Air Cooling System

Abstract

To provide an air cooling system that cools heat generated due to high rotation of a spindle unit of a machine tool and high rotation of a spindle motor by generating flow of air utilizing a structure of a machine tool bed part.SOLUTION: An air cooling system, which cools heat generated due to high rotation of a spindle unit 50 of a machine tool and high rotation of a spindle motor 60 by generating flow of air utilizing a structure of a machine tool bed part, comprises: a first space part 20 which is a space existing in a machine tool bed lower part 10, and faces a floor surface on which the machine tool is installed; and a second space part 40 which is a space existing in a machine tool bed upper part 30, and is connected to the first space part 20. A spindle unit 50 is located directly above the machine tool bed upper part 30 forming the second space part 40, and an air suction fan 70 is installed on a side face wall facing the spindle motor 60 of the machine tool bed upper part 30 forming the second space part 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air-cooling system that cools heat generated by a bed due to the high speed rotation of a spindle unit of a machine tool and the high speed rotation of a spindle motor by generating an air flow using the structure of the bed part of the machine tool. [Background technology]

[0002] In NC lathes, which are one type of machine tool, the high speed rotation of the spindle unit and the spindle motor during machining causes the motor to heat up, and the bearing inside the spindle also heats up. As a result, the heat from the motor and the bearing inside the spindle is transferred to the bed body. When this heat is transferred to the bed body, the bed body thermally deforms, causing dimensional changes in the workpiece, making it difficult to achieve stable machining dimensional accuracy, which is undesirable.

[0003] A spindle base cooling tank (Patent Document 1) is known, which is a water-cooling system for eliminating troubles (due to heat generation) caused by the high rotation of the spindle unit and the high rotation of the spindle motor. The water-cooling system can control heat generation caused by the high rotation of the spindle unit and the high rotation of the spindle motor. However, a water-cooling system requires an additional device to circulate the cooling water with a pump, and maintenance of the cooling water, which is undesirable because of the costs and energy required for electricity, etc. The applicants have conducted extensive research and development and have arrived at the present invention (air-cooling system) that can eliminate troubles caused by heat generation from the spindle unit, spindle motor, etc. (instead of a costly water-cooling system).

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a lathe housing (Patent Document 2: Title of the Invention) which aims to "suppress the rise in temperature of the headstock due to heat generated by the spindle bearings with a simple configuration that has good cooling efficiency" and states, "The headstock 5, which is placed on the bed, is shaped to have a base plate and a bearing housing section located above the base plate. Air vents that penetrate from top to bottom are provided in the base plate. The top surface of the bed is provided with communication holes that communicate with the air vents in the base plate. In addition, an air intake hole is provided below the bed. This allows relatively cool air from outside the machine to pass through the bed, pass through the communication holes and the air vents in the base plate of the headstock, and be led to the headstock. This allows efficient cooling (excerpt from Patent Document 2: Abstract)." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-213966 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-335832 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the "Housing for a Lathe (Patent Document 2: Title of the Invention)" in Patent Document 2, it is stated that "When the temperature of the headstock rises due to heat generation from the spindle, an upward flow of the surrounding air heated by the headstock occurs... (see Patent Document 2: paragraph 0006)." However, machine tools are generally covered with covers, and it is difficult to provide ventilation holes, etc., particularly above the spindle, to prevent the intrusion of foreign matter. As a result, the structure is difficult to exhaust heat, and hot air circulates (within the machine tool without being exhausted), which is thought to reduce the cooling effect and is undesirable.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide an air-cooling system that cools the bed by generating an air flow utilizing the structure of the machine tool bed section to remove heat caused by the high speed rotation of the spindle unit and the high speed rotation of the spindle motor of a machine tool. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1 is an air-cooling system that cools down heat generated by the bed due to high speed rotation of a spindle unit and a spindle motor of a machine tool by generating an air flow using the structure of the machine tool bed, the air-cooling system comprising a first space portion which is a space under the machine tool bed and faces a floor surface on which the machine tool is installed, and a second space portion which is a space above the machine tool bed and connects to the first space portion, the spindle unit is disposed directly above the top of the machine tool bed which forms the second space portion, and an intake fan is provided on the side wall of the top of the machine tool bed which forms the second space portion and faces the spindle motor. In the second space, an air flow control member is installed, the air flow control member being composed of a first vertical component installed so as to have no gap with the bottom wall of the upper part of the machine tool bed, a horizontal component installed so as to have a length not exceeding the width of the intake fan, and a second vertical component installed so as to have a tip end higher than the lowest end of the intake fan. It is characterized by being an air-cooled system.

