Tool changing method and tool changer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017190008-A1
Application number	US-201515325129-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 21, 2015
Priority date	Aug 26, 2014
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A tool changer is composed of a support shaft, a forward/backward movement drive motor moving the support shaft upward and downward, a rotation drive motor rotating the support shaft about an axis, a tool change arm having tool grippers formed at both ends thereof, and an air blow mechanism discharging compressed air to a tool and a next tool gripped by the tool grippers. In tool change using this tool changer, in a positioning operation, the tool change arm is rotated by degrees and compressed air is discharged toward the tool and the next tool by the air blow mechanism.

First claim

1 . A method of changing a tool attached to a spindle of a machine tool with a next tool positioned at a standby position by using a tool change arm having a tool gripper at each of both ends thereof and provided to be rotated about an axis of a support shaft disposed parallel to the spindle of the machine tool and to be moved forward and backward along a direction of the axis of the support shaft,
the tool attached to the spindle of the machine tool being changed with the next tool positioned at the standby position by executing: a gripping operation of rotating the tool change arm about the axis of the support shaft from an original position so as to cause one of the tool grippers to grip the tool attached to the spindle and cause the other of the tool grippers to grip the next tool positioned at the standby position; a pulling operation of moving the tool change arm forward along the support shaft so as to pull the tool out of the spindle, a positioning operation of rotating the tool change arm about the axis of the support shaft so as to position the next tool gripped by the other of the tool grippers on an axis of the spindle; an attaching operation of moving the tool change arm backward along the support shaft so as to attach the next tool gripped by the other of the tool grippers to the spindle; and a returning operation of rotating the tool change arm about the axis of the support shaft so as to return the tool change arm to the original position, wherein the tool change arm is rotated by (180+n×360) degrees in the positioning operation, n being a positive integer.

2 . A tool changer disposed at a tool change position in a machine tool for changing a tool attached to a spindle with a next tool positioned at a standby position, comprising:
a tool change arm having a tool gripper at each of both ends thereof; a support shaft provided parallel to the spindle for supporting the tool change arm; a rotating mechanism rotating the tool change arm about an axis of the support shaft; and a forward/backward moving mechanism moving the tool change arm forward and backward along the support shaft, the tool changer being configured to perform:
a gripping operation of causing the rotating mechanism to rotate the tool change arm about the axis of the support shaft from an original position so as to cause one of the tool grippers to grip the tool attached to the spindle and cause the other of the tool grippers to grip the next tool positioned at the standby position;
a pulling operation of causing the forward/backward moving mechanism to move the tool change arm forward along the support shaft so as to pull the tool out of the spindle;
a positioning operation of causing the rotating mechanism to rotate the tool change arm about the axis of the support shaft so as to position the tool gripped by the other of the tool grippers on an axis of the spindle;
an attaching operation of causing the forward/backward moving mechanism to move the tool change arm backward along the support shaft so as to attach the next tool gripped by the other of the tool grippers to the spindle; and
a returning operation of causing the rotating mechanism to rotate the tool change arm about the axis of the support shaft so as to return the tool change arm to the original position,
wherein the rotating mechanism rotates the tool change arm by (180+n×360) degrees when performing the positioning operation, n being a positive integer.

3 . The tool changer according to claim 2 , wherein:
the tool changer further comprises an air blow mechanism including a discharge nozzle discharging compressed air, a compressed air supply supplying compressed air, a supply channel connected to the discharge nozzle and the compressed air supply for supplying compressed air to the discharge nozzle, and the discharge nozzle is disposed to discharge compressed air toward the tools gripped by the tool grippers of the tool change arm.

4 . The tool changer according to claim 3 , wherein the discharge nozzle is disposed on the support shaft or the tool change arm.

Assignees

• Dmg Mori Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kanamoto Masao
• Saito Yutaka

Classifications

• B23Q11/005

  by blowing · CPC title

• B23Q2003/155439

  along the pivoting axis · CPC title

• Y10T483/1755

  Plural tool holders pivotable about common axis · CPC title

• Y10T483/1767

  Linearly movable tool holders · CPC title

• B23Q3/1574 Primary

  the axis of the stored tools being arranged perpendicularly to the rotating or circulating plane of the storage means · CPC title