Machine tool

Abstract

To provide a machine tool that can reduce workloads on an operator after stage change is performed.SOLUTION: A machine tool comprises: an opening / closing door; various types of machining devices for machining work-pieces, provided in a machining chamber; and replacement components that can be replaced in the various types of machining devices. The machine tool further comprises: an information medium which is attached to the replacement component and on which identification information for identifying the replacement component is recorded; a reading device, attached to the opening / closing door, which can read out the identification information recorded on the information medium; and a control device that determines propriety of the replacement component on the basis of the identification information from the information medium read out by the reading device along with motion of opening or closing of the opening / closing door.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a machine tool that is capable of replacing tools and replacement parts. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a machine tool that allows the attached tools and parts to be replaced. The machine tool can process different workpieces by changing the tools and parts according to the workpiece to be processed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7324848 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] If tools or parts are replaced incorrectly during changeover, the machine tool will not be able to machine the workpiece properly, which may cause the machine tool to break down. Therefore, after changeover, before machining the workpiece, the user must visually check whether the tools or parts have been replaced correctly, for example, while the machine tool is feeding, which is a heavy workload.

[0005] Therefore, in order to solve this problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a machine tool that can reduce the workload on the user after changeover. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The machine tool of the present invention has an opening / closing door that slides across the width of the machine body on the front part of the machine body located in a processing chamber where the workpiece is processed, various processing devices located within the processing chamber for processing the workpiece, replacement parts that can be replaced in the various processing devices, information media that are attached to the various replacement parts and record identification information, a reading device that is attached to the opening / closing door and can read the identification information recorded on the information media, and a control device that determines the suitability of replacement parts based on the identification information from the information media read by the reading device as the opening / closing door is opened and closed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In a machine tool with the above configuration, a reader that changes position as the door opens and closes reads identification information from an information medium attached to a replacement part and automatically determines whether the replacement part is appropriate based on the read identification information. This allows the machine tool to determine whether the correct replacement part has been installed after a changeover, reducing the burden on the user of visually checking the replacement part after a changeover. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the inside of the machine body cover. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a machine tool. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the relationship between the workpiece, the tool, and the part due to the changeover; [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process executed by the control device. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the readable area of ​​the reading device, the position of which changes with the opening and closing of the door. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] (First embodiment) A machine tool 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a front view of the machine tool 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating the inside of a machine body cover 2 in the machine tool 1. Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the machine tool 1.

[0010] The machine tool 1 is a turret-type lathe, and as shown in Figures 1 and 2, it mainly comprises a machine body cover 2, a spindle unit 11 which is a machining device, a turret unit 12, a positioning device 13, an operation display device 14, and a control device 30. A machining chamber in which a workpiece is machined is formed inside the machine body cover 2. The machining chamber also houses a spindle chuck 20 of the spindle unit 11 and a tool rest 21 of the turret unit 12, which will be described later. A workpiece insertion opening 3 is provided at the front of the machine body in the machining chamber, and this workpiece insertion opening 3 is provided with an opening / closing door 4 that slides in the width direction of the machine body.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 2, spindle device 11 is configured so that the center direction of its spindle is the width direction of the machine body, which is the longitudinal direction of bed 16. The width direction of the machine body parallel to the spindle is defined as the Z axis, and the vertical direction perpendicular to the Z axis is defined as the X axis. Spindle device 11 is rotatably provided with spindle chuck 20 that grips a workpiece, and the workpiece gripped by spindle chuck 20 is rotated by the drive of a spindle motor.

[0012] The turret unit 12 has a tool post 21 to which multiple tools T are attached, and a carriage 22. Tools T, such as turning tools and rotary tools, are attached to the tool mounting surface of the tool post 21 via tool holders H. In the enlarged view of the tool post 21 shown in FIG. 2, tool T1, a radial rotary tool, is attached to the tool post 21 via tool holder H1, and tool T2, an axial rotary tool, is attached to the tool post 21 via tool holder H2. The turret unit 12 is configured to select a specific tool T attached to the tool post 21 by swivel indexing according to the machining content. The carriage 22 of the turret unit 12 is attached to a slider device that can slide in the X-axis and Z-axis directions relative to the bed 16. During machining, the turret unit 12 is configured to move the swivel-indexed tool in the X-axis or Z-axis direction, allowing the tool to machine a workpiece gripped by the spindle chuck 20.

