JP2977561B2 - Tool management method - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a tool management method for managing the arrangement of tools used in a plurality of machine tools by a cell controller,
In particular, the present invention relates to a tool management method that improves a tool utilization rate.

[Conventional technology]

In a factory automation (FA) system, a tool is automatically taken out of a tool stocker in response to a request from a machining cell, transported to the machining cell by an unmanned carrier for tools, and set in the tool magazine of the machine tool. Then, it is automatically mounted on the machine tool by an automatic tool changer or the like, and machining is performed.

Thereafter, the working time is managed on the machining cell side, and when the service life has been reached, a new tool is again taken out of the tool stocker and replaced.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, tools that have not reached the end of their life remain stored in the tool magazine after machining, and when another machining cell requires the same type of tool, a new tool must be supplied from the tool stocker again. And the tool utilization is poor.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point,
An object of the present invention is to provide a tool management method in which a tool utilization rate is improved.

[Means for solving the problem]

In the present invention, in order to solve the above problems, in a tool management method for managing the arrangement of tools used in a plurality of machine tools by a cell controller, from a specific machine tool, the tool name of the tool currently held, Read the data indicating the usage time and the frequency of use to create tool data, create a machining request list indicating the tool name of the tool required for machining based on the machining schedule, based on the tool data and the machining request list Of the tools shown in the machining request list, tools that the specific machine tool does not have, and among the tools that the machine tool has, unnecessary when the machine tool executes the current machining program. A tool is determined, and for a tool that is not possessed, a preparation list is created by summing up the tool names, and for the unnecessary tool, a predetermined list is created based on the tool data. The statistical processing is performed to obtain a predicted use frequency that predicts the subsequent use frequency, a tool name is classified according to the frequency of the predicted use frequency, a classification list is created, the preparation list is created, and the classification list is created. Is performed for each of the plurality of machine tools, a plurality of preparation lists and a plurality of classification lists are created, and based on the plurality of preparation lists and the plurality of classification lists, an arrangement list for rearranging tools is provided. A tool management method is provided, wherein the tool management method is created and output.

[Action]

The arrangement of tools used in multiple machine tools is managed collectively by the cell controller. Based on the data on the tools held by each machine tool and the processing schedule, the tool names of the tools to be prepared and the tool names of the tools unnecessary for each machine tool are listed, and an arrangement list is created.

〔Example〕

 Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of the tool management method of the present invention. In the figure, a cell controller 10 reads, from a machine tool MC1 (1a), data indicating a tool name of a tool mounted on a tool magazine or a spindle, and data indicating a used time and a frequency of use of the tool up to the present. Create data 11.

Further, the cell controller 10 creates a machining request list 13 indicating tool names of tools necessary for machining based on the machining schedule 12. Then, it is determined whether or not the tool listed in the machining request list 13 exists in the tool data 11, and if not, it is regarded as a tool to be newly prepared and written in the preparation tool list 14a. If the tool listed in the machining request list 13 is in the tool data 11 and there is a tool that is not currently used, the predicted usage frequency is calculated based on the usage time and usage frequency. Asked,
The tool names are classified according to frequency, and a classification list 15a is created.

Further, the cell controller 10 is provided with the machine tools MC2 (1b), M2
The same processing as described above is performed for C3 (1c),..., And the preparation lists 14b, 14c,.
b, 15c …………

Here, among the tools shown in the classification lists 15a, 15b, 15c,..., A tool with a low predicted use frequency is regarded as a tool that can be transferred to another machine tool, and a preparation list
14a, 14b, 14c …………… and placement list 1 with data
Create 6 and output to an external printer. With reference to the arrangement list 16, for example, the tool T1 is listed as a tool to be prepared, while the machine tool MC1 (1a)
If the tool T1 is a transferable tool, it can be understood that the tool should be rearranged without preparing a new tool.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a tool management method according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a numerical value following S indicates a step number.

[S1] Point to a specific machine tool.

[S2] From the machine tool, read out the tool name of the tool held and data indicating the use time and the frequency of use, and create tool data.

[S3] A machining request list indicating the tool names of the tools required for machining is created based on the machining schedule.

[S4] Point the tool in the machining request list.

[S5] It is determined whether or not the machine tool is currently being machined.

[S6] The tools used in the currently executed machining program are excluded.

