Manufacturing cell comprising a tool carrier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12337429-B2
Application number	US-202017775474-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2020
Priority date	Nov 10, 2019
Publication date	Jun 24, 2025
Grant date	Jun 24, 2025

Abstract

A manufacturing cell comprises a machine tool that has a tool carrier carrying a tool unit and has two adjacent workpiece paths oriented in a longitudinal direction. The tool unit can be displaced relative to a machine bed of the machine tool in a transverse direction and in a vertical direction. At least one workpiece carriage per workpiece path can be displaced in the longitudinal direction along the machine tool. The tool unit can be displaced in the longitudinal direction relative to the machine bed and/or relative to the workpiece carriages. The tool carrier overhangs or projects beyond the workpiece paths. The individual workpiece carriage can also be displaced in the longitudinal direction along the workpiece supply. Furthermore, the workpiece supply has at least one lowerable or tiltable stop device per workpiece path.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A manufacturing cell ( 10 ), comprising:
a machine tool ( 61 ) that has
a machine bed ( 64 ),
two workpiece paths ( 11 , 12 ) oriented in a longitudinal direction ( 5 ) adjacent one another,
at least two tool units ( 101 ; 102 ; 103 ), and
a tool carrier ( 91 ) carrying the at least two tool units ( 101 ; 102 ; 103 ),

wherein each of the at least two tool units ( 101 ; 102 ; 103 ) can be displaced relative to the machine bed ( 64 ) at least in a transverse direction ( 6 ) oriented normal to the longitudinal direction ( 5 ) and in a vertical direction ( 7 ) oriented normal to these two directions ( 5 , 6 ),
wherein at least one workpiece carriage ( 114 ; 115 ; 116 ; 117 ) per each of the two workpiece paths ( 11 , 12 ) can be displaced along the machine tool ( 61 ) in the longitudinal direction ( 5 ), and
wherein each of the at least two tool units ( 101 ; 102 ; 103 ) can be displaced in the longitudinal direction ( 5 ) relative to the machine bed ( 64 ) and/or wherein the workpiece carriages ( 114 , 115 ; 116 , 117 ) can be displaced in the longitudinal direction ( 5 ) relative to each of the at least two tool units ( 101 ; 102 ; 103 ),
wherein the tool carrier ( 91 ) overhangs or projects beyond the two workpiece paths ( 11 , 12 ),
wherein at least one of the at least two tool units ( 101 ; 102 ; 103 ) can be used to machine a workpiece on a first of the two workpiece paths ( 11 ) and to machine a further workpiece on a second of the two workpiece paths ( 12 ),
wherein the two workpiece paths ( 11 , 12 ) each have a respective workpiece supply region ( 22 ; 23 ) of a workpiece supply ( 21 ) and a respective working region ( 62 ; 63 ) of the machine tool ( 61 ),
wherein a lowerable transverse thrust device ( 41 ) is arranged below the workpiece supply regions ( 22 ; 23 ) and configured to move the workpiece or the further workpiece in the transverse direction ( 6 ) towards the at least one workpiece carriage ( 114 ; 115 ; 116 ; 117 ) of the respective workpiece path,
wherein each of the workpiece carriages ( 114 ; 115 ; 116 ; 117 ) can be displaced along the workpiece supply ( 21 ) in the longitudinal direction ( 5 ), and
wherein the workpiece supply ( 21 ) has at least one lowerable or tiltable stop device ( 52 ; 53 ) per each of the two workpiece paths ( 11 ; 12 ).

2. The manufacturing cell ( 10 ) according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one workpiece carriage ( 114 , 115 ; 116 , 117 ) of each of the two workpiece paths ( 11 ; 12 ) can be displaced to pass through a space between the machine bed ( 64 ) and the tool carrier ( 91 ).

3. The manufacturing cell ( 10 ) according to claim 1 ,
wherein the tool carrier ( 91 ) is designed as a tool gantry ( 91 ).

4. The manufacturing cell ( 10 ) according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one workpiece carriage ( 114 ; 115 ; 116 ; 117 ) of each of the two workpiece paths ( 11 , 12 ) has a drive unit ( 125 ) and a gripping unit ( 131 ) for gripping a workpiece ( 1 ; 2 ).

5. The manufacturing cell ( 10 ) according to claim 1 ,
further comprising two workpiece tables ( 65 ), each of the two workpiece tables ( 65 ) comprising support rollers ( 85 ),
wherein a respective one of the two workpiece tables ( 65 ) is arranged in each of the working regions ( 62 ; 63 ) of the machine tool ( 61 ).

6. The manufacturing cell ( 10 ) according to claim 5 ,
wherein at least one of the support rollers ( 85 ) of at least one of the two workpiece tables ( 65 ) is part of a suction block assembly ( 71 ) with height-adjustable suction elements ( 76 ).

