Machining proposal table creation device and machining proposal table creation program

Abstract

Provided are a machining proposal table creation device and a machining proposal table creation program, with which a machining proposal table can be created while taking the amount of power consumption into account.　A processing unit of the machining proposal table creation device executes: a reception process for receiving, via an input unit, selection of an arbitrary machining proposal table from among a plurality of machining proposal tables stored in a storage device; and a creation process for supplementing information necessary for creating a new machining proposal table for machining a new workpiece on the basis of the machining proposal table selected in the reception process, creating the new machining proposal table on the basis of information input via the input unit, and displaying an amount of power consumption caused by a machining operation in the creation of the new machining proposal table.

Description

Processing proposal table creation device and processing proposal table creation program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a machining proposal table creating device and a machining proposal table creating program that create a machining proposal table used in the field of machine tools.

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 describes a machining information creation system that supports CAM, which creates NC data used for machining workpieces from part drawing data designed by CAD. The machining information creation system of Patent Document 1 inputs part drawing data and workpiece material drawing data, and performs division of machining processes, setup settings, setting of machining areas for each tool used in machining, and determination of machining order and conditions, etc., based on the input data.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-103212

[0004] Incidentally, when proposing the machining of a new workpiece or purchasing a machine tool for machining a new workpiece, a machining proposal table showing the machining details of the workpiece, so-called a tooling list, may be created. This machining proposal table lists the order of machining of the workpiece, the selection of cutting tools, machining conditions, cycle time, etc.

[0005] On the other hand, reducing the power consumption of machine tools in machining workpieces reduces manufacturing costs and ultimately leads to protecting the global environment. However, in the past, when creating a machining proposal table, it was difficult to consider how the power consumption would change when machining workpieces using that machining proposal table due to changes in cutting tools or machining conditions.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a processing proposal table creation device and a processing proposal table creation program that are capable of creating a processing proposal table while taking into account power consumption.

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, this specification discloses a processing proposal table creation device that creates a new processing proposal table using a processing proposal table stored in a storage device, the processing device comprising an input unit and a processing unit that processes information input from the input unit, wherein the processing unit performs a reception process that accepts the selection of any processing proposal table from multiple processing proposal tables stored in the storage device via the input unit, and a creation process that supplements the information necessary to create a new processing proposal table for processing a new workpiece based on the processing proposal table selected by the reception process, creates the new processing proposal table based on the information input via the input unit, and displays the amount of power consumption generated by the processing operation in creating the new processing proposal table.

[0008] Furthermore, the contents of the present disclosure are not limited to implementation as a processing proposal table creation device, but are also extremely effective when implemented as a processing proposal table creation program for creating a new processing proposal table, a storage medium storing a processing proposal table creation program, etc.

[0009] In the machining proposal table creation device and machining proposal table creation program disclosed herein, in the creation process, the information necessary to create a new machining proposal table is supplemented, and while creating a new machining proposal table based on the input information, the power consumption of the machining operation based on the new machining proposal table being created is displayed. This allows the user to create a new machining proposal table while considering the displayed power consumption while examining the machining conditions, etc. Furthermore, the creator and user of the new machining proposal table can be made aware of the need to reduce the power consumption of machine tools at the stage of creating the new machining proposal table, i.e., before machining the workpiece.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a processing proposal table creation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a search screen when a search target image is input. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a search result screen for the processing proposal table. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a search result screen when a search is performed with priority given to power consumption. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing processing information, etc., in the processing proposal table. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a cycle time display section. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a process search screen. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which a confirmation screen is displayed.

[0011] (Regarding the Processing Proposal Table Creation System 10) An embodiment of the processing proposal table creation device of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of the processing proposal table creation system (hereinafter referred to as the creation system) 10 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the creation system 10 includes a processing proposal table creation device (hereinafter referred to as the creation device) 11 and client terminals 13 installed in each production factory 12. The creation system 10 is a system that provides a service for creating a processing proposal table from the creation device 11 to the client terminals 13.

[0012] The creation device 11 is, for example, a server device and includes a CPU 21, a storage device 22, a user IF (abbreviation of interface) 23, and a network IF 24. The CPU 21 and other components are connected to each other via a communication bus 25 and are capable of communicating with each other. The storage device 22 is, for example, a combination of RAM, ROM, a hard disk, etc. The storage device 22 stores an operating system (OS) 26, a processing proposal table creation program (hereinafter referred to as the creation program) 27, and management data 28. The OS 26 is, for example, Windows (registered trademark) Server OS, and controls the creation device 11 overall and provides basic services and functions to various application programs. The creation program 27 is an application program that creates the above-mentioned processing proposal table using the services and functions of the OS 26. By executing the OS 26 and the creation program 27 on the CPU 21, the creation device 11 performs processes such as sending and receiving data to and from the client terminal 13, and creating, saving, and outputting the processing proposal table. The management data 28 stores a plurality of processing proposal tables DT1 and power information DT2. The processing proposal tables DT1 and power information DT2 will be described in detail later. The OS 26 is not limited to a Windows (registered trademark) Server OS, but may also be a UNIX (registered trademark)-based Server OS such as Linux (registered trademark) using server software such as Apache (registered trademark). The OS 26 is not limited to a Server OS, but may also be a Windows (registered trademark) OS, Macintosh (registered trademark) OS, UNIX (registered trademark)-based OS, or other types of client OS. That is, the terminal on which the creation program 27 is installed is not limited to a server, but may also be a client terminal. The client terminal may be used directly by the user, or may be used remotely using a remote desktop function or the like.

[0013] Furthermore, the storage device 22 that stores the creation program 27 is not limited to the configuration described above. The storage device 22 may be a flash memory, an SSD, or a portable storage medium such as a USB memory or an external hard disk that is detachably attached to the creation device 11. The medium that stores the creation program 27 may also be a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM.

[0014] The user IF 23 includes, for example, a display device such as an LCD, and input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse. The network IF 24 is, for example, a LAN interface, and is connected to the network 15 via a router (not shown) or the like. The network 15 is, for example, a WAN such as the Internet.

[0015] The production factory 12 has, for example, a production line with multiple machine tools. The client terminal 13 is, for example, a personal computer on which a CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) application program (hereinafter referred to as a CAM program) 17 is installed, enabling the creation of NC programs. Note that the client terminal 13 is not limited to a personal computer, and may be other information processing devices such as a laptop PC, a tablet terminal, or a smartphone. The client terminal 13 is able to access the creation device 11 via a network 15.

