Tooling replacement mechanism and machine tool provided with same

Abstract

Provided are: a tooling replacement mechanism that has a high degree of freedom of arrangement of a turret within a processing chamber; and a machine tool provided with the tooling replacement mechanism. The present invention is provided with: a tooling retention unit 100 that is attached to a turret 12 and detachably retains tooling T for processing a workpiece W; and a tooling replacement device 200 that is disposed to the rear of the turret 12 and outside a processing chamber 10a, that moves in an anteroposterior direction, and that houses the tooling T. The tooling replacement device 200 comprises a tooling magazine 230 that houses the tooling T and a tooling detachment unit 240 that causes the tooling retained by the tooling retention unit 100 to detach from the tooling retention unit 100. In a state in which the tooling T retained by the tooling retention unit 100 is gripped by the tooling magazine 230 of the tooling replacement device 200, the tooling T is detached from the tooling retention unit 100 outside the processing chamber 10a.

Description

Tooling exchange mechanism and machine tool equipped with same

[0001] The present invention relates to a tool changing mechanism and a machine tool equipped with the same.

[0002] Conventionally, a known machine tool has a machining chamber for machining a workpiece, and is equipped inside the machining chamber with a spindle that rotatably and detachably holds the workpiece, a turret that is arranged opposite the spindle, a turret support that supports the turret so that it can be indexed and turned, and a tooling storage device that stores and replaces tools and tooling attached to the turret, with the tooling storage device being arranged on the same side as the spindle, and tooling being replaced by driving a tooling detachment unit provided on the turret support, the turret, and the tooling storage device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-063936

[0004] In the above-described machine tool, the tooling storage device is provided inside the machining chamber and near the spindle, so there are restrictions on the location and number of turrets to be placed and the range of movement, and there is room for further improvement in terms of the degree of freedom in placement of the components that make up the tooling exchange mechanism that exchanges tooling.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention is intended to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tooling change mechanism that allows a high degree of freedom in arranging the turret inside the machining chamber, and a machine tool equipped with the same.

[0006] The invention according to claim 1 provides a tool changing mechanism for a machine tool, comprising: a turret arranged inside a machining chamber and movable in a front-to-rear direction and a left-to-right direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction; a tooling holding unit attached to the turret and detachably holding a tooling consisting of a rotary tool for machining a workpiece and a tool holder for detachably holding the rotary tool; and a tool changer arranged behind the turret and outside the machining chamber and storing the tooling, wherein the tooling holding unit has a tool holder holding portion extending in the left-to-right direction to which the tool holder of the tooling is attached with the tool holder retracted, and the tool changer has a tool magazine for storing the tooling, and a tooling detachment unit for detaching the tooling held by the tooling holding unit from the tooling holding unit, and the tooling held by the tooling holding unit is detached from the tooling holding unit outside the machining chamber while being held by the tool magazine of the tool changer, thereby solving the above-mentioned problem.

[0007] The invention according to claim 2 further solves the above-mentioned problem by providing, in addition to the configuration of the tool changing mechanism according to claim 1, a tool detachment unit of the tool changing device that moves in the left-right direction relative to the tool magazine of the tool changing device, and with the tool magazine of the tool changing device holding the tool held by the tool holding unit outside the machining chamber, the turret moves in the left-right direction to detach the tool from the tool holding unit.

[0008] According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the tool changing mechanism as recited in the first aspect, the tooling detachment unit of the tooling changing device has a pressing member that can advance and retreat toward a rear end of the tool holding unit, and a claw member that can advance and retreat parallel to the advancing and retreating direction of the pressing member, and the pressing member of the tooling detachment unit of the tooling changing device presses the rear end of the tooling holding unit to release the retracted state of the tool holder of the tooling by the tool holder holding portion of the tooling holding unit, and in a state in which the pressing member of the tooling detachment unit abuts against the rear end of the tooling holding unit and the claw member of the tooling detachment unit abuts against the abutment surface of the tooling holding unit, the pressing member of the tooling detachment unit of the tooling changing device advances, releasing the retracted state of the tool holder of the tooling by the tool holder holding portion of the tooling holding unit, and making the tooling replaceable, thereby further solving the above-mentioned problem.

[0009] The invention according to claim 4 further solves the above-mentioned problems by providing, in addition to the configuration of the tooling changing mechanism according to claim 3, a tooling detachment unit of the tooling changing device moves in the left-right direction relative to the tooling magazine of the tooling changing device, and when the tooling detachment unit of the tooling changing device is located at a predetermined claw housing position in the left-right direction relative to the tooling magazine of the tooling changing device, a claw member of the tooling detachment unit of the tooling changing device is housed in a recess formed on the rear end side of the tool holding unit, and the tooling changing device has positioning means for moving the tooling detachment unit to the claw housing position.

