Bar length determination device, bar length determination method, bar length determination program, and processing system

Abstract

The objective is to provide a bar material length determination device that reduces the risk of interruption during continuous machining when processing multiple types of workpieces in predetermined quantities. [Solution] The bar material length determination device 10 includes a processing information acquisition unit 24 that acquires first processing completion information indicating that a first processing process in which a plurality of first workpieces are sequentially processed from a bar material 100 has been completed, a bar material length information acquisition unit 25 that acquires bar material length information indicating the length of the bar material 100 when the first processing process is completed, a determination unit 26 that determines whether the length of the bar material is equal to or greater than the processing length of the second workpiece to be processed in the next processing after the first processing, and an output unit 27 that outputs a bar material replacement signal indicating the replacement of the bar material 100 when it is determined that the length of the bar material 100 is not equal to or greater than the processing length of the second workpiece.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a bar material length determination device, a bar material length determination method, a bar material length determination program, and a processing system.

Background Art

[0002] A technique for processing a plurality of types of workpieces from a long bar-shaped material also called a bar material is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). The technique described in Patent Document 1 sequentially processes each of a plurality of types of workpieces in a desired predetermined number when processing a plurality of types of workpieces having different workpiece lengths. The technique described in Patent Document 1 can reduce the processing of surplus workpieces that occur when processing a plurality of types of workpieces in combination from a single bar material by sequentially processing each of the plurality of types of workpieces in a desired predetermined number, and can reduce manufacturing costs and environmental loads.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, after the processing of a predetermined number of workpieces is completed, the processing of other workpieces is started regardless of the length of the remaining material of the bar material. Therefore, the length of the remaining material of the bar material may be shorter than the processing length required for the processing of other workpieces. When the length of the remaining material of the bar material is shorter than the processing length required for the processing of other workpieces, the processing of other workpieces cannot be executed, and there is a risk that continuous processing will be interrupted.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to solve such problems and provide a bar material length determination device with a low risk of interruption of continuous processing when sequentially processing each of a plurality of types of workpieces in a desired predetermined number. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The bar material length determination device according to the present invention includes: a processing information acquisition unit that acquires first processing completion information indicating that a first processing process in which a plurality of first workpieces are sequentially processed from a bar material has been completed; a bar material length information acquisition unit that acquires bar material length information indicating the length of the bar material when the first processing process is completed; a determination unit that determines whether the length of the bar material is equal to or greater than the processing length of a second workpiece to be processed in the next processing step after the first processing process; and an output unit that outputs a bar material replacement signal indicating the replacement of the bar material when it is determined that the length of the bar material is not equal to or greater than the processing length of the second workpiece.

[0007] Furthermore, the bar material length determination device according to the present invention further comprises a first processing unit that performs a first processing process, a second processing unit that performs a second processing process that sequentially processes a plurality of second workpieces, and a scheduling operation unit that instructs the second processing unit to perform the second processing process after the determination unit has performed a determination process. Preferably, the scheduling operation unit instructs the second processing unit to perform the second processing process after the bar material has been replaced when the determination unit has determined that the length of the bar material is not equal to or greater than the processing length of the second workpiece.

[0008] Furthermore, the bar length determination device according to the present invention preferably further comprises a spindle that rotatably grips the bar material and a tool post that holds a tool for processing the bar material.

[0009] Furthermore, it is preferable that the bar material length determination device according to the present invention further comprises a push arrow for holding the bar material and a push arrow driving mechanism for driving the push arrow.

[0010] Furthermore, in the bar material length determination device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the bar material length information acquisition unit acquires information corresponding to the bar material position signal indicating the position detected by a single sensor as bar material length information.

[0011] Furthermore, the bar length determination method according to the present invention includes obtaining first processing completion information indicating that a first processing process in which a plurality of first workpieces are sequentially processed from a bar material has been completed, obtaining bar length information indicating the length of the bar material when the first processing process is completed, determining whether the length of the bar material is equal to or greater than the processing length of the second workpiece to be processed in the next processing step after the first processing process, and outputting a bar material replacement signal indicating that the bar material should be replaced if it is determined that the length of the bar material is not equal to or greater than the processing length of the second workpiece.

[0012] Furthermore, the bar material length determination program according to the present invention acquires first processing completion information indicating that a first processing process in which a plurality of first workpieces are sequentially processed from a bar material has been completed, acquires bar material length information indicating the length of the bar material when the first processing process is completed, determines whether the length of the bar material is equal to or greater than the processing length of the second workpiece to be processed in the next processing step after the first processing process, and if it is determined that the length of the bar material is not equal to or greater than the processing length of the second workpiece, causes the computer to execute a process to output a bar material replacement signal indicating that the bar material should be replaced.

[0013] Furthermore, the processing system according to the present invention includes a machine tool having a spindle that rotatably grips a bar stock and a tool post that holds a tool for processing the bar stock, a pusher that holds the bar stock, and a pusher drive mechanism that drives the pusher, and acquires first processing completion information indicating that a first processing process in which a plurality of first workpieces are sequentially processed from the bar stock has been completed, acquires bar stock length information indicating the length of the bar stock when the first processing process is completed, determines whether the length of the bar stock is equal to or greater than the processing length of the second workpiece to be processed in the next processing step after the first processing process, and outputs a bar stock replacement signal indicating that the bar stock should be replaced when it is determined that the length of the bar stock is not equal to or greater than the processing length of the second workpiece. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The bar material length determination device according to the present invention can reduce the risk of interruption in continuous processing when processing a desired predetermined number of each of several types of workpieces sequentially. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view of a processing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a block diagram of the processing system shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a flowchart of the schedule operation process executed by the processing system shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] It is a flowchart showing the processing executed by the processing system shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] It is a flowchart showing the bar material length determination process executed by the processing system shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] It is a block diagram of a processing system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a flowchart showing the bar material length determination process executed by the processing system shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] It is a block diagram of a processing system according to the third embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a flowchart showing the bar material length determination process executed by the processing system shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] It is a block diagram of a processing system according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 11] It is a flowchart showing the bar material length determination process executed by the processing system shown in FIG. 10.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] The bar material length determination device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, note that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to those embodiments, and extends to the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0017] (Configuration and Function of the Processing System According to the First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a processing system according to a first embodiment including a machine tool which is an example of a bar material length determination device, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the processing system shown in FIG. 1. In the processing system 1 according to the first embodiment, the machine tool 10 processes the bar material 100 and also functions as a bar material length determination device that executes a bar material length determination process for determining whether the length of the bar material 100 is longer than the processing length of the workpiece to be processed in the next processing.