[0016] The above-described configuration of the creation system 10 is merely an example. For example, the management data 28 may be stored in a device (such as a database server) separate from the creation device 11 (server). The creation device 11 may be installed within the local network of the production factory 12. A server using a cloud storage service such as AWS (Amazon Web Services, a registered trademark) may be used as the creation device 11. The device (creation device 11) that creates the machining proposal table DT1 and the terminal (client terminal 13) that uses it may be the same device. For example, both the creation program 27 and the CAM program 17 may be installed in the client terminal 13, and the client terminal 13 may be used to create both the machining proposal table DT1 and the NC program using the CAM program 17. Therefore, the machining proposal table creation device disclosed herein may be a server device or a standalone device. In the case where the creation device 11, which is a server, accepts instructions from the client terminal 13 as in this embodiment, the network IF 24 that accepts instructions from the client terminal 13 is an example of an input unit in the present disclosure, and the CPU 21 is an example of a processing unit. In the case where the client terminal 13 executes the creation program 27 and accepts input of information in the new processing proposal table DT1, as in a standalone device, the user interfaces such as the keyboard and mouse that the client terminal 13 (personal computer) has are an example of an input unit in the present disclosure, and the CPU that executes the creation program 27 and the CAM program 17 in the client terminal 13 is an example of a processing unit.

[0017] (Regarding Creation of Processing Proposal Table DT1) Next, the creation of the processing proposal table DT1 executed by the creation device 11 will be described. For example, when the power is turned on, the creation device 11 executes the OS 26 on the CPU 21 to start the system, and then executes the creation program 27 on the CPU 21. When a user at the production factory 12 wants to create a processing proposal table DT1, the user operates the client terminal 13 to access the creation device 11. By executing the creation program 27, for example, the creation device 11 uses the services and functions of the OS 26 to support the creation of a new processing proposal table DT1 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a new processing proposal table) on a web server. For example, the user accesses the web page of the creation device 11 using browser software on the client terminal 13 to create a new processing proposal table. In the following description, the device that executes the program may be referred to simply by the program name. For example, "the creation program 27 receives information from the client terminal 13" means that the creation device 11 executes the creation program 27 on the CPU 21, and receives information from the client terminal 13 via the creation program 27.

[0018] FIG. 2 is an example of a web page of the creation device 11 accessed by the client terminal 13, showing a search screen 31 when a search target image 37 is input. As shown in FIG. 2, the creation program 27 displays a search screen 31 on the client terminal 13 in response to access from the client terminal 13. The search screen 31 is a screen for searching for a processing proposal table DT1 that matches the search criteria from among the processing proposal tables DT1 stored in the management data 28. Therefore, the creation device 11 accepts the creation of a new processing proposal table using a processing proposal table DT1 previously registered in the management data 28, and registers and outputs the new processing proposal table. The creation device 11 manages, for example, separate processing proposal tables DT1 available for each customer (user) using the creation system 10. In other words, a processing proposal table DT1 created by customer A can be reused only by customer A and is not searched for by customer B. The creation device 11 may also share processing proposal tables DT1 for multiple customers.

[0019] The creation program 27 displays an image input section 32, an image display section 33, a search condition input section 34, and a search button 35 on the search screen 31. The image input section 32 is a section for inputting a search target image 37, which is an image to be searched for. The creation program 27 displays the search target image 37 inputted into the image input section 32 on the image display section 33. A workpiece image 41 (see FIG. 5 ), which indicates the shape of the workpiece after machining, is stored in association with the processing proposal table DT1 of the management data 28. The creation program 27 is capable of receiving the search target image 37, and searching the management data 28 for a processing proposal table DT1 in which a workpiece image 41 similar to the received search target image 37 is associated, and displaying the processing proposal table DT1 (an example of the reception process of the present disclosure).

[0020] More specifically, the creation program 27 displays, for example, the message "Drop your image here" in the image input unit 32. When a search target image 37 is input into the image input unit 32 by drag-and-drop, the input search target image 37 is displayed in the image display unit 33. Note that the image input method is not limited to the drag-and-drop method described above. In the example shown in FIG. 2 , a differential case search target image 37 is displayed as the search target image 37. The creation program 27 also displays three radio buttons 38 (image similarity priority, recommendation index priority, and power consumption priority) above the search button 35. The three radio buttons 38 are used to select whether to prioritize sorting the search results of the processing proposal table DT1 by image similarity, recommendation index, or total power consumption when listing the results. For example, as shown in FIG. 2 , the creation program 27 initially selects the image similarity priority radio button 38, which prioritizes image similarity. The more a past processing proposal table DT1 is reused to create a new processing proposal table, the higher the recommendation index is set to. The total power consumption will be described later.

[0021] When the creation program 27 receives an operation of selecting the search button 35 with the image similarity priority radio button 38 checked (hereinafter, this may be simply referred to as a selection operation), the creation program 27 searches for a processing proposal table DT1 stored in the management data 28 that is associated with the search target image 37, i.e., a workpiece image 41 that is similar to the image of the differential case. The selection operation here refers to an operation such as clicking on the client terminal 13 or pressing the return key.

[0022] For example, the creation program 27 includes an AI (artificial intelligence) program that searches for similar images. The creation program 27 uses the machine learning function of the AI ​​program to determine workpiece images 41 that are similar to the search target image 37. The method of searching for similar images is not limited to using an AI program. For example, the creation program 27 may extract feature points between the search target image 37 and the workpiece image 41 and calculate the similarity between the extracted feature points. Furthermore, the search target image 37 and the workpiece image 41 to be searched are not limited to two-dimensional images, and may be three-dimensional images.

[0023] The creation program 27 can also search the processing proposal table DT1 based on information input to the search condition input unit 34 in Figure 2. The search target image 37 and the information input to the search condition input unit 34 are examples of "information about a new workpiece" in this disclosure. The creation program 27 displays input fields for the workpiece name, product number, material, processing overview, manufacturing instruction number, customer name, and keyword in the search condition input unit 34. These workpiece name, product number, material, processing overview, manufacturing instruction number, and customer name are associated with each of the processing proposal table DT1, as described below (see Figure 3).

[0024] Detailed explanations of each item such as the work name will be omitted, but the work name is the name of the work to be manufactured in the processing proposal table DT1. The product number is, for example, a number used by the client of the production factory 12 to identify the work. The material is the name of the material of the work. The processing overview is information such as terms and descriptions (such as sample number) that indicate an overview of the processing of the work to be performed in the processing proposal table DT1. The manufacturing instruction number is, for example, the number of the document that instructs the production factory 12 to manufacture the work (product), and is assigned for each processing step. The customer name is, for example, the name of the customer who requested the manufacture of the work. The keyword is a field for entering the term you want to search for from among the terms included in the processing proposal table DT1.

[0025] FIG. 3 shows a search result screen 39 displaying the search results for the processing proposal table DT1. FIG. 3 shows the search results obtained by, for example, entering only the search target image 37 and selecting the search button 35. As shown in FIG. 3, the creation program 27 displays information, such as check boxes, image similarity, workpiece name, material, shape, processing overview, manufacturing instruction number, and customer name, for multiple processing proposal tables DT1 searched from the management data 28 in a single row. When the image similarity priority radio button 38 shown in FIG. 2 is selected for a search, the creation program 27 vertically arranges the processing proposal tables DT1 in descending order of image similarity, as shown in FIG. 3. That is, the creation program 27 arranges the processing proposal tables DT1 associated with workpiece images 41 that are more similar to the search target image 37 so that they appear higher in the search results.