[0009] The invention described in claim 2 is an air-cooling system in which, in the invention described in claim 1, a heat dissipation fin member extending toward the second space is installed on the upper wall of the upper part of the machine tool bed which forms the second space. Effect of the Invention

[0011] The air-cooling system according to the present invention is an air-cooling system that cools heat generated by the high speed rotation of the spindle unit and the spindle motor of the machine tool by generating an air flow utilizing the structure of the machine tool bed. The system is provided with a first space portion that exists under the machine tool bed and faces the floor surface on which the machine tool is installed, and a second space portion that exists above the machine tool bed and connects to the first space portion. The spindle unit is disposed directly above the top of the machine tool bed which forms the second space portion, and an intake fan is installed on the side wall of the top of the machine tool bed which forms the second space portion and faces the spindle motor.

[0012] The air cooling system takes in air from near the floor surface, which is relatively cool in the factory, into the first space, and guides it from the first space to the second space. Taking in relatively cool air makes it possible to cool the spindle unit (located directly above the top of the machine tool bed, which forms the second space). Furthermore, the air taken into the second space is exhausted by an intake fan installed on the side wall facing the spindle motor above the machine tool bed, which forms the second space. Since the spindle motor is located beyond the exhaust air, the spindle motor can be efficiently cooled (directly without passing through an extra path). Incidentally, the temperature difference between the surface temperature of the spindle motor and the air immediately after it is exhausted from the second space is 20 to 30 degrees, so the cooling effect is considered to be large.

[0013] Furthermore, a heat dissipation fin member extending toward the second space is installed on the upper wall of the upper part of the machine tool bed which forms the second space, so that a heat dissipation effect can be expected from the heat dissipation fin member, and an air flow control member is installed in the second space, so that a greater cooling effect can be obtained by controlling the flow of cooling air in the second space. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall perspective view of an air-cooling system according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining a heat dissipation fin member. [Diagram 3] 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining an air flow control member. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the air flow inside the machine tool bed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] <Air cooling system structure> Hereinafter, one embodiment of an air-cooling system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 4. Figure 1 is an overall perspective view of the air-cooling system according to the present invention.

[0016] 1, the air-cooling system according to the present invention comprises a first space 20, which is a space present in a lower part 10 of the machine tool bed and faces the floor surface on which the machine tool is installed, and a second space 40, which is a space present in an upper part 30 of the machine tool bed and connects to the first space 20 via an air communication path 92 (see FIG. 1(a)). A spindle unit 50 is disposed directly above the upper part 30 of the machine tool bed which forms the second space 40, and an intake fan 70 is installed on a side wall of the upper part 30 of the machine tool bed which forms the second space 40 and faces the spindle motor 60. Furthermore, an exhaust fan 110 is installed ahead of the spindle motor 60 (along the flow of cooling air) (see FIG. 1(b)).

[0017] 2 is a diagram for explaining the heat dissipating fin member 80, and FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the air flow control member 90. (In FIG. 2, the air flow control member 90 is not shown in order to explain the heat dissipating fin member 80, and in FIG. 3, the heat dissipating fin member 80 is not shown in order to explain the air flow control member 90.) As shown in FIG. 2, the heat dissipating fin member 80 is a metal member having a plurality of flat plates (stripes) that is installed on the upper wall of the machine tool bed upper part 30 so as to protrude toward the second space part 40 side of the ceiling wall (of the machine tool bed upper part 30). The heat dissipating fin member 80 increases the surface area of ​​the upper wall of the machine tool bed upper part 30, which is the ceiling wall (of the machine tool bed upper part 30), to dissipate heat conducted to the machine tool bed upper part 30 (mainly the ceiling wall of the machine tool bed upper part 30) by heat generated by the spindle unit 50. This improves the heat dissipation effect of the air cooling system.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 3, the air flow control member 90 is a member that has a U-shape (the lengths of the left and right vertical components are different) when viewed from the side. In other words, it is a member that is bent from a flat plate so that it has a U-shape when viewed from the side. The air flow control member 90 is composed of a first vertical component 92 (the side closer to the air communication passage 100), a horizontal component 94, and a second vertical component 96 (the side farther from the air communication passage 100). Note that the first vertical component 92 (the side closer to the air communication passage 100) of the air flow control member 90 may be extended in the vertical direction (see Fig. 3).