[0018] The processing system 1 includes a machine tool 10 and a material feeder 30, and sequentially manufactures a plurality of workpieces by processing the bar material 100 supplied from the material feeder 30. When sequentially manufacturing a plurality of workpieces, the processing system 1 continuously manufactures a plurality of types of workpieces by a schedule operation that continuously manufactures a predetermined number of each type of workpiece. Here, the "plurality of types of workpieces" refers to the number of types of workpieces manufactured by the schedule operation. When the number of types of workpieces manufactured by the schedule operation is N types, which is an integer of 2 or more, the "N types of workpieces" from the first workpiece to the Nth workpiece are manufactured by the schedule operation. One type of workpiece is continuously manufactured by the same processing until the desired number is manufactured.

[0019] The machine tool 10 includes a spindle 11, a tool rest 12, and an NC device 15, and sequentially manufactures a plurality of workpieces by processing the bar material 100 rotatably held by the chuck 11a of the spindle 11 with a tool 13 held by the tool rest 12.

[0020] The NC device 15 includes a communication unit 16, a storage unit 17, an input unit 18, a display unit 19, and a processing unit 20, and executes a schedule operation process for processing the bar material 100 and continuously manufacturing a plurality of types of workpieces by a predetermined number in cooperation with the spindle 11, the tool rest 12, and the material feeder 30.

[0021] The communication unit 16 connects the machine tool 10 to the material feeder 30 and a network (not shown) such as a LAN (Local Area Network) and the Internet, and has a communication interface circuit for communicatingly connecting the processing unit 20 to the spindle 11 and the tool post 12. The communication unit 16 supplies data received from external devices (not shown), such as a higher-level control device, via the spindle 11, the tool post 12, the material feeder 30, and the network to the processing unit 20. The communication unit 16 also transmits data supplied from the processing unit 20 to the spindle 11, the tool post 12, the material feeder 30, and the external devices.

[0022] The storage unit 17 includes, for example, one of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk device, and an optical disk device. The storage unit 17 stores operating system programs, driver programs, application programs, data, etc., used for processing in the processing unit 20. For example, the storage unit 17 stores, as driver programs, an input device driver program that controls the input unit 18, an output device driver program that controls the display unit 19, etc. The storage unit 17 also stores, as application programs, a schedule program 17a that causes the processing unit 20 to execute a schedule process that controls the machine tool 10 and the material feeder 30 to perform scheduled operation. The storage unit 17 also stores, as application programs, first machining programs 17b1 to Nth machining programs 17bN that cause the processing unit 20 to execute first machining processes to Nth machining processes that produce desired quantities of first to Nth workpieces. Furthermore, the storage unit 17 stores, as an application program, a bar material length determination program 17c that causes the processing unit 20 to execute a bar material length determination process to determine whether the length of the bar material 100 is longer than the processing length of the workpieces to be processed in the next processing process, namely the second to the Nth workpieces. The schedule program 17a, the first processing programs 17b1 to the Nth processing programs 17bN, and the bar material length determination program 17c may be installed in the storage unit 17 from a computer-readable portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM using a known setup program or the like.

[0023] Furthermore, the storage unit 17 stores various data used in the schedule program 17a, the first machining program 17b1 to the Nth machining program 17bN, and the bar material length determination program 17c. For example, the storage unit 17 stores the machining length table 17d. The machining length table 17d stores the first workpiece machining length to the Nth workpiece machining length, which are the lengths of the bar material 100 used when machining one of the first to Nth workpieces, associated with each of the first to Nth workpieces. At least one of the machining lengths from the first workpiece machining length to the Nth workpiece machining length is different from the other machining lengths from the first workpiece machining length to the Nth workpiece machining length. Also, when a predetermined number of a desired number of each of the first to Nth workpieces is set as the first workpiece predetermined number to the Nth workpiece predetermined number, the storage unit 17 stores the first workpiece predetermined number information to the Nth workpiece predetermined number information corresponding to the first workpiece predetermined number to the Nth workpiece predetermined number.

[0024] The input unit 18 can be any device that enables operation of the machine tool 10, such as a keyboard or touchpad. The operator can input characters, numbers, etc., via the input unit 18. When the input unit 18 is operated by the operator, it generates a signal corresponding to that operation. The generated signal is then supplied to the processing unit 20 as an instruction from the operator.

[0025] The display unit 19 can be any device capable of displaying video, images, characters, etc., such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display unit 19 displays video corresponding to video data supplied from the processing unit 20, images corresponding to image data, characters corresponding to character data, etc. The display unit 19 may also display a graphical user interface for operating the machine tool 10. The input unit 18 and the display unit 19 may be integrally formed as a touch panel.

[0026] The processing unit 20 has one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. The processing unit 20 comprehensively controls the overall operation of the machine tool 10 and is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processing unit 20 controls the operation of the communication unit 16, display unit 19, etc., so that various processes of the machine tool 10 are executed in appropriate procedures according to the programs stored in the memory unit 17, the operation of the input unit 18, etc. The processing unit 20 executes processing based on the programs stored in the memory unit 17. In addition, the processing unit 20 can execute multiple programs in parallel.

[0027] The processing unit 20 includes a scheduled operation unit 21, first machining processing units 221 to the Nth machining processing unit 22N, and a bar material length determination unit 23. The bar material length determination unit 23 includes a machining information acquisition unit 24, a bar material length information acquisition unit 25, a determination unit 26, and an output unit 27. Each of these units is a functional module realized by a program executed by the processor of the processing unit 20. Alternatively, each of these units may be implemented in the processing unit 20 as firmware.

[0028] The material feeder 30 includes a pusher 31, a pusher drive motor 32, a pusher drive mechanism 33, a bar material position sensor 34, and a material feed control device 35. In response to instructions from the processing unit 20, it pushes the bar material 100 onto the pusher 31 in the direction of the main shaft 11. The material feeder 30 also performs a bar material replacement process to replace the bar material 100 in response to instructions from the processing unit 20.

[0029] The pusher 31 has a finger chuck 31a that holds the rear end of the bar material 100, and moves the held bar material 100 in the direction of the main spindle 11 and in the direction opposite to the main spindle 11 according to the instructions of the material feeding control device 35. The pusher drive motor 32 is, for example, a servo motor, and is mechanically connected to the pusher 31 via the pusher drive mechanism 33, and generates a driving force to drive the pusher 31. The pusher drive mechanism 33 has a reduction gear formed by a plurality of gears, etc., and supplies the driving force generated by the pusher drive motor 32 to the pusher 31, moving the pusher 31 in the direction of the main spindle 11 and in the direction opposite to the main spindle 11.

