Automatic cutting machine and chip holder

Abstract

To provide an automated cutting machine that improves the efficiency of cutting processes. [Solution] The automatic cutting machine 100 comprises a cutting tool unit 120 for cutting the workpiece surface W1, a robot arm 111 for movably holding the cutting tool unit 120, and a controller for controlling the movement of the robot arm 111, and automatically cuts the workpiece surface W1 by moving the cutting tool unit 120 by the robot arm 111, wherein the cutting tool unit 120 has a cutting tip 121 having a front blade 121a and a rear blade 121b for cutting the workpiece surface W1, the front blade 121a of the cutting tip 121 is exposed forward from the cutting tool unit 120 and the rear blade 121b of the cutting tip 121 is exposed rearward from the cutting tool unit 120, and the bottom surface 121c of the cutting tip 121 facing the workpiece surface W1 of the workpiece W is inclined upward toward the front.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic cutting machine and a tool holder, and more particularly to an automatic cutting machine that automatically performs cutting by moving a tool unit holding means for holding a cutting tool unit that cuts a machining target surface of a workpiece, and a tool holder for this automatic cutting machine.

Background Art

[0002] As a type of cutting process, there is known a roughing process of shaving off a convex portion of a machining target surface of a workpiece using a kisa-ge tool (cutting tool), and a finishing process of forming a large number of minute depressions in micron units on the machining target surface after executing this roughing process.

[0003] Conventionally, as an automatic kisa-ge processing apparatus for automatically performing this kisa-ge processing, there is known an automatic kisa-ge processing apparatus including a cutting tool unit that cuts a machining target surface of a workpiece, and a robot arm as tool unit holding means for holding this cutting tool unit (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the above-described cutting tool unit, since the cutting edge is provided only at the front end of the cutting tool unit, in order to cut the machining target surface of the workpiece closer to the robot arm, it is necessary to swing the robot arm with respect to the workpiece or move the workpiece with respect to the robot arm, and there is still room for further improvement in improving the efficiency of cutting processes such as kisa-ge processing.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention solves the problems of the prior art described above, and that is, the object of the present invention is to provide an automatic cutting machine that improves the efficiency of cutting processes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The invention according to claim 1 is an automatic cutting machine that automatically cuts the workpiece surface by moving the cutting tool unit by the tool unit holding means, comprising a cutting tool unit for cutting the workpiece surface, a tool unit holding means for movably holding the cutting tool unit, and a controller for controlling the operation of the tool unit holding means, wherein the cutting tool unit comprises a cutting tip having a front edge and a rear edge for cutting the workpiece surface, and a tip holding member that holds the cutting tip at its front end and attaches its rear end to the tool unit holding means, wherein the front edge of the cutting tip is exposed forward from the tip holding member and the rear edge of the cutting tip is exposed backward from the tip holding member, and the bottom surface of the cutting tip facing the workpiece surface is sloped upward toward the front, thereby solving the aforementioned problems. Furthermore, the processing robot in the automatic cutting apparatus of the present invention may be any robot that can hold a cutting tool and automatically perform cutting operations such as scraping, such as a general-purpose robot arm or a dedicated robot that serves as a mechanism for holding and moving a tool unit.

[0008] The invention according to claim 2 further solves the aforementioned problems by having, in addition to the configuration of the automatic cutting apparatus described in claim 1, the widthwise centerline of the cutting chip in a plan view and the widthwise centerline of the chip holding member in a plan view lie on the same straight line.

[0009] The invention according to claim 3 solves the aforementioned problems by having a tip holding member comprise a tip holder for holding the processing tip and a handle that holds the tip holder at its front end and attaches its rear end to the tool unit holding means, thereby exposing the front cutting edge of the processing tip toward the front from the tip holder and the rear cutting edge of the processing tip toward the rear from the tip holder. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the automatic cutting apparatus of the invention described in claim 1, cutting is performed not only when the tool unit holding means advances the cutting chip relative to the workpiece, but also when the tool unit holding means retracts the cutting chip relative to the workpiece, thereby improving the efficiency of the cutting process.

