JP7564045B2 - Tip covers and machine tools - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an openable/closable tip cover that is installed on a cross-rail lifting machine tool and a machine tool equipped with the same.

Among machine tools, gantry machining centers and gantry turning centers support the spindle head with a gantry structure having a pair of columns and a horizontal cross rail. Some machine tools with a gantry structure are of the cross rail lift type, in which the cross rail can be raised and lowered along the columns.
In some machine tools, an openable/closable chip cover is provided around a workpiece table on which a workpiece is placed. In the chip cover of a cross-rail lifting machine tool, a notch is formed at the intersection with the cross rail to avoid interference with the cross rail. A movable auxiliary cover is provided in the notch to prevent leakage of chips and coolant when the cross rail is separated. As the auxiliary cover, a lifting cover that moves up and down following the cross rail is used (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

In the automatic tool changer protective cover of Patent Document 1, a small cover is provided in a cutout in the protective cover, and a drive device such as an air cylinder is provided to raise and lower the small cover. In addition, multiple limit switches and a control device are provided to detect the height position of the cross rail, and the drive device is electrically controlled according to the height of the cross rail to make the small cover follow the cross rail.

In the machine tool cover structure of Patent Document 2, a lift-up cover is provided in a notch in the protective cover, and a locking mechanism is provided to lock the lift-up cover to the cross rail, allowing the lift-up cover to mechanically follow the cross rail. In the structure of Patent Document 2, when the protective cover is opened (when the protective cover moves in a direction away from the cross rail), the locking mechanism is released, and instead the lift-up cover is held in its current position by a fall prevention mechanism.

JP 2002-103175 A JP 2010-167545 A

In the case of Patent Document 1, opening and closing the small cover requires a drive device such as an air cylinder, multiple limit switches, a control device, and electrical wiring between these, which inevitably makes the device complicated.
In Patent Document 2, the drive of the lift-up cover relies on a cross rail, which allows for a simpler structure than electrical control. However, a fall prevention mechanism is required to hold the lift-up cover in its current position when the protective cover is opened, and there has been a demand for a further simplification of the structure.

The object of the present invention is to provide a tip cover and a machine tool that can further simplify the structure of a lifting cover that rises and falls following the cross rail.

The chip cover of the present invention is installed on a machine tool having a workpiece table on which a workpiece is placed, a cross rail that can be raised and lowered above the workpiece table, and a spindle head supported by the cross rail, and has an opening/closing cover that intersects with the cross rail and can move in a horizontal opening/closing direction, a notch formed at the intersection of the opening/closing cover with the cross rail, a lifting cover that can be raised and lowered along the notch and can close the notch, and a connecting mechanism that raises and lowers the lifting cover following the cross rail, and the connecting mechanism has a cover side connecting member installed on the lifting cover and a cross rail side connecting member installed on the cross rail, and the cover side connecting member and the cross rail side connecting member are connected to be movable relative to each other in the opening/closing direction.

In the present invention, a tool is attached to the spindle supported by the cross rail and the spindle head, and the tool is moved relative to the workpiece placed on the work table to perform the desired cutting or drilling. During this process, chips and coolant that fly off from the workpiece and tool can be prevented from scattering to the surroundings by the chip cover.
In the tip cover, tools or attachments can be replaced by opening and closing the open-close cover. At this time, a notch formed in the open-close cover prevents interference between the open-close cover and the cross rail. This notch is covered by the lift-up cover, which moves up and down following the cross rail, so chips and coolant do not spill out of the tip cover through the notch even when the cross rail is raised.

In the present invention, a connecting mechanism is used to move the lift-up cover up and down in accordance with the cross rail. In the connecting mechanism, the cover-side connecting member and the cross rail-side connecting member are movable relative to each other in the opening and closing direction of the open-close cover. Therefore, the open-close cover can be opened and closed while the lift-up cover follows the cross rail.
In this way, in the present invention, the mechanical connecting mechanism allows the lift-up cover to follow the cross rail, eliminating the need for the electrical control means of Patent Document 1, and because the cross rail and the lift-up cover are constantly connected by the connecting mechanism, there is no need to add a fall prevention mechanism as in Patent Document 2. The connecting mechanism only needs to connect a cover-side connecting member installed on the lift-up cover and a cross rail-side connecting member installed on the cross rail so that they can move relative to each other, and can be configured very simply, for example by using a simple guide rail or the like.

