JP2002361537A - Two-sided pallet changer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To improve workability by designating a setup position at one place. A gantry (8) is horizontally installed near a processing machine (2). A chain 22 is mounted inside the gantry 8 with two horizontal
It is provided so that it can go around. Six pallet trays 15 are arranged at positions obtained by equally dividing the entire length of the chain 22 into six. Chain 2
2 is driven by the motor 21 with a maximum stroke that is approximately twice the span of the pedestal arrangement. Along with the rotation of the chain 22, the pallet receiving table 15 on which the pallets A and B are placed is transported at the upper portion of the gantry 8, and the three empty pallet receiving tables 15 are stored in the storage section 8 of the gantry 8.
1 is stored.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a two-sided pallet changing device attached to a processing machine such as a machining center.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 8, in the vicinity of a processing machine 2, two pallets A and B are alternately indexed to an exchange position 50 by moving a mounting table 30, and a pallet at the exchange position 50 is processed. A two-sided pallet changing device for changing a pallet on a table of the machine 2 is known. In this apparatus, setup positions 61 and 62 are designated on both the left and right sides of the exchange position 50, and the pallet B is set up at the right setup position 62 as shown in (a), and as shown in (f). The pallet A was set up at the left setup position 61.

[0003]

However, according to the conventional apparatus, since the setup positions 61 and 62 are far apart, it is necessary for an operator to move and set up, and there is a problem in workability. In addition, it is necessary to leave a space around both of the setup positions 61 and 62, which is disadvantageous in terms of space in the factory.

In view of these problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a two-sided pallet changing device which can improve workability by designating a setup position at one place and can effectively use a space in a factory. .

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided:
A surface pallet changing device is a device for changing a pallet between a table of a processing machine and a pedestal horizontally installed near a table, and around two horizontal axes sandwiching an exchange position inside the pedestal. A conveyor provided so as to be able to rotate, at least two pallet cradles arranged adjacent to each other on the conveyor, and driving means for driving the conveyor,
The gantry is formed with a flat area in which pallets can be placed at the exchange position and positions on both sides of the gantry, and a storage unit for storing a pallet receiving table on which no pallets are placed is provided below the gantry.

The two-sided pallet changing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention is configured by arranging six pallet receiving tables at positions where the total length of the conveyor is equally divided into six.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of a two-sided pallet changing apparatus according to the present invention. A processing machine 2 such as a vertical machining center is provided with a table 3 and a pallet loading / unloading port 4. The gantry 8 of the two-sided pallet changing device 1 is horizontally installed near the table 3, and a pallet loading / unloading device 9 is arranged between the center of the gantry 8 in the longitudinal direction and the table 3.

The gantry 8 is located at a pallet changing position (a loading / unloading device 9).
And a position on the left and right sides thereof, and a flat area on which a pallet can be placed. Inside the gantry 8, two left and right horizontal shafts 24 sandwiching the pallet replacement position are supported, and sprockets 23 are mounted on both ends.
The sprocket 23 has an endless chain 22
Are stretched, and the chain 22 constitutes a conveyor that can rotate around the horizontal axis.

At positions where the entire length of the chain 22 is divided into six equal parts,
Two pallet receiving tables 15 are arranged adjacent to each other, and are respectively connected to the chain 22. One of the horizontal shafts 24 is connected to a motor 21 capable of rotating forward and backward, and this motor 21 constitutes a driving means for driving the chain 22 with a maximum stroke twice as long as the arrangement span of the pallet receiving table 15.

On the upper and lower parts of the gantry 8, rails 10, 1 are provided.
The upper rail 10 supports a roller 19 for guiding the pallet receiving table 15, and the pallet receiving table 15 supports a roller 16 for rolling on the lower rail 11.
Along with the rotation of the chain 22, the pallet support 15 on which the pallets are placed is transferred at the upper part of the gantry 8, and the storage part 81 for storing the pallet supports 15 on which no pallets are mounted is provided under the gantry 8. Is provided.

A plurality of pallet guide rollers 17 are arranged on the pallet receiving table 15 in the carry-in / out direction, and the pallet carry-in / out device 9 is provided with a shifter 13, a shifter guide rail 12, a shift roller 14, and the like. Then, the pallet A or B is carried from the pallet receiving table 15 onto the table 3 by the reciprocating movement of the shifter 13 between the pallet receiving table 15 and the processing machine 2, and is carried out from the table 3 onto the pallet receiving table 15. You.

