Turning – Lathe – With work feeder or remover
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-31
2001-08-21
Tsai, Henry (Department: 3722)
Turning
Lathe
With work feeder or remover
C126S126001, C126S162000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06276245
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a bar work loading apparatus for a head traveling type vertical machine tool in which a main spindle having an axis of rotation extending approximately vertically is rotatably supported by a headstock that is movable in the directions of at least two axes. The bar work loading apparatus inserts a bar work into the main spindle from a side thereof closer to a chuck provided at the lower end of the main spindle. The present invention also relates to a bar work loading method for use in a head traveling type vertical machine tool.
There is a head traveling type vertical machine tool having a headstock that rotatably supports a main spindle having an axis of rotation extending in the vertical direction or tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction. The headstock is moved to machine a work held by a chuck provided at the lower end of the main spindle with a machining tool provided below the chuck. The head traveling type vertical machine tool has such advantages that it does not need a transfer loader for transferring a work to the main spindle, and the work transfer mechanism is simplified. Such a head traveling type vertical machine tool is generally used to machine works whose axial length is substantially equal to or shorter than the diameter thereof. There has heretofore been no bar work loading apparatus usable for a head traveling type vertical machine tool to perform a bar work machining operation in which a bar work whose axial length is longer than the diameter thereof is loaded into the main spindle and successively advanced so as to project from the chuck by a necessary length for each machining process, and machining is carried out with respect to the projecting portion of the bar work.
Japanese Patent Post-Examination Publication Number 5-13761 (1993) is publicly known as an apparatus for loading bar works into a vertical lathe that is not of the head traveling type. In the known apparatus, a bar work is loaded into the main spindle from the rear, that is, from above.
If a bar work loading apparatus such as that disclosed in Japanese Patent Post-Examination Publication Number 5-13761 (1993) is applied to a head traveling type vertical machine tool as it is, the overall height of the system comprising the machine tool and the bar work loading apparatus becomes unfavorably high, and the bar work loading apparatus is likely to interfere with the ceiling of the factory. For this reason, the system including the bar work loading apparatus cannot be installed in a low-ceilinged factory. There is also a problem that the axial length of bar works to be machined is unfavorably limited because of the necessity of avoiding interference between the bar work loading apparatus and the ceiling of the factory. Moreover, the operation of setting bar works in the bar work loading apparatus placed at a high position is not easy, and there is a danger of an accident occurring. That is, the operator may drop a bar work accidentally. Thus, the bar work setting operation also involves a problem in terms of safety.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a bar work loading apparatus for a head traveling type vertical machine tool, in which a bar work is inserted into a main spindle from a side thereof closer to a chuck provided at the lower end of the main spindle, thereby improving the bar work loading apparatus in both operability and safety. Another object of the present invention is to provide a bar work loading method for use in a head traveling type vertical machine tool.
To attain the above-described objects, the present invention provides a bar work loading apparatus for a head traveling type vertical machine tool. The head traveling type vertical machine tool has a main spindle having an axis of rotation extending approximately in the vertical direction, and a headstock rotatably supporting the main spindle. The headstock is movable in at least the direction of the axis of the main spindle and a direction perpendicularly intersecting the axis of the main spindle. A chuck is provided at the lower end of the main spindle. The head traveling type vertical machine tool further has a controller for controlling the movement of the headstock and the rotation of the main spindle and also controlling the opening and closing operation of the chuck. The bar work loading apparatus is provided in the vicinity of the head traveling type vertical machine tool in side-by-side relation to load the head traveling type vertical machine tool with a bar work whose axial length is longer than the diameter thereof. The bar work loading apparatus includes a holding member capable of holding at least one bar work whose axial length is longer than the diameter thereof in such a manner that the axial direction of the bar work is parallel to the direction of the axis of the main spindle at least at a work receiving position where the chuck receives the bar work. The holding member faces opposite to the chuck at the work receiving position in a range within which the center axis of the main spindle is movable.
In the above-described bar work loading apparatus for a head traveling type vertical machine tool, it is preferable that the headstock be movable only in the direction of the axis of the main spindle and in a horizontal direction perpendicularly intersecting the axis of the main spindle, and that the work receiving position of the holding member be on the path of travel in the horizontal direction of the center axis of the main spindle.
In addition, the above-described bar work loading apparatus for a head traveling type vertical machine tool preferably has a work loading assisting unit at a position in the vicinity of the work receiving position of the holding member and in the range within which the center axis of the main spindle is movable. The work loading assisting unit is provided with a staircase-shaped abutment surface for supporting the bar work.
In addition, the above-described bar work loading apparatus for a head traveling type vertical machine tool preferably has a lifting unit provided in the vicinity of the work receiving position of the holding member to lift the bar work at the work receiving position in the axial direction.
In addition, the above-described bar work loading apparatus for a head traveling type vertical machine tool preferably has a work locking unit provided in the vicinity of the work receiving position of the holding member. The work locking unit is capable of axially locking and unlocking the bar work at the work receiving position.
In the above-described bar work loading apparatus for a head traveling type vertical machine tool, a centering unit may be provided in the vicinity of the work receiving position of the holding member to center an upper end portion of the bar work at the work receiving position.
In the above-described bar work loading apparatus for a head traveling type vertical machine tool, it is referable that the holding member be capable of swiveling with a plurality of bar works held thereon and capable of positioning a desired bar work with respect to the work receiving position by swiveling.
The above-described bar work loading apparatus for a head traveling type vertical machine tool may be installed in a pit formed in a floor surface.
In addition, the present invention provides a bar work loading method for use in a system including a head traveling type vertical machine tool and a bar work loading apparatus. The head traveling type vertical machine tool has a main spindle with an axis of rotation extending approximately in the vertical direction, and a headstock rotatably supporting the main spindle. The headstock is movable in at least the direction of the axis of the main spindle and a direction perpendicularly intersecting the axis of the main spindle. A chuck is provided at the lower end of the main spindle. The head traveling type vertical machine tool further has a controller for controlling the movement o
Inaba Hiroshi
Ohtake Kimitaka
Yoshino Shizuki
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Hitachi Seiki Co., Ltd.
Tsai Henry
LandOfFree
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