In the chip cover of the present invention, it is preferable that the cross rail side connecting member is a guide rail fixed to the cross rail and extending in the opening and closing direction, and the cover side connecting member is a slider fixed to the lifting cover and movably engaged with the guide rail.
In the present invention, the connecting mechanism can be configured with a simple structure.
In addition, as the connecting mechanism of the present invention, the cover side connecting member may be a guide rail fixed to the lift-up cover and extending in the opening and closing direction, and the cross rail side connecting member may be a slider fixed to the cross rail and movably engaged with the guide rail.

In the chip cover of the present invention, the slider is preferably a bracket extending in a direction along the cross rail.
In the present invention, by using a bracket as a slider, a connecting structure can be ensured even if the guide rail and the lift cover are separated in the direction along the cross rail, and the guide rail can be installed closer to the column to avoid interference with the spindle head, thereby increasing the freedom of installation of the guide rail.

In the chip cover of the present invention, it is preferable that the lift-up cover has a plurality of plate-shaped members, the cover side connecting member is fixed to the topmost plate-shaped member, the bottommost plate-shaped member is capable of engaging with the opening/closing cover, and the plate-shaped members other than the topmost and bottommost plate-shaped members are capable of engaging with the upper end portions of the plate-shaped members in the lower tier.
In the present invention, the overall height can be changed by increasing or decreasing the overlapping area of the multiple plate-like members. That is, by making the multiple plate-like members overlap for the most part, the overall height of the lift-up cover can be reduced. Meanwhile, by lifting the topmost plate-like member, the intermediate plate-like members are successively lifted, and the overall height up to the bottommost plate-like member can be greatly increased. This allows the cross rail to be compact when lowered, but have a large area when raised, and can also be used for large-area cutouts.

In the tip cover of the present invention, it is preferable that the lift-up cover is provided with an auxiliary frame that is vertically extendable and contractible along the plurality of plate-like members.
In the present invention, even if the lift cover is made up of multiple plate-shaped members, the auxiliary frame can support the lift cover from falling in the intersecting direction. Also, by making the auxiliary frame expandable and contractible, it is possible to prevent the auxiliary frame from protruding into the cutout and interfering with the cross rail.
The vertically expandable auxiliary frame may be a so-called lazy tongue mechanism (a pantograph mechanism in which multiple links are connected in a zigzag pattern so as to be freely rotatable) or a telescopic structure (a structure in which cylindrical members with gradually differing diameters are connected in a nested manner in sequence), as long as the desired bending rigidity is secured in the extended state. A pair or three or more auxiliary frames may be provided in parallel on one lift-up cover.

In the tip cover of the present invention, it is preferable that the lift-up cover has a visor formed along an upper edge thereof.
In this aspect of the invention, the connecting mechanism can be covered from above with a canopy, which is suitable for maintaining the performance of the sliding portion between the cover side connecting member and the cross rail side connecting member.

In the chip cover of the present invention, it is preferable that the chip cover has a front cover installed on the front side of the object table, and a side cover installed on the side side of the object table and extending in a direction intersecting the cross rail, and that the opening/closing cover is installed so as to be movably along the side cover.
In the present invention, the front cover covers the front side of the load table, and the side covers cover both sides of the load table. The openable covers installed on the side covers can be raised and lowered following the cross rail. The side covers can be provided on both sides of the load table to surround it, and an openable cover can be provided on at least one of the side covers. The side on which the openable cover is provided can be the side on which an automatic changer for tools and attachments related to the spindle is installed.

The machine tool of the present invention is a machine tool having a work table on which a workpiece is placed, a cross rail that can be raised and lowered above the work table, and a spindle head supported by the cross rail, and is provided with a tip cover having an opening/closing cover that intersects with the cross rail and is movable in a horizontal opening and closing direction, a notch formed at the intersection of the opening/closing cover with the cross rail, a lift-up cover that can be raised and lowered along the notch and can close the notch, and a connecting mechanism for raising and lowering the lift-up cover in accordance with the cross rail, wherein the connecting mechanism has a cover side connecting member installed on the lift-up cover, and a cross rail side connecting member installed on the cross rail, and the cover side connecting member and the cross rail side connecting member are connected to each other so as to be freely movable relative to each other in the opening and closing direction.
In the present invention, the effects as described above with respect to the tip cover of the present invention can be obtained.