[0030] The bar material position sensor 34 is a single sensor that detects the rotation angle of the pusher drive motor 32, detects the position of the pusher 31 from the detected rotation angle, and outputs a bar material position signal indicating the detected position to the material feeding control device 35. The bar material position sensor 34 may output a signal indicating the detected rotation angle as the bar material position signal, or it may calculate the position of the pusher 31 from the detected rotation angle and output a signal indicating the calculated position of the pusher 31 as the bar material position signal. The bar material position sensor 34 may consist of multiple sensors, but it is preferable to have a single sensor. By using a single sensor for the bar material position sensor 34, the detection algorithm for detecting the position of the pusher 31 becomes simpler, the configuration of the material feeding machine 30 becomes simpler, and the manufacturing cost of the material feeding machine 30 is reduced.

[0031] The material supply control device 35 includes a material supply communication unit 36, a material supply storage unit 37, and a material supply processing unit 38. By controlling the position of the pusher 31, it controls the position of the bar material 100 held by the pusher 31 and also replaces the bar material.

[0032] The material supply communication unit 36 ​​connects the material feeder 30 to the machine tool 10 and a network (not shown), and has a communication interface circuit for connecting the material supply processing unit 38 to the push-drive motor 32 and the bar stock position sensor 34. The material supply communication unit 36 ​​supplies data received from the push-drive motor 32, the bar stock position sensor 34, the machine tool 10, and external devices (not shown) via the network to the processing unit 20. The supply communication unit 36 ​​also transmits the data supplied from the processing unit 20 to the push-drive motor 32, the bar stock position sensor 34, the machine tool 10, and the external devices.

[0033] The material supply storage unit 37 includes, for example, one of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk device, and an optical disk device. The material supply storage unit 37 stores operating system programs, driver programs, application programs, data, etc., used for processing in the material supply processing unit 38. For example, the material supply storage unit 37 stores a bar material position control program as an application program, which causes the material supply processing unit 38 to execute a bar material position control process to control the position of the bar material 100. The material supply storage unit 37 also stores a bar material replacement program as an application program, which causes the material supply processing unit 38 to execute a bar material replacement process for the bar material 100. The bar material position control program and the bar material replacement program may be installed in the material supply storage unit 37 from a computer-readable portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM using a known setup program or the like. The material supply storage unit 37 also stores various data and information used in the bar material position control program and the bar material replacement program. For example, the material supply storage unit 37 stores initial position information indicating the initial position after the bar material 100 has been replaced.

[0034] The material supply processing unit 38 has one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. The material supply processing unit 38 comprehensively controls the overall operation of the material supply machine 30, and is, for example, a CPU. The material supply processing unit 38 controls the operation of the material supply communication unit 36, etc., so that various processes of the material supply machine 30 are executed in appropriate procedures according to the programs stored in the material supply storage unit 37. The material supply processing unit 38 executes processes based on the programs stored in the material supply storage unit 37. In addition, the material supply processing unit 38 can execute multiple programs in parallel.

[0035] (Scheduled operation process performed by the processing system according to the first embodiment) Figure 3 is a flowchart of the scheduled operation process performed by the machining system 1. The scheduled operation process shown in Figure 3 is performed mainly by the processing unit 20 in cooperation with each element of the machining system 1, based on the schedule program 17a which is stored in the storage unit 17 in advance. The scheduled operation process shown in Figure 3 continuously produces the first to the Nth workpieces in predetermined quantities, from a predetermined number of the first workpiece to a predetermined number of the Nth workpiece, which are the desired quantities for each workpiece.

[0036] The scheduling unit 21 sets the parameter k, which specifies each of the first to Nth machining processes, to 1 (S101). The parameter k can be an integer between 1 and N, inclusive. Next, the scheduling unit 21 instructs the first machining processing unit 221 to execute the first machining process when k=1 (S102). Then, the first machining processing unit 221 executes the first machining process in response to the instruction from the scheduling unit 21 (S103).

[0037] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the kth machining process (S103) performed by the machining system 1. The kth machining process is performed mainly by the processing unit 20 in cooperation with each element of the machining system 1, based on the kth machining program stored in the storage unit 17 beforehand. When k=1, the first machining process is performed based on the first machining program 17b1.

[0038] First, when k=1, the first machining processing unit 221 receives an instruction to execute the first machining process from the scheduling operation unit 21 (S201). Next, the first machining processing unit 221 controls the spindle 11 and the tool 13 held in the tool post 12 to machine the bar stock 100, and then uses the tool 13 held in the tool post 12 to cut off the bar stock 100, thereby separating the first workpiece from the bar stock 100 and producing the first workpiece (S202). After the production of the first workpiece is completed, the first machining processing unit 221 stores information corresponding to the number of first workpieces produced so far in the storage unit 17.

[0039] Next, the first processing unit 221 determines whether or not it has finished producing a predetermined number of first workpieces (S203).

[0040] The first processing unit 221 compares the number of first workpieces to be produced, which corresponds to the information on the number of first workpieces to be produced stored in the storage unit 17, with the predetermined number of first workpieces, which corresponds to the information on the predetermined number of first workpieces to be produced stored in the storage unit 17. When the two match, the first processing unit 221 determines that the production of the predetermined number of first workpieces has been completed (S203-YES). When the first processing unit 221 determines that the production of the predetermined number of first workpieces has been completed (S203-YES), the first processing operation is terminated.

[0041] Furthermore, the first processing unit 221 determines that the production of a predetermined number of first workpieces has not been completed when the number of first workpieces corresponding to the information on the number of first workpieces to be produced stored in the storage unit 17 is less than the predetermined number of first workpieces corresponding to the information on the predetermined number of first workpieces to be produced stored in the storage unit 17 (S203-NO). When the first processing unit 221 determines that the production of a predetermined number of first workpieces has not been completed (S203-NO), the first processing unit 221 outputs a bar length request signal to the material feeder 30 indicating that it requests the bar length, which is the length of the bar material 100 (S204).

[0042] When a bar length request signal is input to the material feeder 30, the material feed processing unit 38 calculates the length of the bar 100 from the bar position corresponding to the bar position signal input from the bar position sensor 34 and the initial position corresponding to the initial position information stored in the material feed storage unit 37, obtains the calculated bar length, and outputs a bar length signal corresponding to the obtained bar length to the machine tool 10. Next, the first machining processing unit 221 obtains bar length information corresponding to the bar length signal (S205). The first machining processing unit 221 stores the obtained bar length information in the storage unit 17.

[0043] Next, the first machining processing unit 221 determines whether the current bar length of the bar material 100 is greater than or equal to the first workpiece machining length (S206). The first machining processing unit 221 obtains the first workpiece machining length by referring to the machining length table 17d stored in the storage unit 17. The first machining processing unit 221 also obtains the bar length corresponding to the bar material length information stored in the storage unit 17. The first machining processing unit 221 compares the obtained first workpiece machining length with the bar material length to determine whether the current bar length of the bar material 100 is greater than or equal to the first workpiece machining length.

