Working machinery

Abstract

To provide a machine tool that allows the opening range of a ceiling shutter to be changed. [Solution] A machine tool comprising: an internal processing structure equipped with various processing devices for processing a workpiece inside a machine covered by a machine body cover; a gantry-type transport structure that grasps a workpiece with a robot hand that moves in the width direction and vertical direction of the machine body and transports the workpiece into the machine through a ceiling opening formed in the machine body cover; and an opening / closing adjustment structure that can change the opening and closing range of a ceiling shutter in the ceiling opening, wherein the opening / closing adjustment structure comprises a main opening / closing structure section equipped with a main shutter that opens and closes a predetermined range in the ceiling opening, and a reconfigurable structure section that closes the range of the ceiling opening not covered by the main shutter by rearranging other shutter members and fixed cover members as desired.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a machine tool in which a ceiling shutter is provided at the ceiling opening of the machine body cover in order to carry in and out a workpiece into and from the machine by a workpiece automatic transfer machine, and particularly to a machine tool in which the opening range of the ceiling shutter can be redesigned.

Background Art

[0002] By incorporating a workpiece automatic transfer machine, a machine tool can automate the loading, processing, and unloading of workpieces. The workpiece automatic transfer machine includes a gantry loader as a transfer structure for moving workpieces up and down from above the machine body of the machine tool. A machine tool equipped with a gantry loader has an opening formed in the ceiling portion of the machine body cover, a ceiling shutter for opening and closing the opening, and an opening / closing mechanism for automatically opening and closing when loading and unloading workpieces. The machine tool of Patent Document 1 below has a pair of ceiling shutters provided at the ceiling opening formed in the machine body cover, and the two ceiling shutters are configured to slide in opposite left and right directions by their respective opening / closing cylinders.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Even if machine tools share the same basic design, the internal structure is modified depending on the workpiece being processed and the type of processing required. Furthermore, if the size of the workpiece being handled and its transport position differ, the size of the ceiling opening formed in the machine cover through which the workpiece passes will also differ. Therefore, during the manufacturing of machine tools, it was necessary to redesign the entire machine cover according to the required specifications. On the other hand, it might be possible to make the ceiling opening larger to accommodate all types of work, but this would increase the time required to open and close the ceiling shutters, resulting in a machine tool with a long cycle time. In addition, the conventional machine tool described above has small individual ceiling shutters, but the structure is such that a pair of ceiling shutters are always opened and closed, which increases the cost of opening and closing cylinders and other components.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a machine tool that can change the opening range of a ceiling shutter in order to solve the above problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The machine tool according to the present invention has a processing internal structure equipped with various processing devices for processing a workpiece inside the machine covered by a machine body cover, a gantry-type transport structure that grips the workpiece with a robot hand that moves in the width direction and vertical direction of the machine body and transports the workpiece into the machine through a ceiling opening formed in the machine body cover, and an opening and closing adjustment structure that can change the opening and closing range of the ceiling shutter in the ceiling opening, wherein the opening and closing adjustment structure has a main opening and closing structure part equipped with a main shutter that opens and closes a predetermined range in the ceiling opening, and a reconfiguration structure part that closes the range of the ceiling opening not covered by the main shutter by rearranging other shutter members and fixed cover members as desired. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the above configuration, workpieces are processed inside the machine, which is covered by the machine body cover, by the internal processing structures of various processing devices, and the workpieces are automatically transported inside the machine through a ceiling opening by a gantry-type transport structure. The ceiling opening formed in the machine body cover is provided with an opening / closing adjustment structure that can change the opening and closing range of the ceiling shutter, and in particular, by having a reconfigurable structure, the range of the ceiling opening not covered by the main shutter can be changed according to the specifications of the machine tool by arbitrarily rearranging other shutter members and fixed cover members. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a simplified front view showing the internal structure of one embodiment of a machine tool. [Figure 2] This is a plan view showing a machine tool with the first pattern of opening and closing adjustment structure. [Figure 3] This is a plan view showing a machine tool with a second pattern of opening and closing adjustment structure. [Figure 4] This is a plan view showing a machine tool with a third pattern of opening and closing adjustment structure. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram showing three patterns of opening and closing adjustment structures. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] An embodiment of the machine tool according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a simplified front view showing the internal structure of the machine tool of this embodiment. The machine tool 1 has a sealed machining chamber on which a machining internal structure equipped with a spindle unit 5 and various machining devices such as a turret unit 6 is installed on a bed 3. The machine tool 1 is also equipped with a gantry loader 7 for automatically transporting the workpiece to be machined into the machining chamber.