The present invention provides a tip cover and machine tool that can further simplify the structure of the lifting cover that rises and falls following the cross rail.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which the opening/closing cover of the embodiment of the present invention is open. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the opening and closing cover of the embodiment is open. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the opening and closing cover of the embodiment is closed. 4A and 4B are a side view and a front view showing the extended state of the lift-up cover of the embodiment. 4A and 4B are a side view and a front view showing an intermediate state of the lift-up cover of the embodiment. 4A and 4B are a side view and a front view showing a contracted state of the lift-up cover of the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a side view showing the embodiment with the opening/closing cover closed and the cross rail lowered. FIG. 11 is a side view showing the embodiment with the opening and closing cover open and the cross rail lowered. 13A and 13B are a side view and a front view showing an extended state of a lift-up cover according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2, a cross rail lift type machine tool 1 according to the present invention has a load table 3 on the upper surface of a bed 2 fixed on a foundation. A drive mechanism (not shown) is installed inside the bed 2, and is capable of moving the load table 3 in the X-axis direction along rails 31 formed on the upper surface of the bed 2.

A gate-shaped structure consisting of a pair of columns 4 and cross rails 5 is formed across the bed 2, and a spindle head 7 is supported on the cross rail 5 via a saddle 6. A drive mechanism (not shown) is installed inside the column 4, and the cross rail 5 can be raised and lowered in the Z-axis direction while remaining horizontal. A drive mechanism (not shown) is installed inside the cross rail 5, and the spindle head 7 can be moved in the Y-axis direction.

The spindle 8 is supported facing downwards on the spindle head 7, and a tool 9 is attached to the spindle 8 depending on the processing content, such as cutting. A main motor and an extendable quill (not shown) are installed inside the spindle head 7, and the spindle 8 and tool 9 can be advanced toward the workpiece table 3 to cut the workpiece placed on the workpiece table 3.

A tool magazine 51, an automatic tool changer 52, an attachment magazine 53, and an automatic attachment changer 54 are installed on the side of the bed 2.
The tool magazine 51 stores a variety of tools 9 that can be attached to the spindle 8 .
The automatic tool changer 52 takes out an arbitrary tool 9 from the tool magazine 51 , transports it to the spindle 8 , performs a tool exchange operation on the spindle 8 , and transports the removed tool 9 back to the tool magazine 51 .
The attachment magazine 53 stores a variety of attachments (not shown) that can be attached to the spindle 8 .
The automatic attachment changer 54 removes an attachment mounted on the spindle head 7, transports the removed attachment to the attachment magazine 53 and returns it to the attachment magazine 53, and also takes out an arbitrary attachment from the attachment magazine 53, transports it to the spindle head 7, and mounts the attachment on the spindle head 7.

The machine tool 1 has an openable and closable tip cover 10 according to the present invention.
The chip cover 10 is composed of a panel of a predetermined height that surrounds the bed 2, and is capable of preventing leakage of chips and coolant that occur when a workpiece on the loading table 3 is machined.
The tip cover 10 has a front cover 11 on the front side that can be opened and closed, and has a side cover 12 and an openable cover 13 on the side on which the attachment magazine 53 and the like are installed.
The front cover 11 is disposed opposite the cross rail 5 with the load table 3 in between, and extends parallel to the cross rail 5 (in the Y-axis direction). The front cover 11 is supported by a guide rail (not shown) installed on the bed 2, and can be opened and closed by moving in the Y-axis direction.
The side cover 12 extends from one end of the front cover 11 in a direction intersecting the cross rail 5 (the X-axis direction which is the opening and closing direction). A predetermined distance necessary for the transport operations of the automatic tool changer 52 and the automatic attachment changer 54 described above is provided between the end of the side cover 12 on the cross rail 5 side and the column 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, an opening/closing cover 13 is provided on the outside of the side cover 12 and is movable in the X-axis direction along the surface of the side cover 12.
The opening/closing cover 13 is supported by a guide rail (not shown) installed on the side cover 12 and is connected to a drive cylinder 121 installed on the side cover 12, and is capable of opening and closing the space between the side cover 12 and the column 4. That is, the space can be opened and closed by moving from a state in which the space between the side cover 12 and the column 4 is open (the state in FIG. 2) to a state in which the space between the side cover 12 and the column 4 is closed by the opening/closing cover 13 (the state in FIG. 3).