[0010] The invention according to claim 5 further solves the above-mentioned problem by providing the tooling detachment unit of the tooling changing device with the two claw members, and by forming recesses on the upper and lower surfaces of the tooling holding unit extending in the left-right direction, the recesses having contact surfaces of the tooling holding unit that come into contact with the claw members.

[0011] The invention of claim 6 solves the above-mentioned problem by comprising the tool changing mechanism of any one of claims 1 to 3, a turret support that supports the turret so that it can be indexed and rotated, and a spindle that rotatably holds the workpiece, and after the turret has rotated to a predetermined tool changing position, the tool held by the tool holding unit is detached from the tool holding unit outside the machining chamber while being held by a tool magazine of the tool changing device.

[0012] According to the tool changing mechanism of the invention of claim 1, the tooling held in the tooling holding unit is detached from the tooling holding unit outside the machining chamber while being held by the tool magazine of the tool changing device, so that the tooling is changed outside the machining chamber, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in arranging the turret inside the machining chamber.

[0013] According to the tool changing mechanism of the invention according to claim 2, in addition to the effects achieved by the tool changing mechanism of the invention according to claim 1, the tool detachment unit of the tool changing device moves left and right relative to the tool magazine of the tool changing device, and with the tool magazine of the tool changing device holding the tool held in the tool holding unit outside the machining chamber, the turret moves left and right to detach the tool from the tool holding unit.Since the tooling is detached by moving the turret, the tool detachment structure can be simplified.

[0014] According to the tooling changing mechanism of the invention according to claim 3, in addition to the effects achieved by the tooling changing mechanism of the invention according to claim 1, when the pressing member of the tooling detachment unit abuts against the rear end of the tooling holding unit and the claw members of the tooling detachment unit abut against the abutment surface of the tooling holding unit, the pressing member of the tooling detachment unit of the tooling changing device advances to release the retracted state of the tool holder of the tooling by the tool holder holding portion of the tooling holding unit, making the tooling replaceable, and therefore the pressing member of the tooling detachment unit presses the rear end side of the tooling holding unit in a direction away from the tooling detachment unit, while the claw members of the tooling detachment unit pull the tool holding unit in a direction towards the tooling detachment unit, the bending moment applied to the turret is offset and the load on the turret during tooling change can be reduced.

[0015] According to the tooling changing mechanism of the invention according to claim 4, in addition to the effects achieved by the tooling changing mechanism of the invention according to claim 3, the tooling changing device has a positioning means for moving the tooling detachment unit to the jaw housing position, so that when changing tooling, the tooling detachment unit can be positioned at the jaw housing position without fail, thereby enabling tooling to be changed reliably.

[0016] According to the tooling changing mechanism of the invention of claim 5, in addition to the effects achieved by the tooling changing mechanism of the invention of claim 3, since the tooling detachment unit of the tooling changing device has two claw members, the contact area of ​​the claw members with the abutment surface of the tooling holding unit is increased, and not only can the bending moment applied to the turret be more reliably offset, but also recesses having abutment surfaces of the tooling holding unit that abut against the claw members are formed on each of the upper and lower surfaces of the tooling holding unit extending in the left-right direction, so that one of the claw members abuts against the abutment surface of the recess formed on the upper surface of the tooling holding unit, and the other claw member abuts against the abutment surface of the recess formed on the lower surface of the tooling holding unit, and therefore it is possible to prevent the tooling holding unit from rotating relative to the turret.

[0017] According to the machine tool of the invention of claim 6, the machine tool comprises the tool changing mechanism of any one of claims 1 to 3, a turret support that indexes and supports the turret so that it can rotate freely, and a spindle that rotatably grips the workpiece, and after the turret has rotated to a predetermined tool changing position, the tool held by the tooling holding unit outside the machining chamber is detached from the tooling holding unit while being held by the tool magazine of the tool changing device, thereby changing the tool outside the machining chamber, and therefore the degree of freedom in arranging the turret inside the machining chamber can be increased.

[0018] 6A is a perspective view of a machine tool incorporating a tooling changing mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a partially enlarged plan view of the machine tool shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along line IIB-IIB in FIG. 2A. FIG. 4B is a partially sectional perspective view of the tooling shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line IVA-IVA in FIG. 2B. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line IVB-IVB in FIG. 4B. FIG. 5A is a left side view of the tooling changing device shown in FIG. 2B. FIG. 6B is a front view of the tooling changing device shown in FIG. 2B. FIG. 5B is a partially enlarged plan view of the tooling changing device shown in FIG. 2B. FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of the tooling changing device shown in FIG. 6A. FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the tooling changing device shown in FIG. 6A. FIG. 6B is a left side view of the tooling held by the tooling gripper of the tooling changing device. FIG. 6B is a partially enlarged plan view of the tooling held by the tooling gripper of the tooling changing device. FIG. 8B is a right perspective view of the tooling held by the tooling gripper of the tooling changing device. FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIIID-VIIID in FIG. 8B. 12A is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the claw members of the tooling detachment unit are housed in recesses of the tooling holding unit. FIG. 12B is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the claw members of the tooling detachment unit are abutted against a contact surface of the tooling holding unit. FIG. 12C is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the tooling holding unit releases the tooling from its hold. FIG. 12D is a plan view showing a state in which the turret has been moved to the left. FIG. 12B is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line XIIB-XIIB of FIG. 12A.

