Rotation processing machine and rotation processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9469004-B2
Application number	US-201313772912-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 21, 2013
Priority date	Feb 24, 2012
Publication date	Oct 18, 2016
Grant date	Oct 18, 2016

Abstract

A rotation processing machine, including a rotating device that holds and rotates a workpiece; a processing device on which a cutting tool is mounted to process the workpiece; and a turning loader that has grippers arranged about a turning central axis, and that turns so that the grippers sequentially face the rotating device. The turning loader is configured to deliver and receive the workpiece to and from the rotating device by turning with the workpiece being directly or indirectly held by the gripper, and to deliver and receive the cutting tool to and from the processing device by turning with the cutting tool being directly or indirectly held by the gripper.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotation processing machine, comprising:
a rotating device that holds a workpiece and rotates;
a processing device on which a cutting tool is mounted to process the workpiece; and
a turning loader that has a plurality of grippers arranged about a turning central axis, and that turns so that the plurality of grippers sequentially face the rotating device, wherein
the turning loader is configured to deliver and receive the workpiece to and from the rotating device by turning with the workpiece being directly or indirectly held by a gripper of the plurality of grippers, and to deliver and receive the cutting tool to and from the processing device by turning with the cutting tool being directly or indirectly held by the gripper of the plurality of grippers,
the rotating device is configured to rotate about a rotation central axis extending in a first direction,
the turning loader is configured to turn each of the plurality of grippers in a second direction perpendicular to the turning central axis, wherein the turning central axis is parallel to the rotation central axis, and
each of the plurality of grippers is capable of individually moving relatively with respect to both the rotating device and the processing device in the first direction, and are configured to make the relative movement to deliver and receive the workpiece between the turning loader and the rotating device and to deliver and receive the cutting tool between the turning loader and the processing device,
wherein each of the plurality of grippers of the turning loader include a respective pair of gripping portions and are configured to individually vary, in a direction perpendicular to the turning central axis, an interval between the gripping portions of the respective pair of gripping portions.

2. The rotation processing machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the workpiece has a cylindrical shape, and
the processing device is configured so that both ends of the cutting tool are mounted on a cutting-tool mounting portion of the processing device, and is configured to rotate the cutting tool on the cutting-tool mounting portion to form a tooth surface on an outer periphery of the workpiece rotated by the rotating device.

3. The rotation processing machine according to claim 2 , wherein
the rotation central axis extends in a vertical direction,
the second direction is a horizontal direction, and
the turning central axis extends in the vertical direction.

4. The rotation processing machine according to claim 3 , wherein
the cutting tool is configured to be held by a pallet, and the pallet has a base portion that is held by the gripper of the plurality of grippers, and the pallet has a cutting-tool holding portion that is formed at a position offset from a center of the base portion and that holds the cutting tool, and
the processing device is configured so that a cutting-tool mounting portion is advanced, and so that the cutting tool on the cutting-tool holding portion of the pallet held by the gripper of the plurality of grippers is mounted on the cutting-tool mounting portion that has been advanced.

5. The rotation processing machine according to claim 4 , wherein the rotating device is configured to support the workpiece via a rotation support jig mounted on a workpiece support portion of the rotating device, and
the turning loader is configured to deliver and receive the rotation support jig to and from the rotating device by turning with the rotation support jig being directly or indirectly held by the gripper of the plurality of grippers.

6. The rotation processing machine according to claim 3 , wherein
the rotating device is configured to support the workpiece via a rotation support jig mounted on a workpiece support portion of the rotating device, and
the turning loader is configured to deliver and receive the rotation support jig to and from the rotating device by turning with the rotation support jig being directly or indirectly held by the gripper of the plurality of grippers.

7. The rotation processing machine according to claim 2 , wherein
the cutting tool is configured to be held by a pallet, and the pallet has a base portion that is held by the gripper of the plurality of grippers, and the pallet has a cutting-tool holding portion that is formed at a position offset from a center of the base portion and that holds the cutting tool, and
the processing device is configured so that the cutting-tool mounting portion is advanced, and so that the cutting tool on the cutting-tool holding portion of the pallet held by the gripper of the plurality of grippers is mounted on the cutting-tool mounting portion that has been advanced.

8. The rotation processing machine according to claim 7 , wherein
the rotating device is configured to support the workpiece via a rotation support jig mounted on a workpiece support portion of the rotating device, and
the turning loader is configured to deliver and receive the rotation support jig to and from the rotating device by turning with the rotation support jig being directly or indirectly held by the gripper of the plurality of grippers.

9. The rotation processing machine according to claim 2 , wherein
the rotating device is configured to support the workpiece via a rotation support jig mounted on a workpiece support portion of the rotating device, and
the turning loader is configured to deliver and receive the rotation support jig to and from the rotating device by turning with the rotation support jig being directly or indirectly held by the gripper of the plurality of grippers.

10. The rotation processing machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the cutting tool is configured to be held by a pallet, and the pallet has a base portion that is held by the gripper of the plurality of grippers, and the pallet has a cutting-tool holding portion that is formed at a position offset from a center of the base portion and that holds the cutting tool, and
the processing device is configured so that a cutting-tool mounting portion is advanced, and so that the cutting tool on the cutting-tool holding portion of the pallet held by the gripper of the plurality of grippers is mounted on the cutting-tool mounting portion that has been advanced.

11. The rotation processing machine according to claim 10 , wherein
the rotating device is configured to support the workpiece via a rotation support jig mounted on a workpiece support portion of the rotating device, and
the turning loader is configured to deliver and receive the rotation support jig to and from the rotating device by turning with the rotation support jig being directly or indirectly held by the gripper of the plurality of grippers.

12. The rotation processing machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the rotating device is configured to support the workpiece via a rotation support jig mounted on a workpiece support portion of the rotating device, and
the turning loader is configured to deliver and receive the rotation support jig to and from the rotating device by turning, with the rotation support jig being directly or indirectly held by the gripper of the plurality of grippers.

13. The rotation processing machine according to claim 12 , wherein the rotation support jig is formed by one jig portion that is mounted on one rotating spindle of the rotating device, and an other jig portion that is mounted on an other rotating spindle placed coaxially with the one rotating spindle in the rotating device, and
the turning loader is configured to allow the gripper of the plurality of grippers to hold the rotation support jig having the one jig portion combi

Assignees

• Aisin Aw Co

Inventors

• Kato Susumu
• TAKAGAI Akira
• Otani Masahiro
• KAWANISHI Akitomo

Classifications

• B23F23/04 Primary

  Loading {or unloading} arrangements · CPC title

• B23F19/10

  Chamfering the end edges of gear teeth · CPC title

• Y10T483/16

  with means to transfer work · CPC title

• Y10T409/103657

  and infeed tangentially of work axis · CPC title

• B23F23/1293

  Workpiece heads · CPC title