The opening/closing cover 13 has a notch 131 formed on the side facing the cross rail 5, and the lift-up cover 14 is installed in the notch 131.
The lift-up cover 14 is expandable and contractable in the vertical direction, with its lower end engaged with the lower edge of the notch 131 and its upper end movable up and down along the side edge of the notch 131. A guide frame 132 is formed on the side edge of the notch 131 to guide the lift-up and lowering of the middle to upper part of the lift-up cover 14. A frame member 133 capable of engaging the lower end of the lift-up cover 14 is fixed to the lower edge of the notch 131.

The upper end of the lift-up cover 14 is suspended and supported by a hanger rail 15 .
The hanger rail 15 is an elongated member extending in the X-axis direction (opening/closing direction), and has a base end fixed to the underside of the cross rail 5. The lift-up cover 14 is supported relative to the hanger rail 15 so as to be freely movable in its longitudinal direction (opening/closing direction).
The lift-up cover 14 is designed with a certain margin in its extension limit length so that the lift-up cover 14 can be extended following the cross rail 5 even when the cross rail 5 has been raised to its upper limit of movement.

Figures 4, 5, and 6 show the extended, intermediate, and contracted states of the lift-up cover 14, respectively. In each figure, part (A) shows the side shape of the lift-up cover 14, and part (B) shows the front shape of the lift-up cover 14.

In FIG. 4, the lift-up cover 14 is made up of a plurality of (three) plate-like members 141 , 142 , and 143 .
A frame member 144 is fixed to the inside of the upper end of the top plate member 141. A frame member 145 is fixed to the inside of the upper end of the middle plate member 142. A frame member 146 is fixed to the inside of the upper end of the bottom plate member 143.
In the uppermost plate-like member 141, a frame member 144 (a cover-side connecting member of the present invention) is connected to the hanger rail 15 (a cross rail-side connecting member of the present invention) so as to be movable in its extension direction (the X-axis direction which is the opening and closing direction). The frame member 144 (a cover-side connecting member of the present invention) and the hanger rail 15 (a cross rail-side connecting member of the present invention) form a connecting mechanism 140.
The hanger rail 15 may be, for example, a grooved member, and by engaging a pin protruding from the frame member 144 with the groove, the lift-up cover 14 can be suspended movably.

The outer upper end of the intermediate plate-shaped member 142 is overlapped with the lower end of the upper plate-shaped member 141, and its lower end is overlapped with the outer upper end of the lower plate-shaped member 143, giving the lift-up cover 14 a telescopic structure that can be extended and retracted as a whole (see Figures 5 and 6).
A locking pin (not shown) or the like is formed at the lower end of the bottommost plate member 143, and is locked to the frame member 133 of the opening/closing cover 13 to restrict its upward movement. When the topmost plate member 141 is pulled upward, the lower end of the plate member 143 is locked to the frame member 133, and the lift-up cover 14 is extended (see FIG. 4).
On the other hand, when the topmost plate member 141 is lowered, the overlapping portion of the plate members 141, 142, and 143 increases, causing the lift-up cover 14 to contract (see FIG. 5), and the frame members 144, 145, and 146 reach their respective abutting positions in the most contracted state (see FIG. 6).

The lift-up cover 14 has two rows of auxiliary frames 148 installed on the inside.
Each auxiliary frame 148 is composed of a so-called rail-tongs mechanism (a pantograph mechanism in which multiple links are connected in a zigzag pattern so that they can rotate freely), and is vertically extendable and has the desired bending rigidity when extended.

In this type of lifting cover 14, the extension state changes in response to the lifting and lowering operation of the cross rail 5, regardless of the open/close state of the opening/closing cover 13.

In FIG. 2, the openable cover 13 is in an open position away from the column 4, and operations such as attaching and detaching the tool 9 to the spindle 8 and attaching and detaching an attachment (not shown) to the spindle head 7 are performed through the space between the cover 13 and the column 4.
In the state shown in FIG. 2, the cross rail 5 has moved to the upper limit of its movement, and the lift-up cover 14 suspended by the cross rail 5 is extended to completely cover the notch 131 .