[0013] Positioning device 13 is a device that aligns a workpiece with the center of spindle chuck 20, and includes a workpiece receiving part 24 that holds the workpiece, and an elevator part 25 that moves the workpiece held by workpiece receiving part 24 toward the center of spindle chuck 20. In this embodiment, positioning device 13 is capable of positioning two types of workpieces, "workpiece A" and "workpiece B," by changing the workpiece receiving part 24 to have different shapes by changing the stage. Specifically, when machining "workpiece A," workpiece receiving part 24A is attached to positioning device 13, and when machining "workpiece B," workpiece receiving part 24B is attached.

[0014] In machine tool 1, the workpiece held by workpiece receiving portion 24 of positioning device 13 is raised and lowered by lifting unit 25 to align it with the center of spindle chuck 20. Then, a tailstock (not shown) is slid in the Z-axis direction to push the workpiece toward spindle chuck 20. Spindle device 11 grips the pushed-out workpiece with spindle chuck 20 and rotates spindle chuck 20 to impart rotation to the gripped workpiece. Turret device 12 selects tool T on tool rest 21 by swivel indexing and moves the selected tool in each axial direction (X-axis, Z-axis) so that tool T is brought into contact with the workpiece and machining such as cutting is performed.

[0015] The opening / closing door 4 slides in the width direction of the machine body to open and close between a closed position that blocks the workpiece insertion opening 3 and an open position that opens the workpiece insertion opening 3. When the machine tool 1 is in a standby state where it is not machining a workpiece, the opening / closing door 4 is in the open position, and an interlock provided in the control device 30 is activated, cutting off power to the spindle device 11 and the turret device 12. As will be described later, when the interlock is released, power is applied to the spindle device 11 and the turret device 12, enabling the machine tool 1 to machine a workpiece.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 3, a CPU 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, and a non-volatile memory 34 are connected to a control device 30 of a machine tool 1 via a bus line. The ROM 32 stores a system program, control parameters, etc. to be executed by the CPU 31. The non-volatile memory 34 stores a workpiece machining program for machining a workpiece, etc. The CPU 31 loads the program and parameters stored in the ROM 32 or the non-volatile memory 34 into the RAM 33, thereby reading out the program and executing predetermined processing in accordance with the read program.

[0017] The control device 30 is provided with an I / O port 35, to which the spindle device 11, turret device 12, positioning device 13, opening / closing door 4, operation display device 14, and reading device 51 (described later) are connected via drivers, etc. The operation display device 14 is a touch panel display, and by accepting operations on icons displayed on the screen, it is possible to output instructions to the control device 30 according to the operated icon.

[0018] In the machine tool 1 configured as described above, tools and the workpiece receiving part 24, which are replacement parts, are replaced by changing the position depending on the type of workpiece to be machined next. Replacement parts are tools and components that need to be replaced by changing the position to machine the next workpiece. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the correspondence between the type of workpiece to be machined and the replacement parts to be used. Note that FIG. 4 lists identification information, described below, corresponding to each replacement part. As shown in FIG. 4, when machining "workpiece A" using the machine tool 1, the workpiece receiving part 24A (FIG. 2) is attached to the positioning device 13, and tool T1, tool T2, and tool T3 are attached to the tool rest 21 via tool holder H1, tool holder H2, and tool holder H3, respectively. On the other hand, when machining "workpiece B" using the machine tool 1, the workpiece receiving part 24B (FIG. 2) is attached to the positioning device 13, and tool T2, tool T4, and tool T5 are attached to the tool rest 21 via tool holder H2, tool holder H4, and tool holder H5, respectively. Therefore, when changing the stage from work A to work B, it is necessary to change the work receiving portion 24 of the positioning device 13 and the tool T attached to the tool rest 21.

[0019] If a replacement part is installed incorrectly during changeover, it can result in poor machining of the workpiece, damage to the tool, and even cause a malfunction of the machine tool 1. Therefore, after changeover, the user must manually operate the machine tool 1 by operating the operation display device 14 and visually check whether the replacement part is installed correctly, which requires a lot of work. On the other hand, to prevent incorrect installation of replacement parts, it is possible to manage replacement parts together on a stand for each type of workpiece. However, managing replacement parts such as the tool T and the workpiece receiving portion 24, which have similar shapes, is difficult, and it is anticipated that the user may manage the replacement parts incorrectly, so it is essential to check the replacement parts after changeover.