[0026] Furthermore, when the search is performed by selecting the radio button 38 for prioritizing the recommendation index, the creation program 27 arranges the processing proposal table DT1 in descending order of the recommendation index, i.e., in descending order of the number of times of reuse. Furthermore, when the search is performed by selecting the radio button 38 for prioritizing the power consumption, the creation program 27 arranges the processing proposal table DT1 in descending order of the total power consumption. The processing proposal table DT1 of this embodiment stores the power consumption for each process and the total power consumption for all processes (see FIG. 7).

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2 , a reference value input field 55 for inputting a reference value for image similarity is provided to the right of the recommendation index priority and power consumption priority fields. When recommendation index priority and power consumption priority are selected, the creation program 27 sorts and displays the processing proposal tables DT1 with a similarity equal to or greater than the reference value input in the reference value input field 55 in descending order of recommendation index or ascending order of power consumption. FIG. 4 shows a search result screen 39 when the power consumption priority radio button 38 is selected and a search is performed using only the search target image 37. In this case, the creation program 27 sorts the processing proposal tables DT1 with an image similarity between the search target image 37 and the workpiece image 41 equal to or greater than the reference value input in the reference value input field 55 in ascending order of total power consumption. In the example shown in FIG. 2 , a value of "85" is input as the reference value. In this case, the creation program 27 sorts and displays the processing proposal tables DT1 with an image similarity equal to or greater than "85" in ascending order of total power consumption. For example, the creation program 27 may provide a column for power consumption to the left of the column for image similarity and display the total power consumption of each of the detected processing proposal tables DT1. Note that instead of providing the reference value input field 55 on the search screen 31, a fixed value preset by the manufacturer may be used as the reference value.

[0028] 3, the creation program 27 displays workpiece images 41 associated with the processing proposal table DT1 in the "shape" column. The creation program 27 also displays an arrow icon 43 below the search results for the processing proposal table DT1 for displaying any processing proposal table DT1 that could not be displayed. The example shown in FIG. 3 shows a state in which four processing proposal tables DT1 are displayed on one screen. In this case, when the arrow pointing to the right of the arrow icon 43 is selected, the creation program 27 displays the processing proposal tables DT1 together in the order of 5th to 8th, 9th to 12th, and so on.

[0029] Furthermore, when a check box is selected, the creation program 27 displays a checked image 45 in the selected check box, indicating that the check box has been selected. Fig. 3 shows the state in which the second processing proposal table DT1 from the top is selected. The creation program 27 displays a new creation button 47 for creating a new processing proposal table below the search results for the processing proposal table DT1. When the new creation button 47 is selected with a check box selected, the creation program 27 displays (supplements) information about the selected processing proposal table DT1 and displays a screen that accepts editing (Figs. 5 to 7, an example of the creation process of the present disclosure).

[0030] When the search button 35 is selected after search criteria have been entered into each field of the search criteria input section 34 in FIG. 2 , the creation program 27 executes a search based on the entered search criteria. In this case, a search target image 37 may or may not be used. The creation program 27 executes, for example, an AND search for the search criteria entered into the search criteria input section 34. For example, when a search target image 37, a workpiece name, and a power consumption priority are entered, the creation program 27 sets the entered workpiece name and displays, on the search result screen 39, processing proposal tables DT1 that are similar to or more than the reference value entered in the reference value input field 55 in ascending order of total power consumption. The creation program 27 may also execute an OR search for the search criteria entered into the search criteria input section 34. For example, when search criteria are entered into multiple input fields of the search criteria input section 34, the creation program 27 may display processing proposal tables DT1 that satisfy at least one of the entered search criteria. 2, the creation program 27 may display an icon 51 for displaying a drop-down menu in each input field of the search condition input unit 34. When the icon 51 is selected, the creation program 27 may, for example, display information registered in the processing proposal table DT1 of the management data 28 in a selectable manner.

[0031] 5 to 7, the creation program 27 displays (supplements) the information in FIGS. 5 to 7 based on, for example, the information in the processing proposal table DT1 selected in the checked image 45 in FIG. 3, and accepts editing of the displayed information. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the creation program 27 displays workpiece information 61, processing information 63, model information 79, process identification information 81, and a cycle time display section 66 (FIG. 7). The creation program 27 displays the information in the processing proposal table DT1 selected by the user as the initial value as information to be displayed in the workpiece information 61, etc., and accepts editing of the displayed information to create a new processing proposal table.

[0032] Note that the information content and the position of the information in the machining proposal table DT1 (new machining proposal table) shown in Figures 5 to 7 are merely examples. For example, the creation program 27 may display a basic information setting table for each process, showing the number of machine tools (machining units) used for each process and model information 79 (see Figure 4) based on the information in the machining proposal table DT1. The machining proposal table DT1 may also include information on the cycle time associated with the work of a robot that transports a workpiece to a spindle or other device. Specifically, the machining proposal table DT1 may include, as cycle time information for each process, the time it takes for a robot to transport a workpiece to a spindle or peripheral device (such as an inlet stocker). Furthermore, common data related to machining cycle times (such as spindle chucking time) and common data related to robot cycle times (such as travel speed and acceleration) that can be determined depending on the type of machine tool may be set as a model list organized by machine tool model, and this model list may be associated with the machining proposal table DT1 and stored in the management data 28. Alternatively, the processing proposal table DT1 may include information on the configuration (layout, etc.) of the equipment on the production line.

[0033] First, the workpiece information 61 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the processing proposal table DT1 includes information such as product number, manufacturing instruction number, customer name, workpiece name, material, and processing overview as the workpiece information 61. In the following description, the content and items described in the search screen 31 above will be omitted as appropriate. The creation program 27 displays the workpiece information 61 together, for example, in the upper left corner of the display screen. The creation program 27 accepts editing of the workpiece information 61 and other information shown in FIGS. 5 to 7. For example, when any item in the workpiece information 61 is selected, the creation program 27 accepts editing of the information for the selected item (such as product number or manufacturing instruction number). The user can input the product number, manufacturing instruction number, etc. for the new processing proposal table.

[0034] The creation program 27 also displays a workpiece image 41 and a comment entry field 71 to the right of the workpiece information 61. The creation program 27, for example, displays the workpiece image 41 in the processing proposal table DT1 selected in FIG. 3 as the initial state image of the workpiece image 41, and accepts changes to any workpiece image 41 (such as the search target image 37) to be associated with the new processing proposal table. The creation program 27 may also display an icon 73 in the display field for the workpiece image 41, and accept the selection (e.g., upload) of the workpiece image 41 that the user wants to set in response to a selection operation of the icon 73. The comment entry field 71 is a field for inputting comments to be added to the new processing proposal table. The creation program 27 also searches this comment entry field 71 as a search target for characters entered in the keyword field of the search condition input unit 34 described above.