In FIG. 3, when a machining operation is to be performed, the openable cover 13 is moved from the open position to the closed position on the column 4 side.
At this time, the connecting mechanism 140 connecting the lift-up cover 14 and the cross rail 5 is movable in the opening/closing direction, so that the opening/closing cover 13 can be moved to the closed position while the lift-up cover 14 keeps covering the notch 131 .

In FIG. 3, when the cross rail 5 is lowered with the opening/closing cover 13 in the closed position, the lift-up cover 14 contracts following the descent of the cross rail 5.
In FIG. 7, even if the descending cross rail 5 reaches a height below the upper end of the opening/closing cover 13, the opening/closing cover 13 has a notch 131 formed therein, so that interference with the opening/closing cover 13 is prevented.
At this time, the lift-up cover 14 covering the notch 131 is reduced in overall height as the hanger rail 15 descends together with the cross rail 5, and does not interfere with the descent of the cross rail 5.

On the other hand, when the lowered cross rail 5 rises again, the hanger rail 15 rises together with the cross rail 5, and the lift cover 14 extends to keep the notch 131 closed. In other words, the notch 131 is not left open on the underside of the cross rail 5.

Furthermore, the opening and closing cover 13 can be opened with the cross rail 5 kept in the lowered state.
In FIG. 8 , by moving the opening/closing cover 13 from the closed position to the open position, a gap is created between the opening/closing cover 13 and the column 4 below the cross rail 5 .
At this time, the connecting mechanism 140 connecting the lift-up cover 14 and the cross rail 5 allows the frame member 144 (cover side connecting member) to move freely in the opening and closing direction relative to the hanger rail 15 (cross rail side connecting member), and the opening and closing cover 13 can be moved to the open position while the notch 131 remains open above the lift-up cover 14.

According to this embodiment, the following effects are obtained.
In this embodiment, a tool 9 is attached to a spindle 8 supported by a cross rail 5 and a spindle head 7, and is moved relative to a workpiece placed on a work table 3 to perform the desired cutting or drilling process. During this process, chips and coolant scattered from the workpiece and tool 9 can be prevented from scattering to the surroundings by a chip cover 10.
In the chip cover 10, the tool 9 or attachment can be replaced by opening and closing the open-close cover 13. At this time, a notch 131 formed in the open-close cover 13 prevents interference between the open-close cover 13 and the cross rail 5. This notch 131 is covered by the lift-up cover 14 which is lifted and lowered following the cross rail 5, so chips and coolant do not scatter to the outside of the chip cover 10 through the notch 131 even when the cross rail 5 is lifted.

In this embodiment, a connecting mechanism 140 is used to raise and lower the lift-up cover 14 following the cross rail 5. In the connecting mechanism 140, a frame member 144 (cover-side connecting member) and a hanger rail 15 (cross rail-side connecting member) are relatively movable in the opening and closing direction of the opening-closing cover 13. Therefore, the opening-closing cover 13 can be opened and closed while the lift-up cover 14 remains in a state following the cross rail 5.
In this manner, in this embodiment, the mechanical connecting mechanism 140 allows the lift-up cover 14 to follow the cross rail 5, eliminating the need for any electrical control means, and since the cross rail 5 and the lift-up cover 14 are constantly connected by the connecting mechanism 140, there is no need to add a fall prevention mechanism, etc. The connecting mechanism 140 only needs to connect the frame member 144 (cover side connecting member) installed on the lift-up cover 14 and the hanger rail 15 (cross rail side connecting member) installed on the cross rail 5 so that they can move relative to each other, and can have an extremely simple configuration using, for example, a simple guide rail or the like.

In this embodiment, the cross rail side connecting member of the chip cover 10 is a hanger rail 15, which is a guide rail fixed to the cross rail 5 and extends in the opening and closing direction, and the cover side connecting member is a frame member 144, which is a slider fixed to the lift cover 14 and movably engaged with the hanger rail 15, so that the connecting mechanism 140 can be constructed with a simple structure.

