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 rotary table (10a) for a milling machine, comprising sensing means (30,32) configured to measure and/or calculate a clearance between two mating components of said rotary table (10a), and transmission means configured to transmit said measured/calculated clearance to a central processing unit. The mating components of the rotary table being a worm screw and a worm wheel.

A rotary table (1) includes a base body (10), a worm wheel (21), an inner ring (22), a plurality of rolling elements, and a worm screw unit (30). The worm screw unit (30) includes a worm screw (31) held to be rotatable around an axis and having a second gear (31A) meshing with the first gear (215), and a worm screw housing (32) surrounding and holding the worm screw (31) and being fixed to contact the holding surface at a planar contacting surface thereof. One of the holding and contacting surfaces has a cylindrical pin (33) arranged to protrude therefrom. The other of the holding and contacting surfaces has a first recess (11) formed to receive the pin (33), the first recess having a width corresponding to the pin (33) and being elongated in the radial direction of the worm wheel (21).

A rotary table device includes a table provided on one end-side of a main shaft rotatably supported in a frame; and a drive transmission mechanism transmit rotation of an output shaft of a drive motor to the main shaft and including a drive transmission member and accommodated in an accommodation space formed in the frame. The table is supported with respect to the frame by a bearing provided between a lower surface of the table and an upper surface of the frame, and a space is provided between the lower surface of the table and the upper surface of the frame. The frame is provided with a communication passage configured so that the space and the accommodation space communicate with each other.

A drive unit having a transport element has at least one entrainer engaging into a drive groove of a barrel cam, an electrical drive device, and a base control device that is adapted to receive control signals for the operation of the drive unit from a user interface programmable by an operator and to output a drive signal to the drive device in dependence on a received control signal. The drive device is adapted to drive the barrel cam to make a rotational movement and thus to drive the transport element in response to the drive signal. The base control device is further adapted to selectively operate the drive device in a full operation mode or, if no control signal is received after the output of a drive signal and after the elapse of a cycle time duration of the drive unit, to set it into a standby operation mode in which an electrical supply of the drive device is interrupted.

A method for controlling the motor of a tool magazine that rotates around a horizontal rotation axis is configured so that: at least two indexing positions for the tool magazine are determined; the load torque acting on the tool magazine when stopped at said indexing positions is measured; an unbalance torque, which is the load torque when stopped at the indexing position at which the load torque when stopped is maximal, is calculated from multiple load torques when stopped; and the servo motor for the tool magazine is controlled on the basis of the unbalance torque.

The present invention provides an indexing driving device for a turntable, which is provided with a plurality of roller followers arranged at equal angular intervals; and a barrel component, which is provided on one side of the turntable, the cam component is provided with a first side rib wall with a continuous cam curved surface in a first direction and a second side rib wall with a continuous cam curved surface in a second direction, and the first side rib wall and the second side rib wall are facing opposite sides to form a cam groove with variable groove width, for introducing the roller followers and rotating the turntable; wherein the cam groove with variable groove width makes the first side rib wall and the second side rib wall respectively pre-compress to at least one pair of the roller followers of the turntable symmetrically in different directions, so as to effectively eliminate the backlash problem between the cam component and the roller followers and improve the positioning accuracy of the turntable.

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.

An indexing device includes a drive transmission mechanism, a fixing mechanism. The drive transmission mechanism includes an intermediate gear which includes an intermediate shaft being inserted at an end portion into an accommodation hole formed in a frame, and the intermediate shaft includes an accommodating concave portion and a plurality of through-holes. The fixing mechanism includes a cylindrical pressing member, steel balls and a screw member. There is a gap between the pressing member and a bottom surface of the pressing member in a state in which the pressing member is accommodated in the accommodating concave portion and the steel ball accommodated in each through-hole is in contact with a tapered surface and an inner peripheral surface of the accommodation hole.

A multiple stage processing device having a plurality of radial stages, each individual radial stage is positioned between adjacent dividing walls and indexable though a plurality of processing stations. A plurality of fixture mount assemblies are positioned on an actuation surface of the rotatable indexing assembly, each individual fixture mount assembly is associated with and mechanically coupled to an individual radial stage. One or more slotted drive hubs communicatively coupled to independently operable drive motors are positioned adjacent to the actuation surface of the rotatable indexing assembly and are engageable with the plurality of fixture mount assemblies. When an individual fixture mount assembly is engaged with an individual slotted drive hub, an individual independently operable drive motor can independently control the individual fixture mount assembly such that the individual radial stage mechanically coupled to the individual fixture mount assembly is moveably coupled to the independently operable drive motor.