[0019] The present invention provides a tool changing mechanism for a machine tool, comprising: a turret arranged inside a machining chamber and movable in a front-to-rear direction and a left-to-right direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction; a tooling holding unit attached to the turret and detachably holding a tooling consisting of a rotary tool for machining a workpiece and a tool holder for detachably holding the rotary tool; and a tool changer arranged behind the turret and outside the machining chamber for storing the tooling, wherein the tooling holding unit has a tool holder holding portion extending in the left-to-right direction for mounting the tool holder with the tool holder of the tooling retracted, the tooling changer has a tool magazine for storing tooling and a tooling detachment unit for detaching the tooling held in the tooling holding unit from the tooling holding unit, and the tooling held in the tooling holding unit is detached from the tooling holding unit outside the machining chamber while being held by the tool magazine of the tool changer, and any specific embodiment is possible as long as the turret has a high degree of freedom in arrangement inside the machining chamber.

[0020] A tooling exchange mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention and a machine tool equipped with the same will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12B.

[0021] 1. Overview of the Machine Tool First, an overview of a machine tool 10 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2B. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machine tool incorporating a tooling change mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2A is a partially enlarged plan view of the machine tool shown in Figure 1, and Figure 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IIB-IIB of Figure 2A.

[0022] The machine tool 10 is an automatic lathe and has a machining chamber 10a for machining a workpiece W. As shown in Figure 2A, the machining chamber 10a is partitioned by a left side panel 10a1, a right side panel 10a2, and a back panel 10a3. An opening is formed in the back panel 10a3, and this opening can be opened and closed by a shutter 10a4.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 and 2A, inside the processing chamber 10a, there are arranged a main spindle 11 provided on the left side panel 10a1 and which grips the workpiece W in a rotatable and detachable manner, a turret 12 arranged opposite the main spindle 11, and a turret support 13 which supports the turret 12 so that it can be indexed and rotated freely.

[0024] 2B, the turret 12 is octagonal in front view. Tool holders H for holding machining tools are detachably attached to each of turret faces 12a, which are the peripheral surfaces of the turret 12. A tooling holding unit 100 for detachably holding a tooling T is attached to one of the turret faces 12a.

[0025] The turret support 13 has a Z-direction (left-right) movement mechanism (not shown), an X-direction movement mechanism 13a that is movable in the X-direction, which is the direction along the turret mounting table 10a5 that is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, and a Y-direction movement mechanism 13b that is provided on the X-direction movement mechanism 13a and is movable in the Y-direction perpendicular to the X-direction. Therefore, the turret support 13 is not only movable linearly in the X-direction and the Y-direction, but also movable in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction (vertical direction) by combining the linear movement in the X-direction and the linear movement in the Y-direction. Therefore, the turret 12 is also movable linearly in the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction integrally with the turret support 13.

[0026] In the following description, in a plane parallel to the turret mounting base 10a5, the rearward direction is referred to as the "X+ direction" and the forward direction is referred to as the "X- direction." Regarding the Y direction, the forward direction is referred to as the "Y+ direction" and the rearward direction is referred to as the "Y- direction."

[0027] Also located outside the machining chamber 10a, as shown in Figures 2A and 2B, are a tool changer 200 that is located behind the turret 12 and outside the machining chamber 10a and is movable in the forward and backward directions, and an exchange control device 14 that controls the driving of the turret 12, turret support 13, tool changer 200, etc.

[0028] The machine tool 10 configured in this manner allows the turret 12 to approach the workpiece W held by the spindle 11 via the turret support 13, and to machine the workpiece W using a tool selected by indexing and rotating the turret 12.

[0029] 2. Structure of Tooling Now, the tooling T that is attached to the tooling holding unit 100 and stored in the tooling changing device 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the tooling shown in Fig. 1.

[0030] The tooling T includes a rotary tool Tb, such as a drill, for machining a workpiece, a tool holder Th that detachably holds the rotary tool Tb, and a pull stud Tp attached to the rear end of the tool holder Th. The tool holder Th has a diameter that decreases toward the rear end, i.e., is tapered toward the rear end. The pull stud Tp is inserted and fixed into a through hole formed in the rear end of the tool holder Th, and is formed of a head Tp1 on the rear end side and a constricted portion Tp2 connected to the front side of the head Tp1 and having a smaller diameter than the head Tp1.