In this embodiment, the lift-up cover 14 has a plurality of plate-shaped members 141 to 143, a frame member 144 (cover side connecting member) is fixed to the topmost plate-shaped member 141, the bottommost plate-shaped member 143 can be engaged with the opening/closing cover 13 (the lower edge of the notch 131), and the plate-shaped members 142 other than the topmost and bottommost are configured so that the lower end portions of the upper plate-shaped members (141, 142) can be engaged with the upper end portions of the lower plate-shaped members (142, 143).
As a result, the overall height can be changed by increasing or decreasing the overlapping area of the multiple plate-like members 141 to 143. That is, by making the multiple plate-like members 141 to 143 overlap with each other for the most part, the overall height of the lift-up cover 14 can be reduced. On the other hand, by lifting the topmost plate-like member 141, the middle plate-like member 142 and the bottommost plate-like member 143 are lifted in sequence, and the overall height can be greatly increased. As a result, the cross rail 5 is compact when lowered, but has a large area when raised, which can also be used for the large-area cutout 131.

In the chip cover 10 of this embodiment, the lift-up cover 14 is provided with an auxiliary frame 148 that is vertically extendable and contractible along the plurality of plate-like members 141 to 143 .
As a result, even when the lift-up cover 14 is composed of multiple plate-like members 141 to 143, the auxiliary frame 148 can support the cover from falling in the intersecting direction. In addition, by making the auxiliary frame 148 expandable and contractible in the vertical direction, it is possible to prevent the auxiliary frame 148 from protruding into the notch 131 and interfering with the cross rail 5.

The chip cover 10 of this embodiment has a front cover 11 installed on the front side of the load table 3, and a side cover 12 installed on the side side of the load table 3 and extending in a direction intersecting the cross rail 5, and the opening/closing cover 13 is installed so as to be movable along the side cover 12.
As a result, the front cover 11 covers the front side of the load table 3, and the side cover 12 covers the side side of the load table 3 (the side on which the automatic tool changer 52 and the automatic attachment changer 54 are installed). In the opening and closing cover 13 installed on the side cover 12, the lifting cover 14 can be raised and lowered following the cross rail 5.

Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.
The basic configuration of the lift-up cover 14A is similar to that of the lift-up cover 14 of the previously described embodiment, however, the hanger rail 15 is spaced apart from the frame member 144, a bracket 147 leading to the hanger rail 15 is installed on the frame member 144, and further a visor member 149 is formed along the upper edge.

One end of the bracket 147 is connected to the frame member 144 and extends along the cross rail 5, and the other end is slidably engaged with the hanger rail 15, forming a slider with respect to the hanger rail 15. The lift-up cover 14A is suspended from the hanger rail 15 via this bracket 147. The bracket 147 (cover-side connecting member) and the hanger rail 15 (cross rail-side connecting member) form a connecting mechanism 140A.
With this type of connecting mechanism 140A, the hanger rail 15 supported by the cross rail 5 can be installed in a more outer position, that is, away from the spindle head 7, thereby avoiding interference between the hanger rail 15 and the spindle head 7 and ensuring a large range of movement of the spindle head 7 in the Y-axis direction.

The eaves member 149 extends outwardly from the upper edge of the uppermost plate-like member 141 , and its horizontal portion is formed so as to cover the bracket 147 and the hanger rail 15 .
With this type of lift-up cover 14A, the eave member 149 can cover the upper part of the connecting mechanism 140A, which is ideal for maintaining the performance of the sliding portion between the bracket 147 (cover side connecting member) and the hanger rail 15 (cross rail side connecting member).
It is preferable to use a C-shaped connecting member or the like to connect the hanger rail 15 and the cross rail 5 to avoid interference with the eaves member 149 covering the upper surface side of the hanger rail 15 .

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications within the scope of the present invention are included in the present invention.
In the above embodiment, the connecting mechanisms 140, 140A are configured with the frame member 144 or bracket 147 fixed to the upper end of the lift-up cover 14 as a slider (cover-side connecting member) for the hanger rail 15 (cross rail-side connecting member) fixed to the underside of the cross rail 5. Alternatively, the cover-side connecting member may be a guide rail supported by the lift-up cover 14 and extending in the opening and closing direction, and the cross rail-side connecting member may be a slider fixed to the cross rail 5 and movably engaged with the guide rail.

