chips received by the bottom plate are directed toward the chip discharge section, and a conveyor cleaning nozzle that sprays cleaning liquid so that chips adhering to the surface of the belt conveyor fall onto the bottom plate, and the chip recovery device is characterized in that cleaning by the bottom plate cleaning nozzle and cleaning by the conveyor cleaning nozzle are performed simultaneously.

[0017] 5) The chip recovery device of 3) or 4) above, characterized in that the bottom plate cleaning nozzle that sprays cleaning liquid horizontally and the conveyor cleaning nozzle that sprays cleaning liquid diagonally upward are arranged to branch off from a single cleaning liquid supply pipe that supplies cleaning liquid near the rear end of the bottom plate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the chip collection device of 1) above, chips generated inside the machine fall from above onto the belt conveyor together with the cutting coolant, are received by the belt conveyor, and reach the chip discharge section, where they fall from the belt conveyor under their own weight and are discharged. Here, almost all relatively large chips are discharged at the chip discharge section, but among the relatively small chips, some are swept away with the cutting coolant or fall from the belt conveyor under their own weight and accumulate on the bottom plate of the conveyor frame, while some do not fall from the belt conveyor at the chip discharge section and remain accumulated on the belt conveyor.

[0019] Therefore, in the chip recovery device of 1) above, in order to discharge the chips that have fallen from the belt conveyor and accumulated on the bottom plate of the conveyor frame, the shape of the bottom plate is made appropriate (a shape in which the cross section becomes deeper toward the center), and a bottom plate cleaning nozzle is provided to send the chips that have fallen onto the bottom plate to the chip discharge section.

[0020] This allows chips that fall from the belt conveyor to roll down the inclined surface of the bottom plate, allowing them to collect in the valley bottom (center) of the bottom plate, and by discharging cleaning liquid from the bottom plate cleaning nozzle toward the center of the bottom plate, the chips can be efficiently discharged to the receiving tray (chip discharge section).In this way, the problem of chips accumulating on the bottom plate of the conveyor frame is solved, and it is possible to obtain a chip collection device that does not require cleaning inside the device for many years.

[0021] According to the chip collection device described in 2) above, a conveyor cleaning nozzle is added as a separate cleaning nozzle from the bottom plate cleaning nozzle to discharge chips that have accumulated on the belt conveyor without them falling off. This allows chips adhering to the surface of the belt conveyor to be washed away by the conveyor cleaning nozzle. The washed-away chips are collected in the valley bottom of the bottom plate and are discharged by the bottom plate cleaning nozzle together with chips that have fallen off the belt conveyor. This solves the other problem of chips adhering to the hinge pan of the belt conveyor, resulting in a chip collection device that does not require internal cleaning for many years.

[0022] The bottom plate cleaning nozzle in 1) above and the conveyor cleaning nozzle in 2) above may of course be controlled independently, but with the chip recovery device in 3) above, cleaning of the belt conveyor surface and cleaning of the conveyor frame bottom plate are carried out simultaneously, so that the cleaning liquid that has cleaned the belt conveyor surface flows down to the bottom of the valleys of the bottom plate, increasing the flow rate of the cleaning liquid that cleans the bottom of the valleys of the bottom plate, and enabling chips that have accumulated on the bottom plate to be discharged more efficiently.

[0023] In other words, by using both the bottom plate cleaning nozzle and the conveyor cleaning nozzle, it is possible to solve the problem of not having to clean the inside of the device for many years. However, if the cleaning liquid used to clean the belt conveyor surface is not used to clean the bottom plate of the conveyor frame, it will be necessary to use a large pump or increase the number of pumps to ensure the flow rate required for cleaning, which will cause problems in terms of cost and energy consumption. In contrast, the chip collection device of 3) above is designed so that the cleaning liquid that has cleaned the belt conveyor surface and the cleaning liquid that has cleaned the bottom plate of the conveyor frame join together, making it possible to ensure the flow rate of the cleaning liquid required for cleaning and efficiently discharge chips without increasing the size of the pump or the number of pumps.