[0031] 3. Structure of Tooling Holding Unit Next, the tooling holding unit 100 will be described with reference to Figures 1, 4A and 4B. Figure 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along line IVA-IVA in Figure 2B, and Figure 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line IVB-IVB in Figure 4B.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 1, 4A and 4B, the tooling holding unit 100 is composed of a fixed housing 110 fixed to the turret 12 and a movable housing 120 that is rotatable relative to the fixed housing 110.

[0033] 4A, the fixed housing 110 has a tooling drive power transmission shaft 111 connected to a first drive shaft provided on the turret 12, a transmission shaft (not shown) connected to a second drive shaft provided on the turret 12, a reducer 112 connected to the transmission shaft, and an inner cylinder 113 integrated with the reducer 112. The tooling drive power transmission shaft 111 and the inner cylinder 113 are rotatable independently of each other.

[0034] The movable housing 120 has a rectangular cylindrical housing main body 121 fixed to the inner cylinder 113 of the fixed housing 110, a front cover 122 that closes the front of the housing main body 121, and a rear cover 123 that closes the rear of the housing main body 121. A recess 123a is formed between the housing main body 121 and the rear cover 123.

[0035] The recess 123a is formed on the rear end side (the right side in FIG. 4B ) of the tooling holding unit 100. As shown in FIG. 4B , the recess 123a is formed on an upper surface 120A and a lower surface 120B extending in the left-right direction of the movable housing 120.

[0036] Inside the housing main body 121, there is provided a cylindrical engaging tube 124 that engages with the tooling drive power transmission shaft 111 of the fixed housing 110, and a tool holder holding portion 125 that is inserted into this engaging tube 124 and extends in the left-right direction.

[0037] The tool holder holding portion 125 is rotatably held relative to the housing body 121 by a bearing 126 provided inside the housing body 121. The tool holder holding portion 125 has a cylindrical holder 125a that is integral with the engagement cylinder 124, a draw bar 125b that is inserted into the rear end of the cylindrical holder 125a, a flange 125c that is fixed to the draw bar 125b, and a draw bar biasing spring 125d that biases the flange 125c.

[0038] The cylindrical holder 125a has a tooling insertion portion 125a1 into which the tool holder Th of the tooling T is inserted, an intermediate portion 125a2 that communicates with the rear end of the tooling insertion portion 125a1 and extends toward the rear end, and a draw bar insertion portion 125a3 that communicates with the rear end of the intermediate portion 125a2 and into which the draw bar 125b is inserted.

[0039] The tooling insertion portion 125a1 has a tapered inner surface that narrows toward the rear end, i.e., is tapered toward the rear end. The tapered inner surface of the tooling insertion portion 125a1 is formed to match the tapered inner surface of the tool holder Th of the tooling T.

[0040] The diameter of the intermediate portion 125a2 is slightly larger than the diameter of the rear end of the tool holder Th of the tooling T. The diameter of the draw bar insertion portion 125a3 is smaller than the diameter of the intermediate portion 125a2.

[0041] The drawbar 125b is a cylindrical rod having a recessed tooling accommodation region 125b1 formed at its tip. A plurality of engagement ball accommodation holes, into which a plurality of engagement balls 125b2 are fitted, are formed at intervals around the outer peripheral wall of the tooling accommodation region 125b1. The diameters of the engagement ball accommodation holes differ between the outer peripheral side and the inner peripheral side, with the outer peripheral side hole diameter being approximately equal to the diameter of the engagement balls 125b2 and the inner peripheral side hole diameter being smaller than the diameter of the engagement balls 125b2.

[0042] As described above, when the tip of the drawbar 125b is located in the intermediate portion 125a2 of the cylindrical holder 125a, the engaging ball 125b2 moves toward the outside of the drawbar 125b, making it possible for the engaging ball 125b2 to not protrude toward the inside of the drawbar 125b. Also, when the tip of the drawbar 125b is located in the drawbar insertion portion 125a3 of the cylindrical holder 125a, the engaging ball 125b2 abuts against the wall surface that forms the drawbar insertion portion 125a3, causing the engaging ball 125b2 to protrude toward the inside of the drawbar 125b. In this state, the inner diameter of the tip portion of the drawbar 125b is smaller than the diameter of the head portion Tp1 of the pull stud Tp of the tooling T and larger than the diameter of the constricted portion Tp2 of the pull stud Tp of the tooling T.

[0043] Therefore, when tooling T is held in the tool holder holding portion 125, the tooling T is inserted into the tooling insertion portion 125a1 with the tip of the draw bar 125b positioned in the middle portion 125a2 of the cylindrical holder 125a. At this time, the engaging ball 125b2 is caused to temporarily protrude toward the outside of the draw bar 125b by the head portion Tp1, and then positioned opposite the constricted portion Tp2, and the head portion Tp1 of the pull stud Tp of the tooling T is accommodated in the tooling accommodation region 125b1.