7. The manufacturing cell ( 10 ) according to claim 6 ,
wherein the suction block assembly ( 71 ) can be displaced in the longitudinal direction ( 5 ).

8. The manufacturing cell ( 10 ) according to claim 1 ,
wherein the tool carrier ( 91 ) can be displaced relative to the machine bed ( 64 ) in the longitudinal direction ( 5 ).

9. The manufacturing cell ( 10 ) according to claim 1 ,
further comprising a stop bar ( 51 ) arranged at an end of the workpiece supply ( 21 ) proximal to the machine tool ( 61 ) and oriented in a transverse direction ( 6 ),
wherein the at least one lowerable or tiltable stop device ( 52 ; 53 ) per each of the two workpiece paths ( 11 ; 12 ) comprises at least one lowerable stop device ( 52 ; 53 ) per each of the two workpiece paths ( 11 ; 12 ), and
wherein the at least one lowerable stop device ( 52 ; 53 ) per each of the two workpiece paths ( 11 ; 12 ) are arranged on a pin carrier ( 54 ) of the stop bar ( 51 ),
wherein each of the at least one lowerable stop device ( 52 ; 53 ) includes a stop pin ( 55 ; 56 ) that is adjustable between a retracted position and an extended position by a double-acting cylinder ( 57 ), and
wherein each stop pin ( 55 ; 56 ) is below a conveying plane when in the retracted position.

10. The manufacturing cell ( 10 ) according to claim 1 ,
wherein both workpiece supply regions ( 22 , 23 ) include a single load-bearing roller path ( 25 ; 26 ) each,
wherein each single load-bearing roller path ( 25 ; 26 ) comprises a plurality of load-bearing rollers ( 27 ) lying transverse to a conveying direction ( 112 ) of the workpieces and parallel to one another,
wherein the lowerable transverse thrust device ( 41 ) comprises
a rake ( 42 ) that can be displaced in the transverse direction ( 6 ), including a height-adjustable tine carrier ( 45 ) and
a plurality of tines ( 46 ) that project upwards from the tine carrier ( 45 );

two transverse guides ( 32 ) anchored in a bed ( 24 ) of the workpiece supply ( 21 ), each of the two transverse guides ( 32 ) carrying a respective transverse slide ( 43 );
a respective lifting device ( 44 ) for lifting the height-adjustable tine carrier ( 45 ) of the rake ( 42 ) arranged on each of the transverse slides ( 43 ), and

wherein each of the tines of the plurality of tines ( 46 ) is positioned between a respective two of the load-bearing rollers ( 27 ) of each of the load-bearing roller paths ( 25 ; 26 ).

11. The manufacturing cell ( 10 ) according to claim 10 ,
wherein the bed ( 24 ) of the workpiece supply ( 21 ) has external workpiece carriage guide rails ( 28 ) and conductor paths ( 29 ),
wherein the external workpiece carriage guide rails ( 28 ) and conductor paths ( 29 ) continue on the machine bed ( 64 ) of the machine tool ( 61 ), and
wherein the conductor paths ( 29 ) supply power to the at least one workpiece carriage ( 114 ; 115 ; 116 ; 117 ).

12. The manufacturing cell ( 10 ) according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one workpiece carriage ( 114 ; 115 ; 116 ; 117 ) is self-propelled and
wherein the at least one workpiece carriage ( 114 ; 115 ) at a first of the two workpiece paths ( 11 , 12 ) can be displaced independently of the at least one workpiece carriage ( 116 ; 117 ) at a second of the two workpiece paths ( 11 , 12 ).

13. A manufacturing cell ( 10 ), comprising:
a machine tool ( 61 ) that has
a machine bed ( 64 ),
a first workpiece path ( 11 ) oriented in a longitudinal direction ( 5 ),
a second workpiece path ( 12 ) oriented in the longitudinal direction ( 5 ) adjacent to the first workpiece path ( 11 ),
a first tool unit ( 101 ),
a second tool unit ( 102 ),
a third tool unit ( 103 ), and
a tool carrier ( 91 ) carrying the first tool unit ( 101 ), the second tool unit ( 102 ), and the third tool unit ( 103 );

a first workpiece carriage ( 114 ) and a second workpiece carriage ( 115 ) that can each be longitudinally displaced along the machine tool in the first workpiece path ( 11 );
a third workpiece carriage ( 116 )

Assignees

• Zimmer Martin
• Zimmer Guenther

Inventors

• Zimmer Martin
• Zimmer Günther

Classifications

• B23B39/16

  Drilling machines with a plurality of working-spindles; Drilling automatons · CPC title

• Y10T409/308736

  with position indicator or stop · CPC title

• Y10T409/308176

  with position indicator or limit means · CPC title

• B23Q7/06

  by means of pushers {(B23Q7/1457, B23Q7/1489, B23B13/02, B23B13/12 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B23Q1/035

  with an array of longitudinally movable rods defining a reconfigurable support surface · CPC title