A first plate-like member on a bottom surface side is disposed in a horizontal direction. A second plate-like member is disposed in a vertical direction. A first position restricting mechanism is engaged with a first end portion including a first side that opposes the first plate-like member in a workpiece in a state where the workpiece stands while a front surface and a rear surface of the plate-like workpiece are along a vertical direction, and restricts the position of the first end portion in a plate thickness direction. A second position restricting mechanism is engaged with a second end portion including a second side that opposes the second plate-like member in the workpiece, and restricts the position of the second end portion in the plate thickness direction.

A machine tool is provided which can execute various works while suppressing increase in cost or size. The machine tool includes a tool spindle device which is a movable member which can move with respect to a mounting surface of the machine tool, and one or more serial-manipulator-type robots attached on the tool spindle device, which can move with the tool spindle device, and which have two or more degrees of freedom, and the robot includes two or more end effectors provided at positions different from each other with one or more joints therebetween.

A machine tool is provided with a vertically aligned tool spindle, which is equipped for accommodating tools and which is movable in a vertical direction and in a first horizontal direction. The machine tool further comprises at least one jig for clamping workpieces to be machined. The at least one jig is movable in a second horizontal direction. The tool spindle and the at least one jig are arranged on a common machine frame. There is also provided a workpiece transport device, which is arranged on the machine frame, and which is adapted to perform at least one of introducing unmachined workpieces into the at least one jig and removing machined workpieces from the at least one jig. There is also provided a corresponding method of machining workpieces.

A machine tool setup changing method includes mounting a master workpiece onto a tool spindle axis, deforming a gripping part by gripping, with the gripping part of a jig, a mock clamped portion of the master workpiece mounted on the tool spindle axis, and removing the master workpiece from the tool spindle axis and mounting a tool supported on a tool support device onto the tool spindle axis, wherein the workpiece gripped at the clamped portion by the gripping part, which was deformed in accordance with the mock clamped portion, can be machined with the tool.

A dispatch system and a dispatch method for manufacturing mold are provided. The dispatch system includes a control unit, a mold material storage unit, a processing cutter storage unit, an object pick-and-place and transfer unit, a mold processing unit and a mold product storage unit. The mold material storage unit includes many unprocessed mold materials. The processing cutter storage unit includes many processing cutters. The object pick-and-place and transfer unit is electrically connected to the control unit and disposed between the mold material storage unit and the processing cutter storage unit. One of the unprocessed mold materials and one of the processing cutters are transferred to the mold processing unit by the object pick-and-place and transfer unit, the unprocessed mold material is processed to form a mold product by the mold processing unit, and the mold product is transferred to the mold product storage unit.

A loading device adapted to be provided in a machine tool includes a rail portion and a loader configured to travel along the rail portion, wherein the loader includes a pivoting portion and an arm portion extending and contracting with respect to the pivoting portion, and the arm portion includes a hand portion that holds a workpiece.

A device (1) for the movement of sheet-like pieces (P) in a machine tool (M), including a frame (10) moving towards or away from the machining surface (P1) of the machine, a gripping device (20) including a sheet-like element (21) with a gripping surface (21a) having openings (24) and mounted on the frame (10) rotatingly around at least one axis (x) substantially orthogonal to the direction of movement (D) of the frame (10) and element for the creation of a vacuum (25) communicating with the openings (24) and adapted to generate a vacuum pressure at the openings (24), which, when the gripping surface (21a) is substantially next to the machining surface (P1), makes it possible to detach the pieces (P) from the machining surface and keep them on the gripping surface.

It is possible to improve workpiece machining efficiency by efficiently receiving and delivering a workpiece from/to each workpiece holder and shortening a time required for workpiece conveyance. A workpiece conveyance system is a workpiece conveyance system that receives and delivers workpieces W to be machined to n spindles (workpiece holders, where n is an integer satisfying n2) that hold and rotate the workpieces W, and includes a main loader including n+m main loader chucks (where m is an integer satisfying m1) that receive and deliver workpieces from/to the n spindles or n relay loaders disposed corresponding to the n respective spindles to receive and deliver the workpieces W from/to the main shafts.

The invention relates to a transport apparatus (10) for the collision-free loading and unloading of a material machining unit (1) with a workpiece (5) comprising a guide apparatus (60), a plurality of transport devices (15, 16, 17, 18), wherein one of the transport devices (15) is arranged on a first transport device level (20), as well as another transport device (16) being arranged on another transport device level (21). A multifunctional tooling apparatus (25) for transporting and/or machining the workpiece (5) or the workpiece part is arranged on the transport device (15). Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for loading and unloading the material machining unit (1) using such a transport apparatus (10), as well as a computer program product for loading and unloading according to this method and using such a transport device (10).

A conveyance apparatus includes two clamp mechanisms. Each of the clamp mechanisms is configured to freely change its state among a fully clamping state, a semi-clamping state, and a non-clamping state. When an object is delivered from a first clamp mechanism that is holding the object to a second clamp mechanism, the second clamp mechanism is brought into the semi-clamping state to temporarily hold the object. Then, the first clamp mechanism is brought into the non-clamping state and the second clamp mechanism is brought into the fully clamping state.