[0044] When the first machining unit 221 determines that the current bar length is equal to or greater than the first workpiece machining length (S206-YES), the first machining unit 221 controls the material feeder 30 to move the bar 100 in the direction of the spindle 11 by the first workpiece machining length (S210). Thereafter, the processes shown in S202 to S210 are repeated until the first machining unit 221 determines that the production of a predetermined number of first workpieces has been completed (S203-YES). When the first machining unit 221 determines that the production of a predetermined number of first workpieces has been completed (S203-YES), the first machining process is terminated.

[0045] Furthermore, if the first processing unit 221 determines that the current bar length is not equal to or greater than the first workpiece processing length (S206-NO), it outputs a bar replacement signal to the material feeder 30 indicating that the bar 100 should be replaced (S207).

[0046] In response to a bar material replacement signal being input to the material feeder 30, the material feed processing unit 38 executes a bar material replacement process to replace the bar material 100 (S208). The material feed processing unit 38 replaces the bar material 100 which is shorter than the first workpiece machining length with a bar material 100 which is longer than the first workpiece machining length, and completes the bar material replacement process. Next, once the bar material replacement process is complete, the material feed processing unit 38 outputs a replacement completion signal to the machine tool 10 indicating that the replacement of the bar material 100 has been completed.

[0047] When a replacement completion signal is input to the machine tool 10, the first machining processing unit 221 acquires replacement completion information indicating that the replacement of the bar stock 100 has been completed (S209). The first machining processing unit 221 acquires replacement completion information corresponding to the replacement completion signal input from the material feeding processing unit 38 and stores the acquired replacement completion information in the storage unit 17. Thereafter, the processes shown in S202 to S210 are repeated until the first machining processing unit 221 determines that the production of a predetermined number of first workpieces has been completed (S203-YES). When the first machining processing unit 221 determines that the production of a predetermined number of first workpieces has been completed (S203-YES), the first machining process is terminated.

[0048] When the first machining process is completed, the scheduling unit 21 determines whether or not the machining process has been completed for all workpieces from the first to the Nth machining process (S104). If the scheduling unit 21 determines that the machining process has not been completed for all workpieces (S104-NO), it instructs the bar length determination unit 23 to execute a bar length determination process to determine whether or not the length of the bar material 100 is longer than the machining length of the second workpiece (S105). The machining length of the second workpiece is the machining length of the second workpiece that will be machined in the machining process following the first machining process. The scheduling unit 21 supplies the bar length determination unit 23 with first machining process completion information indicating that the first machining process has been completed. Then, the bar length determination unit 23 executes the bar length determination process in response to having received the first machining process completion information (S106).

[0049] Figure 5 is a flowchart of the bar material length determination process (S106) performed by the processing system 1. The bar material length determination process shown in Figure 5 is mainly performed by the processing unit 20 in cooperation with each element of the processing system 1, based on the bar material length determination program 17c which is stored in the storage unit 17 in advance. The bar material length determination process shown in Figure 5 is an example of a bar material length determination method according to the embodiment.

[0050] When the scheduled operation unit 21 has k=1, it supplies the bar material length determination unit 23 with first processing completion information indicating that the first processing has been completed. The processing information acquisition unit 24 of the bar material length determination unit 23 then acquires the first processing completion information from the scheduled operation unit 21 (S301). Next, the bar material length information acquisition unit 25 outputs a bar material length request signal to the material feeder 30 indicating that it requests the bar material length, which is the length of the bar material 100 (S302).

[0051] When a bar length request signal is input to the material feeder 30, the material feed processing unit 38 calculates the length of the bar 100 from the bar position corresponding to the bar position signal input from the bar position sensor 34 and the initial position corresponding to the initial position information stored in the material feed storage unit 37, obtains the calculated bar length, and outputs a bar length signal corresponding to the obtained bar length to the machine tool 10. Next, the bar length information acquisition unit 25 acquires bar length information corresponding to the bar length signal (S303). The bar length information acquisition unit 25 stores the acquired bar length information in the storage unit 17.

[0052] Next, the determination unit 26 determines whether the current bar length of the bar material 100 is greater than or equal to the second workpiece processing length, which is the processing length of the second workpiece to be processed in the processing process following the first processing process (S304). The determination unit 26 obtains the second workpiece processing length by referring to the processing length table 17d stored in the storage unit 17. The determination unit 26 also obtains the bar length corresponding to the bar length information obtained in the process shown in S303. The determination unit 26 compares the obtained second workpiece processing length with the bar length to determine whether the current bar length of the bar material 100 is greater than or equal to the second workpiece processing length.

[0053] If the determination unit 26 determines that the current bar length of the bar material 100 is equal to or greater than the second workpiece processing length (S304-YES), the schedule operation unit 21 determines that the bar material length determination process is complete. If the determination unit 26 determines that the current bar length of the bar material 100 is not equal to or greater than the second workpiece processing length (S304-NO), the output unit 27 outputs a bar material replacement signal to the material feeder 30 indicating that the bar material 100 should be replaced (S305). By outputting the bar material replacement signal to the material feeder 30, the output unit 27 instructs the material feeder 30 to replace the bar material 100.

[0054] In response to the input of a bar material replacement signal to the material feeder 30, the material feeding processing unit 38 executes a bar material replacement process to replace the bar material 100 (S306). The material feeding processing unit 38 replaces the bar material 100 which is shorter than the second workpiece machining length with a bar material 100 which is longer than the second workpiece machining length, and completes the bar material replacement process. Next, once the bar material replacement process is complete, the material feeding processing unit 38 outputs a replacement completion signal to the machine tool 10 indicating that the replacement of the bar material 100 has been completed.

[0055] When a replacement completion signal is input to the machine tool 10, the determination unit 26 acquires replacement completion information indicating that the replacement of the bar material 100 has been completed (S307). When the determination unit 26 acquires the replacement completion information corresponding to the replacement completion signal input from the material feeding processing unit 38, it determines that the bar material length determination process has been completed.

[0056] When it is determined that the bar material length determination process is complete, the scheduling operation unit 21 increments the value of k to k = k + 1 (S107) and instructs the second machining processing unit 222 to execute the second machining process, which is the next machining process after the first machining process (S102). Then, the second machining processing unit 222 executes the second machining process in response to the instruction from the scheduling operation unit 21 (S103).