[0010] The spindle unit 5 is configured so that the spindle chuck 11 that grips the workpiece is rotatable, and the workpiece gripped by the spindle motor is rotated. The turret unit 6 has multiple tools mounted on the tool post 12, and a specific tool can be selected by swivel indexing according to the machining content. The turret unit 6 is provided with a guide rail 13 in a direction parallel to the spindle so that the tool post 12 can move in a direction parallel to the spindle, and the swivel indexed tool can be moved linearly during machining. That is, the unit body 14 is slidably assembled with respect to the guide rail 13, and the unit body 14 is provided with a drive mechanism that converts the rotation of the servo motor into linear motion by a ball screw, enabling predetermined movement along the guide rail 13.

[0011] Machine tool 1 has workstockers 81 and 82 positioned on both the left and right sides of the machine body, and workpieces are automatically transported by a gantry loader 7, which is an automatic workpiece transporter. Multiple workpieces before processing are stored in workstocker 81, located on the left side of the drawing, and the workpieces processed by machine tool 1 are collected in workstocker 82 on the right side of the drawing. The gantry loader 7 is erected by fixing support columns 16 to both ends of the bed 3 in the width direction, and a platform beam 17 with a length exceeding the width of the bed 3 is fixed at the top in the width direction of the machine body (left and right direction in the drawing when viewed from the front of the machine body) and in a horizontal state. A transport device 18 is assembled to be suspended from the platform beam 17 and can move along the platform beam 17.

[0012] The gantry loader 7 has horizontal guide rails fixed to the base beam 17, and the travel platform 21 of the transport device 18 is slidably mounted thereon. A horizontal rack is also fixed to the base beam 17 parallel to the guide rails, and a pinion fixed to the rotation axis of a travel servo motor on the travel platform 21 engages with it. Therefore, the transport device 18 can be moved in the width direction of the machine and positioned at any desired location in the width direction by controlling the rotation of the travel servo motor. Furthermore, the transport device 18 has a vertical lifting arm 22 mounted to the travel platform 21 so as to be slidable vertically.

[0013] The lifting arm 22 has a rack fixed to its longitudinal direction (vertical direction), and a pinion fixed to the rotation axis of a lifting servo motor provided on the travel platform 21 engages with it. Therefore, the lifting arm 22 is moved vertically and positioned at a predetermined height by controlling the rotation of the lifting servo motor. A robot hand 25 is attached to the lower end of the lifting arm 22, and the gantry loader 7 can position the robot hand 25 inside or outside the machine by moving the travel platform 21 and the lifting arm 22. The robot hand 25 is equipped with a pair of chuck mechanisms and is configured to grip two workpieces simultaneously.

[0014] In this machine tool 1, the gantry loader 7 retrieves the workpiece from the workpiece stocker 81, transports it to the spindle unit 5, and the workpiece is transferred between it and the spindle chuck 11. The turret unit 6 performs a pivot index on the tool on the tool post 12, and the drive mechanism moves the unit body 14 along the guide rail 13, applying the tool to the rotating workpiece in the spindle unit 5 to perform predetermined machining such as external turning. The machined workpiece is then grasped again by the robot hand 25 and stored in the retrieval workpiece stocker 82 by the automatic transport of the gantry loader 7.

[0015] By the way, Figure 1 only shows the main internal structure for machining of machine tool 1, but in reality, the entire machine is covered by a machine cover 8 as shown by the dashed line. Therefore, the automatic transfer of workpieces by the gantry loader 7 involves the robot hand 25 moving between the outside and inside of the machine cover 8. In the case of the gantry loader 7, since the robot hand 25 moves in and out in the vertical direction, an opening is formed in the ceiling of the machine cover 8. Furthermore, since chips and coolant are scattered during machining, an opening and closing shutter is provided to seal the machining chamber inside the machine and close the ceiling opening.

