A method for machining a workpiece includes using a multi-axis robot to lift a tool head from a magazine. The robot attaches the tool head to an end of a drill tube. The drill tube is then rotated and longitudinally translated to machine the workpiece. The tool head is withdrawn from the machined workpiece longitudinally by moving the drill tube. The robot is used to disconnect the tool head, replace the disconnected tool head into a magazine and withdraw a different tool head from the magazine for attachment to the drill tube.

The invention relates to a processing plant (1) comprising: at least one first working spindle (2); a tool magazine (6) for storing different processing tools (4), wherein at least one storage plane (10) having several tool receiving spaces (11) arranged next to one another is provided in the tool magazine (6); a tool change device (5) comprising at least one first gripper device (13) for exchanging the processing tool (4) held in the working spindle (2), wherein the gripper device (13) comprises at least one first gripper unit (15) and one second gripper unit (16) which are positioned at a gripper-unit distance (17) from one another. The gripper units (15, 16) can be displaced between the working spindle (2) and the tool magazine (6).

Provided is a method for optimizing the occupancy of magazine spaces by tools within at least one tool magazine for a machine tool in a computer-supported manner, including: detecting a quantity of magazine spaces in at least one tool magazine, detecting a first quantity of tools which occupy at least one magazine space and the magazine spaces occupied by the tools, detecting a second quantity of tools which are to be additionally received in the at least one tool magazine, detecting the required space and optionally at least one other property for each tool, detecting a quantity of allowed magazines spaces for each tool, detecting a quantity of allowed magazine space pairs, wherein a first tool can be placed on a first magazine space of the magazine space pair, and optimizing the occupancy of the magazine spaces.

A machine tool which is designed to carry out a specified sequence of work steps is provided. A tool and a processing time is assigned to each work step. A tool magazine is designed to keep a number of tools ready for the machine tool and includes a feeder for conveying tools from and to a transfer point for the machine tool. In a method for assigning tools to spaces of the tool magazine, a number of work steps are determined from the sequence, the respective processing time of each work step being shorter than a specified cycle time of the tool magazine. A work step is iteratively selected from the number of work steps; a previously used tool and a subsequently used tool are assigned spaces of the tool magazine; and the work step is removed from the number of work steps.

A method for optimizing the occupancy of magazine spaces by tools within at least one tool magazine for a machine tool in a computer-supported manner is provided. One or more workpieces of one or more workpiece types is produced using the tools supplied by a magazine device at a supply area, having the following steps: a-i) detecting a number of workpieces, magazine spaces, a number of tools, required space, allowable magazines spaces for each tool, allowable starting magazine occupancy, a sequence of work steps to be carried out by the machine tool on a workpiece, work step time periods required to carry out each individual work step on the workpiece, one or more supply time periods depending on the sequence of the work steps to be carried out, and j) optimizing the occupancy of the magazine spaces by tools.

A transfer jig for use in transferring a new cutting blade as a replacement component to the processing unit, in a cutting apparatus including a chuck table holding a workpiece, a processing unit having a spindle and a cutting blade detachably mounted on the spindle, a cutting blade changing unit changing the cutting blade, and a transfer mechanism supplying the workpiece to the processing unit. The transfer jig has a plurality of receiving portions each adapted to receive the new cutting blade and the cutting blade changed by the cutting blade changing unit. The transfer jig is adapted to be transferred by the transfer mechanism transferring the workpiece.

In a case of attaching a plurality of tools of the same type to a tool rest, machining work is continued even when a sufficient number of normal tools are not left. A machine tool includes a tool rest including a first holder for an inner-diameter side and a second holder for an outer-diameter side, a machining control unit configured to control the tool rest to machine the workpiece, a tool changing unit configured to change tools, and a tool management unit configured to identify an unused tool. In a case of attaching a plurality of tools of the same type to both the first and second holders, when the number of the first holders is larger than the number of the second holders, the tool changing unit attaches the unused tool to the first holder.

The present invention reveals a tool changing method for machine tool and the apparatus thereof. The machine tool has a tool releasement detector disposed beside the spindle or the tool releasement apparatus. When the tool releasement apparatus hits the spindle to loose the clamp for tool releasement, the tool releasement detector generates a releasement signal. When the tool releasement apparatus resets and leaves the spindle, the tool releasement detector produces no signal. The tool changing apparatus is activated according the appearance of the releasement signal for changing the tool, activated according the disappearing of the releasement signal for declining from the spindle. Therefore, the tool changing apparatus can be operated timely and speedily, improving tool changing efficiency.

The disclosure provides a milling system and method under different lubrication conditions. The system uses a tool to mill the workpiece, a force measuring system to measure the milling force, a tool change system to replace the tools, a tool storage to store the tools. It can store the tools, provide the lubricating oil to the milling surface, select different tools according to different processing conditions, select the best angle differences of the unequal spiral angle tools according to different conditions comprising dry cutting, casting-type lubrication, minimal quantities of lubrication or minimal quantities of nanofluid lubrication, and/or choose the optimal tool according to different cutting parameters in order to obtain the minimum milling force.

There is provided a blade replacing apparatus for replacing a cutting blade. The blade replacing apparatus includes a blade storage unit including a movable storage section configured to store the cutting blade, a transporting unit including a holding unit configured to hold the cutting blade and a moving mechanism configured to move the holding unit, a camera configured to photograph the holding unit, and a control unit including an operation control section configured to control operation of the blade storage unit and the transporting unit and a position registration section in which positions of the storage section and the holding unit. The storage section includes a first mark portion photographable by the camera, and the holding unit includes a second mark portion photographable by the camera.