A pallet changing apparatus adopting a table 4 capable of moving back from and forth for a side of a turning shaft 1 and having a oscillating portion 41 for placing workpieces W, W by means of pallets P, P so as to oscillate freely by an upright portion 42 at the leading end of the table 4, wherein the turning shaft 1 covers a turning supporting portion 11 at its lower end side and turns together with a pallet changing arm 3 and moves freely in a vertical direction, and an insertion and removal hollow space 20 is provided, at the covering region, and allows the upright portion 42 to be inserted into the insertion and removal hollow space 20 and removed from the insertion and removal hollow space 20.

A method and apparatus for changing pallets delivered to a machining center. Different workpieces are connected or attached to different pallets. A first workpiece corresponding to a first pallet is delivered to or near an indexer or indexer assembly and the indexer is moved into an engaged position and performs a work operation on the first workpiece. The indexer is then moved to a disengaged position and the first pallet and the first workpiece are exchanged or switched out with a second pallet having a second workpiece. The indexer is then moved to an engaged position and works the second workpiece and when completed, the indexer moves to the disengaged position and the second workpiece is exchanged or switched out with a third pallet having a third workpiece. The indexer system of this invention can quickly and cost-effectively cycle through different pallets and thus different workpieces.

This machine tool is provided with: a bridge which is provided on a base in such a way as to straddle a moving body in a direction (X) perpendicular to a direction of movement (Z) of the moving body at a stroke end (E2) of the moving body; a pallet exchanging arm which is provided above the bridge and which engages with a pallet (P) supported on the moving body and a pallet (P) on a pallet loading station, lifts both pallets (P), and pivots about a vertical axis (Ov) to exchange the two pallets (P); and an arm drive device which is provided projecting upward on the bridge, and which moves the pallet exchanging arm along the vertical axis (Ov) and causes the pallet exchanging arm to pivot about the vertical axis (Ov).

An automatic pallet changer 2 includes: a pallet housing unit 11 having a plurality of pallet placement portions; and a pallet transfer unit 12 configured to transfer a pallet P that is at a required pallet placement portion and has an un-machined workpiece W attached thereto to a standby station S2 and configured to transfer a pallet P that is at the standby station S2 and has a machined workpiece W attached thereto to a required pallet placement portion. The pallet housing unit 11 includes: main housing portions 13a to 13f that have a plurality of rows of pallet placement portions, each having a plurality of stages, and are disposed to face the machine tool body 1; and three rows of secondary housing portions 14 that have one stage of pallet placement portions and are disposed above the machine tool body 1.

The pallet changing system comprises a pallet deposition and pick-up station and a pallet loading and unloading station, horizontally spaced from one another along a first horizontal direction (A-A), as well as a pallet handling unit. The pallet handling unit includes: horizontal guide means extending along the first horizontal direction (A-A) between the pallet deposition and pick-up station and the pallet loading and unloading station; a pair of motorized uprights, which are jointly movable in a controlled manner in the first horizontal direction (A-A) between the pallet deposition and pick-up station and the pallet loading and unloading station, each upright being provided with a respective motorized lifting carriage vertically movable in a controlled manner, each lifting carriage being provided with a pair of gripping devices which are horizontally spaced from one another and selectively or jointly controllable to engage a corresponding end of a pallet (P) so as to allow rotation of the pallet (P) about a first horizontal axis; a pair of motorized auxiliary carriages, which are jointly movable in the first horizontal direction (A-A) between the pallet deposition and pick-up station and the pallet loading and unloading station, and are provided each with a gripping device arranged to engage a corresponding end of the pallet (P) facing the pallet deposition and pick-up station, so as to allow rotation of the pallet (P) about the first horizontal axis; and a motorized transporting carriage which is arranged to transport, in a vertical attitude, the pallet (P) with the workpiece (WP) connected thereto, and is movable between the pallet loading and unloading station and a working area (SW) of the machine tool (MT) in a second horizontal direction (B-B) forming an angle with respect to the first horizontal direction (A-A).

A pallet changing apparatus which adopts a table 4 that is able to move back and forth in relation to a turning shaft 1 and has a oscillating portion 41 for placing workpieces W, W by way of pallets P, P so as to oscillate freely by a rising portion 42 at the leading end of the table, and a bridging extending portion 31 which bridges a supporting portion of pallet P or P in a pallet changing arm 3 with both sides of the turning shaft 1 forming a shape of covering across the upper side of the rising portion 42 at a stage of the table 4 transferring pallet P.

A method and apparatus for changing pallets delivered to a machining center. Different workpieces are connected or attached to different pallets. A first workpiece corresponding to a first pallet is delivered to or near an indexer or indexer assembly and the indexer is moved into an engaged position and performs a work operation on the first workpiece. The indexer is then moved to a disengaged position and the first pallet and the first workpiece are exchanged or switched out with a second pallet having a second workpiece. The indexer is then moved to an engaged position and works the second workpiece and when completed, the indexer moves to the disengaged position and the second workpiece is exchanged or switched out with a third pallet having a third workpiece. The indexer system of this invention can quickly and cost-effectively cycle through different pallets and thus different workpieces.

A pallet changing apparatus adopting a table 4 capable of moving back from and forth for a side of a turning shaft 1 and having a oscillating portion 41 for placing workpieces W, W by means of pallets P, P so as to oscillate freely by an upright portion 42 at the leading end of the table 4, wherein the turning shaft 1 covers a turning supporting portion 11 at its lower end side and turns together with a pallet changing arm 3 and moves freely in a vertical direction, and an insertion and removal hollow space 20 is provided, at the covering region, and allows the upright portion 42 to be inserted into the insertion and removal hollow space 20 and removed from the insertion and removal hollow space 20.

A substrate production system includes a component mounter having a component supply area in which a component supply unit is disposed, and configured to pick up a component from the component supply unit and mount the picked up component on a substrate, a kitting station provided in a substrate production line in which multiple substrate production machines including the component mounter are arranged, and configured to set a component container containing multiple components in the component supply unit, and a conveyance device configured to convey the component supply unit in which the component container is set by the kitting station to the component mounter.

A workpiece supply system may be provided to enable automatic loading of workpieces to be machined into a CNC machining center and to retrieve finished workpieces from the CNC machining center. The workpiece supply system may include a shelf arrangement that stores a number of pallets each bearing one or more workpieces in a vertical and horizontal arrangement. A pallet retrieval unit may engage the pallets on the shelves and a gantry may maneuver the pallet retrieval unit into the CNC machining center. The pallet retrieval unit may engage a pallet clamping base within the CNC machining center to unlock a pallet bearing a finished workpiece and then exchange the finished workpiece pallet for a new workpiece pallet.