Tool Holder Transport Priority for Unusable Tool Removal
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tool transport systems face inefficiencies in managing tool holders within machine tools, as they often store both usable and unusable tools, leading to wasted space and inefficient tool management, as they do not prioritize the collection of unusable tool holders.
Innovation Solution
A tool transport system that includes a controller to prioritize the removal of tool holders based on their state, with unusable tool holders being removed first, followed by vacant holders, and then holders with tools not in use, and utilizing a transport device to move these holders between machine tools, storage units, and work stations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If tool holders are stored in the machine tool without priority-based collection, then the storage space is occupied by unusable tool holders, but the system lacks the capability to efficiently manage and retrieve usable tools
Solution Approach 1:
The controller executes a specifying process to identify unusable tool holders before they occupy valuable storage space. By detecting and flagging unusable tool holders in advance, the system prepares for their removal, ensuring that storage space is optimized before the contradiction fully manifests
Solution Approach 2:
The transport device extracts unusable tool holders from the machine tool's storage space and removes them to the tool storage unit. This extraction process directly resolves the space occupation issue by separating unusable tool holders from the active storage area, thereby improving both productivity and space utilization
2Productivity
If the transport device carries out unusable tool holders at higher priority, then storage space is optimized faster, but the control system becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The controller divides the tool holder management process into distinct segments: a specifying process that identifies unusable tool holders, a priority determination process that ranks them for removal, and a transport control process that executes the removal. This segmentation makes the complex control logic more manageable and implementable
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the priority parameter of unusable tool holders to a higher value, enabling the transport device to automatically prioritize their removal. By modifying this single parameter, the complex task of optimizing storage space is simplified into a straightforward priority-based selection process
3Ease of operation
If tools with shorter residual service life are used first, then tool availability is improved, but the tool management system requires more sophisticated tracking and control
Solution Approach 1:
The controller implements a feedback mechanism that continuously monitors the residual service life of tools and automatically adjusts the selection of tool holders for carriage into the machine tool. This feedback loop ensures that tools with shorter residual service life are prioritized, improving tool availability while the automated nature of the feedback reduces the perceived complexity for the operator
Solution Approach 2:
The tool management system performs self-service by automatically tracking tool life and making decisions about which tool holders to transport. The system serves itself by managing its own tool inventory without requiring manual intervention, thereby improving tool availability while the automation handles the complexity internally
Data Source
AI summary
A tool transport system includes a machine tool, a tool storage unit that stores a plurality of tool holders, a work station, a transport device (300) that transports a designated tool holder to a designated transport destination, and a controller that controls the tool transport system. On the basis of receiving a collection instruction for tool holder, the controller executes a process of specifying a tool holder holding a tool in an unusable state among tool holders in the machine tool, a process of controlling the transport device so as to carry the tool holder out of the machine tool at a higher priority than other tool holders in the machine tool, and a process of controlling the transport device so as to transport the carried-out tool holder to the tool storage unit or the work station.