[0024] According to the chip collection device of 4) above, by using two cleaning nozzles, the bottom plate cleaning nozzle and the conveyor cleaning nozzle, to simultaneously clean the surface of the belt conveyor and the bottom plate of the conveyor frame, it is possible to simultaneously solve the problems of chips accumulating on the bottom plate of the conveyor frame and chips adhering to the belt conveyor, regardless of the shape of the bottom plate of the conveyor frame, and thereby obtain a chip collection device that does not require cleaning inside the device for many years.

[0025] According to the chip recovery device of 5) above, only one cleaning liquid supply pipe is used to supply the cleaning liquid, and by changing the discharge direction of the two cleaning nozzles branching off from this cleaning liquid supply pipe, cleaning of the belt conveyor surface and cleaning of the bottom plate can be performed simultaneously, thereby simplifying the configuration of the device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the overall structure of an embodiment of a chip collecting device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a simplified cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall view of an embodiment of a conventional chip collecting device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a simplified cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0028] The chip recovery device (10) of this embodiment includes a belt conveyor (2), a conveyor frame (11) that houses the belt conveyor (2), a receiving tray (5), a tank (6), and a cleaning mechanism (12).

[0029] The belt conveyor (2), the tray (5) and the tank (6) have the same configuration as the conventional chip recovery device (1) shown in FIGS.

[0030] The differences from the conventional chip recovery device 1 are the shape of the bottom plate 13 of the conveyor frame 11 and the configuration of the cleaning mechanism 12. The differences from the conventional device will be described in detail below.

[0031] The bottom plate (13) of the conveyor frame (11) is located below the belt conveyor (2) to receive chips dropped from the belt conveyor (2). As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom plate (13) has a V-shaped cross section formed by left and right inclined portions (13a) and (13b) so that the cross section of the bottom plate (13) becomes deeper toward the center.

[0032] The cleaning mechanism (12) is provided near the end of the return path (2b) (the right end in FIG. 1), and is equipped with two types of nozzles (14) and (15): a bottom plate cleaning nozzle (14) that sprays cleaning liquid horizontally toward the center of the left and right sides of the bottom plate (13) so that chips received by the bottom plate (13) are directed forward (toward the chip discharge section (2c)), and a conveyor cleaning nozzle (15) that sprays cleaning liquid obliquely upward so that chips adhering to the surface of the belt conveyor (2) (the underside of the return path (2b)) fall onto the bottom plate (13). These nozzles (14) and (15) are provided so as to branch off from a single cleaning liquid supply pipe (16) that supplies cleaning liquid near the rear end of the bottom plate (13).

[0033] According to the chip collection device (10) of the above embodiment, chips generated inside the machine fall from above onto the belt conveyor (2) together with the cutting coolant, as shown by the arrows, are received on the outward path (2a) of the belt conveyor (2) and reach the chip discharge section (2c), and most of them fall under their own weight into the receiving tray (5) and are collected.

[0034] Here, almost all of the chips with a relatively large weight are discharged at the chip discharge section (2c), but among the chips with a relatively small weight, some are carried away with the cutting coolant or fall from the belt conveyor under their own weight, reaching the bottom plate (13) of the conveyor frame (11) and depositing there (see the part indicated by B in Figures 3 and 4), while others do not fall from the belt conveyor (2) at the chip discharge section (2c) but instead adhere to the underside of the return path (2b) of the belt conveyor (2) and remain deposited on the surface of the circulating belt conveyor (2) (see the part indicated by A in Figures 3 and 4).

[0035] Chips accumulated on the bottom plate (13) of the conveyor frame (11) and on the surface of the belt conveyor (2) require cleaning (maintenance). According to the chip recovery device (10) of the above embodiment, the accumulated chips can be cleaned using the two nozzles (the bottom plate cleaning nozzle (14) and the conveyor cleaning nozzle (15)) of the cleaning mechanism (12) as follows.