[0019] The air flow control member 90 is installed so that there is no gap between the first vertical component 92 (the side closer to the air communication path 100) and the lower wall of the machine tool bed upper part 30, so that the air flow (supplied from the first space part 20) that passes through the air communication path 100 (entering the second space part 40) flows toward the upper wall of the machine tool bed upper part 30, which is the ceiling wall (of the machine tool bed upper part 30). The height of the first vertical component 92 (the side closer to the air communication path 100) is designed to be two-fifths to three-fifths of the internal height of the machine tool bed upper part 30, taking into consideration the ease of air flow. Note that the height of the air flow control member 90 is not limited to the case where the first vertical component 92 (the side closer to the air communication path 100) is extended in the vertical direction.

[0020] Furthermore, taking into consideration ease of air flow, the horizontal component 94 is designed to have a length not exceeding the width of the intake fan 70 installed on the side wall facing the spindle motor 60 of the machine tool bed upper part 30 which forms the second space portion 40, and the second vertical component 96 (the side farther from the air communication passage 100) is designed so that the tip (of the second vertical component 96) is located (in the vertical direction) above the lowest end of the intake fan 70, taking into consideration the suction effect of the intake fan 70. In Fig. 3, the tip (of the second vertical component 96) is designed to be located at the midpoint of the height of the intake fan 70 (see Fig. 3).

[0021] <Air flow inside the machine tool bed (in an air cooling system)> Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the air flow inside the machine tool bed. When the intake fan 70 is operated, as shown in Fig. 4, air from the floor surface on which the machine tool is placed (for cooling purposes, passes through the gap between the machine tool contact surface and the machine tool bed) enters the first space 20. Air that passes through the air communication passage 100 (which connects the first space 20 and the second space 40) enters the second space 40. An air flow control member 90 is installed in the second space 40.

[0022] The first vertical component 92 of the air flow control member 90 prevents the air that has entered the second space 40 from flowing horizontally, but instead flows toward the ceiling wall, which is the upper wall of the machine tool bed upper portion 30. If the first vertical component 92 (the side closer to the air communication passage 100) of the air flow control member 90 is extended vertically, the degree to which the air flows toward the ceiling wall, which is the upper wall of the machine tool bed upper portion 30, increases accordingly. The length of the vertically extended portion of the first vertical component 92 (the side closer to the air communication passage 100) can be freely determined based on the cooling efficiency.

[0023] The ceiling wall which is the upper wall of the upper part 30 of the machine tool bed is in a heated state due to the conduction of heat resulting from the heat generated by the spindle unit 50. The ceiling wall which is the upper wall of the upper part 30 of the machine tool bed is cooled by air which has entered the second space 40. The air which has cooled the ceiling wall which is the upper wall of the upper part 30 of the machine tool bed flows downward inside the second space 40, and is then absorbed by the intake fan 70 and discharged from the second space 40. The flow of (cooling) air can be further improved by installing an exhaust fan 110 ahead of the spindle motor 60 (along the flow of the cooling air) (see FIG. 1(b)).

[0024] The air discharged from the second space 40 flows toward the spindle motor 60 arranged at a position opposite to the intake fan 70. That is, the air discharged from the second space 40 directly cools the spindle motor 60. In this way, one of the features of the air-cooling system according to the present invention is that a single air flow can simultaneously cool the ceiling wall, which is the upper wall of the machine tool bed upper portion 30, and the spindle motor 60.