[0020] Therefore, in the machine tool 1 according to this embodiment, the control device 30 automatically determines the suitability of replacement parts installed by changing the stage prior to machining the workpiece, thereby reducing the burden on the user of visually checking the replacement parts after changing the stage. Specifically, tags 50 that record identification information are attached to the workpiece receiving portion 24 of the positioning device 13 and the tool holder H. As shown in Fig. 1, a reader 51 capable of reading the identification information recorded on the tag 50 is attached to the back surface of the opening / closing door 4 facing the machining chamber, and is configured to be able to read the identification information from each tag 50 located inside the machine body cover 2.

[0021] In this embodiment, the tag 50 is a RIFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag capable of contactless communication with the reader 51. The reader 51 is equipped with a loop antenna (not shown), which generates an AC magnetic field for communication around the loop antenna, and is capable of performing short-range wireless communication with the tag 50 that enters this AC magnetic field.

[0022] 5 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of processing executed by control device 30 after changeover and before machine tool 1 is caused to machine a workpiece. The following description will be given taking as an example a case where machine tool 1 is changed from type "workpiece A" to type "workpiece B."

[0023] When the control device 30 detects that the user has operated the knob of the door 4 and that the door 4 has started to open or close from the open position to the closed position, it starts a stage change check program stored in the non-volatile memory 34. In step 10, the control device 30 refers to the judgment flag and determines whether the stage change check has determined that the stage change is appropriate. Hereinafter, step will also be simply referred to as "S".

[0024] The "stage change check" is a process for determining whether the correct replacement part has been installed after stage change (the process in S14 and S15, which will be described later). In this embodiment, the "stage change check" is executed before machining the workpiece until the stage change check determines that the stage change is appropriate. Alternatively, the stage change check may be executed multiple times until the stage change is determined to be appropriate. First, if the determination flag does not indicate that the stage change is appropriate (S11: NO), the control device 30 proceeds to S12.

[0025] In S12, the control device 30 causes the reading device 51, which is moving in the width direction of the machine body as the user opens and closes the opening / closing door 4, to read the identification information from the tag 50. The reading device 51 generates an AC magnetic field in the surrounding area by passing a current through a loop antenna, and when the tag 50 enters a communication area formed by this AC magnetic field, the reading device 51 reads the identification information from the tag 50 through contactless communication. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the tag 50 stores information indicating the names of the tool T and the workpiece receiving part 24 in addition to the identification information indicating the tool T and the workpiece receiving part 24.

[0026] 6(a), when the opening / closing door 4 indicated by the dashed line is in the open position or immediately after the opening / closing door 4 has moved from the open position, the tool post 21 of the turret device 12 is located near the reading device 51. In this embodiment, a tag 50 is attached to the tool holder H that attaches the tool T to the tool post 21 of the turret device 12. Therefore, when the tag 50 attached to the tool holder H is located within the communication range of the reading device 51, the reading device 51 reads the identification information from the tag 50.

[0027] In S13, the control device 30 determines whether the opening / closing door 4 has been moved to the closed position by a user's operation. For example, when the control device 30 detects an output from a proximity sensor attached to the machine body cover 2, it determines that the opening / closing door 4 has been moved to the closed position. As shown in FIG. 6(b), if the opening / closing door 4 has not been moved to the closed position, the tag 50 attached to the workpiece receiving unit 24 may not be within the communication range of the reading device 51, and the reading device 51 may not have read the identification information from the tag 50. Therefore, if the opening / closing door 4 has not been moved to the closed position (S13: NO), the control device 30 returns to S12 and continues reading the identification information from each tag 50. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6(c), when the opening / closing door 4 is moved to the closed position, the workpiece receiving unit 24B of the positioning device 13 is positioned within the communication range of the reading device 51, and the reading device 51 becomes able to read the identification information from the tag 50 attached to the workpiece receiving unit 24B.