9, the bracket 147 is used as the cover-side connecting member, but the eaves member 149 may be used as the cover-side connecting member. In this case, the bracket 147 may be omitted, and the eaves member 149 may be provided with a strength sufficient to withstand the load of the lift-up cover 14A, and the tip of the eaves member 149 may be slidably engaged with the hanger rail 15 to serve as the cover-side connecting member.
In the above embodiment, a so-called lazy tongue mechanism (a pantograph mechanism in which a plurality of links are connected in a zigzag pattern so as to be freely rotatable) is used as the vertically expandable auxiliary frame 148, but a telescopic structure (a configuration in which cylindrical members of gradually differing diameters are connected in a nested manner in sequence) may also be used as long as the desired bending rigidity is ensured in the extended state. Also, a pair or three or more auxiliary frames 148 may be provided in parallel on one lift-up cover 14.

The dimensions, shape, and opening/closing parts of the tip cover 10 are not limited to those in the above embodiment and can be modified as appropriate. For example, the side cover 12 may be formed with an opening/closing door in addition to the opening/closing cover 13. The front cover 11 is not limited to a configuration that can be moved in the Y-axis direction to be opened and closed, and may be a panel that is fixed to the bed 2 but has an opening/closing door.
The configuration of the machine tool 1 is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified as appropriate. For example, the machine tool may be equipped with a spindle head capable of rotating along the B axis in order to change the orientation of the spindle 8, or the column 4 may move in the X-axis direction relative to the bed 2. The present invention is applicable to any machine tool having a cross rail 5 that moves up and down.

The present invention can be used for an openable/closable tip cover installed on a cross-rail lifting machine tool, and for a machine tool equipped with the same.

1...machine tool, 2...bed, 3...loading table, 4...column, 5...cross rail, 6...saddle, 7...spindle head, 8...spindle, 9...tool, 10...chip cover, 11...front cover, 12...side cover, 121...driving cylinder, 13...opening cover, 131...notch, 132...guide frame, 14, 14A...lifting cover, 140, 140A...connecting mechanism, 141, 142, 143...plate-shaped member, 144...frame member (cover side connecting member), 145, 146...frame member, 147...bracket (cover side connecting member), 148...auxiliary frame, 149...eaves member, 15...hanger rail (cross rail side connecting member).

Claims (6)

a tip cover which is installed on a machine tool having a work table on which a workpiece is placed, a cross rail which is liftable and lowerable above the work table, and a spindle head supported by the cross rail, the tip cover having an opening/closing cover which intersects with the cross rail and which is movable in a horizontal opening/closing direction, a notch formed at an intersection of the opening/closing cover with the cross rail, a lift-up cover which is liftable and lowerable along the notch and which is capable of closing the notch, and a connecting mechanism which lifts and lowers the lift-up cover in accordance with the cross rail,
The connecting mechanism has a cover side connecting member installed on the lift-up cover and a cross rail side connecting member installed on the cross rail, and the cover side connecting member and the cross rail side connecting member are connected to each other so as to be freely movable relative to each other in the opening and closing direction. 2. The tip cover according to claim 1,
the cross rail side connecting member is a guide rail fixed to the cross rail and extending in the opening/closing direction,
The tip cover is characterized in that the cover side connecting member is a slider fixed to the lift-up cover and movably engaged with the guide rail. The tip cover according to claim 2,
The chip cover is characterized in that the slider is a bracket extending in a direction along the cross rail. The tip cover according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The tip cover is characterized in that the lift-up cover has an eave formed along an upper edge. The tip cover according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
A chip cover comprising a front cover installed on the front side of the load table, and a side cover installed on the side side of the load table and extending in a direction intersecting the cross rail, the openable cover being installed movably along the side cover. A machine tool having a workpiece table on which a workpiece is placed, a cross rail that can be raised and lowered above the workpiece table, and a spindle head supported by the cross rail,
a tip cover including: an opening/closing cover that intersects with the cross rail and is movable in a horizontal opening/closing direction; a notch formed at an intersection of the opening/closing cover with the cross rail; a lift-up cover that is capable of rising and lowering along the notch and closing the notch; and a connecting mechanism that lifts and lowers the lift-up cover in accordance with the cross rail;
the connecting mechanism has a cover side connecting member mounted on the lift-up cover and a cross rail side connecting member mounted on the cross rail, the cover side connecting member and the cross rail side connecting member being connected to each other so as to be freely movable relative to each other in the opening and closing direction.

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