[0044] In this state, when the draw bar 125b is retracted until the tip of the draw bar 125b is positioned in the draw bar insertion portion 125a3 of the cylindrical holder 125a, the engaging ball 125b2 protrudes toward the inside of the draw bar 125b and abuts against the constricted portion Tp2 of the pull stud Tp of the tooling T. As a result, the tooling T is held by the tool holder holding portion 125 unless the draw bar 125b is moved forward until the tip of the draw bar 125b is positioned in the intermediate portion 125a2 of the cylindrical holder 125a.

[0045] The drawbar biasing spring 125d biases the drawbar 125b rearward via the flange 125c. That is, the drawbar 125b retracts the tooling T with the pull stud Tp of the tooling T gripped in its mouth by the biasing force of the drawbar biasing spring 125d. Therefore, the tool holder holding portion 125 mounts the tool holder Th on the tooling T with the tool holder Th retracted.

[0046] 2B and 5A to 5C, the tooling changing device 200 will be described. Fig. 5A is a left side view of the tooling changing device shown in Fig. 2B, Fig. 5B is a front view of the tooling changing device shown in Fig. 2B, and Fig. 5C is a partially enlarged plan view of the tooling changing device shown in Fig. 2B.

[0047] As shown in Figures 2B and 5A, the tooling exchange device 200 includes a fixed base 210 fixed to the rear of a back panel 10a3 that forms the processing chamber 10a, a movable base 220 that is movable in the front-to-rear direction relative to the fixed base 210, a tooling magazine 230 that is placed on the movable base 220 and stores tooling T, and a tooling detachment unit 240 that is placed on the movable base 220 and detaches the tooling T attached to the tooling holding unit 100 from the tooling holding unit 100.

[0048] 4.1. Fixed Base As shown in FIG. 5A and other figures, the fixed base 210 has a rotation shaft 211 extending in the front-rear direction and a drive motor 212 that rotates the rotation shaft 211.

[0049] 5A and 5B, the movable base 220 has a base body 221 that threadably engages with the rotation shaft 211 of the fixed base 210 and moves back and forth in the front-to-rear direction as the rotation shaft 211 rotates, a magazine mounting base 222 that rises from the rear side of the base body 221, and rails 223 that are disposed on the front side of the base body 221 and extend in the left-to-right direction.

[0050] 5A, the tooling magazine 230 has a wheel-shaped base 231 that stores a plurality of toolings T, a motor 232 that rotates the base 231, and a cover 233 that covers the base 231. A plurality of bifurcated tooling gripping portions 231a are provided at the tip of the base 231.

[0051] 5A to 5C , the tooling detachment unit 240 includes a unit base 241 arranged on the rails 223 of the movable base 220, an air cylinder 242 that moves the unit base 241 back and forth in the left-right direction, a stopper 243 that limits the movable range of the unit base 241, a detection switch 244 that detects when the unit base 241 comes into contact with the stopper 243, a pair of claw members 245 that are attached to the unit base 241 and extend in the vertical direction, a pressing member 246 provided between the two claw members 245, a hydraulic cylinder 247 that moves the pressing member 246 back and forth in the left-right direction, and a claw member biasing spring 248 that biases the claw member 245 to the right.

[0052] 5C , the air cylinder 242 has an L-shaped connecting member 242b attached to the tip of a cylinder rod 242a. This connecting member 242b is also connected to the unit base 241. Therefore, the tooling detachment unit 240 is movable left and right relative to the tooling magazine 230.

[0053] The pair of claw members 245 can freely move forward and backward in parallel with the direction in which the pressing member 246 moves forward and backward, and as shown in FIG. 5B, are provided above and below the pressing member 246 with the pressing member 246 at the center.

[0054] The rear end (the left end in FIG. 5B) of the pressing member 246 is connected to a cylinder rod 247 a of a hydraulic cylinder 247 .

[0055] The hydraulic cylinder 247 is a hydraulic cylinder whose cylinder chamber is filled with hydraulic oil. This hydraulic cylinder 247 allows the cylinder rod 247a (i.e., the pressing member 246) to move forward and backward by adjusting the amount of hydraulic oil in the cylinder chamber with a pump (not shown). The output of the hydraulic cylinder 247 can be made larger than the biasing force of the pawl member biasing spring 248 and the biasing force of the drawbar biasing spring 125d of the tooling holding unit 100.

[0056] Since the pressing member 246 and the hydraulic cylinder 247 are configured in this manner, the pressing member 246 can press the rear end of the draw bar 125b of the tooling holding unit 100, thereby freely releasing the retracted state of the tool holder Th of the tooling T by the tool holder holding portion 125 of the tooling holding unit 100.