[0011] According to the automatic cutting apparatus of the invention described in claim 2, it is possible to prevent damage to the chip holding member due to uneven load application.

[0012] According to the automatic cutting apparatus of the invention described in claim 3, the position of the cutting chip can be easily adjusted and replaced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] A perspective view of an automatic scraping apparatus, which is a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A side view of the cutting tool unit shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] A side cross-sectional view of the cutting tool unit shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] A plan view of the cutting tool unit shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5A] This diagram illustrates the relationship between the cutting tool and the workpiece when scraping is performed at the front end (front cutting edge of the machining tip) in the automatic scraping machine shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5B] This diagram illustrates the relationship between the cutting tool and the workpiece when scraping is performed at the rear end (rear cutting edge of the machining chip) in the automatic scraping machine shown in Figure 1. [Figure 6] Side view of the cutting tool unit in the automatic chamfering processing apparatus which is the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] Side cross-sectional view of the cutting tool unit shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] Plan view of the cutting tool unit shown in FIG. 6.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Examples

[0014] Hereinafter, based on FIGS. 1 to 5B, an automatic chamfering processing apparatus which is the first embodiment of the automatic cutting processing apparatus of the present invention will be described.

[0015] <1. Outline of the automatic chamfering processing apparatus> First, based on FIG. 1 which is a perspective view of the automatic chamfering processing apparatus which is an embodiment of the present invention, the outline of the automatic chamfering processing apparatus 100 will be described.

[0016] The automatic chamfering processing apparatus 100 is an apparatus that automatically performs a cutting process (roughing process in chamfering) to flatten the machining target surface W1 of the workpiece W placed on the machining table T installed on the floor surface F.

[0017] This automatic chamfering processing apparatus 100 includes a processing robot 110 placed on the floor surface F and a cutting tool unit 120 held by the robot arm (tool unit holding means) 111 of this processing robot 110 and cutting the machining target surface W1 of the workpiece W.

[0018] The robot arm 111 is, for example, a six-axis articulated robot arm, and its operation is controlled by a controller (not shown). That is, the robot arm 111 can drive each joint (for example, the first axis to the sixth axis) by a servo motor or the like and move the cutting tool unit 120 to an arbitrary position in the XYZ three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system.

[0019] Furthermore, the robot arm 111 has a tool holding unit 111a at its tip that allows the cutting tool unit 120 to be attached and detached.

[0020] With the above configuration of the machining robot 110, the machining robot 100 in this embodiment holds the cutting tool unit 120 so that it can move freely, and the automatic cutting machine 100 automatically cuts the surface to be machined W1 by moving the cutting tool unit 120 by the machining robot 110.

[0021] <2. Structure of the cutting tool unit> Next, the cutting tool unit 120 will be described based on Figures 2 to 4. Figure 2 is a side view of the cutting tool unit 120 shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the cutting tool unit 120 shown in Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a top view of the cutting tool unit 120 shown in Figure 1.

[0022] As shown in Figure 2, the cutting tool unit 120 includes a cutting chip 121 for cutting the workpiece surface W1, a chip holding member 122 that holds the cutting chip 121 at its front end and whose rear end is detachably attached to the robot arm 111 of the machining robot 110, and a set screw 123 for fixing the cutting chip 121 to the chip holding member 122.

[0023] The machining tip 121 is hexagonal prism-shaped and, as shown in Figure 3, has a front cutting edge 121a at its front end and a rear cutting edge 121b at its rear end. It has two front rake faces 121a1 on the upper and lower front ends and two rear rake faces 121b1 on the upper and lower rear ends. When the machining tip 121 is held in the tip holder 122, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the front edge 121a of the machining tip 121 is exposed forward from the tip holder 122, and the rear edge 121b of the machining tip 121 is exposed backward from the tip holder 122. The front cutting edge 121a and the rear cutting edge 121b cut the surface W1 to be machined.

