A machining center is provided, which can complete replacement of processed works on stock shelves in a work storage section with unprocessed works within a time period significantly shorter than those in conventional techniques and improve the efficiency of an entire processing process.

In the machining center, a cover surrounding the work storage section includes an opening portion where rear surface regions of the stock shelves are exposed, a stock shelf access door that closes the opening portion and is driven to be opened and closed, a locking device for the stock shelf access door, a unlocking mechanism that is operable from the outer side of the cover to unlock the locking device, and a door opening/closing detection device that detects an opened or closed state of the stock shelf access door. A control unit of a CNC device includes an interlocking function of disabling the unlocking mechanism while an automatic pallet changer is driven, and a safety control function of prohibiting, based on a detection signal from the door opening/closing detection device, a drive unit of the automatic pallet changer from being driven while the stock shelf access door is in the opened state.

The invention relates to a machine tool for the machining of a workpiece by means of a tool, wherein the machine tool is designed to clamp the tool for the machine-controlled machining within a machining program on the work spindle and to clamp the tool on the machine bench of the machine tool, characterized by a tool magazine which can be secured on the machine bench, on which a tool or a plurality of tools may be clamped individually in a replaceable manner.

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 horizontal five-axis turning plate type machining center includes a support base, a lathe bed arranged on the support base and a column arranged on the support base, wherein the lathe bed and the column are fixedly connected through a connecting arm, a turning plate device is arranged on the support base, an X-direction sliding plate capable of sliding in an X direction on the lathe bed is arranged on a side, facing the column, of the lathe bed, and a third driving unit capable of driving a workbench to perform position conversion between a turning plate and the X-direction sliding plate is arranged on the turning plate.

A workpiece change for use in a machine tool that comprises a tool spindle for clamping tools for machining workpieces, comprises two wheels arranged parallel to one another and rotatable about an axis of rotation into at least two prominent angular positions. Two swivel tables for clamping workpieces are arranged between the wheels and are each mounted on the wheels to swivel about a swivel axis which runs parallel to the axis of rotation. In each prominent angular position, one of the swivel tables is located in its working position in which clamped workpieces can be machined with the tools. Both wheels are supported at their rim.

An improved numerical control tool machine is described comprising: a table turnable about anin usevertical axis, N processing stations, N2, arranged around the table, a support for a workpiece, the support being connected to the table for reaching in sequence the N stations and making the piece be processed thereat, comprising locking members for retaining the piece on itself during all the operations performed at the N stations, means (50, 60) for connecting the support to the table or releasing it depending on the state of a control input.

A machine tool facility includes the following: machine tools; a first pallet stocker in which a plurality of pallets are arranged in parallel with a predetermined space therebetween; a second pallet stocker in which a plurality of pallets are arranged in parallel with a predetermined space therebetween, and which is disposed in parallel with the first pallet stocker; a conveyance car that conveys a pallet in a direction parallel to the row of the pallets of the first pallet stocker; a first transfer device for transferring the pallet between the first pallet stocker and the conveyance car; and a second transfer device for transferring, by horizontal movement, the pallet between the first pallet stocker and the second pallet stocker.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a process mechanism that processes a substrate. The process mechanism includes: a processing container that accommodates therein the substrate; a first supporting member that horizontally supports the substrate; and a second supporting member that horizontally supports the substrate at an outside of the processing container. The first supporting member and the second supporting member support the substrate such that a center axis of the substrate in the processing container and a center axis of the substrate at an outside of the processing container match, in a case where at least viewed from a direction where the substrate is carried-in to the container and carried-out from the container.

In a device for swivelling, turning and changing pallets on a horizontal machining center, with swivel arms that can be synchronously swiveled about a swivel axis, each of them having a pallet carrier turnable around a turning axis, for docking and undocking of at least one pallet, which can be connected to a power supply that also provides a vacuum for fixing the workpiece; on the pallet carrier, a power supply interface connected with the power supply via the swivel arm is provided which can be moved along.

The invention relates to pallet changers and methods for processing sheet-like materials with at least two movably arranged pallets movably positioned in a main frame and having a support surface for receiving a sheet-like material. The pallets are moved in alternation with a drive from the main frame into a material processing machine and back to the main frame. The drive comprises a motor, which drives a drive element, which moves the pallets. A processing device is provided on the main frame to process sheet-like material positioned on the pallets in the main frame.