[0016] Figures 2 to 4 are plan views showing machine tools 1 (excluding the gantry loader 7) with different specifications. The machine tool 1 is entirely covered by a machine body cover 8, and a ceiling opening 30 is formed in the ceiling portion of the machine body cover 8 in the area indicated by the dashed line. The ceiling opening 30 is formed to a size that can accommodate changes in the specifications of the machine tool 1. For example, the spindle unit 5 has different spindle chuck sizes depending on the dimensions of the workpiece to be machined. Therefore, the robot hand 25 that transfers the workpiece moves up and down at a position close to the spindle unit 5 (towards the left of the machine) for small workpieces, and at a position further away for workpieces with longer axis dimensions. The ceiling opening 30 is formed to a size that can accommodate even when the robot hand 25 moves up and down at a position further away (towards the right of the machine).

[0017] If the ceiling opening 30 is large, the ceiling shutter that closes it will also be large, and the time required to open and close it will be longer. Consequently, a large ceiling shutter not only worsens the cycle time but also increases its weight, making it more prone to failure due to the load during opening and closing. In this respect, the conventional example described above consists of two ceiling shutters, one on the left and one on the right, which allows each ceiling shutter to be smaller than a single ceiling shutter, and thus shortens the opening and closing time. However, even if the movement position of the robot hand gripping the workpiece changes due to a change in the internal structure for processing, conventional machine tools were not able to adjust the opening range.

[0018] Therefore, the machine tool 1 of the present embodiment is configured to be able to change the opening range of the ceiling shutter according to the specification change. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of an opening / closing adjustment structure that adjusts the opening / closing range by a shutter member that closes the ceiling opening. The opening / closing adjustment structure is configured to be able to change the opening range of the ceiling shutter that closes the ceiling opening 30 according to the specification while sharing the machine body cover 8 in which the ceiling opening 30 is formed. FIGS. 5(A), (B), and (C) are three patterns corresponding to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, and are cross-sections of the ceiling opening 30 viewed from the front side. The closed state is shown in the upper stage and the open state is shown in the lower stage, respectively.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 5(A), the machine body cover 8 has a ceiling opening 30 with a width dimension L formed in the ceiling portion, and a ceiling shutter that can be opened and closed is provided. This is based on the opening / closing adjustment structure shown in FIG. 2, and is the first pattern constituted by two ceiling shutters that open to the left and right. The two ceiling shutters are a main shutter 31 that opens to the left side (left side in the drawing) of the machine body where the main shaft device 5 is located and has a large opening area, and a sub-shutter 32 that opens to the right side of the machine body with a small area and is opposite. The main shutter 31 moves on the cover upper surface 801 of the machine body cover 8, and the sub-shutter 32 is configured to move under the door cover 33 fixed to the cover upper surface 801. The sub-shutter 32 is an example of another shutter member described in the claims, and the door cover 33 is also an example of a fixed cover member.

[0020] The main shutter 31 and the sub-shutter 32 are configured to be slidable by linear guides composed of rails 41 and 42 fixed to the upper surface of the machine tool 1 and blocks (not shown) fixed to the back surface of the shutter. An air cylinder is used as an opening / closing actuator, and a main cylinder 43 and a sub-cylinder 44 are fixed to the upper surface of the machine tool 1. The main cylinder 43 and the sub-cylinder 44 are arranged such that their piston rods 431 and 441 face each other in the central direction of the machine body. The main shutter 31 is connected to the tip of the piston rod 431 via a bracket, and similarly, the sub-shutter 32 is connected to the tip of the piston rod 441 via a bracket.

[0021] The main cylinder 43 and the sub-cylinder 44 are of a size that outputs a stroke corresponding to the size of the corresponding shutter, and are configured to close by extending and open by contracting. Limit switches 45a and 46a for detecting the closed state and limit switches 45b and 46b for detecting the open state are attached to the upper surface of the machine tool 1 so that the closed state and the open state can be detected according to the extended position and the contracted position. On the other hand, operating blocks 47a, 47b, and 48 are fixed to the main shutter 31 and the sub-shutter 32 at predetermined positions so as to be applied to the respective switches. An air circuit for controlling the main cylinder 43 and the sub-cylinder 44 is provided in the machine tool 1, and is configured to perform expansion / contraction control by switching the valve.