[0057] One end of the claw member biasing spring 248 presses against a wall member 241a standing upright from the left end of the unit base 241, and the other end of the claw member biasing spring 248 presses against a flange 245a1 of a claw holding shaft 245a connected to the claw member 245 and extending in the left-right direction.

[0058] 6A to 12B, an example of a tool changing operation by the tool changing mechanism of the machine tool 10, which is composed of the turret 12, the tool holding unit 100, the tool changer 200, and the change control device 14, will be described. Fig. 6A is a partially enlarged plan view illustrating an initial state in the tool changing operation, Fig. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIB-VIB of Fig. 6A, Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the tool changing operation, Fig. 8A is a left side view showing a state in which a tool is held by the tool gripper of the tool changing device, Fig. 8B is a partially enlarged plan view showing a state in which a tool is held by the tool gripper of the tool changing device, Fig. 8C is a right perspective view showing a state in which a tool is held by the tool gripper of the tool changing device, Fig. 8D is a partially enlarged plan view showing a state in which a tool is held by the tool gripper of the tool changing device, Fig. 8E is a right perspective view showing a state in which a tool is held by the tool gripper of the tool changing device, and Fig. 8F is a partially enlarged plan view showing a state in which a tool is held by the tool gripper of the tool changing device. Fig. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIIID-VIIIID in Fig. 8B, Fig. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the claw members of the tooling detachment unit are housed in recesses of the tooling holding unit, Fig. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the claw members of the tooling detachment unit are abutting on a contact surface of the tooling holding unit, Fig. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the tooling holding unit has released its hold on the tooling, Fig. 12A is a plan view showing a state in which the turret has been moved leftward, and Fig. 12B is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line XIIB-XIIB in Fig. 12A. The tool holder H is omitted in Figs. 6A, 6B, 7, and 8A.

[0059] First, the change control device 14 indexes and rotates the turret 12 to bring the tooling holding unit 100 holding the tooling T to the tooling change position P (a position where the tooling T faces the back plate 10a3) as shown in Fig. 6B, and also rotates the movable housing 120 of the tooling holding unit 100 so that the tooling T faces right (the direction in which the workpiece W protrudes from the spindle 11 in Fig. 6A) as shown in Fig. 6A. At this time, the air cylinder 242 serving as positioning means is driven to move the unit base 241 (i.e., the tooling detachment unit 240) to a predetermined jaw storage position.

[0060] When the tooling holding unit 100 reaches the tooling exchange position P, the upper surface 120A and the lower surface 120B are approximately horizontal in the front-rear direction, as shown in FIG. 6B.

[0061] From this state, the drive motor 212 of the tooling exchange device 200 is driven to move the tooling magazine 230 and the tooling detachment unit 240 forward and bring them close to the rear plate 10a3, as shown in Figure 7, and the shutter 10a4 provided on the rear plate 10a3 is opened. Furthermore, the X-direction movement mechanism 13a of the turret support 13 is driven to move the turret 12 to a position where the tooling holding unit 100 directly faces the opening formed in the rear plate 10a3.

[0062] Next, as shown in Fig. 8A, the X-direction movement mechanism 13a and Y-direction movement mechanism 13b of the turret support member 13 are driven to move the turret 12 rearward until the tooling holding unit 100 is positioned behind the back plate 10a3. At this time, since the unit base 241 is positioned at a predetermined claw housing position, the claw members 245 of the tooling detachment unit 240 are housed in the recesses 123a of the tooling holding unit 100 as shown in Figs. 8B and 8D, and the tooling gripping portions 231a of the tooling magazine 230 grip the tooling T as shown in Figs. 8C and 8D.

[0063] Next, a pump (not shown) is driven to allow oil to flow into the cylinder chamber of the hydraulic cylinder 247, as shown in FIG. 9, to move the cylinder rod 247a forward and bring the cylinder rod 247a into contact with the draw bar 125b of the tooling holding unit 100.

[0064] Furthermore, when oil is allowed to flow into the cylinder chamber of the hydraulic cylinder 247, a reaction force from the draw bar 125b of the tooling holding unit 100 acts on the hydraulic cylinder 247 via the pressing member 246, and the hydraulic cylinder 247 and the claw member 245 integrated with the hydraulic cylinder 247 move leftward against the biasing force of the claw member biasing spring 248. As a result, the claw member 245 comes into contact with the contact surface 123a1 of the recess 123a of the tooling holding unit 100, as shown in FIG.

[0065] When oil is further flowed into the cylinder chamber of the hydraulic cylinder 247 from this state, the hydraulic cylinder 247 is positioned in the left-right direction, and therefore the pressing member 246 presses the draw bar 125b of the tooling holding unit 100 to the right. As a result, as shown in Figure 11, the draw bar 125b moves forward (moves rightward in Figure 11) until the engaging ball 125b2 of the draw bar 125b is positioned in the intermediate portion 125a2 of the cylindrical holder 125a, and the retracted state of the tool holder Th of the tooling T by the tool holder holding portion 125 of the tooling holding unit 100 is released.