[0035] The creation program 27 displays processing information 63 (FIGS. 5 and 6) and a cycle time display section 66 (FIG. 7) below the workpiece information 61 and the workpiece image 41. FIG. 5 shows the left side of the processing information 63, and FIG. 6 shows the right side of the processing information 63. The creation program 27 appropriately changes the display of this information in response to operation inputs (clicking, scrolling, numeric input, etc.) by the user operating the client terminal 13.

[0036] Next, the machining information 63 will be described. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the machining information 63 has machining objective information 75, machining content information 76, machining condition information 77, and time information 78. The machining information 63 stores the machining objective information 75 and the like in association with each process for machining the workpiece. Each row in Figures 5 and 6 represents one process. Each process is associated with model information 79 and process identification information 81. In the example shown in Figures 5 and 6, the creation program 27 displays, from the left, the model information 79, process identification information 81, machining objective information 75, machining content information 76, machining condition information 77, and time information 78.

[0037] The model information 79 is information indicating the model of the machine tool, such as the model number of the machine tool. The model information 79 is not limited to the model number of the machine tool, and may be other information capable of identifying the machine tool, such as the product name. Furthermore, if a machine tool has multiple spindles, the processes for machining the workpiece can be divided by spindle rather than by model. The following explanation mainly focuses on the case where a single machine tool has only one spindle and processes are associated with the model, and the explanation of the case where processes are associated with the spindle will be omitted as appropriate. However, for example, if processes are associated with the spindle, this can be achieved by adding a "spindle" field instead of the "model" field, or by adding a field for selecting the "spindle" of the model in addition to the "model" field. In the example shown in FIG. 5 , the model information 79 of "MT1, MT2, MT3" is displayed. For example, when an icon 83 in the model information 79 column is selected, the creation program 27 displays the models registered in the management data 28 in a pull-down menu and accepts changes to the model.

[0038] The process identification information 81 identifies a process for machining a workpiece using a machine tool of the model indicated by the machine model information 79. In the example shown in FIG. 5 , the process identification information 81 is displayed as "10, 20A, 20B, 30, 40." For example, the process identification information 81 is assigned a smaller number the earlier the process (the more upstream the process). In the example shown in FIG. 5 , each data item is displayed in process order from top to bottom. Furthermore, process identification information 81 with the same number but different letters, such as "20A" and "20B," indicates that the same process (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "same process") is executed in parallel on two or more machine tools. The "same process" refers to, for example, a process in which the same machining content is executed on multiple machine tools of the same or different models, or on multiple spindles within a single machine tool. Therefore, the machining proposal table DT1 of this embodiment can be created as a single table for processes executed on machine tools of different devices.

[0039] The creation program 27 adds and deletes processes (rows) in response to a selection operation on a process icon 85 shown in the upper left of FIG. 6 . The creation program 27 displays, as the process icons 85, for example, a plus icon for adding a process, a minus icon for deleting a process, a copy icon for duplicating a process, and a search icon for searching for a process to add. For example, when a plus process icon 85 is selected with an arbitrary process (row), the creation program 27 adds a new process next to the selected process. For example, the creation program 27 assigns the added process a number next to the number indicated by the process identification information 81 of the selected process and moves down the process identification information 81 of the added process and subsequent processes. Similarly, when an arbitrary process is deleted using the minus process icon 85 or when an arbitrary process is duplicated using the copy process icon 85, the creation program 27 deletes or duplicates the process while adjusting (moving down or moving up) the process identification information 81. The search process icon 85 will be described later (see FIG. 8 ).

[0040] The machining objective information 75 includes, for example, information such as No., cutting tool No., target surface roughness, target tolerance, and roundness. The machining objective information 75 is not limited to these information, and other information capable of expressing the objective of a process, such as fit tolerance and geometric tolerance, can be used. The "No." column is a number for identifying each process, and integers such as "1, 2, 3, ..." are assigned in order of the processes. The "No." column is assigned numbers in ascending order even for the same process identification information 81. For example, in the case of a turret-type lathe, the "Cutting Tool No." column is a holder number indicating which of the multiple holders on the turret a cutting tool (such as a cutting tool or a rotary tool) is attached to. In the example shown in FIG. 5, a letter such as "T1" is assigned. The target surface roughness is the target surface roughness (surface roughness) of the surface to be machined in that process. The target tolerance is the general tolerance allowed for the machining of that process. For example, when a curved surface is machined in a process, the roundness is the target shape tolerance of the curved surface to be machined.

[0041] Here, in the past, the above-mentioned workpiece information 61 and machining information 63 were typically managed as separate information from the machining content information 76, machining condition information 77, and time information 78 described below. For example, tolerances and the like were recorded on the workpiece image 41. However, with this management method, workpiece information and machining objectives are separated from actual machining conditions and cycle times, making it difficult to search and use the information when reusing it later. Therefore, the machining proposal table DT1 disclosed herein centrally manages information indicating the machining overview, such as the workpiece information 61 and machining objective information 75, and information indicating the specific machining content, such as the machining content information 76, machining condition information 77, and time information 78. The creation program 27 then displays each piece of information for each process and accepts editing based on information entered by the user via the client terminal 13. This makes it easier to reuse the registered machining proposal table DT1.

[0042] Furthermore, when a search process icon 85 is selected with an arbitrary process selected, the creation program 27 displays a search screen 87 shown in FIG. 8 as a pop-up screen. As shown in FIG. 8, the creation program 27 displays an input field 88 for inputting each item of the machining objective information 75 and a search button 89 on the search screen 87. The creation program 27 may display a pull-down menu in the input field 88 to accept the selection of search conditions, or may accept direct input of numerical values, etc. When the search button 89 is selected with numerical values, etc. entered in the input field 88, the creation program 27 extracts processes of the machining objective information 75 that match or are similar to the search conditions accepted in the input field 88 from the machining proposal table DT1 of the management data 28. For the extracted processes, the creation program 27 displays information for each process (machine model information 79, process identification information 81, and machining information 63) as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The creation program 27 searches for processes in the processing proposal table DT1 registered in the management data 28 in the order of registration, and displays them as a list in the order of detection. The creation program 27 accepts the selection of a process to be added to the new processing proposal table from the displayed process list, adds the selected process after the process currently selected in the display data of Figures 5 and 6, and moves down the process identification information 81, etc. This makes it possible to search for a desired process based on the process purpose and easily add it to the new processing proposal table.