[0022] In the machine tool 1 having such a double-shutter structure, when the work is conveyed by the gantry loader 7, the main shutter 31 and the sub-shutter 32 open to the left and right respectively. First, during the machining of the work, as shown in the upper part of FIGS. 2 and 5(A), the ceiling opening 30 is closed with the main shutter 31 and the sub-shutter 32 abutting against each other. At this time, the main cylinder 43 and the sub-cylinder 44 are in an extended state where the piston rods 431 and 441 are extended, and the operating blocks 47a and 48 are applied to the limit switches 45a and 46a to detect the closed state.

[0023] Next, when a workpiece enters or leaves the machine by the gantry loader 7, as shown in the lower part of Figure 5(A), the main shutter 31 and the sub-shutter 32 move apart from each other in a left-right direction, and the ceiling opening 30 is opened to an opening width L1. At this time, the main cylinder 43 and the sub-cylinder 44 enter a contracted state in which the piston rods 431 and 441 are retracted, and the operating blocks 47b and 48 come into contact with the limit switches 45b and 46b, detecting that they are in an open state.

[0024] Next, if different specifications are required for the machine tool 1, this can be addressed by changing the assembly of the opening and closing adjustment structure. For example, in the first pattern described above, the main spindle chuck 11 is large in the direction of the spindle because the workpiece to be machined has a long axis dimension. Therefore, the robot hand 25 that grips the workpiece must move up and down at a position far from the spindle device 5, and the ceiling opening 30 had to be opened to an opening width L1. On the other hand, when the workpiece to be machined has a short axis dimension, the spindle dimension of the main spindle chuck 11 becomes smaller, the robot hand 25 that grips the workpiece moves up and down at a position closer to the spindle device 5, and the opening width can be smaller.

[0025] Thus, even if the basic structure of the machine tool 1 is the same, the size and position of the opening required to allow the workpiece to pass through will differ due to improvements made according to the specifications. In this regard, the opening and closing adjustment structure of this embodiment has a basic configuration in which the opening and closing part by the main shutter 31 is the main opening and closing structure, and the part of the ceiling opening 30 that is not covered by the main shutter 31 is configured as a reconfigurable structure, which can be freely changed. Next, a second pattern in which the sub-shutter 32 of the reconfigurable structure is replaced will be explained based on Figures 3 and 5(B).

[0026] The second pattern, like the first pattern, is equipped with a main shutter 31, but replaces the sub-shutter 32 and door cover 33 with a fixed cover 35 and an attachment cover 36. Both covers are examples of fixed cover members fixed to the upper surface 801 of the cover, and the attachment cover 36 is fixed so as to extend from the fixed cover 35 which is fixed to the right end of the ceiling opening 30. In other words, the opening width L2 by the main shutter 31 can be adjusted according to the dimensions of the attachment cover 36 used. Furthermore, since the sliding main shutter 31 has a different closed position than the first pattern, the mounting position of the limit switch 45a is adjusted accordingly.

[0027] Due to a change in specifications, the ceiling opening 30 of machine tool 1 has a single shutter structure. When processing a workpiece, the ceiling opening 30 is closed by abutting the main shutter 31 against the attachment cover 36, as shown in Figures 3 and the upper part of Figure 5(B). At this time, the main cylinder 43 is in an extended state with the piston rod 431 extended, and the operating block 47a is in contact with the limit switch 45a, detecting the closed state. Next, when a workpiece enters or leaves the machine by the gantry loader 7, the main shutter 31 slides, as shown in the lower part of Figure 5(B), and the ceiling opening 30 is opened to an opening width L2. At this time, the piston rod 431 of the main cylinder 43 is in a retracted state, and the operating block 47b is in contact with the limit switch 45b, detecting the open state.

[0028] Incidentally, the machine tool 1 may be redesigned to have a machining internal structure in which the tailstock is positioned coaxially with the spindle unit 5, in addition to changing only the spindle chuck 11 while keeping the internal machining structure of the machine tool 1 as shown in Figure 1. In such cases, the workpiece's movement position will move away from the spindle unit 5 on the left side of the machine and closer to the tailstock on the right side of the machine. Next, as a third pattern, we will describe a configuration in which the opening range of the ceiling opening 30 is shifted to the right side of the machine, based on Figures 4 and 5(C).

[0029] The third pattern involves opening and closing the same main shutter 31 as in the first and second patterns. However, the attachment cover 36, which is provided to extend the fixed cover 35, is removed, and instead, an attachment cover 37 is attached to the main shutter 31. Therefore, in this third pattern, the main shutter 31 is substantially larger by the amount of the attachment cover 37. The attachment cover 37 is an example of another shutter component described in the claims, and its use is made because it allows the main shutter 31 to be common across all patterns. On the other hand, it is also conceivable to enlarge the main shutter itself without using the attachment cover 37.

