Manufacturing machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11260474-B2
Application number	US-201615559161-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2016
Priority date	Mar 20, 2015
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

A manufacturing machine is capable of subtractive manufacturing and additive manufacturing for a workpiece. The manufacturing machine includes: a first headstock and a second headstock disposed in a machining area and configured to hold a workpiece; a tool spindle and a lower tool rest disposed in the machining area and configured to hold a tool to be used for subtractive manufacturing for the workpiece; an additive manufacturing head configured to discharge a material during additive manufacturing for the workpiece; a workpiece gripper configured to grip the workpiece during transportation of the workpiece into and out of the machining area; and a robot arm on which the additive manufacturing head and the workpiece gripper are mountable. Accordingly, the manufacturing machine improving the productivity in the simple and easy manner is provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A manufacturing machine capable of subtractive manufacturing and additive manufacturing for a workpiece, the manufacturing machine comprising:
a cover body forming a machining area and an external area of the machining area;
a workpiece holder disposed in the machining area and configured to hold a workpiece;
a tool holder disposed in the machining area and configured to hold a subtractive manufacturing tool to be used for subtractive manufacturing for the workpiece;
an additive manufacturing head configured to discharge a material during additive manufacturing for the workpiece;
a workpiece gripper configured to grip the workpiece during transportation of the workpiece between the machining area and the external area; and
a robot arm on which the additive manufacturing head and the workpiece gripper are mountable, wherein
the additive manufacturing head and the workpiece gripper are configured to be detachably mounted on the robot arm,
the additive manufacturing head is mounted on the robot arm and is disposed in the machining area during additive manufacturing for the workpiece while the subtractive manufacturing tool is held by the tool holder disposed in the machining area,
the workpiece gripper is mounted on the robot arm during transportation of the workpiece between the machining area and the external area while the subtractive manufacturing tool is held by the tool holder disposed in the machining area, and
the robot arm and the additive manufacturing head are disposed in the external area during subtractive manufacturing for the workpiece using the subtractive manufacturing tool held in the tool holder.

2. The manufacturing machine according to claim 1 , further comprising a stocker disposed outside the machining area and capable of storing the additive manufacturing head.

3. The manufacturing machine according to claim 2 , wherein
the additive manufacturing head is configured to perform additive manufacturing by discharging material powder toward the workpiece and emitting a laser beam toward the workpiece,
the additive manufacturing head includes:
a main body configured to be mounted on the robot arm; and
a laser beam emission part configured to be detachably mounted on the main body to emit a laser beam and define a laser-beam-irradiated region on the workpiece, and

the stocker is configured to store a plurality of the laser beam emission parts different from one another in the way the laser beam emission parts affect the laser-beam-irradiated region to be defined.

4. The manufacturing machine according to claim 1 , further comprising a suction nozzle configured to be connected to a negative-pressure source configured to cause a negative pressure to be generated, the suction nozzle being mountable on the robot arm.

5. The manufacturing machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the robot arm includes:
a movement mechanism configured to be movable between the machining area and the external area;
a base supported by the movement mechanism; and
an arm pivotably coupled to the base, the additive manufacturing head and the workpiece gripper being mountable on the arm.

6. The manufacturing machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the workpiece holder is a headstock configured to rotate the workpiece, or a table on which the workpiece is to be fixed.

7. The manufacturing machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the tool holder is a tool rest on which a tool is to be fixed, or a tool spindle configured to rotate a tool.

8. The manufacturing machine according to claim 1 , wherein only one of additive manufacturing head and workpiece gripper is selectively mounted on the robot arm at a time.

9. The manufacturing machine according to claim 1 , wherein both of said additive manufacturing head and workpiece gripper are mounted on said robot arm.

10. The manufacturing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the robot arm includes a movement mechanism which linearly reciprocates the robot arm between a first position in the machining area and a second position in the external area, the movement mechanism including a linear guide and a base member which moves along the linear guide, the linear guide being disposed above the workpiece holder.

Assignees

• Dmg Mori Co Ltd

Inventors

• Mori Masahiko
• Mezawa Yuhei
• Takashima Shigeyuki
• Sakai Shigetsugu
• Fujishima Makoto

Classifications

• B22F12/88

  Handling of additively manufactured products, e.g. by robots · CPC title

• B22F12/86

  Serial processing with multiple devices grouped · CPC title

• B22F12/37

  Rotatable · CPC title

• B22F12/226

  for rotary motion · CPC title

• B22F10/66

  by mechanical means · CPC title