[0043] Furthermore, the creation program 27 can sort the processes extracted based on the machining objective information 75 in ascending order of the amount of power consumed by each process. As shown in FIG. 8 , the creation program 27 displays a selection field 97 for selecting sorting on the search screen 87. The creation program 27 displays a checkbox for selecting whether to sort based on the amount of power consumed and the words "power consumption priority" on the search screen 87. When a search is performed with this checkbox unchecked, the creation program 27 sorts and displays the processes in the order found by the search, as described above. On the other hand, when a search is performed with the checkbox checked, the creation program 27 extracts processes in the machining objective information 75 that match or are similar to the search criteria received in the input field 88, and sorts and displays the extracted processes in ascending order of the amount of power consumed by each process. This allows the user to quickly and easily find processes with the lowest power consumption among the processes for a desired machining objective and add them to the new machining proposal table.

[0044] Next, the processing content information 76 will be described. The processing content information 76 includes, for example, information on the cutting tool shape, processing content (text), and processing content (diagram). The cutting tool shape is an image showing the shape of the cutting tool used in that process. The creation program 27, for example, associates and manages the cutting tool number in the processing objective information 75 with the cutting tool shape in the processing content information 76. When either one of the icons 91 displayed in the cutting tool number or cutting tool shape column is selected and changed by selecting from a pull-down menu, the creation program 27 also changes the other information according to the change. For example, when the cutting tool number is changed from "T1" to "T2," the creation program 27 changes the cutting tool shape image from the image of "T1" to the image of "T2." Note that, to avoid cluttering the drawing, only one cutting tool shape image is illustrated in FIG. 5 . Furthermore, the "cutting tool shape" image is associated with cutting tool identification information that identifies the cutting tool in, for example, the management data 28. This cutting tool identification information is a number or the like for identifying multiple types of cutting tools that can be attached to a machine tool.

[0045] The processing content (text) is text information indicating the processing content of the process, such as the "outer diameter" for processing the outside of the workpiece along the spindle, the "inner diameter" for processing the inside of the workpiece along the spindle, and the "end face" for processing in a direction perpendicular to the spindle. The processing content (diagram) is an image showing the processing content (text) in a diagram. Therefore, the creation program 27 manages the processing content (text) and the processing content (information) in association with each other, similar to the cutting tool number and cutting tool shape described above, and changes them in conjunction with each other in response to a selection operation on the icon 92, etc. The creation program 27 does not necessarily have to execute a process for linking the cutting tool number and cutting tool shape, or the processing content (text) and (information).

[0046] Next, the machining condition information 77 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6 , the machining condition information 77 includes, for example, information on selection, reason, cutting diameter 1, cutting diameter 2, rotation speed, cutting speed, cutting depth, path, cutting length, and feed. The “Selection” column indicates whether a calculated value or an actual value is selected for that process, and includes checkboxes for selecting two values. The “Reason” column is a column for inputting the reason for the selection column. The “Cutting Diameter 1” column indicates the radial position (perpendicular to the spindle) at which machining for that process begins. In the case of “End Face,” machining is performed in a direction perpendicular to the spindle, so two pieces of information (cutting diameter 1, cutting diameter 2) representing the outer and inner radial positions are set as “Cutting Diameter” information. The “Rotation Speed” column indicates the rotation speed of the workpiece (spindle) in that process. The “Cutting Speed” column indicates, for example, the cutting speed per minute, i.e., the peripheral speed at which the cutting tool cuts the workpiece in that process. The cutting speed can be calculated, for example, by the following formula: Cutting speed (m / min) = 3.14 * cutting diameter (mm) * rotation speed (min －１) / 1000 ... (formula) The "cutting depth" column is, for example, the area where the cutting tool comes into contact with the workpiece, and is a column showing the depth (length) that the cutting tool cuts into the workpiece in one feed (pass). The "pass" column is, for example, a column showing the number of cuts (number of passes) in a direction parallel to the spindle or in a direction perpendicular to the spindle. The "cutting length" column is a column showing the total length that is removed by cutting. "Cutting length" is, for example, a value obtained by multiplying the cutting length per pass by the number of passes. The "feed" column is, for example, the distance (feed) that the cutting tool advances per rotation of the workpiece in the case of a cutting tool (chip), or the distance that the cutting tool advances per rotation of the rotary tool in the case of a rotary tool such as a drill.

[0047] Here, the machining condition information 77, such as the cutting diameter and rotational speed, may be set by calculating theoretical calculated values ​​based on the conditions of the machining objective information 75 and the machining content information 76, or by setting actual values ​​based on past machining results. This is because errors may occur between the calculated values ​​and the actual values ​​depending on the actual rigidity of the machine tool, and values ​​obtained by correcting the calculated values ​​according to the machining situation, i.e., actual values, are used. For this reason, when past results are available, users may desire to use actual values. On the other hand, if the machining conditions have been improved, such as when a cutting tool has been improved, users may want to try machining using theoretical calculated values. As described above, the machining proposal table DT1 has a selection column with a checkbox indicating whether the calculated value or the actual value was selected, and a reason column indicating the reason for the selection, in the machining condition information 77. This makes it possible to clarify whether the calculated value or the actual value was used and the reason for the selection when a past machining proposal table DT1 is later reused in a new machining proposal table.

[0048] Next, the time information 78 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6 , the time information 78 includes information on cutting time, positioning time, tool indexing time, and power consumption. The "Cutting Time" column indicates the total time spent machining the workpiece with the cutting tool in that process. The "Positioning Time" column indicates the time required to position the cutting tool, i.e., the time during which the cutting tool is not in contact with the workpiece, i.e., the time other than cutting time. Specifically, the "Positioning Time" column indicates the total of three times: the time required to move the cutting tool to the start position of the next pass after one pass is completed, multiplied by the number of passes; the time required to move the cutting tool to the index position; and the time required to move the cutting tool from the index position to the initial position for machining. The "Tool Indexing Time" column indicates the time required to index the cutting tool for that process to the index position in a turret-type tool post.

[0049] The "power consumption" column indicates the power consumption generated by the machining operation (cutting operation) in that process. Specifically, for example, in a cutting operation, it is the power consumed while the cutting tool and the workpiece are in contact and cutting (machining) the workpiece with the cutting tool, and is expressed by the following equations (1) and (2): Power consumption (kWh) = Required active power (kW) * Cutting time (h) (1) Required active power (kW) = [Cutting speed (m / min) * Feed (mm / rev) * Cutting depth (mm) * Specific cutting resistance (Kc)] / 60 * 1000 * Mechanical efficiency * Motor efficiency (2)

[0050] The cutting speed, feed, and depth of cut are values ​​set in the machining proposal table DT1 (new machining proposal table). As shown in the above formulas (1) and (2), for example, the higher the cutting speed, feed, and depth of cut, the greater the amount of power consumption. The specific cutting resistance is a value that varies depending on the material of the workpiece. The specific cutting resistance is, for example, the cutting resistance per unit area and is expressed by the following formula: Specific cutting resistance [Kc, N / mm^2] = Cutting resistance / Cutting area Cutting area = Feed [mm / rev] * Depth of cut [mm] Therefore, the above formulas (1) and (2) show that the amount of power consumption increases as the cutting resistance increases.

