A machine tool for the machining of elongate workpieces includes a workpiece support column having workpiece support components for supporting a first workpiece and second workpiece support components for supporting a second workpiece. The first workpiece support component and the second workpiece support component are arranged for supporting the first workpiece vertically above the second workpiece. The workpiece support column is rotatable around a vertical axis so as to shift the workpieces between the machining station and a station for loading and unloading of workpieces. The workpiece support component include a drive element for applying torque to the workpieces for machining of the workpieces by turning. A motor and chuck assembly and a method of machining workpieces are related.

A machine tool includes a lower tool post for holding a cutting tool, a tool main spindle for holding a cutting tool, a storage unit capable of storing the cutting tool, an exchange mechanism for exchanging the cutting tools between the tool main spindle and the storage unit, an inside robot for exchanging the cutting tools between the lower tool post and the tool main spindle, and a controller. The controller performs control such that the cutting tools are exchanged between the lower tool post and the storage unit via the inside robot, the tool main spindle, and the exchange mechanism.

A complex machine tool for cylindrical workpieces has a bed, a headstock assembly, at least one supporting assembly, and at least one machining assembly. The bed has three tracks being respectively a first track, a second track, a third track arranged in order. Each one of the three tracks defines a respective guiding direction, and the three guiding directions of the three tracks are mutually parallel. The headstock assembly is connected to the bed, and is located near one of two ends of the second track. The at least one supporting assembly is mounted on one of the three tracks and is used for supporting the cylindrical workpiece. The at least one machining assembly is mounted on one of the three tracks, is slidable along the track, and is located on a position at a spaced interval from the at least one supporting assembly.

A multi-purpose precision machine tool is provided, which has main structures including a machine tool body, and a first workpiece fixing mechanism, a second workpiece fixing mechanism, and a tool mechanism provided on the machine tool body. The first workpiece fixing mechanism and the second workpiece fixing mechanism respectively include an internally expanding clamp and a soft-jaw chuck for clamping a workpiece, so as to not only drive the workpiece to rotate, and but also drive the workpiece to perform horizontal and vertical linear displacement. Therefore, the internally expanding clamp can first clamp the workpiece to machine one end of the workpiece, and then the soft-jaw chuck clamps the other end of the workpiece to machine the other end of the workpiece.

A lathe capable of shortening a spindle with respect to a spindle axis direction. A spindle provided with a chuck at the front end thereof is rotatably supported on a support by bearings. A chuck operating apparatus includes a tilt claw and a shifter. A built-in motor is disposed between the bearings to rotate the spindle. The claw is provide outside the spindle and between the bearings. The claw has a movable end whose distance from the spindle axis varies between a first posture to bring the chuck into the opened state and a second posture to bring the chuck into the closed state. The shifter is provided outside the claw and movable in the spindle axis direction to be brought in a first position to bring the claw into the first posture and in a second position to bring the claw into the second posture.

A lathe capable of facilitating maintenance of a chucking mechanism. A chuck operating apparatus includes a claw and a shifter to open and close a chuck provided on a spindle. The tilt claw provided outside the spindle has a first posture to bring the chuck into the opened state and a second posture to bring the chuck into the closed state. The shifter provided outside the spindle and movable in a spindle axis direction is brought in a first position to bring the claw into the first posture and in a second position to bring the claw into the second posture. A roller is mounted on the shifter in a contact position with the claw to roll in the spindle axis direction.

The present invention provides certain additional improvements for such mechanical-type multi-axis machine tools. These improvements include: (1) permitting the spindles to be rotated about their respective axes relative to the member independently of one another, (2) providing a low-cost, and yet highly-effective, sensor apparatus for determining the angular position of the member relative to the frame without the use of an expensive encoder or the like, (3) mounting the rotatable member more precisely relative to the frame, and (4) providing a zero-backlash tool slide on the frame for imparting an action to a workpiece.

The present invention provides certain additional improvements for such mechanical-type multi-axis machine tools. These improvements include: (1) permitting the spindles to be rotated about their respective axes relative to the member independently of one another, (2) providing a low-cost, and yet highly-effective, sensor apparatus for determining the angular position of the member relative to the frame without the use of an expensive encoder or the like, (3) mounting the rotatable member more precisely relative to the frame, and (4) providing a zero-backlash tool slide on the frame for imparting an action to a workpiece.

A machining apparatus includes: a shuttle unit (3) that holds a differential case (10) and rotates the differential case (10); a pair of opposed right and left machining units (4); and a tool support (6) that supports a tool (40) for machining the differential case (10), in which the pair of right and left machining units (4) each include a slide mechanism dedicated for uniaxial sliding in right and left directions, the shuttle unit (3) is movable in up and down directions and front and back directions, a tool attached to each of the pair of right and left machining units (4) enables machining an end portion of an inner surface of the differential case (10) and a flange hole of the differential case (10), the end portion surrounding a through hole, and a cutting edge of the tool (40) supported by the tool support (6) enables spherically cutting the inner surface of the differential case (10) held and rotated by the shuttle unit (3).

An operational control method is provided for a machine tool that includes a plurality of tool holders with a cutting-tool. The machine tool relatively moves the tool holders with respect to a workpiece to process the workpiece. The operational control method includes determining whether an abnormality has occurred in the cutting-tool during a processing or not, determining whether a simultaneous processing in which at least two or more of the tool holders perform the processings to an identical workpiece is being performed or not and whether the cutting-tool having the detected abnormality is the cutting-tool that is performing the simultaneous processing or not when the abnormality is detected, and causing the tool holder with the cutting-tool having the detected abnormality to take an abnormality avoidance operation and another of the tool holders to take a response operation based on a determination result at the determining of the simultaneous processing.