[0057] When the second machining process is completed, the scheduling unit 21 determines whether or not the machining process has been completed for all workpieces from the first to the Nth machining process (S104). If the scheduling unit 21 determines that the machining process has not been completed for all workpieces (S104-NO), it instructs the bar length determination unit 23 to execute a bar length determination process to determine whether or not the length of the bar material 100 is longer than the machining length of the third workpiece (S105). The machining length of the third workpiece is the machining length of the third workpiece that will be machined in the machining process following the second machining process. The scheduling unit 21 supplies the bar length determination unit 23 with information indicating that the second machining process has been completed. Then, the bar length determination unit 23 executes the bar length determination process in response to having received the information indicating that the second machining process has been completed (S106).

[0058] From this point onward, the process from S102 to S107 is repeated, with the value of k incrementing by 1 (S107), until the schedule operation unit 21 determines that the machining process has been completed for all workpieces (S104-YES). By repeating the process from S102 to S107 while incrementing the value of k by 1, each of the k-th workpieces for k=1 to N, that is, the 1st to Nth workpieces, is continuously produced in the desired number. After each of the 1st to (N-1) machining processes is executed, the determination unit 26 compares the machining length of the 2nd to Nth workpieces to be machined in the next machining process with the current length of the bar material 100. If the determination unit 26 determines that the current length of the bar material 100 is not greater than or equal to the machining length of the 2nd to Nth workpieces, the bar material 100 is replaced by the material feeder 30. When the scheduled operation unit 21 determines that machining has been performed on all workpieces (S104-YES), the scheduled operation process ends.

[0059] (Effects and effects of the processing system according to the first embodiment) When the machining system 1 performs a scheduled operation to continuously machine a predetermined number of multiple types of workpieces, after the machining of one type of workpiece is completed, it compares the machining length of the workpiece to be machined in the next machining process with the current length of the bar material 100. If the current length of the bar material 100 is not equal to or greater than the machining length of the workpiece to be machined in the next machining process, the machining system 1 can replace the bar material 100, thereby preventing the machining of the next workpiece from being interrupted and interrupting the continuous machining process.

[0060] Furthermore, after a predetermined number of workpieces of one type have been processed, the processing system 1 compares the processing length of the workpiece to be processed in the next processing step with the current bar length of the bar material 100, rather than comparing it with the workpiece that has just been processed. Since the processing system 1 compares the processing length of the workpiece to be processed in the next processing step with the current bar length of the bar material 100, if the processing length of the next workpiece is shorter than the processing length of the workpiece that has just been processed, and the processing length of the next workpiece is less than or equal to the current bar length of the bar material 100, there is no risk of the bar material 100 being replaced with another bar material 100 even though the processing length of the next workpiece is long enough to be processed. The processing system 1 can prevent the bar material 100 that has a processing length for the next workpiece from being replaced and discarded, thus preventing an increase in manufacturing costs due to the generation of wasteful leftover material. In addition, the processing system 1 can reduce the environmental impact because there is no risk of the bar material 100 that has a processing length for the next workpiece being replaced and discarded.

[0061] Furthermore, in the processing system 1, the bar material length information acquisition unit 25 acquires information corresponding to the bar material position signal indicating the position detected by the bar material position sensor 34 as bar material length information. Since the processing system 1 can be detected by a single sensor, the bar material position sensor 34, the number of sensors required to detect the position of the bar material can be minimized.

[0062] (Configuration and functions of the processing system according to the second embodiment) Figure 6 is a block diagram of a machining system according to a second embodiment, which includes a material feeder, another example of a bar length determination device. In the machining system 2 according to the second embodiment, the material feeder 50 supplies the bar material 100 to the machine tool 40 and also functions as a bar length determination device that performs a bar length determination process to determine whether the length of the bar material 100 is longer than the machining length of the workpiece to be machined in the next machining process.

[0063] Processing system 2 comprises a machine tool 40 and a material feeder 50, and produces multiple workpieces by processing bar stock 100 supplied from the material feeder 50. Similar to processing system 1, processing system 2 produces multiple types of workpieces in a predetermined number of units each through scheduled operation.

[0064] Machine tool 40 differs from machine tool 10 in that it has an NC device 41 instead of an NC device 15. The NC device 41 differs from the NC device 15 in that it has a storage unit 42 and a processing unit 43 instead of a storage unit 17 and a processing unit 20. The storage unit 42 differs from the storage unit 17 in that it does not store the bar material length determination program 17c. The processing unit 43 differs from the processing unit 20 in that it does not have a bar material length determination unit 23. The configuration and function of the components of machine tool 40 other than the storage unit 42 and the processing unit 43 are the same as the configuration and function of the components of machine tool 10 which are given the same reference numerals, so a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0065] The material feeder 50 differs from the material feeder 30 in that it has a material feed control device 51 instead of a material feed control device 35. The material feed control device 51 differs from the material feed control device 35 in that it has a material feed storage unit 52 and a material feed processing unit 53 instead of a material feed storage unit 37 and a material feed processing unit 38. The configuration and function of the components of the material feeder 50 other than the material feed storage unit 52 and the material feed processing unit 53 are the same as the configuration and function of the components of the material feeder 30 which are given the same reference numerals, so a detailed explanation is omitted here. The material feed storage unit 52 stores a bar material length determination program 52a as an application program that causes the material feed processing unit 53 to execute a bar material length determination process to determine whether the length of the bar material 100 is longer than the processing length of the second to the Nth workpiece after the completion of the first to the (N-1) processing. The bar material length determination program 52a may be installed in the material feed storage unit 52 from a computer-readable portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM using a known setup program or the like. The configuration and functions of the material supply storage unit 52, other than storing the bar length determination program 52a, are the same as those of the material supply storage unit 37, so a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0066] The material feeding processing unit 53 includes a material feeding unit 53a and a bar material length determination unit 54. The material feeding unit 53a performs bar material position control processing and bar material replacement processing, similar to the material feeding processing unit 38. The bar material length determination unit 54 includes a machining processing information acquisition unit 55, a workpiece machining length information acquisition unit 56, a bar material length information acquisition unit 57, a determination unit 58, and an output unit 59. Each of these units is a functional module realized by a program executed by the processor of the material feeding processing unit 53. Alternatively, each of these units may be implemented in the material feeding processing unit 53 as firmware.

[0067] The machining system 2 performs scheduled operation processing and the first to Nth machining processes, similar to the machining system 1. However, the bar length determination process performed by the machining system 2 differs from that performed by the machining system 1 in that the entity performing the bar length determination process is different. Specifically, the bar length determination process performed by the machining system 2 is performed not by the machine tool 40, but by the bar length determination unit 54 of the material feeder 50.

[0068] (Bar material length determination process performed by the processing system according to the second embodiment) Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the bar material length determination process performed by the processing system 2. The bar material length determination process shown in Figure 7 is mainly performed by the material supply processing unit 53 in cooperation with each element of the processing system 2, based on the bar material length determination program 52a which is stored in advance in the material supply storage unit 52. The bar material length determination process shown in Figure 7 is another example of the bar material length determination method according to the embodiment.

