JP7617265B2 - Multi-tasking machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a multi-tasking machine with an excellent operability of the control panel.

In machine tools, the machining chamber where cutting and other processing of the workpiece is performed is covered by a machine cover, but a transparent window with glass fitted in it is provided on the front of the machining chamber, so that the operator can check the situation inside from outside. The two-spindle lathe described in Patent Document 1 below is also provided with a transparent window, but it is particularly provided on a sliding door formed in the center of the front of the machine cover. By standing in front of the transparent window in a natural posture, the operator can visually check the left and right spindle chucks and the upper and lower turret devices inside the machining chamber. A control panel that can be swung by a vertical axis is attached next to the sliding door, so that the operator standing in front of the transparent window can operate the display and operation surface of the control panel while looking inside the machine.

JP 2007-160461 A

In the conventional two-axis lathe, the door with a transparent window is located in the center of the machine, so the control panel can be placed in that position for the worker to stand on. However, in a multi-tasking machine that includes other processing devices in addition to the pair of lathes, two doors are provided on the left and right sides of the front of the machine, and devices such as an automatic tool changer are also added, making it difficult to find a place to install the control panel. Even if the control panel is attached to the front of the machine, if it is far away from the door and transparent window, it becomes difficult for the worker to operate the control panel while checking the inside of the machine. Also, depending on the location of the control panel, it may not be possible to see the inside of the machine from the front, making it difficult to work using the control panel.

Therefore, in order to solve such problems, the present invention aims to provide a multi-purpose machining center with an operation panel that is easy to operate.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the multi-tasking machine has a left front door and a right front door formed on the front surface of the machine body cover corresponding to the left and right machining chambers, a sight glass formed in the central cover of the automatic tool changer located between the left front door and the right front door, an operation panel arranged overlapping the sight glass, and a guide mechanism that supports the operation panel arranged facing forward so that it can be swiveled sideways and moves the operation panel from the position overlapping the sight glass to any position on either the left or right side.

According to the above configuration, the guide mechanism allows the control panel to be moved left or right at any position and stopped at that position, and then swung sideways, so that the control panel can be operated at a position corresponding to the left or right front door. Furthermore, because a viewing window is formed in the central cover of the automatic tool changer, even if the control panel is stacked there, it can be moved to operate the control panel while checking the inside of the machine.

1 is a perspective view showing a main structure of an embodiment of a multi-tasking machine; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multi-tasking machine having an automatic workpiece transport device and an automatic tool changer added to its main structure. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a multi-tasking machine. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the left half of the magazine cover and the central cover of the automatic tool changer. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a guide mechanism of the operation panel. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a guide mechanism of the operation panel. 13 is a diagram showing a situation where an operator operates an operation panel while checking the inside of a first processing chamber. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a situation in which an operator operates a control panel while checking the interior of the machine at the center of the machine body. 13 is a diagram showing a situation where an operator operates an operation panel while checking the inside of a second processing chamber. FIG.

An embodiment of the multi-tasking machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the main structure of the multi-tasking machine of this embodiment. The multi-tasking machine 1 is a machine tool that has the functions of both an NC lathe and a machining center by having various processing devices. Specifically, a symmetrically arranged opposed two-axis lathe is formed by a first work spindle device 3 and a second work spindle device 4 that grip a workpiece W, and a first turret device 5 and a second turret device 6 that have a plurality of tools, and a tool spindle device 2 is located at the center of the machine body.

The first and second work spindle devices 3 and 4 each have a spindle chuck 11 attached to the spindle of the headstock 12, which rotates by driving the spindle motor 13 to phase the gripped workpiece W during processing and rotate at a predetermined speed. The headstock 12 and spindle motor 13 are mounted on a spindle slide 14 and are configured to move on the bed 7 in the Z-axis direction (the axial direction of the spindle of the headstock 12) along the width of the machine body. The first turret device 5 and the second turret device 6 are also configured to perform rotational indexing of multiple tools T (turret tools) attached to the turret 15 by rotation control of the indexing servo motor 16. The first and second turret devices 5 and 6 are each provided with a drive mechanism that moves the turret 15 in two directions, forward and backward, with a predetermined inclination perpendicular to the Z axis, in order to position the tool T in a processing position for the workpiece W.