[0051] The mechanical efficiency is the mechanical efficiency of the machine tool that executes the process. The motor efficiency is, for example, in the case of a lathe, the motor efficiency is the motor efficiency of the drive source (such as a servo motor) of the spindle that rotates the workpiece. Note that the above formulas (1) and (2) are merely examples and may be modified as appropriate depending on the type of cutting tool and machining conditions. Furthermore, the creation program 27 may change the parameters of the above formulas (1) and (2) depending on the cutting tool and machining conditions. For example, the creation program 27 may change the specific cutting resistance (cutting resistance) depending on the material of the insert, etc. Furthermore, the power consumption may be calculated using apparent power or reactive power.

[0052] The creation program 27 accepts editing of the information shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and the cycle time display unit 66 (FIG. 7), which will be described later. When the creation program 27 accepts a change to any information, it automatically calculates and changes information related to that information. For example, the cutting length and the pass are correlated (cutting length = cutting length per pass * pass). Therefore, when one value is changed, the creation program 27 automatically calculates and changes the other value. For example, the cutting speed is the relative speed at which the cutting tool and the workpiece come into contact with each other at the cutting diameter. The cutting speed varies depending on the cutting diameter. Therefore, the creation program 27 automatically calculates and changes the cutting speed depending on the change in the cutting diameter. When performing this calculation, the creation program 27 may perform the calculation using the CAM program 17 of the client terminal 13. Specifically, when any one of the information on the processing content, cutting tool No., cutting tool, rotation speed, cutting speed, cutting depth, and feed is changed, the creation program 27 may transmit that information to the CAM program 17 and acquire and update the cutting diameter, path, cutting length, cutting time, and positioning time. Alternatively, when the creation program 27 receives an instruction to save or output the processing proposal table DT1, it may execute calculations by the CAM program 17 and update the information.

[0053] The creation program 27 also updates the power consumption values ​​for each process in accordance with the above-described automatic calculation. For example, the power information DT2 is preset with the parameters (specific cutting resistance, mechanical efficiency, motor efficiency) of the above formula (2). The power information DT2 is preset with, for example, the specific cutting resistance value for each workpiece material and a correction value for correcting the specific cutting resistance depending on the type of insert. The power information DT2 is also preset with, for example, the mechanical efficiency for each type of machine tool (model information 79) and the motor efficiency for each drive source. When any information in the new machining proposal table being created (e.g., material, model information 79, tool number, cutting speed, feed, etc.) is changed, the creation program 27 inputs the changed information and information in the power information DT2 corresponding to the changed information (e.g., specific cutting resistance) into formula (2), calculates, and updates the power consumption.

[0054] Therefore, the creation program 27 sets the processing information 63 for each process based on the information input by the user, and displays the amount of power consumption for each process based on the processing information 63. This allows the user to appropriately check the amount of power consumption for each process while creating a new processing proposal table.

[0055] Furthermore, when the machining information 63 (such as cutting speed) for a given process is changed, the creation program 27 calculates the amount of power consumption based on the changed machining information 63 and updates the display of the amount of power consumption for that process with the calculated amount of power consumption. This allows the user to check the amount of power consumption simply by inputting a desired value as the machining information 63. For example, when the user is unsure which of several types of material to use or which cutting tool (such as a tip) to use, the user can determine the material and tool type by checking the increase or decrease in power consumption. In other words, when there are several options for the machining conditions for each process that make it difficult to decide on the final machining conditions, the user can determine the machining conditions by focusing on the amount of power consumption.

[0056] Furthermore, when at least one of the information items among the cutting speed, feed, and cutting depth is changed, the creation program 27 calculates the amount of power consumption and updates the display. This makes it possible to change the above three parameters within an allowable range and examine the amount of power consumption, for example, to determine which consumes less power: increasing the number of passes and decreasing the cutting depth, or decreasing the number of passes and increasing the cutting depth.

[0057] The creation program 27 may not necessarily perform the automatic calculation and update of the related information. Even if any information in the new processing proposal table is changed, the creation program 27 may not necessarily update other related information. For example, the user may perform the calculation of the power consumption. The creation program 27 may then accept edits to the power consumption column for each process. The creation program 27 may, for example, display an update button on the screen of FIG. 6 and perform the automatic calculation described above each time the update button is operated. That is, under normal circumstances, the automatic calculation may not be performed even when the user performs an edit, but may be performed only when the update button is operated. The creation program 27 may also perform the automatic calculation only for the process selected by operating the update button.

[0058] Furthermore, if the power consumption amount increases as a result of calculating the power consumption amount based on the changed information, the creation program 27 executes a confirmation display. FIG. 9 shows the state in which the confirmation screen 101 is displayed on the screen of FIG. 6 . The example shown in FIG. 9 shows, for example, a case in which the cutting diameter 1 of the fourth process from the top, "30," is changed from "49 mm" to "50 mm," and the cutting speed and cutting time are changed, resulting in an increase in power consumption. As shown in FIG. 9 , the creation program 27 highlights the power consumption item of the fourth process, for which a change has been made, in red, for example (see the hatching in FIG. 9 ). This allows the user to recognize that the power consumption amount has increased as a result of the change they made.

[0059] The creation program 27 also displays a confirmation screen 101, which displays a message indicating that power consumption has increased, superimposed on the display screen of FIG. 6 . The creation program 27 displays the number of the increased process (process “30” in FIG. 9 ) and the increase in power consumption (0.1 kWh in FIG. 9 ) as a message. The creation program 27 also displays a YES button 102 and a NO button 103 on the confirmation screen 101. When the YES button 102 is selected, the creation program 27 reflects the changes, closes the confirmation screen 101, and ends the highlighting. When the NO button 103 is selected, the creation program 27 restores the values ​​changed by the user (in this case, the cutting diameter 1, the rotation speed, etc.), closes the confirmation screen 101, and ends the highlighting. This allows the user to confirm the message on the confirmation screen 101, check the process number and the increase in power consumption, and then decide whether to reflect the changes. This can raise the user's awareness of reducing power consumption. Furthermore, if the power consumption amount is calculated based on the information changed by the user and the result shows that the power consumption amount has not increased, the creation program 27 does not execute the above-mentioned highlighting. Note that the above-mentioned highlighting process is an example. For example, the creation program 27 may execute the highlighting only when the power consumption amount has decreased. Furthermore, the creation program 27 may not execute the above-mentioned highlighting regardless of fluctuations in the power consumption amount. Furthermore, the creation program 27 may execute only the process of highlighting the power consumption amount item in red, for example, without displaying the confirmation screen 101. In this case, the creation program 27 may maintain the highlighting until a predetermined condition is met, for example, until the next new edit is made.