[0069] When the scheduled operation unit 21 supplies the kth machining process completion information to the bar material length determination unit 54, indicating that the kth machining process has been completed, the machining process information acquisition unit 55 of the bar material length determination unit 54 first acquires the kth machining process completion information (S401). Next, the workpiece machining length information acquisition unit 56 outputs a (k+1) workpiece machining length request signal to the machine tool 40, indicating that it requests the (k+1) workpiece machining length, which is the machining length of the (k+1) workpiece to be machined in the (k+1) machining process following the kth machining process (S402). In response to the (k+1) workpiece machining length request signal being input to the machine tool 40, the scheduled operation unit 21 obtains the (k+1) workpiece machining length by referring to the machining length table 17d stored in the storage unit 42. Next, the scheduled operation unit 21 outputs a (k+1) workpiece machining length signal indicating the (k+1) workpiece machining length to the material feeder 50.

[0070] Next, the workpiece machining length information acquisition unit 56 of the material feeder 50 acquires the (k+1) workpiece machining length information corresponding to the (k+1) workpiece machining length signal input from the schedule operation unit 21 of the machine tool 40 (S403). The workpiece machining length information acquisition unit 56 stores the acquired (k+1) workpiece machining length information in the material storage unit 52. The material storage unit 52 may also store the machining length table 17d. Next, the bar material length information acquisition unit 57 calculates the length of the bar material 100 from the bar material position corresponding to the bar material position signal input from the bar material position sensor 34 and the initial position corresponding to the initial position information stored in the material storage unit 52, acquires the bar material length indicating the calculated length of the bar material 100, and acquires bar material length information corresponding to the acquired bar material length (S404). The bar material length information acquisition unit 57 stores the acquired bar material length information in the material storage unit 52.

[0071] Next, the determination unit 58 determines whether the bar length corresponding to the bar length information obtained in the process shown in S404 is equal to or greater than the (k+1) workpiece machining length corresponding to the (k+1) workpiece machining length information obtained in the process shown in S403 (S405). If the determination unit 58 determines that the current bar length of the bar material 100 is equal to or greater than the (k+1) workpiece machining length (S405-YES), the output unit 59 outputs a bar material replacement unnecessary signal to the machine tool 40, indicating that bar material replacement is unnecessary (S406). When the schedule operation unit 21 receives the bar material replacement unnecessary signal, it determines that the bar length determination process is complete.

[0072] When the determination unit 58 determines that the current length of the bar material 100 is not equal to or greater than the machining length of the (k+1)th workpiece (S405-NO), the material feeding unit 53a executes a bar material replacement process to replace the bar material 100 (S407). When the determination unit 58 determines that the current length of the bar material 100 is not equal to or greater than the machining length of the (k+1)th workpiece, it instructs the material feeding unit 53a to replace the bar material 100. In response to the instruction to replace the bar material 100, the material feeding unit 53a executes a bar material replacement process to replace the bar material 100, such as outputting a bar material replacement signal to indicate that the bar material 100 should be replaced. Next, when the output unit 59 completes the bar material replacement process, it outputs a replacement completion signal to the machine tool 40 to indicate that the replacement of the bar material 100 has been completed (S408). When the schedule operation unit 21 receives the replacement completion signal, it determines that the bar material length determination process has ended.

[0073] (Configuration and functions of the processing system according to the third embodiment) Figure 8 is a block diagram of a machining system according to a third embodiment, which further includes a bar length determination device. In addition to the material feeder 30 and the machine tool 40, the machining system 3 according to the third embodiment includes a bar length determination device 60 that performs a bar length determination process to determine whether the current bar length of the bar material 100 is equal to or greater than the (k+1) workpiece machining length.

[0074] The processing system 3 comprises a material feeder 30, a machine tool 40, and a bar material length determination device 60, and produces multiple workpieces by processing bar material 100 supplied from the material feeder 30. Similar to processing systems 1 and 2, the processing system 3 produces multiple types of workpieces in a desired quantity each, continuously through scheduled operation. The material feeder 30 is explained with reference to Figure 2, etc., and the machine tool 40 is explained with reference to Figure 6, so a detailed explanation of the material feeder 30 and machine tool 40 will be omitted here.

[0075] The bar material length determination device 60 is an electronic computer such as a PC having a determination communication unit 61, a determination storage unit 62, a determination input unit 63, a determination display unit 64, and a determination processing unit 65.

[0076] The determination communication unit 61 has a communication interface circuit for connecting the bar material length determination device 60 to the material feeder 30, the machine tool 40, and a network (not shown). The determination communication unit 61 supplies data received from the material feeder 30, the machine tool 40, and external devices (not shown) via the network to the determination processing unit 65. The determination communication unit 61 also transmits data supplied by the determination processing unit 65 to the material feeder 30, the machine tool 40, and the external devices.

[0077] The determination storage unit 62 includes, for example, one of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk device, and an optical disk device. The determination storage unit 62 stores operating system programs, driver programs, application programs, data, etc., used for processing in the determination processing unit 65. For example, the determination storage unit 62 stores, as driver programs, an input device driver program that controls the determination input unit 63, an output device driver program that controls the determination display unit 64, etc. The determination storage unit 62 also stores, as an application program, a bar material length determination program 62a that causes the determination processing unit 65 to execute a bar material length determination process that determines whether the length of the bar material 100 is longer than the processing length of the second to the Nth workpiece after the completion of the first to (N-1) processing processes. The bar material length determination program 62a may be installed in the determination storage unit 62 from, for example, a computer-readable portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM using a known setup program.

[0078] The judgment input unit 63 can be any device that allows operation of the bar material length determination device 60, such as a keyboard or touchpad. The operator can input characters, numbers, etc., via the judgment input unit 63. When the judgment input unit 63 is operated by the operator, it generates a signal corresponding to that operation. The generated signal is then supplied to the judgment processing unit 65 as an instruction from the operator.

[0079] The determination display unit 64 can be any device capable of displaying video, images, characters, etc., such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The determination display unit 64 displays video corresponding to video data supplied from the determination processing unit 65, images corresponding to image data, characters corresponding to character data, etc. The determination display unit 64 may also display a graphical user interface for operating the bar material length determination device 60.

[0080] The determination processing unit 65 has one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. The determination processing unit 65 comprehensively controls the overall operation of the bar material length determination device 60, and is, for example, a CPU. The determination processing unit 65 controls the operation of the determination communication unit 61, the determination display unit 64, etc., so that various processes of the bar material length determination device 60 are executed in appropriate procedures according to the program stored in the determination storage unit 62, the operation of the determination input unit 63, etc. The determination processing unit 65 executes processing based on the program stored in the determination storage unit 62. In addition, the determination processing unit 65 can execute multiple programs in parallel.

