Tool changing – Including machine tool or component – Reciprocating tool machine tool
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-26
2002-05-28
Briggs, William (Department: 3722)
Tool changing
Including machine tool or component
Reciprocating tool machine tool
C072S442000, C100S224000, C100S918000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06394941
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a press with an automatic tool changing function which is a punch press having a function of automatically changing cartridges with tools mounted thereon. The present invention also relates to a tool cartridge changing device for exchanging a cartridge between a cartridge magazine and a production machine such as a punch press which uses cartridges with tools mounted thereon.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A conventional cartridge-type press with an automatic tool changing function comprises cartridge magazines
102
arranged in parallel in such a manner as to extend in opposite directions from a punch press
101
, and a transferring and loading cart
103
that can run between a cartridge changing position
101
a
of the punch press
101
and each of the cartridge magazines
102
, as shown in
FIG. 21
(The Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication (Tokkai-Hei) 11-290072).
Further, another such a press has been proposed which has a running path for the transferring and loading cart
103
arranged between the row of cartridge magazines
102
and a work table
104
, as shown in FIG.
22
.
Cartridges are transferred between the punch press
101
and the transferring and loading cart
103
using a cartridge advancing and retreating device provided in the punch press
101
. The cartridges are transferred between each of the magazines
102
and the transferring and loading cart
103
using a cartridge moving-in and -out mechanism provided in each magazine.
In both of the proposed examples, however, to exchange cartridges
105
between the punch press
101
and the cartridge magazine
102
, the cartridges
105
must be mounted on the transferring and loading cart
103
, which must then be run. Even when the cartridges
105
are to exchanged with the cartridge magazine
102
located closest to the punch press
101
, the transferring and loading cart
103
must be run. Thus, a large amount of time has been required to change the cartridges
105
.
Further, the above configuration requires the cartridge moving-in and -out mechanism for each of the large number of cartridge magazines
102
. These cartridge moving-in and -out mechanisms each have a drive source and the cartridge magazine
102
thus has a complicated configuration, thereby increasing costs.
Furthermore, the cartridge advancing and retreating device of the punch press
101
must have a large stroke to allow the cartridges to be moved into and out from the transferring and loading cart
103
. The cartridge advancing and retreating device is a mechanism provided for selecting one of the tools on the cartridges by moving the cartridges, and if the stroke is excessively increased to allow this device to be also used to change the cartridges, thermal expansion must be taken into consideration and other accuracy problems may occur. The above example comprises a cartridge type punch press, but similar problems generally occur in production machines using cartridges.
As an invention that solves these problems, the applicant has proposed a device including the cartridge moving-in and -out mechanism mounted on the transferring and loading cart (The Unexamined Japanese Patent Application (Tokugan 2000-051315). This invention is insufficient in terms of the capability of efficiently transferring and loading a plurality of cartridges. Another problem with this invention is that a setup operation such as replacement of the tools mounted on the cartridges is inefficient.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a press with an automatic tool changing function which can reduce the amount of time required to change cartridges.
It is another object of the present invention to simplify a mechanism for changing cartridges to save space and further reduce the amount of time for the change.
It is yet another object of the present invention to further simplify the mechanism for changing cartridges to reduce costs.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a tool cartridge changing device that can simplify the entire production facility including a production machine and magazines and can reduce the amount of time required to change cartridges.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a tool cartridge changing device that can simplify the entire production facility including a production machine and magazines and can efficiently set up cartridges.
It is still another object of the present invention to enable both a punch tool and a die tool to be set up easily, the punch tool and the die tool each being mounted on a corresponding one of a vertical pair of cartridges.
It is still another object of the present invention to enable safe setup operations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A press with an automatic tool changing function according to the present invention comprises a punch press for using cartridges with tools mounted thereon to process works, the punch press having a change position where the cartridges are changed, and a cartridge transferring and loading device for drawing out the cartridges from the changing position via a linear path and transferring and loading the cartridges on a cartridge magazine located on an extension of the linear path.
With this configuration, the cartridge transferring and loading device draws out the cartridges from the change position of the punch press via the linear path and transfers and loads the cartridges in the cartridge magazine located on the extension of the linear path. Thus, the cartridges can be transferred and loaded in the cartridge magazine without the need to run the transferring and loading cart, thereby reducing the amount of time required to change the cartridge.
According to the present invention, the cartridge transferring and loading device may have a cartridge moving-in and -out mechanism that moves both forward and backward to transfer and load the cartridges both at the change position of the punch press and in the cartridge magazine.
With this configuration, the cartridge moving-in and -out mechanism moves both forward and backward to transfer and load the cartridges both at the change position of the punch press and in the cartridge magazine. Thus, one continuous operation of the single cartridge moving-in and -out mechanism allows the cartridges to be drawn out from the punch press and housed in the cartridge magazine, thereby eliminating useless movements. Consequently, energy is saved and the configuration of the cartridge transferring and loading device is simplified, thereby saving space and further reducing the amount of time required to change the cartridges.
The cartridge moving-in and -out mechanism may use one actuator to drive both the moving-forward and -backward operations. Thus using the only one actuator serves to further reduce the structure and costs.
A tool cartridge changing device of the present invention changes cartridges for a production device for processing works using tools mounted on the cartridges, and comprises a transferring and loading cart that runs on a linearly extending running path and a plurality of cartridge magazines arranged close to and parallel with the running path and in each of which the cartridges can be housed. The transferring and loading cart has a plurality of cartridge housing sections provided at the same pitch as an arrangement pitch of the cartridge magazines and cartridge moving-in and -out mechanisms each provided so as to correspond to one of the cartridge housing sections, for moving the cartridges into and out from the cartridge housing section. With this configuration, since the cartridge transferring and loading device has the cartridge moving-in and -out mechanisms that can move the cartridges in and out, the cartridge magazines and the production machine are not required to have a drive mechanism for allowing the cartridges to be transferred and loaded. Thus, even if a large number of cartridge magazines are provided, the individual magazines are not required to have a drive mechanism for moving the cartridges
Kawamoto Makoto
Murayama Takahiko
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP
Briggs William
Murata Kikai Kabushiki Kaisha
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