[0060] 6, the creation program 27 displays a save button 93 and a create button 95 above the time information 78. When the save button 93 is selected, the creation program 27 stores the displayed information (workpiece information 61, processing information 63, model information 79, process identification information 81, and cycle time display section 66) in the management data 28 as a new processing proposal table DT1 (new processing proposal table). At this time, the creation program 27 may assign identification information for identifying the processing proposal table DT1 and the creation date and time to the new processing proposal table. When the save button 93 is selected (e.g., clicked) two or more times, the creation program 27 may receive an instruction as to whether to overwrite and save as a new processing proposal table DT1.

[0061] Furthermore, when the Create button 95 is selected, the creation program 27 outputs the displayed information (e.g., workpiece information 61) in a predetermined format. The predetermined format here can be any format desired by the user (e.g., a processing proposal table format or a report format). The creation program 27 does not need to output all of the displayed information (e.g., workpiece information 61); it may process and output the information. For example, the creation program 27 outputs information and, upon receiving a user instruction such as printing, terminates the process of creating a new processing proposal table. Furthermore, when the back button of the web browser is selected, for example, the creation program 27 redisplays the search result screen 39 for selecting the processing proposal table DT1 shown in FIG. 3 . Note that the creation program 27 may confirm whether to save the new processing proposal table if the Create button 95 is selected without selecting the Save button 93.

[0062] Next, the cycle time display unit 66 will be described. In the following description of the cycle time display unit 66, the same information (e.g., process, model) as that shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 will be omitted as appropriate. As shown in FIG. 7 , the creation program 27 displays, for each process (each column), from top to bottom in the cycle time display unit 66, for example, the bottleneck process, process, model, total time, total process power consumption, number of machines, cycle time, power consumption, and each time included in the cycle time (e.g., cutting time, idle time, etc.). The creation program 27 displays the cycle time display unit 66 of FIG. 7 below the information shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 . The information in the cycle time display unit 66 is stored in association with the machining proposal table DT1.

[0063] The creation program 27 displays a mark (circle, etc.) in the "Bottleneck Process" row to indicate the process with the longest cycle time among all processes. The creation program 27 also displays the cycle time (total time of cutting time, idle time, etc.) for each machine tool in each process in the "Total Time" row. The creation program 27 also displays the total power consumption for each process (if it is the same process) in the "Total Process Power Consumption" row. The creation program 27 also displays the number of identical processes in the "Number of Machines" row. As shown in FIG. 7 , the creation program 27 sets the number of machine tools for processes "20A" and "20B" to "2" and the number of machine tools for other processes to "1." The greater the number of machine tools, the shorter the cycle time of that process, but the greater the power consumption. The definition of the number of machine tools is not limited to the number of identical processes described above. For example, the definition of the number of machine tools may be limited to processes of the same model and content, i.e., the same model.

[0064] When a given process is performed by a single machine tool, the total time is the cycle time of that single machine tool. Furthermore, when the same process is performed by multiple machine tools, the total time is the cycle time for each of the multiple machine tools. In the example shown in FIG. 7 , the total time (55 seconds) for processes "20A" and "20B" is the cycle time for each of the two "MT2" models. The creation program 27 displays the value obtained by dividing the "total time" by the "number of processing units" in the "cycle time" row. For each process in the new machining proposal table, the creation program 27 obtains the number of identical processes as the number of processing units, divides the cycle time for each process (the total time in FIG. 7 ) by the number of processing units, and displays the result in the cycle time row. This allows the effective cycle time to be displayed when the same process is performed by multiple machine tools or spindles, in order to shorten the machining time per workpiece. Specifically, in the example shown in Figure 7, the total time (cycle time) for each of processes "20A" and "20B" is 55 seconds, but by executing the same process on two machine tools (MT2), the effective cycle time of the process is halved (27.5 seconds).Then, in the display of the bottleneck process rows, the creation program 27 marks process "30," which has the longest cycle time (40 seconds), as a bottleneck process with a circle.This allows the user to more accurately understand and respond to bottleneck processes.

[0065] Furthermore, when a given process is performed by one machine tool, the total process energy consumption is the energy consumed by the process performed by that one machine tool. When the same process is performed by multiple machine tools, the total process energy consumption is the total energy consumption of each machine tool. In the example shown in Figure 7, the total process energy consumption (4.6 kWh) of processes "20A" and "20B" is the total energy consumption of two machines of model "MT2". The creation program 27 displays the total value of the "energy consumption" of the same process in the "total process energy consumption" row.

[0066] The creation program 27 displays the power consumption of each process in the power consumption row. The creation program 27 then displays the cycle time and power consumption for each process side by side in the vertical direction. This allows the cycle time and power consumption for each process to be displayed in association with each other, making it easy to check the relationship between the two pieces of information.

[0067] The creation program 27 also displays a total cycle time, which is the sum of the cycle times (effective cycle times) for each process, and a total power consumption, which is the sum of the total power consumption for each process, side by side in the lower part of the cycle time display section 66. This allows the user to compare the cycle time required to machine one workpiece with the total power consumption consumed in that machining. The creation program 27 may execute either the process of displaying the cycle time and power consumption for each process side by side or the process of displaying the total cycle time and total power consumption side by side, or it may execute both processes. The cycle time (total cycles) and power consumption (total power consumption) may be displayed in a different direction, such as horizontally, rather than vertically. The cycle time (total cycles) and power consumption (total power consumption) may also be displayed separately, rather than side by side. The creation program 27 also changes the information in Figures 5 and 6 in conjunction with the information in Figure 7. For example, when a process is added or deleted in the information shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the creation program 27 changes the information in the cycle time display section 66 accordingly.

[0068] As described above (see FIG. 4), the creation program 27 displays and accepts selection of the acquired processing proposal tables DT1 in order of least total power consumption on the search result screen 39. This allows the user to select a processing proposal table DT1 based on power consumption when the user is having trouble selecting one.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 7 , the creation program 27 displays each time period included in the cycle time for each process below the row for the power consumption amount. The total of each time period included in this cycle time is the cycle time. In this embodiment, the cycle time is the total of, for example, the cutting time, idle time, spindle chucking, workpiece loading / unloading, door opening / closing, spindle braking, ORS, and cleaning. Detailed descriptions of each time period are omitted. "Idle" refers to the total of the positioning time and the tool indexing time. "Spindle chucking" refers to the operation time for chucking the workpiece with the spindle. "Workpiece loading / unloading" refers to the operation time for releasing the chuck. "Door opening / closing" refers to the opening / closing time of the machine tool door when opening or closing it to start or finish machining. "Spindle braking" refers to the time required to stop the spindle. "ORS" refers to the orientation, which refers to the time required to rotate the spindle from stopping to the specified rotation position. "Cleaning" refers to the time required to clean the spindle backing and other components with cutting oil or air after transferring the workpiece from the spindle to the loader.

