A gripping device is provided in a turret-type tool magazine of a machine tool and grips a tool or a tool holder that holds the tool. The gripping device includes: a pair of arms configured to grip the tool or the tool holder by pinching the tool or the tool holder between the arms, a main body part configured to support the pair of arms so that each of the paired arms swings in the pinching directions to pinch the tool or the tool holder between the arms; and an angle detector configured to detect a physical quantity indicating a swing angle of the arm.

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.

An apparatus and a system comprise a collet comprising a top portion and a bottom portion. The top portion comprises a threading means. The bottom portion at least comprises means for holding the collet from rotating and means for retaining an end mill. A master comprises a top portion and a bottom portion. The top portion is configured for engagement with a spindle of a milling machine. The bottom portion comprises a threading means for engagement with the threading means of the collet, wherein the master is retained by the spindle and the collet engages and disengages the master by rotation of the spindle. The milling machine operates under computer control during engagement and disengagement of the collet from the master.

A machine tool includes: a spindle that allows a tool to be detachably mounted thereon; a tool changing device that holds a plurality of the tools, and attaches and detaches any of the tools to and from the spindle; a date and time storage unit that stores date and time when operation of the spindle is stopped last; and a calculation unit that calculates unused time of the spindle on the basis of the date and time stored in the date and time storage unit, when the tool is to be detached from the spindle, wherein in a case where the unused time calculated by the calculation unit is longer than a predetermined threshold value, the tool changing device performs detaching motion of the tool from the spindle for longer time compared to a case where the calculated unused time is at or less than the threshold value.

A machining system including a base; multiple work modules arranged in an arrangement direction on the base, at least one of the multiple work modules being a processing module, which processes a work with a tool, provided with a main shaft head including a main shaft on which a tool is attached and a main shaft rotating device that rotates the main shaft; a head raising and lowering device that moves the main shaft head in a vertical direction; a head moving device that moves the main shaft head in a horizontal plane by moving it in two perpendicular directions; and a work table that holds a work; the processing module being configured so as to be pulled from the base along a path extending in an intersecting direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction.

A machining center including a machine main body, an upper section of which supports a head moving device and a head raising and lowering device, configured such that tool magazine 120 is stored inside the machine main body, and with a magazine moving device configured to move tool magazine 120 such that, during tool exchange, tool magazine 120 is advanced to protrude from a side of the machine main body, so that, from the multiple tool holders, the tool holder used for exchange is positioned inside the movement range of the main shaft by the head moving device, and wherein the entire tool magazine 120 is able to be moved beyond the movement range of the tool magazine by the magazine moving device to a position outside of the machine main body and detached from the machine main body.

The present invention relates to a machining center, and more specifically to a horizontal multi-spindle machining center, in which 2-axis (Y- and Z-axis) or 3-axis (X-, Y- and Z-axis) transfer drive units are disposed in the machining center installed to machine workpieces, in which a ram equipped with spindles is moved in the up-down, front-back, and/or left-right directions of the workpieces, in which the spindles are configured to include a plurality of spindles, i.e., 2 to 8 spindles, so that a plurality of workpieces may be machined simultaneously, and in which tool change is simultaneously performed for tools fastened to the plurality of spindles and configured to machine workpieces by using an auto tool changer (ATC), so that tool change speed may be improved and thus manufacturing efficiency may be improved.

A tool changer comprises a turret with a plurality of grips for holding tools such that the turret is turned to index a desired tool to change the tools. The front and rear surfaces of the turret are covered by front and rear covers, respectively. A projection or a recess which defines a passage for cutting fluid is formed in an outer rear surface portion of the rear cover at portions above and/or on each lateral side of a turret mechanism portion.

A machine tool includes a tool magazine configured to hold a plurality of tools, the tool magazine having a rotary unit rotatable around a predetermined rotary axis and a measured portion provided in the rotary unit, a sensor disposed outside of the rotary unit in a radial direction that is perpendicular to the rotary axis, and configured to detect the measured portion, and a controller configured to detect a position of an origin point of the rotary unit based on a result of the detection by the sensor.

A machine tool includes a spindle configured to hold a tool, a tool magazine configured to hold a plurality of tools and to exchange the tools with the spindle, and a cleaning mechanism configured to remove adhering objects adhered to the tool magazine by spraying fluid to the tool magazine.