[0028] When the control device 30 determines that the door 4 has moved to the closed position (S13: YES), it proceeds to S14 and compares the identification information read from each tag 50 as the reader 51 moves with the identification information written in the beginning of the workpiece machining program. In this embodiment, the nonvolatile memory 34 stores a workpiece machining program for each type of workpiece to be machined, and the beginning of each workpiece machining program contains identification information indicating the replacement parts required to machine the workpiece using this workpiece machining program. In this example, the workpiece machining program is for machining "Workpiece B," so the beginning of the program contains identification information indicating the various replacement parts required to machine "Workpiece B," such as tool T and workpiece receiving part 24B. Hereinafter, the identification information recorded on the tag 50 will be referred to as "first identification information," and the identification information written in the beginning of the workpiece machining program will be referred to as "second identification information" to distinguish between the two. Note that in this embodiment, the first identification information and the second identification information are the same for the same replacement part. In addition, the first identification information and the second identification information may be different information even for the same replacement part, and the control device 30 may determine whether the replacement parts match by individually judging the replacement parts indicated by each identification information.

[0029] If the first identification information and the second identification information match, the control device 30 determines that the installed replacement part is appropriate, i.e., that the changeover is appropriate (S15: YES), proceeds to S16, and sets the determination flag to a value indicating that the changeover is appropriate. By setting the determination flag to a value indicating that the changeover is appropriate, when the next workpiece is machined, a positive determination is made in S11 (S11: YES), and the process of FIG. 5 is terminated without executing the processes of S12 to S18. Although not shown, in this case, the control device 30 releases the interlock when conditions are met, including the opening / closing door 4 being in the closed position. Each time a changeover is performed in the machine tool 1, the determination flag is set to a value indicating that the changeover is inappropriate. As a result, after the changeover, in the process of FIG. 5, which is executed in response to the opening / closing door 4 being operated, the control device 30 makes a negative determination in S11 (S11: NO) and always reads the identification information from the tag 50 in S12.

[0030] In S17, the control device 30 releases the interlock, thereby supplying power to the spindle device 11 and the turret device 12. When the machine tool 1 executes a stage change check, if it is determined that not only is the opening / closing door 4 in the closed position but also that the stage change is appropriate, the interlock is released and the workpiece can be machined. After completing the processing of Figure 5, the control device 30 machines the workpiece in accordance with the workpiece machining program.

[0031] On the other hand, if there is a mismatch between the first identification information and the second identification information, the control device 30 determines that the changeover is inappropriate (S15: NO), proceeds to S18, and displays an error screen on the operation display device 14 indicating that there is a replacement part that does not correspond to the workpiece. In this embodiment, the control device 30 displays the names of the tools T and workpiece receiving portions 24 indicated by the second identification information that do not match the first identification information on the error screen. This allows the user to know which replacement parts do not correspond to the workpiece, and subsequently reduces the workload required to replace them with the correct replacement parts.

[0032] After displaying the error screen in S18, the control device 30 ends the processing in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, when the error screen is displayed in S18, the machine tool 1 does not release the interlock even if the opening / closing door 4 is moved to the closed position, and the workpiece cannot be machined. Assume that the user then moves the opening / closing door 4 to the open position again and replaces the incorrectly installed replacement part with the correct replacement part. As a result, the control device 30 next time reads the identification information from the tag 50 in S12 and determines in S15 using the read identification information that the changeover is appropriate (S15: YES), and releases the interlock in S17.

[0033] The present embodiment described above can achieve the following effects. Machine tool 1 is equipped with tags 50 that are attached to various replacement parts and record identification information, and a reader 51 that is attached to opening / closing door 4 that slides in the width direction of the machine body and is capable of reading the identification information recorded on tag 50. Control device 30 determines whether a replacement part is appropriate based on the identification information from tag 50 that is read by reader 51 as opening / closing door 4 opens and closes. This makes it possible to automatically determine whether a replacement part is appropriate after a changeover, reducing the burden on the user of checking whether the correct replacement part has been installed.

[0034] The control device 30 compares the first identification information read from the tag 50 with the second identification information indicating the replacement part described in the workpiece machining program to determine whether the installed replacement part is appropriate. Because the workpiece machining program contains information indicating the replacement part required for machining the workpiece, it becomes possible to determine whether the installed replacement part is appropriate in accordance with the workpiece machining that is about to be performed.

