Metal working – Plural diverse manufacturing apparatus including means for... – With means to feed work intermittently from one tool station...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-12
2003-10-07
Howell, Daniel W. (Department: 3722)
Metal working
Plural diverse manufacturing apparatus including means for...
With means to feed work intermittently from one tool station...
C029S564000, C269S2890MR, C409S219000, C409S225000, C409S903000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06629355
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a system for machining (e.g., cutting or grinding) a workpiece with a machining device, and particularly to a method and a system suitable for machining a plurality of workpieces in an unmanned manner, i.e., without needing any human operators.
2. Discussion of Related Art
There is known a method and a system for machining, with a machining device, a number of workpieces in an unmanned manner. In one known example, a plurality of machining centers are arranged to provide a machining line, a plurality of workpieces are attached, in advance, to a plurality of blocks, respectively, and each block with one workpiece is carried in to, attached to, detached from, and carried out from, each of the machining centers, all by a robot. Though the robot may be adapted to additionally attach and detach a workpiece to and from each block, it is a general practice that a human operator attaches, in advance, a workpiece to each block and, after the workpiece attached to the each block is machined in an unmanned manner, the operator detaches the workpiece from the each block. In this machining method, the operator may attach and detach a number of workpieces to and from a number of blocks, respectively, in the daytime, and the workpieces attached to the blocks may be machined in an unmanned manner in the nighttime. In addition, it has been practiced to combine a conveying device and a robot, or employ a movable robot, to carry in, attach, detach, and carry out each workpiece to and from each of the machining centers.
However, the above-indicated machining method in which workpieces are attached in advance to blocks, respectively, suffers from a problem that each of the blocks needs to have a complicated structure. In addition, large-size equipments are needed to carry in, attach, detach, and carry out large-size blocks, which leads to increasing the cost of the equipments. Moreover, it is not always possible for a robot to carry in, attach, detach, and carry out each workpiece. Even in the case where a robot can do all of them, the robot may not stably hold a workpiece having a complicated structure, and an accident such as falling of the workpiece from the robot may occur during conveying of the workpiece. These problems most likely occur to the case where a machining line is provided by a plurality of machining centers which perform respective sorts of machining operations on each workpiece, but may occur to the case where each workpiece is machined by a single machining center, or to the case where each workpiece is machined by a machining device other than the machining center.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a machining method, a machining system, and a jig which have one or more of the following technical features that are described below in respective paragraphs given parenthesized sequential numbers (1) to (24). Any technical feature that includes another technical feature shall do so by referring, at the beginning, to the parenthesized sequential number given to the latter feature. However, the following technical features and the appropriate combinations thereof are just examples to which the present invention is by no means limited. In addition, in the case where one technical feature recites a plurality of items, it is not essentially required that all of those items be simultaneously employed. That is, it is possible to select and employ only a portion (one, two, . . . , but not all) of those items.
(1) According to a first feature of the present invention, there is provided a method of machining a plurality of workpieces in an unmanned manner, comprising the steps of holding, with a jig, a first one of the workpieces, attaching the jig holding the first workpiece, to a workpiece holding device of at least one machining device, so that the first workpiece is machined by the machining device, detaching, after the machining of the first workpiece, the jig holding the first workpiece, from the workpiece holding device, removing the first workpiece from the jig, and holding, with the jig, a second one of the workpieces, and repeating the attaching step, the detaching step, and removing step.
In the present machining method, the jig holds the workpiece, and the Jig holding the workpiece is attached to, and detached from, the workpiece holding device of the machining device. The workpiece held by the jig can be more easily and more reliably attachd and detached than the case where a workpiece is directly attached and detached. In addition, the jig has a simpler structure than that of the previously-described block which holds a plurality of workpieces, and can be used repeatedly. Thus, the present machining method can machine a plurality of workpieces in an unmanned manner without increasing the cost of equipment.
(2) According to a second feature of the present invention that includes the first feature (1), the attaching step comprises attaching the jig holding the first workpiece, to a workpiece holding device of each of a plurality of machining devices which are arranged to provide a machining line, while automatically moving the jig from an upstream one of the machining devices to a downstream one of the machining devices, so that the first workpiece is machined by the each of the machining devices.
After the workpiece is held by the jig, the jig holding the workpiece is attached to each of the plurality of machining devices, and is machined by the each machining device. In this case, the above-indicated advantage of the present invention is amplified. However, this feature is not essential. For example, a jig replacing device which replaces the current jig holding the current workpiece, with a new jig, may be provided at a place between two machining devices adjacent to each other along the machining line. In the latter case, one or more different portions of the workpiece can be machined.
(3) According to a third feature of the present invention that includes the first or second feature (1) or (2), the machining device, or each of the machining devices, comprises a machining center.
Since the machining center can perform a plurality of sorts of machining operations on a single workpiece, it is often used to machine a workpiece having a complex shape. However, it may be impossible, or not reliable if possible, to directly attach or detach the workpiece having the complex shape to and from the machining center. According to the present invention, the jig holding the workpiece is attached to, and detached from, the machining center, the workpiece can be machined in the unmanned manner with high reliability.
(4) According to a third feature of the present invention that includes the second or third feature (2) or (3), the attaching step comprises operating a movable robot which is movable along the machining line, to hold the jig holding the first workpiece, carry in the jig to the each of the machining devices, and attach the jig to the workpiece holding device of the each machining device, and the detaching step comprises operating the robot to hold the jig holding the first workpiece, detach the jig from the workpiece holding device of the each machining device, and carry out the jig.
Since the robot performs both carrying the jig holding the workpiece and attaching and detaching the jig to and from each machining device, the cost of equipment can be reduced.
(5) According to a fifth feature of the present invention that includes the fourth feature (4), the removing step further comprises operating the robot to hold the jig from which the first workpiece has been removed, and return the jig from the downstream machining device to the upstream machining device.
Since the robot additionally returns the jig from which the machined workpiece has been removed, the cost of equipment can be further reduced.
(6) According to a sixth feature of the present invention that includes the fourth or fifth feature (4) or (5), at least one of the holding step and the removing
Honda Tatsuyuki
Murata Shintaro
Nagato Kazuyoshi
Yonekawa Katsuji
Fuji Machine MFG. Co., Ltd.
Howell Daniel W.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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