A machine tool is provided with a main shaft configured to have a tool fitted to a distal end portion thereof, a tool magazine for holding a plurality of tools, a tool exchanging arm for exchanging tools between the tool magazine and the rotary main shaft, and a table for attaching a workpiece, wherein the machine tool machines the workpiece by causing the main shaft and the table to move relative to one another in accordance with a machining program, and wherein the machine tool: is provided with an image capturing device for capturing an image of the tool fitted to a tool holder, and an interference checking device which uses the machining program, and shape data relating to the workpiece, the tool, and the machine tool to simulate machining before machining is carried out, to check for the presence or absence of interference between at least the tool and the workpiece; and acquires the shape data relating to the tool from the interference checking device, generates a two-dimensional tool model from the acquired shape data relating to the tool, compares the two-dimensional tool model with an image of the tool captured by the image capturing device, and determines that the tool is invalid if an amount of displacement between the two-dimensional tool model and the image data is equal to or greater than a prescribed threshold.

This machine tool has a tool changing device, and sequentially changes tools to machine a workpiece. The machine tool comprises: an input unit which receives a machining program output from a CAM system and tool basic data; a storage unit which stores the tool basic data received from the input unit for each tool number; a tool measuring device which measures the size of a tool loaded into a tool magazine of the tool changing device; and a determination unit which compares the tool basic data stored in the storage unit and the actual data measured by the measuring device, and determines that the measured tool is different from a desired tool if the difference between the two tool sizes is beyond a preset allowable range.

The present invention provides a device (10) for inserting a tool (18) into a tool receptacle (14), said device comprising a first holding means (12), which is configured to hold a tool receptacle (14), a second holding means (16), which is configured to hold a tool (18), a linear guide (20), by means of which the second holding means (16) is able to move in relation to the first holding means (12) in an axial direction running along or parallel to a main axis (X) in order to move the tool closer to the tool receptacle and insert it into the tool receptacle, a sensing arrangement (40), which is able to move in an axial direction and is configured to sense in a contact-free manner an axial position of a first reference point (R1) associated with the first holding means and to sense in a contact-free manner an axial position of a second reference point (R2) for a tool held by the second holding means, and a measuring arrangement, which measures an axial displacement path of the sensing arrangement. The invention furthermore relates to a method for inserting a tool as well as a device having a clamping arrangement for holding the tool.

A non-contact tool setting apparatus, suitable for use with machine tools and the like, is described in which a transmitter emits light that is received by a receiver. An analysis unit is provided for analysing the light received by the receiver and generating a trigger signal therefrom. The receiver includes an imaging sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD sensor, having a plurality of pixels. The analysis unit generates the trigger signal by analysing the light intensity measured by a first subset of the plurality of pixels. This analysis may involve, for example, determining a resultant received light intensity or performing edge detection. The non-contact tool setting apparatus can thus emulate the operation of a laser based non-contact tool setting apparatus whilst also permitting imaging of cutting tools.

A tooling inspection and analysis system measures tooling quality of a multi-tip tablet punch having a barrel with a plurality of tips each having a tip cup for forming a tablet. The system comprises a base. A carriage assembly has a cavity for supporting a multi-tip tablet punch, which when in use is aligned with an X-axis. A Y-axis linear slide mounts the carriage assembly to the base for movement relative to the base along a Y-axis. A sensor is adapted to measure distance. A Z-axis linear slide mounts the sensor to the base for movement relative to the base along a Z-axis. A programmable controller is operatively connected to the Y-axis linear slide, the Z-axis linear slide and the sensor. The controller is programmed to move the carriage assembly and the sensor to automatically align the sensor to measure working length of each tip of a multi-tip tablet punch mounted in the cavity.

This tool exchange device for a machine tool uses an exchange arm to exchange tools between a processing area and a tool accommodation area which are partitioned by a partition wall provided with an opening and a shutter capable of opening and closing the opening. In the tool exchange device, an imaging device is used to capture an image of a tool in the tool accommodation area, the length of the tool is calculated from the captured image of the tool, the opening width of the shutter is determined in accordance with the length of the tool, and the shutter is opened to the determined opening width.

A position measurement method to measure a position of an object in a machine tool includes a tool sensor position acquisition stage, a reference block position acquisition stage, a relative position calculation stage, a reference tool position acquisition stage, a position measurement sensor measurement stage, a length compensation value calculation stage, and a position measurement stage. In the position measurement stage, the measurement position of the object is compensated using a length direction compensation value of a position measurement sensor calculated in the length compensation value calculation stage. The object is measured by the position measurement sensor installed to a main spindle.

An error identification method includes a tool sensor position acquisition stage, a reference block position acquisition stage, a relative position calculation stage, a reference tool position acquisition stage, a position measurement sensor measurement stage, a length compensation value calculation stage, a diameter compensation value acquisition stage, a position measurement stage, a position compensation stage, and a geometric error identification stage. The diameter compensation value acquisition stage acquires a radial direction compensation value of the position measurement sensor with the measured jig. The position measurement stage indexes the rotation axis to a plurality of any given angles and measures respective positions of the measured jig. The position compensation stage compensates the position measurement value at the position measurement stage using the length direction compensation value and the radial direction compensation value. The geometric error identification stage identifies the geometric error from the plurality of position measurement values.

A tool shape measurement device includes: a contour detection unit that detects a tool contour from an image of a rotating tool that is taken; an axis direction calculation unit that calculates a tool axis direction that is an axis direction of the rotating tool on the basis of the tool contour; a tool diameter measurement unit that calculates an apparent tool diameter of the rotating tool on an imaging surface on the basis of a calibrated positional and postural relationship between an imaging device and the rotating tool, the tool axis direction, and the tool contour; and a tool diameter correction unit that calculates a distance between the imaging device and the rotating tool using the tool axis direction, and corrects the apparent tool diameter to an actual tool diameter by correcting distortion in the tool contour on the basis of the distance.

An intellectual automatic tool changer (ATC) speed moderating system, which is disposed between a tool magazine and a tool exchanging arm, includes an image capture device for capturing the image of tools, and a processing device connected with the image capturing device. The processing device includes a receiving module for receiving the images of tools, a calculating module for calculating an assessment value of a tool according to the image of the tool, and a signal transmitting module connected with a controller of the tool exchanging arm for transmitting the assessment value of the tool to the controller. Therefore, the tool changing speed of the tool changing arm is controlled and moderated.