Toyoda Koki Kabushiki Kaisha

Hidekazu Hirano

Hiroyuki Takahara

Yasuhiro Okada

Takeshi Nishikayama

Yasuhiro Hattori

Yoshihiro Arai

Kengo Yoshioka

Satoru Uemura

Fumio Sakamoto

Kazuo Machida

Yukio Hoshino

Sentaro Sugita

A machining system includes a plurality of machine tools, a transfer apparatus configured to move a workpiece and a plurality of chip conveyors. Each of the plurality of chip conveyors includes a feeding device, a discharging opening and at least one of a first opening and a second opening. The first opening communicates with the discharging opening of an adjacent chip conveyor of the plurality of chip conveyors. The second opening receives chips generated by at least one of the plurality of machine tools. The discharging opening is for discharging the chips in the chip conveyor. The feeding device is configured to move the chips in the chip conveyor toward the discharging opening. A total length of the chip conveyors is easily regulated by changing the number of the chip conveyors so that the machining system is easily and quickly reconstructed.

Chip conveyor and machining system using the same

A horizontal machine tool has a spindle head which supports a horizontal tool spindle. The spindle head is guided on a top surface portion of a base such that the spindle head is movable in two horizontal directions X and Z. A workpiece support for supporting a workpiece on its upper end is guided on the vertical front face portion of the base for movement in a vertical direction Y. When the spindle head is located at a machining position at the center in the X direction, a pair of guide portions of each of a front/back guide mechanism for the spindle head and a vertical guide mechanism for the workpiece support body take symmetrical positions with respect to a vertical plane including the axis of the tool spindle. A first index member and a second index member for supporting the workpiece are provided on the workpiece support body. Therefore, all surfaces of the workpiece excepting an attachment surface can be machined while being directed to a tool on the tool spindle. The horizontal machine tool has an automatic tool change apparatus including a tool change arm unit, a tool magazine, and an intermediate transport unit. The tool magazine is disposed on the front side of the machine tool and on one side of the workpiece support body in the X direction, and is designed such that a plurality of tools can be stored into and removed from the magazine from the front side thereof.

Horizontal machine tool

Each of plural workpiece transfer units 10 input from on end of a machining line 100 in turn is fed toward the other end thereof in a first horizontal direction by a linear motor. In this transfer process, the workpiece transfer unit 100 is indexed to the front of predetermined some of plural spindle heads 60 arranged along the machining line 100, in turn. At an indexed position of the workpiece transfer unit 10, a workpiece supporting device movably mounted on the workpiece transfer unit 10 in two direction mutually perpendicular to the first horizontal direction, performs the machining operation on a workpiece in accordance with an NC program with respect to a tool T attached to a tool spindle 66 of the spindle head 60. At generally the same time when the workpiece transfer unit 10 starts a transfer feed toward the next spindle head 60 after finishing the machining operation by one of the spindle heads 60, the tool spindle 66 of the next spindle head 60 is started to rotate.

Flexible manufacturing system and control method therefor

A rotary indexing apparatus includes a base, a table rotatably supported on the base, a drive unit for rotating the table, and a clamp ring fixed to the base to surround the table. Interference fit is established between the clamp ring and the table in order to clamp the table. There is also provided a mechanism for deflecting the clamp ring in order to unclamp the table.

Rotary indexing apparatus

A pallet exchange apparatus has a bed and an arm assembly supported on the bed to be rotatable between a workpiece loading-and-unloading station and workpiece machining station. A pair of cylindrical holes are formed at both ends of the arm assembly for receiving the pallets. The apparatus is further provided with driving means for rotating the arm assembly, a turntable rotatably mounted on the bed at a position corresponding to the workpiece machining station, first engagement portions formed at the ends of the arm assembly, second engagement portions formed on the pallets so as to be engaged with the first engagement portions for preventing the rotation of the pallets, and a moving device disposed on the turntable for moving the pallet located at the workpiece machining station in the vertical direction. When the pallet is lowered by the moving device, the pallet is separated from the turntable and the second engagement portion of the pallet is engaged with the first engagement portion. When the pallet is raised, the pallet is thrust against the turntable and the second engagement portion is disengaged from the second engagement portion.

Growing community of inventors

Tokoname, Japan

Hidekazu Hirano