Next, the operation of the two-sided pallet changing apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. (A) The pallet A is carried from the pallet receiving table 15 onto the table 3 of the processing machine 2 and is clamped. Pallet B
Is disposed at the setup position 6 of the exchange device 1 and setup such as mounting of a work and a jig is performed. (B) When the processing is completed, the pallet A is unclamped from the table 3 and carried out onto the pallet receiving table 15 at the replacement position 5.

(C) The chain 22 is driven at a stroke that is one times the span of the pedestal arrangement, the pallet A is transferred from the change position 5 to the standby position 7, and the pallet B is transferred from the setup position 6 to the change position 5. You. (D) The pallet B is carried from the pallet receiving table 15 onto the table 3 and clamped. (E) The chain 22 is driven at the maximum stroke twice as long as the cradle arrangement span, the pallet A is transferred from the standby position 7 to the setup position 6, and setup for the next processing is performed. At this time, the pallet receiving table 15 on which no pallet is placed is stored in the storage section 81 of the gantry 8.

(F) The chain 22 is driven with a maximum stroke twice as long as the arranging span of the receiving table, and the pallet A is moved to the setup position 6.
To the standby position 7. (G) When the processing is completed, the pallet B is unclamped from the table 3 and carried out onto the pallet receiving table 15 at the replacement position 5. (H) The chain 22 is driven with a stroke that is one times the cradle arrangement span, the pallet A is transferred from the standby position 7 to the exchange position 5, and the pallet B is transferred from the exchange position 5 to the setup position 6. (I) The pallet A is carried from the pallet receiving table 15 onto the table 3 and clamped. On the pallet B, setup for the next processing is performed. By repeating the above steps (a) to (i), two pallets A and B are continuously exchanged.

Therefore, according to the two-sided pallet changing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the setup position 6 can be designated at one location on one side of the gantry 8. For this reason, workability can be improved, and there is no need to leave a space around the standby position 7, so that the space in the factory can be effectively used, for example, by arranging another machine adjacent thereto. Further, since the gantry 8 is formed with a flat area of approximately three pallets, the installation space of the exchange device 1 can be reduced. Moreover, the empty pallet receiving table 1 is stored in the storage section 81 of the gantry 8.
Since the number 5 is stored, the gantry 8 can be formed low, and an optimal setup height for the operator can be secured. The operation panel 20 of the exchange device 1 is provided on the end face of the gantry 8 on the setup position 6 side.

FIGS. 4 to 6 show a second embodiment of the two-sided pallet changing apparatus according to the present invention. A processing machine 2 such as a vertical machining center is provided with a table 3 and a pallet loading / unloading port 4. The gantry 8 of the two-sided pallet changing device 1 is horizontally installed near the table 3, and a pallet loading / unloading device 9 is arranged between the center of the gantry 8 in the longitudinal direction and the table 3.

Inside the gantry 8, two left and right horizontal shafts 2 sandwiching a pallet exchange position (a position facing the loading / unloading device 9) are provided.
4 are supported, and sprockets 23 are mounted on both ends. A chain 22, which is an endless member, is stretched over the sprocket 23, and the chain 22 constitutes a conveyor that can rotate around a horizontal axis.

At positions where the entire length of the chain 22 is divided into six equal parts,
The original pallet trays 15 are arranged, and
Is bound to One of the horizontal shafts 24 is connected to a motor 21 capable of rotating forward and reverse, and the motor 21
The driving means for driving the pallet 2 at a maximum stroke twice the arrangement span of the pallet receiving table 15 is constituted.

On the upper and lower parts of the gantry 8, rails 10, 1 are provided.
The upper rail 10 supports a roller 19 for guiding the pallet receiving table 15, and the pallet receiving table 15 supports a roller 16 for rolling on the lower rail 11.
Then, along with the rotation of the chain 22, three pallet supports 15 are transferred at the upper part of the gantry 8, and at the lower part of the gantry 8, the remaining three pallet supports 15 on which no pallets are placed are stored. A portion 81 is provided.

A plurality of pallet guide rollers 17 are arranged on the pallet receiving table 15 in the loading / unloading direction, and the pallet loading / unloading device 9 is provided with a shifter 13, a shifter guide rail 12, a shift roller 14, and the like. Then, the pallet A or B is carried from the pallet receiving table 15 onto the table 3 by the reciprocating movement of the shifter 13 between the pallet receiving table 15 and the processing machine 2, and is carried out from the table 3 onto the pallet receiving table 15. You.