[0025] <Effects of the air cooling system> The air-cooling system according to the present invention is characterized in that it utilizes the machine tool bed (characterized by having no bed bottom) and utilizes air from the factory floor on which the machine tool is installed for cooling. Air from the factory floor, which is relatively cold in temperature, is taken in to the first space 20, and is then sucked from the first space 20 into the second space 40 (the ceiling wall, which is the upper wall of the upper part 30 of the machine tool bed) by operating the intake fan 70. Therefore, the heat of the ceiling wall, which is the upper wall of the upper part 30 of the machine tool bed, conducted from the spindle unit 50 (located directly above the upper part 30 of the machine tool bed which forms the second space 40) can be cooled by the cold air.

[0026] The air taken into the second space 40 is exhausted by an intake fan 70 installed on a side wall facing the spindle motor 60 of the machine tool bed upper part 30 which forms the second space 40, and since the spindle motor 60 is located beyond the exhausted air, the spindle motor 60 can be efficiently cooled (directly without passing through an extra path). Incidentally, the temperature difference between the surface temperature of the spindle motor 60 and the air immediately after it is exhausted from the second space 40 is 20 to 30 degrees, so the cooling effect is considered to be large.

[0027] Furthermore, a heat dissipation fin member 80 extending toward the second space portion 40 is installed on the upper wall of the machine tool bed upper portion 30 which forms the second space portion 40, so that a heat dissipation effect can be expected from the heat dissipation fin member 80, and an air flow control member 90 is installed in the second space portion 40, so that a greater cooling effect can be obtained by controlling the flow of cooling air within the second space portion 40.

[0028] <Example of air cooling system modification> The air-cooling system according to the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and the configurations of the lower part of the machine tool bed, the first space, the upper part of the machine tool bed, the second space, the spindle unit, the spindle motor, the intake fan, the heat dissipation fin member, the air flow control member, the air flow control member (first vertical component), the air flow control member (horizontal component), the air flow control member (second vertical component), the air communication path, the exhaust fan, etc. can be appropriately changed as necessary without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the heat dissipation effect can be improved by using aluminum or copper, which are materials with high thermal conductivity, as the material for the heat dissipation fin. Furthermore, other than a planar shape or a cylindrical shape (by considering the heat dissipation effect as the first priority), a complex shape (a shape in which a flat plate is assembled so as to branch out when viewed from the side) may be used. [Industrial Applicability]

[0029] Since the air-cooling system of the present invention has excellent effects as described above, it can be suitably used as an air-cooling system that cools heat caused by the high speed rotation of the spindle unit of a machine tool and the high speed rotation of the spindle motor by generating an air flow that utilizes the structure of the bed part of the machine tool. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 10. Machine tool bed bottom 20...first space part 30 ·· Machine tool bed upper part 40...Second space part 50··Spindle unit 60··Spindling motor 70··Intake fan 80...Heat dissipation fin member 90 Air flow control member 92 Air flow control member (first vertical component) 94 Air flow control member (horizontal component) 96 Air flow control member (second vertical component) 100 Air connection 110··Exhaust fan

Claims

1. An air-cooling system that cools the bed heat caused by the high speed rotation of the spindle unit of the machine tool and the high speed rotation of the spindle motor by generating an air flow using the structure of the bed part of the machine tool, A first space portion which is a space present under the bed of the machine tool and faces a floor surface on which the machine tool is installed; a space present above the bed of the machine tool, the space having a second space portion connected to the first space portion, a spindle unit is disposed directly above an upper portion of the machine tool bed which defines the second space, and an intake fan is provided on a side wall facing the spindle motor of the upper portion of the machine tool bed which defines the second space, an air flow control member is installed in the second space portion, the air flow control member comprising a first vertical component installed so that there is no gap between the second space portion and the lower wall of the upper part of the machine tool bed, a horizontal component installed so that the length does not exceed the width of the intake fan, and a second vertical component installed so that its tip is higher than the lowest end of the intake fan.

2. 2. The air-cooling system according to claim 1, wherein a heat dissipation fin member extending toward the second space is installed on an upper wall of an upper portion of the machine tool bed which defines the second space.

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