A tool exchange device for tool magazine includes a base having a driving member, a pressure cylinder, a movement member pivotally connected to the base adjacent to the driving member, and a tool retrieving member disposed on the movement member. The driving member has a connection portion and a twisting portion. The pressure cylinder has a piston rod pivotally connected to the connection portion for driving the driving member. The twisting portion is removably received in a receiving portion of the movement member. With the rotation of the driving member, the twisting portion forces the movement member to move along an arc shape route, such that the movement member rotates by an angle, and the tool retrieving member sways between a vertical and horizontal positions. Therefore, the tool exchange device is driven with a lower force, and the tool retrieving tool stably sways.

A robot system including a plurality of robots that are arranged at intervals and that each perform machining on a work; and a tool storage unit that stores a tool used when each of the robots performs machining on the work and that is disposed at a position allowing at least one of the robot to take out the tool, wherein the respective robots are provided with hands with which the tool stored in the tool storage unit can be handled; and, when one of the robots needs to exchange the tool.

A machine tool is provided with two vertically oriented tool spindles that are arranged to hold tools and that are movable vertically in a first direction and horizontally in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. Furthermore, the machine tool is provided with two workpiece support devices for clamping workpieces in place. At least one of the two workpiece support devices is movable horizontally in a third direction orthogonal to the first and the second direction. The two tool spindles and the two workpiece support devices are mounted on a common machine frame with a common working space, wherein the two tool spindles are movable parallel to one another in the second direction. The two tool spindles are facing one another.

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.

An automatic tool changer includes a cover that partitions a machining area and a non-machining area, and an opening/closing member that opens/closes an opening of the cover by turning in synchronization with rotation of a tool changer magazine. The opening/closing member includes a plate section partitions the machining area and the non-machining area at a position of the opening of the cover. In a case where the tool changer magazine performs tool replacement with respect to a tool storage magazine, the plate section closes the opening of the cover by taking a horizontal posture. In a case where the tool changer magazine performs tool replacement with respect to a main spindle, the plate section opens the opening of the cover by changing its posture from the horizontal posture to an inclined posture or a vertical posture.

A machine tool includes a bed, a column, a rotary main spindle, a tool magazine, a tool changer, and a controller. The tool changer includes a body provided on the bed so as to be movable in a direction orthogonal to a movement direction of the column, a changing arm rotatably provided on the body, and a door provided on the body to open or close an opening formed in the body, and configured to partition an area on the column side from an area on the tool magazine side by closing the opening. The controller is configured to move the body in parallel with at least one of an operation of opening the door and an operation of closing the door.

A tool magazine including a rack type tool storage device in which all tools are horizontally arranged along a transport passage facing away from a machine tool. A loader links the tool magazine with the machine tool. For this purpose, the loader comprises a linear drive device for a horizontal movement along the transport passage as well as another linear drive device for a vertical movement inside the transport passage. In addition, the loader includes a pivot arm, which can be pivoted around the vertically orientated pivot axis by means of a pivot drive. On its free end the pivot arm supports a gripper, which is specifically pivotably supported around a vertical second pivot axis on the arm. A control device coordinates the two linear drives and the two pivot drives, so that tools can be transferred first out of the tool storage device into tool removal passages provided therein and then into the transport passage.

A tool magazine includes a magazine arm and a gripper plate. The magazine arm has a tool pot to hold a tool. The magazine arm is pivotable around a pivotal axis such that the tool pot pivots around the pivotal axis. The gripper plate has at least one gripper to hold the tool at a holding position on a circular arc track along which the tool moves when the magazine arm pivots. The at least one gripper is open in a tangent direction of the circular arc track at the holding position.

Provided is a vertical machining center including: a splash cover fixed to a base, the splash cover defining a machining chamber to enclose a machining zone; a column vertically standing on the base; a Z-axis guiding rail disposed on the column and being vertically directed toward the base, the Z-axis guiding rail partially exposed to the machining zone; a Z-axis driving device disposed in the column, the Z-axis driving device partially exposed to the machining zone; a spindle head to be driven vertically by the Z-axis driving device; a spindle head opening formed in the splash cover so that the spindle head can pass through the spindle head opening; and an extendable cover provided between an edge of the spindle head opening and the spindle head and configured to cover parts of the Z-axis guiding rail and the Z-axis driving device, the parts being exposed to the machining zone.

A cutting blade supplying apparatus includes a cutting blade stocker that stocks a plurality of cutting blades, a carrying unit that carries out the cutting blade from the cutting blade stocker and carries the cutting blade to a cutting apparatus, a transferring unit that transfers the cutting blade carried by the carrying unit to a blade replacing unit of the cutting apparatus, and a control unit. The control unit selects the cutting blade needed by the cutting apparatus and causes the cutting blade to be carried by the carrying unit to the cutting apparatus.