[0066] From this state, when the turret 12 is moved to the left from the position shown in FIG. 12A until the detection switch 244 on the left side (the side closer to the spindle 11 in this embodiment) detects contact of the unit base 241, the tooling T is detached from the tooling holding unit 100 as shown in FIG. 12B.

[0067] That is, in this embodiment, with the tooling T held by the tooling holding unit 100 being gripped by the tooling magazine 230 of the tooling changing device 200 outside the machining chamber 10a, the changing control device 14 brings the pressing member 246 of the tooling detachment unit 240 into contact with the rear end of the tooling holding unit 100 and brings the claw member 245 of the tooling detachment unit 240 into contact with the contact surface 123a1 of the tooling holding unit 100, and then moves the turret 12 in the left-right direction to detach the tooling T from the tooling holding unit 100.

[0068] In addition, when the claw member 245 of the tooling detachment unit 240 is accommodated in the recess 123a of the tooling holding unit 100, the pressing member 246 of the tooling detachment unit 240 is freely movable toward and away from the rear end of the tooling holding unit 100 (i.e., the draw bar 125b).

[0069] 6. Effects of the Machine Tool of the Present Embodiment As described above, according to the machine tool 10 and tooling exchange mechanism of one embodiment of the present invention, the exchange control device 14 detaches the tooling T held in the tooling holding unit 100 from the tooling holding unit 100 outside the machining chamber 10a while the tooling T is held by the tooling magazine 230 of the tooling exchange device 200, thereby performing exchange of the tooling T outside the machining chamber 10a, and therefore the degree of freedom in arranging the turret 12 inside the machining chamber 10a can be increased.

[0070] Furthermore, the tooling detachment unit 240 of the tooling exchange device 200 moves left and right relative to the tooling magazine 230 of the tooling exchange device 200, and in a state where the tooling magazine 230 of the tooling exchange device 200 holds the tooling T held by the tooling holding unit 100 outside the machining chamber 10a, the exchange control device 14 moves the turret 12 left and right to detach the tooling T from the tooling holding unit 100. Since the tooling T is detached by moving the turret 12, the tooling detachment structure can be simplified.

[0071] In addition, in a state in which the pressing member 246 of the tooling detaching unit 240 is in contact with the rear end of the tooling holding unit 100 and the claw member 245 of the tooling detaching unit 240 is in contact with the contact surface 123a1 of the tooling holding unit 100, the change control device 14 advances the pressing member 246 of the tooling detaching unit 240 of the tooling changing device 200 to release the retracted state of the tool holder Th of the tooling T by the tool holder holding portion 125 of the tooling holding unit 100, By making the tooling T replaceable, the pressing member 246 of the tooling detachment unit 240 pushes the rear end side of the tooling holding unit 100 in a direction away from the tooling detachment unit 240, while the claw member 245 of the tooling detachment unit 240 pulls the tooling holding unit 100 in a direction toward the tooling detachment unit 240, so that the bending moment acting on the turret 12 is offset and the load on the turret 12 when changing tooling can be reduced.

[0072] Furthermore, since the tooling replacement device 200 has an air cylinder 242 which is a positioning means for moving the tooling detachment unit 240 to the jaw storage position, the tooling detachment unit 240 can always be positioned to the jaw storage position when replacing the tooling T, so that the tooling T can be replaced reliably.

[0073] Furthermore, since the tooling detachment unit 240 of the tooling exchange device 200 has two claw members 245, the contact area of ​​the claw members 245 with the contact surface 123a1 of the tooling holding unit 100 is increased, and therefore the bending moment applied to the turret 12 can be more reliably offset. In addition, the recess 123a having the contact surface 123a1 of the tooling holding unit 100 that contacts the claw members 245 can be more reliably offset. Since the claw members 245 are formed on each of the upper surface 120A and the lower surface 120B of the tooling holding unit 100, one of the claw members 245 abuts against the abutment surface 123a1 of the recess 123a formed on the upper surface 120A of the tooling holding unit 100, and the other of the claw members 245 abuts against the abutment surface 123a1 of the recess 123a formed on the lower surface 120B of the tooling holding unit 100, thereby preventing the tooling holding unit 100 from rotating relative to the turret 12.

[0074] <Modifications> Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0075] For example, in this embodiment, the turret 12 is formed with eight turret faces 12a, but the number of turret faces formed on the turret is not limited to this.