The tool spindle device 2 in the center of the machine body is installed between the first turret device 5 and the second turret device 6. The tool spindle device 2 has a built-in type spindle head 17 with a built-in spindle servo motor and a tool spindle, and the spindle head 17 is mounted on a spindle slide 18 that can move in the vertical X-axis direction. Furthermore, a base slide 19 is configured to move on the bed 7 in the horizontal Y-axis direction, which is the front-rear direction of the machine body, and the spindle slide 18 is mounted on it. The spindle head 17 can replace the tool (spindle head tool) T depending on the processing content, and is configured to rotate around the B-axis parallel to the Y-axis. The movement direction of the turret 15 mentioned above is inclined at 45 degrees to the Y-axis and X-axis.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the multitasking machine 1 to which an automatic workpiece transport device and an automatic tool changer are added. The multitasking machine 1 is configured so that an automatic tool changer 8 is provided at the front of the machine body, and the tool T for the tool spindle device 2 is automatically changed. The automatic tool changer 8 has a tool magazine 21 that stores multiple tools T (spindle head tools) provided at the upper front of the machine body, and is arranged so as not to occupy space inside the machine. Therefore, a mechanism for transporting tools up and down is required between the tool magazine 21 and the tool changer that replaces the tool T of the spindle head 17. In this embodiment, an exchange device main body 22 that supports the tool magazine 21 is provided at the center of the front of the machine body, and a shift mechanism for transporting tools up and down is configured therein.

The multitasking machine 1 is also provided with an automatic workpiece transport device 9 for transporting and transferring the workpiece W to the first and second workpiece spindle devices 3, 4 in the machining chamber. Stockers for storing the workpiece W are provided at the entrance and exit of the multitasking machine 1, and the automatic workpiece transport device 9 transports the unmachined workpiece W into the machining chamber and the machined workpiece W out. The multitasking machine 1 has a tower-shaped frame structure 10 assembled on the bed 7, and the automatic workpiece transport device 9 is a gantry-type transport device mounted on the frame structure 10.

Figure 3 is an external perspective view of the multi-tasking machine 1. In the multi-tasking machine 1, various machining devices such as the tool spindle device 2 and first workpiece spindle device 3 shown in Figure 1 are covered by a machine body cover 25, and a magazine cover 26 and a central cover 27 that cover the automatic tool changer 8 protrude from the front of the machine body. An operation panel 28 is provided on the central cover 27 in the center of the machine body at the front of the machine body, and a left front door 31 and a right front door 32 are formed on the machine body cover 25 on both the left and right sides of the central cover 27. Note that in the description of this embodiment, left and right are specified as directions when viewed from the front of the machine body.

Behind the left front door 31 is a first machining chamber where the workpiece W held by the first workpiece spindle device 3 is machined, and behind the right front door 32 is a second machining chamber where the workpiece W held by the second workpiece spindle device 4 is machined. By opening the left front door 31 or the right front door 32, the operator can see directly into the machine from the front, as a transparent window with glass fitted in it is formed therein. Therefore, the operator can operate the operation panel 28 while directly checking the movement and movement position of each drive part in relation to machine adjustments associated with automatic control, such as adjusting the movement position of the spindle chuck 11.

On the other hand, the tool spindle device 2 is located in the center of the machine body, but there is an operation panel 28 on the front of the machine body, and behind that, the exchange device main body 22 is covered by a center cover 27. Therefore, in this state, the operator cannot directly see the movement or moving position of the spindle head 17 from the front. Also, in the multi-tasking machine 1, the workpiece W is handed over between the spindle chucks 11 between the first workpiece spindle device 3 and the second workpiece spindle device 4, and this accurate handover enables high machining accuracy of the workpiece W. Therefore, mechanical adjustment between the spindle chucks 11 is extremely important, but since the handover position of the workpiece W is in the center of the machine body, the operator cannot directly see it from the front.