[0081] The determination processing unit 65 includes a bar material length determination unit 70. The bar material length determination unit 70 includes a machining information acquisition unit 71, a workpiece machining length information acquisition unit 72, a bar material length information acquisition unit 73, a determination unit 74, and an output unit 75. Each of these units is a functional module realized by a program executed by the processor of the determination processing unit 65. Alternatively, each of these units may be implemented in the determination processing unit 65 as firmware.

[0082] The machining system 3 performs scheduled operation processing and the first to Nth machining processes, similar to machining systems 1 and 2. However, the bar length determination process performed by machining system 3 differs from that performed by machining systems 1 and 2 in that the entity performing the bar length determination process is different. Specifically, the bar length determination process performed by machining system 3 is performed not by the material feeder 30 and the machine tool 40, but by a bar length determination unit 65 of a bar determination device 60, which is a separate device from the material feeder 30 and the machine tool 40.

[0083] (Bar material length determination process performed by the processing system according to the third embodiment) Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the bar material length determination process performed by the bar material length determination unit 65 of the processing system 3. The bar material length determination process shown in Figure 9 is mainly performed by the determination storage unit 62 in cooperation with each element of the processing system 3, based on the bar material length determination program 62a which is stored in advance in the determination storage unit 62. The bar material length determination process shown in Figure 9 is yet another example of the bar material length determination method according to the embodiment.

[0084] When the scheduled operation unit 21 supplies the kth machining process completion information to the bar material length determination unit 70, indicating that the kth machining process has been completed, the machining process information acquisition unit 71 of the bar material length determination unit 70 first acquires the kth machining process completion information (S501). Next, the workpiece machining length information acquisition unit 72 outputs a (k+1) workpiece machining length request signal to the machine tool 40, indicating that it requests the (k+1) workpiece machining length, which is the machining length of the (k+1) workpiece to be machined in the (k+1) machining process following the kth machining process (S502). In response to the (k+1) workpiece machining length request signal being input to the machine tool 40, the scheduled operation unit 21 obtains the (k+1) workpiece machining length by referring to the machining length table 17d stored in the storage unit 17. Next, the scheduled operation unit 21 outputs a (k+1) workpiece machining length signal indicating the (k+1) workpiece machining length to the bar material length determination device 60.

[0085] Next, the workpiece machining length information acquisition unit 72 acquires the (k+1) workpiece machining length information corresponding to the (k+1) workpiece machining length signal input from the schedule operation unit 21 of the machine tool 40 (S503). The workpiece machining length information acquisition unit 72 stores the acquired (k+1) workpiece machining length information in the determination storage unit 62. The determination storage unit 62 may also store the machining length table 17d. Next, the bar material length information acquisition unit 73 outputs a bar material length request signal to the material feeder 30 indicating that a bar material length is requested (S504). Next, in response to the bar material length request signal being input to the material feeding processing unit 38, the bar material length acquisition unit 73 calculates the length of the bar material 100 from the bar material position corresponding to the bar material position signal input from the bar material position sensor 34 and the initial position corresponding to the initial position information stored in the material feeding storage unit 37, acquires the calculated bar material length indicating the length of the bar material 100, and acquires bar material length information corresponding to the acquired bar material length (S505). The bar material length information acquisition unit 73 stores the acquired bar material length information in the determination storage unit 62.

[0086] Next, the determination unit 74 determines whether the bar length corresponding to the bar length information obtained in the process shown in S505 is equal to or greater than the (k+1) workpiece machining length corresponding to the (k+1) workpiece machining length information obtained in the process shown in S503 (S506). If the determination unit 74 determines that the current bar length of the bar material 100 is equal to or greater than the (k+1) workpiece machining length (S506-YES), the output unit 75 outputs a bar material replacement unnecessary signal to the machine tool 40, indicating that bar material replacement is unnecessary (S507). When the schedule operation unit 21 receives the bar material replacement unnecessary signal, it determines that the bar length determination process is complete.

[0087] When the determination unit 74 determines that the current bar length of the bar material 100 is not equal to or greater than the (k+1) workpiece machining length (S506-NO), the output unit 75 outputs a bar material replacement signal to the material feeder 30 indicating that the bar material 100 should be replaced (S507). By outputting the bar material replacement signal to the material feeder 30, the output unit 75 instructs the material feeder 30 to replace the bar material 100. Next, the material feeding processing unit 38 executes a bar material replacement process to replace the bar material 100 (S508). Next, when the material feeding processing unit 38 completes the bar material replacement process, it outputs a replacement completion signal to the machine tool 40 indicating that the replacement of the bar material 100 has been completed (S509). When the replacement completion signal is received, the schedule operation unit 21 determines that the bar material length determination process has ended.

[0088] (Configuration and functions of the processing system according to the fourth embodiment) Figure 10 is a block diagram of the machining system according to the fourth embodiment. In the machining system 4 according to the fourth embodiment, the machine tool 80, like the machine tool 10, processes the bar material 100 and also functions as a bar material length determination device that performs a bar material length determination process to determine whether the length of the bar material 100 is longer than the machining length of the workpiece to be processed in the next machining process.

[0089] The processing system 4 differs from the processing system 1 in that it has a machine tool 80 instead of a machine tool 10. The processing system 4 produces multiple workpieces by processing bar stock 100 supplied from the material feeder 30. Similar to the processing system 1, the processing system 4 produces multiple types of workpieces in a predetermined number of each type in a continuous schedule operation.

[0090] Machine tool 80 differs from machine tool 10 in that it has an NC device 81 instead of an NC device 15. NC device 81 differs from NC device 15 in that it has a storage unit 82 and a processing unit 83 instead of storage unit 17 and processing unit 20. Storage unit 82 differs from storage unit 17 in that it stores a bar length determination program 17e instead of a bar length determination program 17c. Storage unit 82 further differs from storage unit 17 in that it stores a material supply program 17f that causes processing unit 83 to execute a material supply process that controls the material feeder 30 to supply bar material 100 to machine tool 80. Processing unit 83 differs from processing unit 20 in that it has a bar length determination unit 28 instead of a bar length determination unit 23. Furthermore, processing unit 83 differs from processing unit 20 in that it has a material supply processing unit 29.

