The invention relates to a machine tool (100) for machining a workpiece, said machine tool (100) comprising a machine table (10) for clamping the workpiece, a work spindle (20) for receiving a tool for machining the workpiece, a work space (70) substantially defined by the machine table (10) and at least one first cover (30), and a tool changer (50) arranged outside the work space (70) and configured to change the tool received in the work spindle (20), wherein the machine tool (100) is further configured such that, during a tool change, the first cover (30) is moved, as a result of which the work space (70) of the machine tool (100) is expanded by a tool changing area (80) and an access surface (42), through which the tool changer (50) can be moved into the tool changing area (80), is exposed, and the work spindle (20) is positioned in the tool changing area (80) such that the tool changer (50) is able to change the tool received by the work spindle (20) within the tool changing area (80).

A tool magazine (40) is able to move among a machining position where a tool (2) attached to a spindle (30) machines a workpiece, a tool exchange position where the tool (2) attached to the spindle (30) is exchanged, and a retreat position where an automated workpiece carrying device is not disturbed in placing or removing of the workpiece with respect to a workpiece placing part (20). The workpiece is placed on the workpiece placing part (20) from above or removed upward from the workpiece placing part (20) by the automated workpiece carrying device.

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.

This tool exchange device for a machine tool uses an exchange arm to exchange tools between a processing area and a tool accommodation area which are partitioned by a partition wall provided with an opening and a shutter capable of opening and closing the opening. In the tool exchange device, an imaging device is used to capture an image of a tool in the tool accommodation area, the length of the tool is calculated from the captured image of the tool, the opening width of the shutter is determined in accordance with the length of the tool, and the shutter is opened to the determined opening width.

A position compensation system of a tool changer includes a storage unit for storing a coordinate indicating a reference position of a turret, a rotary position coordinate detector for detecting the rotary position coordinate of the turret, a compensation necessity determiner for determining whether or not it is necessary to perform a rotational compensation to return the turret to the reference position, in accordance with a rotational deviation of the detected rotary position coordinate from the stored rotary position coordinate, and a compensation request part for requesting an operation or work related to the rotational compensation when it is determined that the rotational compensation needs to be performed.

An automatic tool exchange system which allows a tool management mode to be arbitrarily selectable between a fixed address scheme and a memory random scheme in operation of the same machining center. The control unit for controlling the respective drive units of the tool exchanger and the magazine includes a storage unit for storing tool information containing a registered correspondence relationship between the tools and corresponding addresses of the stowage parts of the magazine, a modifying unit for modifying the tool information, and a tool exchange instruction unit for sequentially designating the tool to be used in each of the machining steps in accordance with the machining program, and driving the magazine to move the stowage part at the address corresponding to the designated tool to a predetermined position based on the tool information so that the tool is located at the exchange position at a predetermined timing. The control unit is configured to manage the tool in a mode selectively switchable between a first tool management mode in a fixed address scheme for returning the tool after use to a corresponding address, and a second tool management mode in a memory random scheme so as to stow the tool after use at an unoccupied address where the tool for next use has been previously stowed, and allow the modifying unit to modify the correspondence relationship between the tool after use and the address, which has been contained in the tool information.

A numerical controller performs control for changing a tool mounted on a spindle to another tool stored in a tool magazine based on a machining program. The numerical controller analyzes a command by a block of the machining program, predicts a time required for machining by the analyzed command, and selects a tool changeable before a tool change command, during tool selection, based on the predicted time.

A tool changer is composed of a support shaft, a forward/backward movement drive motor moving the support shaft upward and downward, a rotation drive motor rotating the support shaft about an axis, a tool change arm having tool grippers formed at both ends thereof, and an air blow mechanism discharging compressed air to a tool and a next tool gripped by the tool grippers. In tool change using this tool changer, in a positioning operation, the tool change arm is rotated by degrees and compressed air is discharged toward the tool and the next tool by the air blow mechanism.

A machine tool having a tool magazine for changing a tool attached to a spindle is equipped with an initial operation speed setting unit configured to set the operation speed of the tool magazine to an initial operation speed, an operation speed adjusting unit configured to be operated by the user to thereby adjust the operation speed of the tool magazine relative to the initial operation speed, an actuator configured to actuate the tool magazine, an operation speed acquisition unit configured to acquire the operation speed of the tool magazine after adjustment of the operation speed made by the operation speed adjusting unit, and an actuator control unit configured to control the actuator to actuate the tool magazine at the operation speed acquired by the operation speed acquisition unit.

The invention relates to a method and a device for making tools and/or handling equipment available for a treatment machine, wherein a mobile magazine contains at least two different types of tools and/or handling equipment together.