[0030] In the third pattern, the main shutter 31 is larger by the amount of the attachment cover 37, while the attachment cover 36 that was present in the second pattern is removed, leaving only the fixed cover 35. The main cylinder 43 is used for opening and closing. Therefore, as shown in the lower part of Figure 5(C), even in the open state, the attachment cover 37 remains in the ceiling opening 30, so the opening portion indicated by the opening width L3 is shifted to the right side of the machine body, i.e., in the direction where the tailstock is located. The tip of the piston rod 431 of the main cylinder 43 is connected to the attachment cover 37, so the fixed position has been changed from the second pattern, and the positions of the limit switches 45a, 46a and the operating blocks 47a, 48 are also installed in corresponding positions.

[0031] Therefore, the machine tool 1, due to the specification change, has a single shutter structure like the third pattern, and when processing a workpiece, the attachment cover 37, which is integrated with the main shutter 31, is closed by abutting against the fixed cover 35, as shown in the upper part of Figures 4 and 5(C). At this time, the main cylinder 43 is in an extended state with the piston rod 431 extended, and the operating block 47a is in contact with the limit switch 45a, detecting the closed state. Next, when a workpiece enters or leaves the machine by the gantry loader 7, the main shutter 31 and the attachment cover 37 slide, as shown in the lower part of Figure 5(C), and the ceiling opening 30 is opened to an opening width L3. In particular, compared to the second pattern, the opening portion is shifted to the right side of the machine body by the amount of the attachment cover 37. At this time, the main cylinder 43 is in a contracted state with the piston rod 431 retracted, and the operating block 47b is in contact with the limit switch 45b, detecting the open state.

[0032] In this embodiment of the machine tool 1, a main opening / closing structure is provided for the ceiling opening 30 using a main shutter 31, and an opening / closing adjustment structure is provided for the range not covered by the main shutter 31 as a reconfigurable structure. This makes it possible to standardize the machine cover 8 even when the specifications of the machine tool 1 are changed. Furthermore, with the opening / closing adjustment structure, the opening range of the required size can be opened and closed by using a configuration with only the main shutter 31 or a configuration with the addition of a sub-shutter 32. As a result, the cycle time can be improved by eliminating unnecessary opening and closing time, and if the structure does not use the sub-shutter 32, it is also possible to reduce costs by eliminating components.

[0033] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications are possible without departing from its spirit. For example, the sub-shutter 32, door cover 33, fixed cover 35, and attachment covers 36, 37 in the above embodiment are just examples of shutter members and fixed cover members, and the configuration is flexible, such as constructing the fixed cover 35 and attachment cover 36 from a single plate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0034] 1...Machine tool 5...Spindle unit 6...Turret unit 7...Gantry loader 8...Machine cover 11...Spindle chuck 12...Tool post 31...Main shutter 32...Sub shutter 33...Door cover 35...Fixed cover 36,37...Attachment cover 43...Main cylinder 44...Sub cylinder

Claims

1. An internal processing structure equipped with various processing devices for processing workpieces inside the machine, which is covered by a machine body cover, A gantry-type transport structure that grips a workpiece with a robot hand that moves in the width direction and vertical direction of the machine body, and transports the workpiece into the machine through a ceiling opening formed in the machine body cover, An opening / closing adjustment structure that allows the opening and closing range of the ceiling shutter in the aforementioned ceiling opening to be changed, It has, The opening and closing adjustment structure comprises a main opening and closing structure section equipped with a main shutter that opens and closes a predetermined range of the ceiling opening, and a reconfiguration structure section that closes the range of the ceiling opening not covered by the main shutter by rearranging other shutter members and fixed cover members as desired.

2. The machine tool according to claim 1, wherein the main shutter is the same for different reconfiguration patterns of the reconfigurable structure.

3. The machine tool according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reconfigurable structure comprises the main shutter and an openable and closable sub-shutter that abuts against it when closed.

4. The machine tool according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the reconfigurable structure comprises a fixed cover that closes a portion of the ceiling opening, and an attachment cover attached to the fixed cover or the main shutter that closes the space between the closed main shutter and the fixed cover.

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