Next, the operation of the two-sided pallet changing apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. (A) The pallet A is carried from the pallet receiving table 15 onto the table 3 of the processing machine 2 and is clamped. Pallet B
Is disposed at the setup position 6 of the exchange device 1 and setup such as mounting of a work and a jig is performed. (B) When the processing is completed, the pallet A is unclamped from the table 3 and carried out onto the pallet receiving table 15 at the replacement position 5. (C) The chain 22 is driven with a stroke that is one time the cradle arrangement span, the pallet A is transferred from the exchange position 5 to the standby position 7, and the pallet B is transferred from the setup position 6 to the exchange position 5. (D) The pallet B is carried from the pallet receiving table 15 onto the table 3 and clamped. (E) The chain 22 is driven at the maximum stroke twice as long as the cradle arrangement span, the pallet A is transferred from the standby position 7 to the setup position 6, and setup for the next processing is performed. (F)-(i) The chain 22 operates in the same manner as in (b)-(e) above, and the pallet B is transferred to the setup position 6.

By repeating the above steps (a) to (i), two pallets A and B are continuously exchanged. Therefore, according to the two-sided pallet changing device 1 of this embodiment, in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment, there is an advantage that the operation of the chain 22 can be further simplified as compared with the first embodiment. The operation panel 20 of the exchange device 1 is provided on the end face of the gantry 8 on the setup position 6 side.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the conveyor. This conveyor has a large number of hinge plates 32a.
Are connected endlessly to each other. The transport plate 32 is wound around a pair of hexagonal rollers 33 having six surfaces to which the hinge plate 32a is joined, and the left and right sides of the pallet replacement position are sandwiched by the motor 21.
The book is wrapped around a horizontal axis 24.

A rail 36 provided with rollers 35 for guiding the upper half of the transport plate 32 is mounted on the gantry 8. The six pallet supports 15 are each divided into left and right sides, and are separately fixed to hinge plates 32a. Then, as the transport plate 32 rotates, the three pallet receiving tables 15
And the remaining three pallet trays 15 are stored in the storage unit 81 of the gantry 8. Therefore, this exchange device 1
Accordingly, the same operation and effect as those of the above embodiment can be obtained.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be carried out by appropriately changing the shape and configuration of each part without departing from the spirit of the present invention as listed below. . (1) The present invention is applied to other processing machines such as a horizontal machining center. (2) Install three, four or five pallet trays on the conveyor so that they are adjacent to each other. (3) Conveyor is composed of an endless belt. (4) The conveyor is driven by a hydraulic cylinder.

[0026]

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the pallet rest on which the pallets are placed is transferred at the upper part of the gantry as the conveyor rotates, and the empty pallet cradle is moved to the pallet. Since it is stored in the storage unit, the setup position can be designated at one place, the workability can be improved, and the space in the factory can be used effectively.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since six pallet receiving tables are arranged at positions where the total length of the conveyor is equally divided into six, the operation of the conveyor can be simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a two-sided pallet changing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory diagram of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a two-sided pallet changing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the apparatus of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram of the device of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a front view showing another embodiment of the conveyor.

FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory view of a conventional two-sided pallet changing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1. Two-sided pallet changing device, 2. Processing machine, 3. Table, 4. Pallet loading / unloading, 5. Pallet changing position, 6. Setup position, 7. Standby position, 8. Trestle,
9. Pallet loading / unloading device, 13. Shifter, 15
Pallet support, 20 ... Operation panel, 21 ... Motor, 22
..Chain, 24..horizontal axis, 32..transport plate, 81 ..
-Storage unit, A, B-Pallet.

Claims (2)

[Claims] An apparatus for exchanging a pallet with a table of a processing machine, comprising: a gantry installed horizontally near a table; and a circulator around two horizontal axes sandwiching an exchange position inside the gantry. A conveyor provided to be able to be provided, at least two pallet receiving tables arranged adjacent to each other on the conveyor, and a driving means for driving the conveyor, and the pallet is moved to the exchange position and the positions on both sides thereof. A two-sided pallet changing device which has a storage area for storing a pallet receiving table on which a pallet is not placed, which is formed in a flat area which can be arranged, and on which a pallet is not placed. 2. The two-sided pallet changing device according to claim 1, wherein six pallet receiving tables are arranged at positions where the total length of the conveyor is divided into six equal parts.