[0035] In the machine tool 1, the reading device 51 moves along the width direction of the machine body in accordance with the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing door 4, thereby reading the identification information from the tags 50 attached to the turret device 12 and the positioning device 13. This allows the reading device 51 to read all the identification information from the tags 50 attached to the tool T and the workpiece receiving portion 24 inside the machine body cover 2.

[0036] The reader 51 is capable of performing short-range wireless communication with the tag 50 using an AC magnetic field (radio waves) generated by an antenna, and reads identification information from the tag 50 through short-range wireless communication. This allows the reader 51 to read the identification information from the tag 50 attached to the replacement part without being affected by the brightness or dirt inside the machine body cover 2 or the position where the tag 50 is attached, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in arranging the tag 50.

[0037] The tag 50 is attached to a tool holder H for attaching a tool T to the tool rest 21, and records identification information corresponding to the tool T attached to this tool holder H. This makes it possible to read the identification information indicating the tool T using the reader 51 even for a tool T to which the tag 50 cannot be directly attached due to its shape or size, and the suitability of any tool T can be determined by a stage change check.

[0038] (Modification of the first embodiment) The information medium may be a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark) or a barcode that encodes information about the replacement part. In this case, the reader 51 is an imaging sensor that captures an image of the two-dimensional code attached to the replacement part. In S12 of FIG. 5, the control device 30 reads first identification information indicating the replacement part based on the captured image of the two-dimensional code. Then, in S14, as already described, the control device 30 compares the first identification information read based on the image of the two-dimensional code with the second identification information written at the beginning of the workpiece machining program, and determines whether or not the changeover is appropriate based on the comparison result.

[0039] In this modification, by using a two-dimensional code as the information medium, it is possible to suppress an increase in the cost required for the information medium compared to when a tag is used.

[0040] (Other embodiments) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The tag or two-dimensional code information medium may store information about the replacement part along with the identification information. In this case, the information medium may include information indicating that the replacement part has been modified or information indicating when the replacement part should be replaced due to deterioration or wear. This allows the user to use a reading device to read the information about the replacement part stored on the information medium and use the read information to assist in managing the replacement parts.

[0041] The information medium may be attached to a replacement part that constitutes the spindle device 11. In this case, if the spindle device 11 is configured so that the chuck of the spindle chuck 20 is replaced in accordance with the workpiece, an information medium for recording identification information may be attached to the chuck that is the replacement part.

[0042] The machine tool 1 may be configured to automatically move the door 4 from the open position to the closed position. Furthermore, when machining a workpiece, an operator manually moves the door 4 to the closed position, but the door 4 may automatically move to the open position when machining of the workpiece is completed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1...machine tool, 2...machine body cover, 3...workpiece insertion opening, 4...opening / closing door, 11...spindle device, 12...turret device, 13...positioning device, 24...workpiece receiving portion, 30...control device, 50...tag, 51...reading device, H...tool holder, T...tool

Claims

1. an opening / closing door that slides in the width direction of the machine body on the front part of the machine body provided in the processing chamber where the workpiece is processed; Various processing devices are provided in the processing chamber for processing the workpiece; Replacement parts that can be replaced in the various processing devices; an information medium attached to the replacement part and recording identification information thereon; a reading device attached to the door and capable of reading the identification information recorded on the information medium; a control device that determines whether the replacement part is appropriate based on the identification information from the information medium read by the reading device in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the door.

2. The control device a workpiece machining program in which information indicating the replacement part is described is stored for each type of workpiece; 2. The machine tool according to claim 1, wherein the identification information read from the information medium is compared with information indicating the replacement part described in the machining program to determine whether the replacement part is appropriate.

3. 3. The machine tool according to claim 1, wherein the control device determines whether the replacement part is appropriate based on the identification information from the reading device read from the information media of the replacement part provided in the machining chamber in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing door.

4. 3. The machine tool according to claim 1, wherein the reader reads the identification information from the information medium by short-range wireless communication using radio waves.

5. the tool as the replacement part is attached to the processing device via a tool holder, 3. The machine tool according to claim 1, wherein the information medium is attached to the tool holder and records the identification information corresponding to the tool attached to the tool holder.

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