[0024] The chip holding member 122 includes a chip holder 122a for holding the processing chip 121, a handle 122b that holds the chip holder 122a at its front end and is detachably attached to the robot arm 111 at its rear end, and a connecting bolt 122c that connects the chip holder 122a and the handle 122b.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, the tip holder 122a is formed from a handle contact portion 122a1 that contacts the handle 122b and a tip contact portion 122a2 that contacts the processing tip 121 and holds the processing tip 121. The tip contact surface 122a2a of the tip contact portion 122a2 is sloped upward from the front end of the handle contact surface 122a1a of the handle contact portion 122a1.

[0026] As shown in Figure 2, the handle 122b is fixed and attached to the tool holding unit 111a of the robot arm 111 by connecting bolts B.

[0027] The thread diameter of the connecting bolt 122c is larger than the thread diameter of the set screw 123.

[0028] The set screw 123 secures the machining chip 121 to the chip holder 122a. The screw diameter of this set screw 123 is smaller than the thickness t of the machined chip 121 (see Figure 3).

[0029] In the cutting tool unit 120 configured in this way, the angle θ between the virtual plane including the bottom surface 122b1 of the handle 122b and the bottom surface 121c of the machining tip 121 facing the machining surface W1 of the workpiece W is obtuse, as shown in Figure 3. In other words, the bottom surface 121c of the processed chip 121 is sloped upward toward the front.

[0030] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the widthwise centerline CL1 of the processed tip 121 in a plan view, the widthwise centerline CL2 of the tip holder 122a in a plan view, and the widthwise centerline CL3 of the handle 122b in a plan view are all aligned on the same straight line.

[0031] <3. Processing using an automatic scraping machine> Next, the processing performed by the automatic scraping device 100 will be described based on Figures 5A and 5B. Figure 5A is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the cutting tool and the workpiece when scraping is performed on the front end (front cutting edge of the machining tip) of the automatic scraping machine shown in Figure 1, and Figure 5B is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the cutting tool and the workpiece when scraping is performed on the rear end (rear cutting edge of the machining tip) of the automatic scraping machine shown in Figure 1.

[0032] To perform scraping on the front end of the cutting tool unit 120, as shown in Figure 5A, the robot arm 111 (not shown) is controlled to increase the angle φ between the bottom surface 122b1 of the handle 122b and the workpiece surface W1, thereby setting the rake angle at the front rake face 121a1 of the lower front end of the cutting chip 121 to a predetermined angle, and then the cutting tool unit 120 is advanced. To perform scraping on the rear end of the cutting tool unit 120, as shown in Figure 5B, the robot arm 111 (not shown) is controlled to reduce the angle φ between the bottom surface 122b1 of the handle 122b and the workpiece surface W1, thereby setting the rake angle at the rear rake face 121b1 of the lower rear end of the workpiece tip 121 to a predetermined angle, and then the cutting tool unit 120 is moved backward.

[0033] <4. Effects of the automatic scraping apparatus of this embodiment> As described above, according to the automatic scraping apparatus 100, which is the first embodiment of the present invention, the front edge 121a of the processing chip 121 is exposed forward from the chip holding member 122 and the rear edge 121b of the processing chip 121 is exposed rearward from the chip holding member 122. As a result, the robot arm 111, which is the tool unit holding means, can not only advance the processing chip 121 relative to the workpiece W to perform cutting, but also advance the processing chip 121 relative to the workpiece W to perform cutting. Therefore, it is not necessary to rotate the robot arm 111 itself relative to the workpiece W or to move the workpiece W relative to the robot arm 111, and the efficiency of cutting by the robot arm 111 equipped with the cutting tool unit 120 can be improved. In addition, because the bottom surface 121c of the machining tip 121 facing the workpiece surface W1 is sloped upward toward the front, the chip holder 122a is less likely to interfere with the workpiece W when the robot arm 111 moves the machining tip 121 backward toward the workpiece W, compared to the case where the bottom surface 121c of the machining tip 121 facing the workpiece surface W1 is approximately parallel to the handle 123 or sloped downward toward the front. As a result, the range of the workpiece surface W1 that can be machined by moving the robot arm 111 backward toward the workpiece W can be increased.