The multi-tasking machine 1 of this embodiment has been improved so that an operator standing in the center of the machine can directly check inside the machine from the front. Figure 4 shows the configuration, and is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the left half of the magazine cover 26 and center cover 27 of the automatic tool changer 8. The operation panel 28 is assembled so that it can be swung by a vertical shaft, and the drawing shows its back after it has been swung. Normally, the operation panel 28 is arranged with its back side overlapping the center cover 27 and facing the front as shown in Figure 3, but by swinging it, it can be removed from the line of sight of the operator who looks straight into the back of the machine.

The central cover 27 is box-shaped, and a space is formed for moving the tool T up and down by the shift mechanism. Therefore, a sight window 33 (transparent window) with glass fitted therein is formed on the front surface 271 of the central cover 27. Since a tool exchange window 34 for transferring the tool T between the inside of the machine and the rear surface 272 is formed in a position overlapping the tool exchange window 34 when viewed in the front-rear direction, the sight window 33 is formed in such a way that it overlaps with the tool exchange window 34. Therefore, in the normal state shown in FIG. 3, the sight window 33 is blocked by the operation panel 28, but by swinging the operation panel 28 as shown in FIG. 4, the operator can see inside the machine through the sight window 33 and the tool exchange window 34.

Although it is now possible for an operator standing in the center of the machine to see inside the machine, it is difficult to operate the operation panel 28 if it faces the opposite direction as shown in Figure 4. The same can be said about the operation of the operation panel 28 while looking into the first and second machining chambers. That is, depending on the direction and distance of the operation panel 36, it becomes difficult for the operator to operate the operation panel 28 while standing to check the inside of the machine, resulting in a significant decrease in work efficiency. Therefore, the operation panel 28 of the multi-function machining center 1 is configured with a guide mechanism 50 that makes it easy for the operator to operate the operation panel 28 regardless of the standing position relative to the left front door 31, the right front door 32, and the observation window 33.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the guide mechanism 50 for the operation panel 28, and Figure 6 is a plan view showing the guide mechanism 50. The operation panel 28 is supported on a base 51 so as to swing around a vertical shaft 54 on the left side. A handle 29 is provided on the right side of the operation panel 28, opposite the vertical shaft 54, and the operator can easily swing the operation panel 28 by grasping the handle 29 and pulling it toward himself, and the operation panel 28 can be turned sideways from a normal state facing forward to a state facing left. When turned sideways, the operation panel 28 needs to be located to the right of the operator checking the inside of the machine. Therefore, the guide mechanism 50 has a structure that moves the operation panel 28 from the center of the multi-tasking machine 1 to the right side.

The base 51 that supports the operation panel 28 is supported by a bracket 52 fixed to the right end, and the bracket 52 is further fixed to a slide member 53 to form a single unit. The bracket 52 protrudes forward from the slide member 53, and the base 51, which is located forward away from the machine body cover 25, is located in front of the center cover 27. The linear guide is such that the slide member 53 slides on a guide rail 55, which is fixed horizontally below the right front door 32 as shown in Figure 3. Therefore, the operation panel 28 supported by the slide member 53 is configured to move along the right side of the multi-tasking machine 1.

The guide mechanism 50 can move the slide member 53 from the normal position shown by the dashed line in Fig. 6 to the right end position shown by the solid line, and can stop at any position between them to operate the operation panel 28. Figs. 7, 8, and 9 are diagrams showing situations in which an operator operates the operation panel 28 while checking the inside of the machine at different locations. First, Fig. 7 shows a case in which an operator stands in front of the left front door 31 to check the inside of the first processing chamber. At this time, the operation panel 28 is rotated 90 degrees by the operator from the state facing forward in the center as shown in Fig. 3, so that it faces the operator and is located to the right of the operator.