[S7] Determine whether the pointed tool is held by this machine tool, and if so, go to S8.
If not, go to S11.

[S8] The tool usage time is compared with a specified life time, and it is determined whether or not the life value has been exceeded.
If not, go to S9.

[S9] A tool grouping process for creating a classification list is performed.

[S10] It is determined whether or not the determination processing has been completed for all tools held by this machine tool.
Return to 2, if not completed, return to S4.

[S11] A preparation list indicating the tool names of the tools to be prepared is created.

[S12] It is determined whether or not the determination process has been completed for all the machine tools. If the determination has been completed, the process returns to S13. If not, the process returns to S1 to point to the next machine tool.

[S13] An arrangement list is created based on the preparation list and the classification list created by the tool grouping process.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the tool grouping process described in the above flowchart. In the figure, a numerical value following S indicates a step number.

(S21) Compare the use time of the tool with the specified life time,
Test the life value.

[S22] The usage count is counted.

[S23] Multiple regression analysis processing is performed based on the life value and the frequency of use.

[S24] A predetermined value is substituted into the function obtained by the multiple regression analysis to obtain a predicted use frequency by predicting a use frequency to be used thereafter.

[S25] The tool names are classified according to the frequency of the predicted use frequency, and a classification list is created.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of hardware for implementing the tool management method of the present invention. In the figure, the cell controller 10 receives a production management command from the host CPU 20,
A control signal such as a processing command is sent to the processing cells 30, 40, and 50. Conversely, information of the machining process from these machining cells is
Send to 0. The machining tool MC1 (1
a), MC2 (1b) and MC3 (1c).

The cell controller 10 is configured around a main CPU board 101. The main CPU board 101 is a processor,
ROM, RAM, etc. are mounted on one board.
The following elements are connected via 100:

The hard disk 103 is connected to the bus 100 via an interface (SCSI) 102, and stores a processing schedule, a processing program, an arrangement list, and the like.

The shared RAM 104 is composed of a DRAM. Interface 105
Outputs output information such as an arrangement list to the printer 60 via the communication line 61 of RS232C. I / O board 106 is used for each processing cell 3
Transfers input / output signals to / from 0, 40, 50. The interface 107 is connected to the host CPU 20 by the communication line 21. In addition, communication lines 31, 41, 51 such as RS232C
Connected to MC1 (1a), MC2 (1b), MC3 (1c).

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, in the present invention, the arrangement of tools used in a plurality of machine tools is collectively managed by a cell controller,
Based on the data on the tools held by each machine tool and the machining schedule, the tool names of the tools to be prepared,
Since the tool names of unnecessary tools in each machine tool are listed up and a placement list is created, the tools can be efficiently rearranged by referring to the list. As a result, the number of tools in stock can be reduced, and the economy is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a tool management method of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a tool management method of one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart of grooving processing of the tool management method of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of hardware of a cell controller for implementing the present invention. 1a to 1c machine tool 10 cell controller 11 tool data 12 machining schedule 13 machining request list 14a to 14c preparation list 15a to 15c classification list 16 placement list

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A tool management method for managing the arrangement of tools used in a plurality of machine tools by a cell controller, comprising:
Reads the data indicating the use time and the frequency of use, creates tool data, creates a machining request list indicating the tool names of tools required for machining based on the machining schedule, and creates a machining request list based on the tool data and the machining request list. Of the tools shown in the machining request list, the tools that the specific machine tool does not have, and the tools that are not needed when the machine tool executes the current machining program among the tools that are held. A tool is determined, and for a tool that is not possessed, a preparation list is created by summing up the tool names, and for the unnecessary tool, predetermined statistical processing is performed based on the tool data, and a Obtain a predicted use frequency that predicts the frequency, classify the tool name according to the frequency of the predicted use frequency, create a classification list, and create the preparation list and the classification list. Performed for each of a plurality of machine mechanisms, created a plurality of preparation lists and a plurality of classification lists, based on the plurality of preparation lists and the plurality of classification lists, created an arrangement list for performing tool rearrangement A tool management method, characterized in that the tool output is output. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined time is determined by comparing a use time in the tool data with a specified life time, a life time test is performed, and the number of uses in the tool data is totaled. 2. The tool management method according to claim 1, wherein the process is a process of performing a multiple regression analysis based on the total number of times of use.