[0076] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10: Machine tool 10a: Machining chamber 10a1: Left side face plate 10a2: Right side face plate 10a3: Rear face plate 10a4: Shutter 10a5: Turret mounting base 11: Spindle 12: Turret 12a: Turret surface 12b: Rotational drive force transmission shaft 13: Turret support 13a: X-direction movement mechanism 13b: Y-direction movement mechanism 14: Exchange control device 100: Tooling holding unit 110: Fixed housing 111: Tooling drive power transmission shaft 112: Reducer 113: Inner cylinder 120: Movable housing 120A: Upper surface 120B: Lower surface 121: Housing body 122: Front cover DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 123: Rear cover 123a: Recessed portion 123a1: Contact surface 124: Engagement cylinder 125: Tool holder holding portion 125a: Cylindrical holder 125a1: Tooling insertion portion 125a2: Intermediate portion 125a3: Draw bar insertion portion 125b: Draw bar 125b1: Tooling accommodation area 125b2: Engagement ball 125c: Flange 125d: Draw bar biasing spring 126: Bearing 200: Tooling exchange device 210: Fixed base 211: Rotating shaft 212: Drive motor 220: Movable base 221: Base body 222: Magazine mounting base 223: Rail 230: Tooling magazine 231: Base 231a: Tooling gripping portion 232: Motor 233: Cover 240: Tooling detachment unit 241: Unit base 241a: Wall member 242: Air cylinder (positioning means) 242a: Cylinder rod 242b: Connecting member 243: Stopper244: Detection switch 245: Claw member 245a: Claw holding shaft 245a1: Flange portion 246: Pressing member 247: Hydraulic cylinder 247a: Cylinder rod 248: Claw member biasing spring T: Tooling Tb: Rotary tool Th: Tool holder Tp: Pull stud Tp1: Head portion Tp2: Narrowed portion W: Workpiece H: Tool holder B: Fixing bolt P: Tooling replacement position

Claims

1. A tooling changing mechanism for a machine tool comprising: a turret arranged inside a processing chamber and movable in a front-to-rear direction and a left-to-right direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction; a tooling holding unit attached to the turret and removably holding a tooling consisting of a rotating tool for processing a workpiece and a tool holder for removably holding the rotating tool; and a tooling changing device arranged behind the turret and outside the processing chamber for storing the tooling, wherein the tooling holding unit has a tool holder holding portion extending in the left-to-right direction for mounting the tool holder with the tool holder of the tooling retracted, the tooling changing device has a tool magazine for storing the tooling, and a tooling detachment unit for detaching the tooling held by the tooling holding unit from the tooling holding unit, and the tooling held by the tooling holding unit is detached from the tooling holding unit outside the processing chamber while being gripped by the tooling magazine of the tooling changing device.

2. A tool changing mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that a tool detachment unit of the tool changing device moves in the left-right direction relative to a tool magazine of the tool changing device, and the turret moves in the left-right direction while the tool magazine of the tool changing device holds the tool held by the tool holding unit outside the machining chamber, thereby detaching the tool from the tool holding unit.

3. The tooling replacement mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the tooling detachment unit of the tooling replacement device has a pressing member which can be advanced and retreated toward the rear end of the tooling holding unit, and a claw member which can be advanced and retreated parallel to the advancing and retreating direction of the pressing member, the pressing member of the tooling detachment unit of the tooling replacement device presses the rear end of the tooling holding unit to release the retracted state of the tool holder of the tooling by the tool holder holding portion of the tooling holding unit, and when the pressing member of the tooling detachment unit abuts against the rear end of the tooling holding unit and the claw member of the tooling detachment unit abuts against the abutment surface of the tooling holding unit, the pressing member of the tooling detachment unit of the tooling replacement device advances to release the retracted state of the tool holder of the tooling by the tool holder holding portion of the tooling holding unit, thereby making the tooling replaceable.

4. A tooling changing mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that a tooling detachment unit of the tooling changing device moves in the left-right direction relative to the tooling magazine of the tooling changing device, a claw member of the tooling detachment unit of the tooling changing device is accommodated in a recess formed on the rear end side of the tooling holding unit when the tooling detachment unit of the tooling changing device is located at a predetermined claw housing position in the left-right direction relative to the tooling magazine of the tooling changing device, and the tooling changing device has a positioning means for moving the tooling detachment unit to the claw housing position.

5. A tooling replacement mechanism as described in claim 3, characterized in that the tooling detachment unit of the tooling replacement device has two of the claw members, and recesses having a contact surface of the tooling holding unit that abuts against the claw members are formed on each of the upper and lower surfaces of the tooling holding unit extending in the left-right direction.

6. A machine tool comprising: a tooling change mechanism as defined in any one of claims 1 to 3; a turret support which indexes and supports the turret so that it can rotate freely; and a spindle which rotatably holds the workpiece, wherein after the turret has rotated to a predetermined tooling change position, outside the machining chamber, the tooling held by the tooling holding unit is detached from the tooling holding unit while being held by a tooling magazine of the tooling changing device.