The present invention provides an automatic loading and unloading system and method for double spindle CNC machines. The system makes use of cross slide component of the CNC machine itself and its sliding movements to perform loading and unloading a finished job from the machine, and eliminating need of external robots/gantry. The system comprises two sets of twin grippers placed at the two cross slides across the two spindles. Each set of grippers perform pickup, unload, load and ejection of jobs. A transfer arm travels between the two spindles to transfer semi-finished jobs between the spindles, in order to finish the jobs and collect them in an out-feed bin. The present system provides simpler and faster way of loading and unloading jobs automatically.

A method wherein by reducing the amount of current, and therefore torque, to the linear servo motor (50) and/or rotary servo motor (52) of a loader mechanism (9), the loader mechanism is operable for determining proper workpiece positioning in a machine tool such as a gear manufacturing machine, particularly a machine (4) for manufacturing bevel and hypoid gears

A computer-controlled system of placing product on a conveyor belt entrance to an industrial tool is based upon the combination of a 3D vision system (used to capture image data defining the surface area of a next product(s) to be placed) and a processor that is configured to determine an optimum location for placing that next product(s) on the conveyor belt. The processor then instructs a robotic arm to pick up and place the product at the processor-defined optimum location. Depending on the specific task to be performed by the industrial tool, the detailed analysis used to determine the optimum location will differ.

The automatic loading and unloading system for CNC machines of the present invention makes use of cross slide component of the CNC machine itself and its sliding movements to perform loading and unloading a finished job from machine, and eliminating need of external robots/gantry. The system comprises a set of twin grippers placed at the cross slide, first gripper and second gripper. The twin grippers perform the load, unload and eject operations in two actions: firstly, the first gripper picks up new job from pickup zone, while the second gripper unloads finished job from chuck simultaneously; and secondly, the first gripper loads the new job into chuck, while the second gripper drops the finished job into an ejector chute from where the finished job comes out of the machine simultaneously.

A lift assist and transfer assembly for lifting and moving a component through a travel distance is described. The assembly includes an overhead rail mounted to a ceiling of a work environment. The rail has a first end and a second end, corresponding to a loading area and a work area defining the travel distance. A carriage is slidably attached to the rail for supporting the component and a pneumatic cylinder element at the second end of the rail is attached an overhead fixture of the ceiling. The pneumatic cylinder element is biased into a retracted position and extends to an extended position upon actuation to move the second end of the rail downward. The carriage slides along the rail from the first end to the second end upon actuation of the cylinder to displace the second end of the rail such that the rail has a downward slope.

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 workpiece information recognition system includes a workpiece placing tool (20) capable of placing a workpiece, a reference block (31) detachably provided on workpiece placing tool (20), an information detector configured to detect information about reference block (31), and a control device configured to receive the information of reference block (31) from the information detector. The control device includes a storage configured to store data on a relationship between the information about reference block (31) and information about the workpiece and a controller configured to recognize the information about the workpiece placed on workpiece placing tool (20) by checking the information about reference block (31) detected by the information detector with the data stored in the storage. With this configuration, the workpiece information recognition system capable of easily cope with a change in a type of the workpiece is provided.

A machine tool system includes: a machine tool that machines a workpiece by using a tool attached to a spindle; and a plurality of robots installed inside a machining space of the machine tool and adapted to grip the workpiece and move the workpiece in conformity with the machining performed by the machine tool.

In a transport system, a gripper includes long-side grippers aligned in a long-side direction of a workpiece which is cut, by machining/cutting, into a product and a skeleton including an outer frame with an overall rectangular shape and a crossbar inside the outer frame, so that both ends thereof are connected to two shorter sides facing each other, and extending in the long-side direction, the long-side grippers gripping longer sides of the outer frame of the skeleton, and short-side grippers aligned in a short-side direction with respect to the workpiece and that grip shorter sides of the outer frame. At least one of the short-side grippers moves in the short-side direction and grips the shorter sides of the outer frame. A lifter lifts or lowers the gripper gripping the outer frame and the product to separate the outer frame and the crossbar from the product.