Swinging Workpiece Container for Machine Tool Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional workpiece discharge devices for machine tools are complex, costly, and have insufficient holding force, making it difficult to discharge large or heavy workpieces efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A workpiece discharge device with a container mounted on a turret that swings around a parallel axis, featuring a movable chute and a switching mechanism to switch between swinging and fixed states, allowing for vertical reception and discharge of workpieces through a chute, simplifying the structure and operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the container is supported by a ball stopper in each of the receiving position and the discharge position, then the holding force is insufficient, but it is concerned that when the workpiece is large in size or heavy in weight, it may be difficult to receive and discharge the workpiece
Solution Approach 1:
The container is designed to swing between a horizontal position (parallel to the revolving axis) for receiving workpieces and a tilted position for discharging workpieces. This dynamic positioning allows the container to adapt its orientation based on the operational phase, providing stable support during reception and efficient discharge during ejection, thereby resolving the contradiction between holding force and ease of operation.
2Productivity
If the workpiece is discharged by revolving the turret and moving the turret in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction, then the structure and these operations easily become complicated, but it has a problem of an increase in cost
Solution Approach 1:
The workpiece discharge function is extracted from the main turret body and assigned to a dedicated container that swings independently. This separation allows the turret to maintain its primary indexing function while the container handles the discharge operation through simple swinging motion, eliminating the need for complex multi-axis turret movements and reducing overall system complexity and cost.
3Reliability
If the receiving port is arranged to direct vertically upward in a predetermined indexing angle range, then the workpiece can be received reliably, but the container structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving port's vertical upward orientation is achieved dynamically through the container's swinging motion rather than through a complex fixed structure. The container swings to position the receiving port vertically upward during workpiece reception, then tilts for discharge. This dynamic approach maintains reliable workpiece reception while keeping the container structure relatively simple.
Data Source
AI summary
A workpiece discharge device for a machine tool is provided with a container, which is mounted on a turret and receives a workpiece held by a spindle from a receiving port, and a storage box, which stores the workpiece inside the container by using a revolution of the turret and passing through a chute. The container is mounted on the turret and is capable of swinging around a swinging shaft which is parallel to a revolving axis of the turret, and the receiving port is arranged to direct vertically upward in a predetermined indexing angle range of the container when the workpiece is received.