[0091] Furthermore, machine tool 80 differs from machine tool 10 in that it has a tip position sensor 84. The tip position sensor 84 is a contact-type or non-contact-type position sensor and is positioned near the tip of the spindle 11. The tip position sensor 84 may be fixed near the tip of the spindle 11, or it may be movably held in the tool post 12 and positioned near the tip of the spindle 11. The tip position sensor 84 detects the position of the tip of the bar stock 100 protruding from the tip of the spindle 11 and outputs a bar stock tip position signal indicating the detected bar stock tip position to the NC device 81. The configuration and function of the components of machine tool 80 other than the memory unit 82, processing unit 83 and tip position sensor 84 are the same as the configuration and function of the components of machine tool 10 which are given the same reference numerals, so a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0092] The machining system 4, like the machining system 1, performs scheduled operation processing, the first to the Nth machining processes, and bar material length determination processing. However, it differs from the machining system 1 in that the entity that performs the material supply processing, which supplies the bar material 100 from the material feeder 30 to the machine tool 80, is not the material feeder 30, but the material supply processing unit 29 of the machine tool 80.

[0093] (Bar material length determination process performed by the processing system according to the fourth embodiment) Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the bar material length determination process performed by the bar material length determination unit 28. The bar material length determination process shown in Figure 11 is mainly performed by the processing unit 83 in cooperation with each element of the machining system 4, based on the bar material length determination program 17e which is stored in the storage unit 82 beforehand. The bar material length determination process shown in Figure 11 is yet another example of the bar material length determination method according to the embodiment. The processes shown in S601 to S604 are the same as the processes shown in S301 to S304, so a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0094] When the determination unit 26 determines that the current bar length of the bar material 100 is not equal to or greater than the (k+1)th workpiece machining length (S604-NO), the material feeding unit 29 executes a bar replacement process to replace the bar material 100 (S605). The material feeding unit 29 outputs a bar replacement signal to the material feeder 30 indicating that the bar material 100 should be replaced. The material feeding unit 38 executes a bar replacement process to replace the bar material 100 in response to the input of the bar replacement signal. When the bar replacement process is completed, the material feeding unit 38 outputs a replacement completion signal to the machine tool 80 indicating that the replacement of the bar material 100 is complete. When the replacement completion signal is input, the schedule operation unit 21 determines that the bar length determination process is complete.

[0095] (Modified example of the processing system according to the embodiment) In the bar length determination process, the processing systems 1 to 4 replace the bar if they determine that the current (k) length of the bar 100 is not greater than or equal to the workpiece to be processed in the next (k+1) processing process. However, in the processing system according to the embodiment, when it determines in the bar length determination process that the current (k) length of the bar 100 is not greater than or equal to the workpiece to be processed in the next (k+1) processing process, it may perform a processing process to process a workpiece with a processing length shorter than the current (k+1) length of the bar 100 instead of the next (k+1) processing process. In the processing system according to the embodiment, when it determines that the current (k) length of the bar 100 is not greater than or equal to the workpiece to be processed in the next (k+1) processing process, it can reduce the length of the excess workpiece that is generated. The processing system according to this embodiment can further reduce manufacturing costs and environmental impact by shortening the length of the excess workpiece generated.

[0096] Furthermore, in machining systems 1 to 4, the NC device performs the scheduling operation process and the bar material length determination process. However, in the machining system according to this embodiment, a processing unit other than the NC device may also perform the scheduling operation process and the bar material length determination process. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0097] 1-4 Processing Systems 10. Machine tool (bar material length determination device) 21 Schedule Operation Department 24, 55, 71 Processing Information Acquisition Unit 25, 57, 73 Bar material length information acquisition unit 26, 58, 74 Judgment section 27, 59, 75 Output section 30 Material feeding machine 40, 80 machine tools 50. Material Feeding Machine (Bar Material Length Determination Device) 56, 72 Workpiece machining length information acquisition unit 60 Bar material length determination device

Claims

1. A processing information acquisition unit acquires information indicating the completion of a first processing process, which involves sequentially processing multiple first workpieces from a bar stock. A bar material length information acquisition unit acquires bar material length information indicating the length of the bar material when the first processing is completed, A determination unit that determines whether the length of the bar material is equal to or greater than the processing length of the second workpiece to be processed in the processing following the first processing process, When it is determined that the length of the bar material is not greater than or equal to the machining length of the second workpiece, an output unit outputs a bar material replacement signal indicating that the bar material should be replaced. A bar material length determination device characterized by having the following features.

2. A first processing unit that performs the first processing operation, A second machining processing unit that performs a second machining process to sequentially machine a plurality of the second workpieces, The system further includes a scheduling operation unit that, after the determination process by the determination unit has been executed, instructs the second machining processing unit to execute the second machining process, The bar material length determination device according to claim 1, wherein the scheduling operation unit, when the determination unit determines that the length of the bar material is not equal to or greater than the processing length of the second workpiece, instructs the second processing unit to execute the second processing process after the bar material has been replaced.

3. A main shaft that rotatably grips the aforementioned bar material, A tool holder for holding a tool for processing the aforementioned bar material, The bar material length determination device according to claim 2, further comprising the following:

4. A push arrow for holding the aforementioned bar material, The aforementioned pusher drive mechanism for driving the pusher, The bar material length determination device according to claim 1, further comprising the following:

5. The bar length determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bar length information acquisition unit acquires information corresponding to a bar position signal indicating a position detected by a single sensor as bar length information.

6. Information indicating the completion of the first machining process, which sequentially processes multiple first workpieces from a bar stock, is obtained. The bar length information indicating the length of the bar material when the first processing is completed is obtained, Determine whether the length of the bar material is equal to or greater than the processing length of the second workpiece to be processed in the process following the first processing process. When it is determined that the length of the bar material is not equal to or greater than the machining length of the second workpiece, a bar material replacement signal indicating the replacement of the bar material is output. A method for determining the length of a bar material, characterized by including the following:

7. Information indicating the completion of the first machining process, which sequentially processes multiple first workpieces from a bar stock, is obtained. The bar length information indicating the length of the bar material when the first processing is completed is obtained, Determine whether the length of the bar material is equal to or greater than the processing length of the second workpiece to be processed in the process following the first processing process. When it is determined that the length of the bar material is not greater than or equal to the length of the second workpiece, It outputs a bar material replacement signal indicating the replacement of the aforementioned bar material. A bar material length determination program characterized by having a computer perform the processing.

8. A machine tool having a spindle that rotatably grips a bar material, and a tool post that holds a tool for processing the bar material, The device comprises a pusher for holding the bar material, and a pusher drive mechanism for driving the pusher. Information indicating the completion of the first processing step, which sequentially processes multiple first workpieces from the bar material, is obtained. The bar length information indicating the length of the bar material when the first processing is completed is obtained, Determine whether the length of the bar material is equal to or greater than the processing length of the second workpiece to be processed in the process following the first processing process. When it is determined that the length of the bar material is not equal to or greater than the machining length of the second workpiece, a bar material replacement signal indicating the replacement of the bar material is output. A processing system characterized by the following features.

Images