[0036] First, the bottom plate cleaning nozzle (14) ejects cleaning liquid toward the center of the bottom plate (13), thereby transporting chips that have fallen onto the bottom plate (13) to the receiving tray (5) located below the chip discharge section (2c).

[0037] The conveyor cleaning nozzle (15) ejects cleaning liquid toward the surface of the belt conveyor (2), thereby causing chips adhering to the surface of the belt conveyor (2) to fall onto the bottom plate (13).

[0038] Here, because the cross section of the bottom plate (13) is shaped to become deeper toward the center, the chips that have fallen onto the bottom plate (13) of the conveyor frame (11) gather at the center of the bottom plate (13) (part C in Figure 2) under their own weight together with the cutting coolant and the cleaning liquid from the conveyor cleaning nozzle (15). In this state, by using the bottom plate cleaning nozzle (14), all of the chips that have fallen onto the bottom plate (13) (including chips that have adhered to the surface of the belt conveyor (2)) are discharged into the receiving tray (5) by the cleaning liquid from the bottom plate cleaning nozzle (14). In this way, the bottom plate (11) is cleaned using the cutting coolant used in the machining process.

[0039] As described above, according to the chip recovery device (10) of this embodiment, even relatively small chips such as chips that have fallen from the belt conveyor (2) or chips that have adhered to the hinge pan (4) are discharged without accumulating, so that two problems of chips adhering to the hinge pan (4) portion of the belt conveyor (2) and chips accumulating on the bottom plate (13) portion of the conveyor frame (11) can be simultaneously solved, thereby eliminating the need to clean the inside of the device for many years.

[0040] Furthermore, with the chip collection device (10) described above, by changing the discharge direction of two cleaning nozzles (bottom plate cleaning nozzle (14) and conveyor cleaning nozzle (15)) branching off from a single cleaning liquid supply pipe (16), cleaning of the surface of the belt conveyor (2) and cleaning of the bottom plate (13) of the conveyor frame (11) are simultaneously performed. This allows the cleaning liquid that has cleaned the surface of the belt conveyor (2) to flow down to the bottom of the bottom plate (13), thereby increasing the flow rate of the cleaning liquid cleaning the bottom of the bottom plate (13). This simplifies the configuration of the chip collection device (10) and also enables chips accumulated on the bottom plate (13) to be more efficiently discharged.

[0041] Although not shown, in the conventional collection device (1), the conveyor cleaning nozzle is provided at the chip discharge section (2c) (the end of the outgoing path (2a)) so that chips can be easily collected in the receiving tray (5). For this purpose, the bottom plate cleaning nozzle (14) needs to be provided at the end of the return path (2b). In the chip collection device (10) of the above embodiment, the conveyor cleaning nozzle (15) can also be moved to the end of the outgoing path (2a). Even with this different arrangement (the bottom plate cleaning nozzle (14) at the end of the return path (2b) and the conveyor cleaning nozzle (15) at the end of the outgoing path (2a)), it is possible to simultaneously solve the two problems described above.

[0042] However, with this alternative arrangement, compared to the arrangement in the above embodiment (where the bottom plate cleaning nozzle (14) and the conveyor cleaning nozzle (15) are both located at the end of the return path (2b) and cleaning of the surface of the belt conveyor (2) and cleaning of the bottom plate (13) are performed simultaneously), it is necessary to employ a larger pump or increase the number of pumps to ensure the flow rate required for cleaning, which is problematic in terms of cost and energy consumption.

[0043] The chip recovery device (10) of the above embodiment has a structure in which the cleaning liquid that has cleaned the surface of the belt conveyor (2) and the cleaning liquid that has cleaned the bottom plate (13) of the conveyor frame (11) join together, compared to the above separate arrangement, and has the advantage that the flow rate of the cleaning liquid required for cleaning can be ensured and chips can be efficiently discharged without increasing the size of the pump or the number of pumps.

