Material or article handling – Apparatus for charging a load holding or supporting element...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-15
2004-07-13
Underwood, Donald W. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Apparatus for charging a load holding or supporting element...
C901S008000, C901S016000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06761522
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an automated cell for handling of workpieces, having a working space having at least a loading space into which a workpiece carrier for receiving workpieces can be loaded from the outside, having a handling device with a first gripping device for receiving workpieces from the workpiece carrier and for transferring of workpieces within the working space, and having a gantry upon which a carriage having a second gripping device is displaceable for removing workpieces from the working space and transferring same to a machine tool assigned thereto, and for receiving workpieces from the machine tool, and for transferring same into the working space.
Such an automated cell is known from DE 197 20 906 A1.
The known automated cell comprises a closed working space within which a loading space is provided separated by a protective wall. Parts that are placed on workpiece carrier stacks can be transferred into the loading space by means of a stack-changing module. Within the working space a stack presentation device is provided which is adapted for moving workpiece carrier stacks into a waiting area and which is adapted for moving a workpiece carrier into a waiting position from which parts can be removed by means of a gripping device arranged displaceable and vertically movable on a gantry toward a machine tool associated thereto, while machined parts can be received from the machine tool and placed again on the workpiece carrier.
The known automated cell is particularly suited for high throughput within a series fabrication, wherein, due to workpiece carrier stacks within the working space and within the loading space, a high buffer action is reached along with a decoupling between the handling of parts within the working space and loading or removal of part carriers from the loading space. The known automated cell is thus particularly suited for large series production of large parts and can also be utilized for supplying several machining centers. On the other hand, the turning stand directs a certain breadth of the cell which cannot be totally utilized for a pallet width due to the turning circle. Also the loading device utilized within the working space is relatively complicated.
From DE 198 24 014 A1 another automated cell comprising a working space closed to the outside is known within which a loading device for receiving at least one part carrier is arranged displaceable in horizontal and in vertical direction. Parts can be transferred into and out of, respectively the working space by means of a feeding device which is, preferably, configured as a transfer carriage and which comprises a support for receiving a part carrier at working level. The workpiece carriers can be transferred into the working space through a loading aperture the opening and closing of which is controlled automatically.
With such an automated cell the required space may be held relatively small, however within the working space only complete workpiece carriers are moved, rather than single workpieces.
For certain manufacturing tasks, for instance in the manufacturing of injection pumps for the common rail technique the workpieces must be machined extremely precisely and must for instance be measured or subjected to a different operation step in the automated cell. Thus the workpieces must for instance be tilted in the automated cell, pre-measured, finally measured or subjected to a brushing or cleaning operation.
In particular due to the short machining time of small parts up to now for performing such supplementary tasks within the automated cell additional handling devices are necessary that work in parallel, to avoid that the pick-up and supplementary tasks within the automated cell lead to a deceleration of the working cycle of the machine tool supplied thereby.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus it is the object of the invention to provide an improved automated cell for handling of workpieces and an improved process for the handling of workpieces which avoid the drawbacks of the prior art to a considerable part. In particular, the automated cell shall have a simple and space-saving design and shall allow the feeding or removal, respectively, of workpieces into or out of, respectively, a machine tool associated thereto in the simplest possible way, while being sufficiently fast even with very small workpiece machining times.
This object is achieved in the automated cell mentioned at the outset according to the invention in that the handling device is configured as a two-dimensional gantry having a first linear axis extending in longitudinal direction within the working space and being coupled with a second longitudinal axis extending in transverse direction, wherein the first gripping device is received on one of the linear axes vertically displaceably, in that at least one supplementary station such as an aligning station, a pre-measuring station, a final measuring station, a tilting/reversing station, a cleaning station or a transfer space for the second gripping device provided, wherein the first gripping device is displaceable between the first workpiece carrier and at least one supplementary station, wherein the second gripping device is displaceable between at least one supplementary station and the machine tool, and wherein at least the linear axes of the two-dimensional gantry comprise a linear motor drive.
The object of the invention is thus completely achieved.
According to the invention by coupling a two-dimensional gantry, along which the first gripping device is displaceable in longitudinal and transverse direction of the working space as well as in vertical direction, with a gantry for tying to the machine tool, workpieces can be supplied to the machine tool in time within the working cycle given by the machine tool, and machined workpieces can be removed therefrom. In addition, also supplementary operations, such as aligning, pre-measuring, or final measuring can be performed without impairing the working cycle of the machine tool thereby. This is achieved substantially by driving the linear axes of the two-dimensional gantry by means of linear motor drives, thereby, due to the high operating speed of linear drives, providing sufficient time for performing supplementary functions without impairing the working cycle of the machine tool. The automated cell according to the invention has a particularly compact design, since no additional drives are necessary for such supplementary stations.
The object of the invention is further achieved by a process comprising the following steps:
transferring workpieces on a workpiece carrier into a loading space of a working space;
picking up workpieces from the workpiece carrier by means of a first gripping device between displaceable and transverse in longitudinal direction and in vertical direction of a two-dimensional gantry which comprises a first linear axis extending in longitudinal direction of the working space, and a second linear axis extending in transverse direction of the working space and being coupled with the first linear axis;
displacing the workpieces to a second gripping device being displaceable along a gantry which connects the working space with a machine tool allocated thereto which has a main time for machining a workpiece and an idle time for loading and unloading of workpieces;
within the main time transferring a workpiece by means of the second gripping device from the working space toward the machine tool;
within the idle time turning over the workpiece to the machine tool and receiving a machined workpiece from the machine tool;
within the main time displacing the workpiece received from the machine tool into the working space;
within the main time receiving a workpiece from the second gripping device by means of the first gripping device and displacing toward the workpiece carrier;
wherein the first gripping device within the main time turns over and receives workpieces between at least one supplementary station, such as an aligning station, a pre-measuring station, a final m
Felsomat GmbH & Co.
Underwood Donald W.
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