[0034] Furthermore, the chip holding member 122 is composed of a chip holder 122a that holds the processing chip 121 and a handle 122b that holds the chip holder 122a at its front end and attaches its rear end to the robot arm 111. The front cutting edge 121a of the processing chip 121 is exposed forward from the chip holder 122a, and the rear cutting edge 121b of the processing chip 121 is exposed rearward from the chip holder 122a, making it easy to adjust the position and replace the processing chip.

[0035] Furthermore, because the widthwise centerlines of the machining tip 121 in a plan view, the widthwise centerlines of the chip holder 122a in a plan view, and the widthwise centerlines of the handle 122b in a plan view are aligned on the same straight line, the force applied from the robot arm 111 to the machining tip 121 via the handle 122b and chip holder 122a is transmitted to the machining tip 121 without being dispersed. This prevents uneven loading from being applied to the handle 122b and chip holder 122a, thus preventing damage to them. [Examples]

[0036] Hereinafter, an automatic scraping apparatus, which is a second embodiment of the automatic cutting apparatus of the present invention, will be described based on Figures 6 to 8. Figure 6 is a side view of a cutting tool unit in an automatic scraping apparatus, which is a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the cutting tool unit shown in Figure 6; and Figure 8 is a plan view of the cutting tool unit shown in Figure 6. Furthermore, the automatic scraping apparatus of the second embodiment is a modified version of the automatic scraping apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, with changes to the configuration of the cutting tool unit 120. Since many elements are common to the automatic scraping apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, detailed explanations of common items are omitted, and only a code in the 200s, with the last two digits being common, is assigned.

[0037] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the cutting tool unit 220 includes a cutting chip 221 for cutting the workpiece surface W1, a chip holding member 222 that holds the cutting chip 221 at its front end and has its rear end detachably attached to the robot arm 211, and a set screw 223 for fixing the cutting chip 221 to the chip holding member 222.

[0038] When the machining tip 221 is held by the tip holding member 222, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the front edge 221a of the machining tip 221 is exposed forward from the tip holding member 222, and the rear edge 221b of the machining tip 221 is exposed backward from the tip holding member 222.

[0039] As shown in Figure 6, the tip holding member 222 is formed from a holder portion 222a that holds the processing tip 221 and a handle portion 222b that has the holder portion 222a attached to its tip and the other end of which is detachably attached to the robot arm 211. The holder portion 222a has a chip contact surface 222a1 that contacts the machining chip 221 and holds the machining chip 221. This tip contact surface 222a1 has an upward slope towards the front.

[0040] In the cutting tool unit 220 configured in this way, the angle γ between the virtual plane including the bottom surface 222b1 of the handle portion 222b and the bottom surface 221c of the machining tip 221 is obtuse, as shown in Figure 6. In other words, the bottom surface 221c of the processed chip 221 is sloped upward toward the front.

[0041] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, the widthwise centerline CL1 of the processed chip 221 in a plan view and the widthwise centerline CL4 of the chip holding member 222 in a plan view are aligned on the same straight line.

[0042] As described above, according to the automatic scraping apparatus 200, which is the second embodiment of the present invention, the front edge 221a of the processing chip 221 is exposed forward from the chip holding member 222, and the rear edge 221b of the processing chip 221 is exposed rearward from the chip holding member 222. As a result, the robot arm 211 of the processing robot 210, which is the tool unit holding means, can advance the processing chip 221 relative to the workpiece W to perform cutting operations such as the rough machining process in scraping. Furthermore, even if the robot arm 211 moves the processing chip 221 backward relative to the workpiece W, the rough machining process in scraping is still performed. Therefore, it is not necessary to rotate the robot arm 211 itself relative to the workpiece W or to move the workpiece W relative to the robot arm 211, thereby improving the efficiency of cutting operations by the robot arm 211 equipped with the cutting tool unit 220. In addition, because the bottom surface 221c of the machining tip 221 facing the workpiece surface W1 of the workpiece W is sloped upward toward the front, the tip holding member 222 is less likely to interfere with the workpiece W when the robot arm 211 moves the machining tip 221 backward toward the workpiece W, compared to the case where the bottom surface 121c of the machining tip 221 facing the workpiece surface W1 of the workpiece W is approximately parallel to the handle 123 or sloped downward toward the front. As a result, the range of the workpiece surface W1 that can be machined by moving the robot arm 111 backward toward the workpiece W can be increased.