[0044] Furthermore, according to the chip collection device (10) of the above embodiment, the bottom plate (13) has a V-shaped cross section, which makes it possible to reliably collect chips and cutting coolant in the center C of the bottom plate (13) of the conveyor frame (11), and also makes it possible to easily flow away chips by raising the liquid level of the cleaning liquid on the bottom plate (13) of the conveyor frame (11) (or increasing the flow rate), thereby improving chip collection efficiency.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the bottom plate 13 has a V-shaped cross section formed by the left and right inclined portions 13a and 13b. However, the bottom plate 13 may not be a perfect V-shape, but may have a shape in which the lower ends of the left and right inclined portions 13a and 13b are connected by a flat portion provided in the left and right central portions, or may have a shape in which the flat portion is replaced by a downwardly convex arc portion. Furthermore, instead of a V-shaped cross section, the entire bottom plate 13 may have a downwardly convex arc cross section. In short, the bottom plate 13 may have various shapes whose cross section deepens toward the center so that chips tend to collect in the left and right central portions of the bottom plate 13 due to their own weight.

[0046] Furthermore, although the bottom plate cleaning nozzle (14) is described above as ejecting cleaning liquid horizontally, it is sufficient to be able to clean the bottom plate (13) and direct the cleaning liquid toward the chip discharge section (2c), so the cleaning liquid may be ejected not only horizontally but also in a downwardly inclined direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] (2): Belt conveyor (2c): Chip discharge section (10): Chip collection device (11): Conveyor frame (12): Cleaning mechanism (13):Bottom plate (14): Bottom plate cleaning nozzle (15): Conveyor cleaning nozzle (16): Cleaning fluid supply pipe

Claims

1. A chip recovery device comprising: a rotatable belt conveyor that transports chips to a chip discharge section located in front of the belt conveyor; a conveyor frame that houses the belt conveyor inside and has a bottom plate located below the belt conveyor that receives chips dropped from the belt conveyor; and a cleaning mechanism that discharges cleaning liquid to discharge the chips outside the conveyor frame, A chip recovery device characterized in that the cross section of the bottom plate is shaped to become deeper toward the center, and the cleaning mechanism has a bottom plate cleaning nozzle that ejects cleaning liquid so that chips received by the bottom plate are directed toward the chip discharge section.

2. 2. The chip recovery device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning mechanism further comprises a conveyor cleaning nozzle that ejects cleaning liquid so that chips adhering to the surface of the belt conveyor fall onto the bottom plate.

3. 3. The chip recovery device according to claim 2, wherein cleaning by the bottom plate cleaning nozzle and cleaning by the conveyor cleaning nozzle are carried out simultaneously.

4. A chip recovery device comprising: a rotatable belt conveyor that transports chips to a chip discharge section located in front of the belt conveyor; a conveyor frame that houses the belt conveyor inside and has a bottom plate located below the belt conveyor that receives chips dropped from the belt conveyor; and a cleaning mechanism that discharges cleaning liquid to discharge the chips outside the conveyor frame, The cleaning mechanism has a bottom plate cleaning nozzle that sprays cleaning liquid so that chips received by the bottom plate are directed toward the chip discharge section, and a conveyor cleaning nozzle that sprays cleaning liquid so that chips adhering to the surface of the belt conveyor fall onto the bottom plate, and the chip recovery device is characterized in that cleaning by the bottom plate cleaning nozzle and cleaning by the conveyor cleaning nozzle are performed simultaneously.

5. 5. The chip recovery device according to claim 3, wherein the bottom plate cleaning nozzle that sprays cleaning liquid horizontally and the conveyor cleaning nozzle that sprays cleaning liquid diagonally upward are arranged to branch off from a single cleaning liquid supply pipe that supplies cleaning liquid near the rear end of the bottom plate.

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