Metal deforming – With means to drive tool – Including gear-actuated tool support
Patent
1991-10-07
1993-05-11
Jones, David
Metal deforming
With means to drive tool
Including gear-actuated tool support
72404, 72472, 29 33Q, 83213, B21J 1300
Patent
active
052091015
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a modular machining center comprising various work modules, each of which comprises tools which are positively controlled with respect to time, e.g. punching/bending tools, front-feed devices, welding stations, assembly and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such machining centers are known and are distinguished particularly by the fact that the work modules can be used for multiple functions resulting in extremely economical use. Conventionally, the core element of such machining centers is a punching/bending tool unit which comprises a main drive in a base. The main drive drives a central drive gear which is supported above it in a separate housing; the central drive gear drives a plurality of work units such as bending carriages or slides, cutting punches, welding electrodes etc. in a predetermined sequence with respect to time. The drive of other adjoining work units, e.g. (semi-finished product) front-feed devices or presses, is derived from this main drive, for which purpose more or less bulky drive means are generally required in the area of the interfaces between the work units. Therefore, the attempt was made to accommodate a portion of these drive means in an enlarged base; but this severely limited the possibilities for a modular combination of a plurality of work modules.
Such conventional concepts are known e.g. from U.S. Pat. No. 44 57 160 and from EP 0 119 599 B1 and DE-AS 27 37 442. In all of the known cases, the possibilities for converting the machining center are limited to the exchange of a housing resting on a relatively broad base; relatively costly manipulating devices are required for this purpose which, moreover, require time-consuming manipulation. For example, the conversion of the machining center according to EP 0 119 599 requires a separate transport car having a highly loadable swivel axle, wherein separate means are required for bringing the unit housing to be exchanged into a plane in which it can be coupled to the base. In the machining center according to DE-AS 27 37 442, the exchangeability of the bending units likewise requires an elongated substructure, wherein the plug-in shaft connection more or less severely limits the possibilities of exchanging the work units. An uncoupling of the modules is possible only by means of lateral movement.
Moreover, it has been shown that the main drive frequently reaches the limits of its capacity when all possible coupling points of the module are used up.
As a result of these conventional difficulties in the modular construction and conversion of machining centers, the central drive rim of a classical punch/bending tool unit has begun to be replaced (see DE-PS 32 34 981) by horizontal drive shafts and the work modules to be connected linearly one after the other, wherein a separate main drive block is provided, from which all drive movements are derived. However, the substantial advantage of the central drive rim, which consists in the freely movable arrangement of the bending tool units accompanied by a uniform distribution of power, is forfeited with this concept. Another disadvantage of this concept consists in that conversion steps take up a relatively great amount of time and a relatively great amount of construction space is required for the main drive block, especially since the latter generally has large dimensions so that as many modules as possible can be connected in tandem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the present invention has the object of providing a drive unit for a machining center of modular construction having different work modules, which drive unit can be integrated into the machining center in a spacesaving and economical manner and the possibility is provided of exchanging work modules quickly and safely without having to move the modules laterally. This object is met where the drive unit is constructed as a press which comprises the main drive for the machining center, and in that the drive of adjacent work
REFERENCES:
patent: 4457160 (1984-07-01), Wunsch
patent: 4773250 (1988-09-01), Miyazaki
International Search Report regarding PCT/EP88/00935.
"Modulare Hochleistungs-Stanzbiegeautomaten fur die just-in-time-Fertigung"-Draht und Band-Stanzen und Biegen.
International Search Report regarding PCT/EP90/02310 and English translation.
International Search Report regarding PCT/EP90/02320 and English translation.
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