A blade attachment-detachment assisting apparatus includes a nut rotating part having an engagement pin that engages with an engagement hole of a nut, a nut grip part that grips an annular groove of the nut, a housing that supports the nut rotating part rotatably by a predetermined angle, and a lock mechanism. The nut rotating part is capable of advancing and retreating, relative to the housing, to a protrusion position and a fixing position at which engagement between the nut grip part and the nut is kept, and is fixed to the housing with the intermediary of a spring. The lock mechanism includes an inside surface by which advancing and retreating of the nut rotating part are restricted through engagement of the nut rotating part with the housing when the housing is rotated in one direction at the fixing position to which the nut rotating part has been pushed.

A blade changer unit includes a blade chuck for holding a cutting blade, a moving unit for moving the blade chuck, and a control unit for controlling moving unit. The blade chuck has a plurality of electrically conductive grippers for holding the cutting blade. The controller detects conduction between the grippers and a boss. The control unit includes a calculator for calculating the position of a central axis of the mount from coordinates where the conduction between the holder and the boss is detected when the moving unit is controlled to bring the grippers into contact with the mount at at least three points, and a mounting/dismounting controller for mounting and dismounting the cutting blade while the central axis of the blade chuck is aligned with the central axis of the mount calculated by the calculator.

A cutting apparatus includes a blade changing unit demounting an old cutting blade from a blade mount and mounting a new cutting blade to the blade mount. The blade changing unit includes a blade holder for holding a support base of each cutting blade and a moving portion for moving the blade holder in the axial direction of a boss portion of the blade mount in the condition where each cutting blade is held by the blade holder, thereby mounting the new cutting blade to the boss portion or demounting the old cutting blade from the boss portion. The cutting apparatus further includes a control unit controlling the blade changing unit. The control unit measures a signal indicating a force applied to the moving portion in mounting or demounting, and determines the condition of the blade changing unit and blade mount according to the signal measured by the measuring portion.

A blade replacing device used in a cutting apparatus includes a holding section that detachably holds one surface side of a cutting blade, a moving section that relatively advances and retracts the holding section with holding the cutting blade relative to a spindle in an axial direction of the spindle, and positions the holding section at least at a mounting position at which the other surface of the cutting blade is equal to or less than a predetermined distance from a flange section of a blade mount, and at a released position at which the cutting blade is spaced from the blade mount, and a thickness information acquisition section for acquiring information concerning a thickness of the cutting blade. The mounting position of the holding section is adjusted according to the thickness of the cutting blade acquired by utilizing the thickness information acquisition section.

A cutting blade supplying apparatus includes a cutting blade stocker that stocks a plurality of cutting blades, a carrying unit that carries out the cutting blade from the cutting blade stocker and carries the cutting blade to a cutting apparatus, a transferring unit that transfers the cutting blade carried by the carrying unit to a blade replacing unit of the cutting apparatus, and a control unit. The control unit selects the cutting blade needed by the cutting apparatus and causes the cutting blade to be carried by the carrying unit to the cutting apparatus.

Provided are a combined machining apparatus and a combined machining method capable of performing machining with higher accuracy and at a high speed. The apparatus has a stage unit; a mechanical machining unit including a mechanical machining head having a tool configured to machine a workpiece; a laser machining unit including a laser machining head configured to emit laser for machining the workpiece; a moving unit; and a control unit that controls the operation of each unit, in which the laser machining head has a laser turning unit that turns laser relative to the workpiece, and a condensing optical system that focuses the laser turned by the laser turning unit, and a position at which the workpiece is irradiated with the laser is rotated by the laser turning unit.

A blade mounting and dismounting jig is provided for mounting a blade on and dismounting a blade from a flange of a cutting apparatus which includes a boss, a blade mount for mounting the blade fitted thereover, the flange having an annular end face for supporting the blade thereon and being fixed to a distal end of a spindle, and a holder that cooperates with the flange in gripping and securing the blade in position. The blade mounting and dismounting jig includes a cylindrical jig body, a grip coupled to the jig body and having a diameter larger than the jig body, a plurality of first air ejection ports defined in a distal end portion of the jig body, a plurality of second air ejection ports defined in the jig body at a juncture between the jig body and the grip.

A device (1) for automatically changing sanding discs (12) includes a stacking device (10) for a plurality of grinding discs (12) and a guide element (16) for orienting the suction openings (32) in the grinding discs (12) along a common central axis (18), wherein the guide element (16) is arranged eccentrically with regard to the central axis (18). A positioning element (17) is provided for positioning a tool head of a grinding device, wherein the positioning element (17) and the guide element (16) are mounted in a floating manner. A device (1) for automatically changing grinding discs (12) includes a detachment device (50), wherein the detachment device (50) has a bearing surface (51) for a grinding-disc receptacle. The bearing surface (51) has an opening (52), the diameter of which is greater than the diameter of the grinding disc (12). A separating element (53) is arranged above the opening (52). A system includes a device (1) for automatically changing grinding discs (12) containing a stacking device (10) and a detachment device (50).

The invention relates to a method for the multi-stage grinding of workpieces (20) made of hard mineral materials using a robot (10). To this end, the workpiece (20) is moved into a processing region (21) and measured and/or oriented there by the robot (10). The robot (10) comprises a grinding head (11) by way of which it then takes up a first abrasive (14) preferably from a storage container (30) and starts a first grinding process. After the first grinding process is complete, the robot (10) releases the first abrasive (14) again and then takes up a second abrasive (14), preferably from the same or some other storage container (30). Then the robot (10) starts a second grinding process, and after the latter is complete, releases the second abrasive (14) again. One or more further grinding processes may be provided, but the grinding method can also be finished after the second grinding process. If further grinding processes are provided, the robot (10) first of all takes up the respective abrasive (14), carries out the grinding process and releases the abrasive (14) again. After the final grinding process is complete, the workpiece (20) is removed from the processing region (21). Furthermore, the invention also comprises a plant (26) for carrying out the method and a stripping device (40), a storage container (30) and a vacuum table (50), by means of which the method can be carried out.

A conditioning disk replacement apparatus includes; a detacher configured to separate a conditioning disk from to a holder, a transfer part configured to transfer the conditioning disk, and a container configured to store the conditioning disk. The detacher includes a detachment body and a rotary part coupled to the detachment body, the rotary part includes a key protruding outward from the rotary part in a first horizontal direction, and the rotary part is configured to rotate about a central axis extending in the first horizontal direction.