[0070] The processing proposal table creation device 11 is an example of a computer in the present disclosure. The CPU 21 is an example of a processing unit. The network IF 24 is an example of an input unit in the present disclosure.

[0071] As described above, the present embodiment provides the following advantages. The creation program 27 (creation device 11), which is one aspect of the present embodiment, displays the amount of power consumed by machining operations for each process when creating a new machining proposal table. However, because workpiece materials and cutting tool shapes and materials vary widely, it is difficult to uniformly select and determine them. Machining conditions may be set based on values ​​recommended by the tool manufacturer or past experience. Furthermore, machining conditions are set while taking into account the required machining accuracy, machining time (cycle time), and tool load (tool life). Therefore, in the past, it was difficult to consider power consumption during the creation of a new machining proposal table. In contrast, the creation program 27 displays the amount of power consumption for machining operations based on the new machining proposal table being created. This allows the user to create a new machining proposal table while considering the above factors and taking the displayed power consumption into account. Furthermore, creators and users of the new machining proposal table can be made aware of the need to reduce power consumption in machine tools during the creation of the new machining proposal table, i.e., before the workpiece is machined. This is extremely effective from the perspective of protecting the global environment.

[0072] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various improvements and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, in the above-described embodiments, both the power consumption for each process and the total power consumption for all processes are displayed. However, only one of these may be displayed. When only the total power consumption is displayed, the total power consumption is an example of the power consumption displayed in the creation process of the present disclosure. The processing content of the creation program 27 described above is merely an example. For example, the creation program 27 automatically updates the power consumption based on changes to the machining information 63. However, this is not limited to this. The creation program 27 may display an update button and calculate and update the power consumption based on a selection operation of the update button. In addition, in the above-described embodiments, the power consumption related to machining is calculated and displayed. However, other power consumption may also be calculated and displayed. For example, the power consumption related to the machine tool, such as workpiece loading / unloading, idling, the brake mechanism, and the hydraulic pump, may be calculated and displayed.

[0073] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the machining proposal table DT1 was described using multiple types of machine tools, but the creation program 27 may also create a machining proposal table DT1 using one type of machine tool. The information stored as the machining proposal table DT1 in the above embodiment is merely an example, and the item names, number, and types of information to be stored may be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, when creating a new machining proposal table, the selected machining proposal table DT1 was supplemented by reusing all of the selected machining proposal table DT1, but selections may also be accepted and supplemented for each process. Therefore, the supplementation method may be changed as appropriate.

[0074] The scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the dependent relationships set forth in the claims. For example, this specification also discloses a technical idea in claim 5 where "the processing proposal table creation device according to claim 3" is changed to "the processing proposal table creation device according to claim 3 or claim 4." It also discloses a technical idea in claim 6 where "the processing proposal table creation device according to claim 1 or claim 2" is changed to "the processing proposal table creation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5." It also discloses a technical idea in claim 7 where "the processing proposal table creation device according to claim 1 or claim 2" is changed to "the processing proposal table creation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6." It also discloses a technical idea in claim 8 where "the processing proposal table creation device according to claim 1 or claim 2" is changed to "the processing proposal table creation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7."

[0075] 11 Processing proposal table creation device (computer), 21 CPU (processing unit), 22 storage device, 24 network IF (input unit), 27 processing proposal table creation program, 63 processing information, 75 processing purpose information, DT1 processing proposal table.

Claims

1. A processing proposal table creation device that creates a new processing proposal table using a processing proposal table stored in a storage device, comprising: an input unit; and a processing unit that processes information input from the input unit, wherein the processing unit executes the following steps: a reception process that accepts via the input unit a selection of any one of a plurality of processing proposal tables stored in the storage device; and a creation process that supplements information necessary for creating a new processing proposal table for processing a new work based on the processing proposal table selected by the reception process, creates the new processing proposal table based on the information input via the input unit, and displays the amount of power consumption generated by the processing operation in creating the new processing proposal table.

2. The processing proposal table creation device of claim 1, wherein the new processing proposal table is capable of setting processing information regarding the processing of the new work for each process, and the processing unit, in the creation process, sets the processing information for each process based on information input via the input unit, and displays the amount of power consumption based on the processing information for each process.

3. The processing unit of the processing device of claim 2, wherein, when the processing information is changed for any one of the multiple processes included in the new processing proposal table during the creation process, the processing unit calculates the amount of power consumption based on the changed processing information and updates the display of the amount of power consumption for the process with the calculated amount of power consumption.

4. The processing unit of the processing device for creating a processing proposal table as described in claim 3 performs different displays depending on whether the power consumption amount increases or decreases as a result of calculating the power consumption amount based on the changed processing information.

5. A processing proposal table creation device as described in claim 3, wherein the processing information includes information on the cutting speed, feed, and cutting depth in the process, and the processing unit calculates the power consumption and updates the display when at least one of the cutting speed, feed, and cutting depth is changed in the creation process.

6. The processing unit executes at least one of the following processes: a process of displaying the cycle time and the power consumption for each process included in the new processing proposal table side by side; and a process of displaying a total cycle time obtained by adding up the cycle times for each process and a total power consumption amount obtained by adding up the power consumption for each process side by side.The processing unit of the processing proposal table creation device described in claim 1 or claim 2.

7. A processing proposal table creation device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the processing unit, in the reception process, receives information relating to the new work via the input unit, acquires from the storage device a plurality of processing proposal tables that are related to the received information relating to the new work, and displays the acquired plurality of processing proposal tables in order of the least total power consumption obtained by adding up the power consumption amounts of each process included in the processing proposal tables, and accepts selection.

8. A processing proposal table creation device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: in the processing proposal table, processing purpose information indicating a processing purpose, which is the purpose of the processing content for the new work, is set for each process; and the processing unit, in the creation process, receives information indicating the processing purpose via the input unit as information for extracting the processes to be added to the new processing proposal table, extracts the processes of the processing purpose indicated by the received information from the storage device, and receives via the input unit a selection of the processes to be added to the new processing proposal table from among the extracted processes; and receives via the input unit a selection of whether to display the extracted multiple processes in order of the least amount of power consumption of the processes.

9. A processing proposal table creation program that causes a computer to execute a process of creating a new processing proposal table using a processing proposal table stored in a storage device, the computer having an input unit, and causing the computer to execute the following processes: a reception process of accepting, via the input unit, a selection of any one of a plurality of processing proposal tables stored in the storage device; and a creation process of supplementing information necessary for creating a new processing proposal table for processing a new work based on the processing proposal table selected by the reception process, creating the new processing proposal table based on the information input via the input unit, and displaying the amount of power consumption generated by the processing operation in creating the new processing proposal table.

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