[0043] Furthermore, because the widthwise centerline CL1 of the processed tip 221 in a plan view and the widthwise centerline CL4 of the tip holding member 222 in a plan view are aligned on the same straight line, the force applied from the robot arm 211 to the processed tip 221 via the tip holding member 222 is transmitted to the processed tip 221 without being dispersed. This prevents uneven loading from being applied to the tip holding member 222 and damaging it.

[0044] <Variation> Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

[0045] For example, in the first embodiment, the tip holder 122 and the handle 123 were connected by a connecting bolt 125, but the means of connecting the tip holder 122 and the handle 123 are not limited to bolts.

[0046] For example, in the first embodiment, the machining tip 121 was fixed to the tip holder 122 by a set screw 123, but it is not limited to a set screw 123 as long as the machining tip 121 can be fixed to the tip holder 122, and other fixing methods such as adhesive or press-fitting may also be used. This is also true in the second embodiment, where the machining tip 221 was fixed to the tip holding member 222 by a set screw 223. However, as long as the machining tip 221 can be fixed to the tip holding member 222, it is not limited to a set screw 223, and other fixing methods such as adhesive or press-fitting may be used. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0047] 100, 200... Automatic scraping equipment (automatic cutting equipment) 110, 210 ··· Processing robots 111, 211... Robot arm (tool unit holding means) 111a ··· Tool holding unit 120, 220 ··· Cutting tool unit 121, 221... Machining chips 121a, 221a... Front blade 121a1 ··· Front rake face 121b, 221b... Rear blade 121b1 ··· Rear rake face 121c... bottom 122, 222... Chip holding member 122a ··· Tip holder 122a1 ··· Handle contact part 122a1a ··· Handle contact surface 122a2 ··· Chip contact area 122a2a ··· Chip contact surface 122b ··· Pattern 122b1 ··· Bottom surface 122c ··· Connecting bolt 222a ··· Holder section 222a1... Chip contact surface 222b ··· Handle 222b1... Bottom 123, 223... Set screws F...Floor surface T... Processing table W... Workpiece (workpiece) W1 ··· Surface to be processed B ··· Connecting bolts t ... Thickness of the machined chip θ ··· The angle between the virtual plane containing the base of the handle and the base of the machined tip. φ ··· The angle between the bottom surface of the handle and the surface of the workpiece to be machined. γ ··· The angle between the virtual plane including the bottom surface of the handle and the bottom surface of the machined tip. CL1 ··· Widthwise centerline in plan view of the machined chip CL2... Widthwise centerline of the tip holder in plan view CL3 ··· Widthwise centerline in plan view of the pattern CL4 ··· Widthwise centerline of the chip holding member in plan view

Claims

1. An automatic cutting machine comprising a cutting tool unit for cutting the surface of a workpiece, a tool unit holding means for movably holding the cutting tool unit, and a controller for controlling the operation of the tool unit holding means, wherein the cutting surface is automatically cut by the movement of the cutting tool unit by the tool unit holding means, The cutting tool unit comprises a cutting chip having a front cutting edge and a rear cutting edge for cutting the surface to be machined, and a chip holding member that holds the cutting chip at its front end and attaches its rear end to the tool unit holding means. The front cutting edge of the machining chip is exposed forward from the chip holding member, and the rear cutting edge of the machining chip is exposed rearward from the chip holding member. An automatic cutting machine characterized in that the bottom surface of the cutting chip facing the workpiece surface is sloped upward toward the front.

2. The automatic cutting apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the widthwise centerline of the processed chip in a plan view and the widthwise centerline of the chip holding member in a plan view are arranged on the same straight line.

3. The chip holding member comprises a chip holder for holding the processing chip and a handle that holds the chip holder at its front end and attaches its rear end to the tool unit holding means. The automatic cutting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the front cutting edge of the cutting chip is exposed forward from the chip holder and the rear cutting edge of the cutting chip is exposed backward from the chip holder.

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