Next, Figure 8 shows the case where an operator stands in front of the sight glass 33 to check the central part of the interior of the machine behind the central cover 27. At this time, the operator grasps the handle 29 and pulls the operation panel 28 to the right from the state facing forward in the center as shown in Figure 3, causing the slide member 53 to slide and move on the guide rail 55. The slider 53 is stopped at a position near the center of the guide rail 55, at which point the operation panel 28 is rotated 90 degrees, so that the operation panel 28 located to the operator's right is faced toward the operator.

Figure 9 shows the case where an operator stands in front of the right front door 31 to check the inside of the second processing chamber. In this case too, the operator grasps the handle 29 and pulls the operation panel 28 to the right, causing the slide member 53 to slide along the guide rail 55. The slider 53 is stopped at the position where it has moved to the right end of the guide rail 55, and the operator turns the operation panel 28 by 90 degrees so that the operation panel 28 located to the operator's right is faced toward the operator.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the operation panel 28 can be placed to the right of the operator in the first processing chamber, the second processing chamber, and the center of the machine. Therefore, the operator can operate the operation panel 28 on the spot while looking inside the machine without moving. The operator can grasp the handle 29 and slide or swing the guide mechanism 50 to place the operation panel 28 in the state shown in Figures 7 to 9, making it easy to handle.

The multi-tasking machine 1 has a compact overall structure due to the tool magazine 21 being located at the top front of the machine body, but the center of the front of the machine body is blocked. In this embodiment, however, a viewing window 33 is formed in the center cover 27, so that it is possible to work while looking inside the machine from the front, just like the left front door 31 and right front door 32.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, the guide mechanism 50 in the above embodiment is configured so that the operation panel 28 is located to the right of the operator, but this is because it takes into consideration that the majority of people are right-handed; for other reasons, it may be configured so that the operation panel 28 is located on the left side of the machine body so as to be positioned to the left of the operator.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1... Multi-tasking machine 2... Tool spindle device 3... First workpiece spindle device 4... Second workpiece spindle device 5... First turret device 6... Second turret device 8... Automatic tool changer 9... Automatic workpiece transport device 11... Spindle chuck 15... Turret 17... Spindle head 21... Tool magazine 22... Changer body 25... Machine body cover 27... Center cover 28... Operation panel 29... Handle 31... Left front door 32... Right front door 33... View window 34... Tool change window 50... Guide mechanism 51... Base 52... Bracket 53... Slide member 54... Vertical shaft 55... Guide rail

Claims (4)

A left front door and a right front door formed on the front surface of the machine body cover corresponding to the left and right processing chambers;
an observation window formed in a central cover of the automatic tool changer located between the left front door and the right front door;
An operation panel disposed over the observation window;
a guide mechanism that supports the operation panel facing forward so as to be swingable sideways and moves the operation panel, which is placed over the observation window, to an arbitrary position on either the left or right side;
A multi-tasking machine having the above-mentioned features. 2. The multi-purpose machining center according to claim 1, wherein the guide mechanism comprises: a base on which the operation panel is mounted while being superimposed on the sight window and supported so as to be swingable by a vertical shaft provided on the left or right side of the base; a bracket that supports the base at a position forward and away from the slide member; and a linear guide in which the slide member is slidably assembled to a guide rail fixed under the left front door or the right front door. The multitasking machine according to claim 2, wherein the operation panel has a handle on the side opposite the vertical shaft journaled on the base. 4. The multi-tasking machine according to claim 1, wherein the left and right machining chambers are configured as opposed twin-spindle lathes having a first work spindle device and a first turret device and a second work spindle device and a second turret device, and a tool spindle device capable of changing tools by the automatic tool changer is disposed between the first turret device and the second turret device.

Images