JPH0429500B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention provides a tool magazine with a laser processing head in addition to cutting tools, and attaches this laser processing head to the spindle to enable laser processing. Regarding machine tools.

<Prior Art> Conventionally, laser processing machines that perform laser processing using laser beams are already known.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> Such conventional laser processing machines are equipped with a dedicated bed, table, and feed device in order to move the laser processing head relative to the workpiece. The cost is high, and if the direction of the laser beam projected onto the workpiece is to be changed, the laser processing head must be replaced manually, resulting in a disadvantage that setup changes are laborious and time consuming.

<Structure of the Invention> The present invention has been made in order to solve such conventional problems, and in order to perform laser processing using a machine tool such as a machining center that continuously performs various processing, the tool magazine is A laser processing head is housed in the machine, and this laser processing head is attached to the spindle by a tool changer, and the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator is transmitted through a laser beam projection means provided in this laser processing head. The structural feature is that the light is projected onto the workpiece.

<Function> Since the present invention has the above configuration, when performing laser processing, the laser processing head previously housed in the tool magazine is attached to the main spindle using the tool changer.

In this state, the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator is irradiated onto the workpiece through the laser beam projection means in the laser processing head, and at the same time, the laser processing head is moved relative to the workpiece to perform laser processing. conduct.

<Example> Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the machine tool of the present invention, which includes a head 10, a fixed base 11 fixed on this bed 10, and a machine tool that is moved in the X direction by a feed motor 12 on this fixed base 11. A table 13 that supports the workpiece W, and the bed 10
A tool magazine 14 fixed above, a column 16 that is moved in the Y direction by a feed motor 15 on the bed 10, and a spindle head 18 that is moved in the Z direction by a feed motor 17 at the front of this column 16. , a main shaft 26 rotatably supported by the spindle head, and a tool changer 19 for changing tools between the tool magazine 14 and the tool magazine 14.

As is well known, the tool magazine 14 accommodates and holds various tools 22 in a tool socket 21 on the endless chain 20, and indexes the tool socket 21 to the tool take-out position P1. Position P1
The tool is then further translated in a horizontal plane, then turned in a vertical plane and transferred to the tool exchange position P2.

As is well known, the tool changing position 19 is located at the pivot axis 2.
The tool exchange position P2 is moved by pivoting in the axial direction of
The tool 22 located at the main shaft 26 is exchanged with the tool 22 mounted on the main shaft 26.

The main shaft 26 rotatably supported by the spindle head 18 has a mounting hole 30 as shown in FIG.
is formed, and a well-known tool clamping device 31 is provided inside this mounting hole 30. A cutting tool 22 shown in FIG. 3 is mounted in this mounting hole 30, or a laser processing head 40 is mounted in place of this cutting tool 22 as shown in FIG. Like the cutting tool 22, this laser processing head 40 has a tapered portion 41 that fits into the mounting hole 30 and a grip portion 42 that is gripped by the tool changer 19. Further, this laser processing head 40 is provided with a laser beam projecting means 43. This laser beam projecting means 43 includes a passage 44 through which the laser beam passes, and a passage 44 through which the laser beam passes.
The mirrors 45 and 46 are provided at the bent portions of the spindle head 18, and the laser beam from the laser oscillator 50 mounted on the spindle head 18 is projected in a predetermined direction.

In addition, 51 is a bearing holder, and this bearing holder 5
1 includes a passage 52 for relaying a laser beam from the laser oscillator 50 to the laser processing head 40 side.
Also provided are mirrors 53 and 54.

The operation of the device of the present invention with the above configuration will be explained.

First, in a normal machining state, the cutting tool 22 is attached to the main spindle 26, and in this state, the table 13, column 16, and spindle head 26 are moved relative to each other to perform cutting on the workpiece W on the table 13. It is done.

When it is desired to perform laser processing subsequently, the tool magazine 14 is indexed, and the laser processing head 40 prepared in advance in the tool magazine 14 is indexed to the tool take-out position P1. At the same time as the machining by the cutting tool 22 is completed, the tool socket 21 holding the laser machining head 40 is moved in parallel in a horizontal plane and further rotated in a vertical plane to position the laser machining head at a tool exchange position P2.

On the other hand, the spindle head 18 is due to tool replacement.
It rises to the original position, and at the same time as it rises to the original position, the used cutting tool 22 mounted on the main shaft 26 is replaced by the laser processing head 40 by the tool changing device 19. After that, the cutting tool 22
is returned to the tool magazine 14, and the spindle head 18 with the laser processing head 40 mounted thereon is lowered, and when it has been lowered to a predetermined position, a laser beam is output from the laser oscillator 50. This laser beam is deflected through the passage 52, the mirrors 53, 54, the passage 44, and the mirrors 45, 46, and is projected toward the workpiece W. At the same time, it is directed along a predetermined path by the relative movement of the table 13 and the column 16. A laser beam is irradiated to perform laser processing.

After the laser processing is completed, the used laser processing head 40 is transferred to the tool magazine 1 in the same manner as described above.
At the same time, the cutting tool 22 to be used next is mounted on the main shaft 26, and the next machining is performed.

Note that the laser processing head 40 is not limited to one that emits a laser beam from the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 2;
As shown in the figure, various laser machining heads 40 that emit laser beams from horizontal and oblique directions are provided in the tool magazine 14, and by using these laser machining heads 40 properly, more complex laser machining becomes possible.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, the apparatus of the present invention stores a laser machining head, which is used by a tool exchanger to replace a tool on the spindle side, in a tool magazine together with the cutting tool, and performs this laser machining. Since the head is equipped with a laser beam projector that irradiates a laser beam from a laser oscillator in a fixed direction, laser processing can be performed using a machining center that performs cutting, and a special laser A machining center can be equipped with a laser processing function at low cost without the need for a processing machine.
Moreover, by preparing various laser processing heads and using them interchangeably, there is an advantage that complex laser processing can be easily and quickly performed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show embodiments of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a front view of the apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of a spindle head equipped with a laser processing head, and FIG.
The figure is a front view of the cutting tool, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are sectional views showing modified examples of the laser processing head. 13...Table, 14...Tool magazine, 1
8...Spindle, 19...Tool change device, 22
. . . Cutting tool, 40 . . . Laser processing head, 43 . . . Laser beam projecting means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A tool changing device exchanges tools between a main shaft rotatably supported by a spindle head and a tool magazine that accommodates a large number of cutting tools, and the spindle head is moved relative to the table. In a machine tool that processes a workpiece placed on the table, the tool magazine stores a laser machining head that is used to replace a tool on the spindle side by the tool changer, together with the cutting tool. 1. A machine tool capable of laser processing, characterized in that the laser processing head is provided with a laser beam projection means for directing a laser beam from a laser oscillator in a fixed direction onto the laser processing head.