Shuttered Machine Tool Access for Continuous Workpiece Exchange
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional machining centers require stopping the apparatus to access the workpiece for processing preparation, leading to decreased operating rates and increased total processing time due to the need to isolate the processing chamber from the surroundings to prevent coolant scattering.
Innovation Solution
A machine tool design with a processing chamber surrounded by cover walls and movable shutter doors that allow access without stopping the apparatus, where parts of the equerre project outside the opening to ensure sealing when the shutter doors are closed, enabling continuous operation by allowing workpiece exchange and processing without interrupting the machining process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the shutter door is closed to isolate the processing chamber and prevent coolant scattering, then coolant containment is improved, but apparatus access for workpiece preparation becomes difficult requiring stoppage
Solution Approach 1:
The equerre is divided into two distinct parts: a first part located inside the processing chamber and a second part extending outside through the opening. This segmentation allows the shutter door to seal against only the first part while the second part remains accessible from outside, enabling coolant containment without preventing apparatus access for workpiece preparation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the apparatus is stopped for workpiece preparation access, then proper sealing and coolant containment is achieved, but operating rate decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The equerre structure is designed in advance with a portion extending outside the processing chamber through the opening. This preliminary design enables workpiece preparation to be performed on the external part of the equerre while the shutter door remains closed and the apparatus operates, eliminating the need to stop the apparatus for preparation activities.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the equerre is completely inside the processing chamber for proper sealing, then coolant containment is improved, but workpiece access for preparation becomes impossible without opening the shutter door
Solution Approach 1:
The equerre is segmented into an internal part for sealing and an external part for access. The first part is positioned inside the processing chamber where the shutter door seals against it, preventing coolant leakage. The second part extends outside the chamber through the opening, allowing operators to access and prepare workpieces without opening the shutter door, thus eliminating downtime for preparation activities.
Data Source
AI summary
According to the present invention, the operating rate of a machine tool can be increased. Solution is made by a machine tool including a processing chamber surrounded by cover walls to perform processing of a workpiece to be processed, an equerre a part of which is arranged inside the processing chamber, the equerre fixing the workpiece, an opening arranged at a part of the cover walls for access to an inside of the processing chamber, and shutter doors movable between open positions where opening of the opening is performed so that the inside of the processing chamber communicates with an outside of the processing chamber, and closed positions where closing of the opening is performed so that the inside of the processing chamber is isolated from the outside of the processing chamber.