AUTONOMOUS PRODUCTION LINE

Abstract

An autonomous production line for machining work pieces e.g. by sawing, milling, boring or grinding and proposes a roller conveyor with machining stations, a placement station and an unloading station. Machining robots machine the work pieces at the machining stations while the work pieces are supported on suction tables.

Claims

1. An autonomous production line for machining work pieces, the autonomous production line comprising: a feed arrangement configured to feed the work pieces to and from at least one machining station at which the work pieces are machined on the feed arrangement.

2. The autonomous production line according to claim 1, wherein the autonomous production line includes plural machining stations along a path of the autonomous production line or on different sides of the feed arrangement.

3. The autonomous production line according to claim 1, wherein the autonomous production line includes a placement station which places the work pieces on the feed arrangement and an unloading station which retrieves the work pieces from the feed arrangement.

4. The autonomous production line according to claim 1, wherein the feed arrangement includes a fixing arrangement for each machining station, and wherein the fixing arrangement fixes the work pieces on the feed arrangement during machining.

5. The autonomous production line according to claim 4, wherein the fixing arrangement includes a suction gripper or a suction table configured to fix the work pieces on the feed arrangement during machining.

6. The autonomous production line according to claim 1, wherein the work pieces are movable independently from each other at different locations of the feed arrangement.

7. The autonomous production line according to claim 1, wherein the production line includes a mechanical scanner or a laser scanner configured to determine a position of the work pieces on the feed arrangement.

8. The autonomous production line according to claim 1, wherein the at least one machining station includes a machining robot or a portal machine tool.

9. The autonomous production line according to claim 1, wherein the at least one machining station includes a magazine for tools.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The invention is subsequently described in more detail based on an embodiment with reference to a drawing figure, wherein:

[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates the autonomous production line according to the invention in a top view;

[0018] FIG. 2 illustrates the production line according to FIG. 1 in a side view;

[0019] FIG. 3 illustrates a cross section of the production line according to FIGS. 1 and 2 according to a line in FIG. 2;

[0020] FIG. 4 illustrates a second embodiment of the autonomous production line according to the invention in a top view;

[0021] FIG. 5 illustrates the production line according to FIG. 4 in a side view; and

[0022] FIG. 6 illustrates a face view of an end of the production line according to FIGS. 4 and 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The drawing figure provides a simplified schematic representation as a basis for the description and for an understanding of the invention.

[0024] The autonomous production line 1 according to the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 is used for machining work pieces 2, like e.g. plates e.g. by sawing, milling, boring, grinding, in case of sheet metal also bending is possible. The arrangement 1 includes a continuous conveyor in the embodiment a roller conveyor configured as a feed arrangement 3 which, however, is not operated continuously but in an intermittent manner. Rollers of the roller conveyor are individually drivable at least in axles, so that work pieces 2 are movable independently from each other at different locations of the roller conveyor. At one end of the feed arrangement 3 the arrangement 1 includes a placement station 4 with a placement robot 5 and at another end an unloading station 6 with an unloading robot 7.

[0025] The placement robot 5 and the unloading robot 7 are stationary industrial robots that are rotatable about vertical axes and that include two pivot arms wherein a first pivot arm is supported pivotable about a horizontal axis at a base that is rotatable about a vertical axis and a second pivot arm is pivotably supported about another horizontal axis at the first pivot arm. The second pivot arm includes a pivot head that is pivotable about one or two axes and rotatable about a second or a third axis at which pivot head a flat frame with suction cups that form a suction gripper 8 for gripping a work piece 2 by vacuum is arranged.

[0026] The placement robot 5 grips a prepared work piece 2 with its suction gripper 8 and places the prepared work piece onto the roller conveyor forming the feed arrangement 3. The unloading robot 7 at the other end of the feed arrangement 3 grips a finished work piece 2, lifts it from the feed arrangement 3 and places it for example onto a provided non-illustrated pallet or a provided and also not illustrated transport container like e.g. a cardboard box.

[0027] The arrangement 1 includes one or plural machining stations 9 with one or plural machining robots 10 along the feed arrangement 3. In the illustrated and described embodiment the arrangement 1 includes two machining stations 9 respectively with two machining robots 10. The machining robots 10 of a machining station 9 are arranged opposite to one another at two sides of the roller conveyor forming the feed arrangement 3. In the embodiment the machining robots 10 are essentially configured identical to the placement robot 5 and the unloading robot 7. The machining robots 10 are rotatable about vertical axes and include two pivot arms that are pivotably connected with each other and pivotably connected with a base that is rotatable about the vertical axes.

[0028] A pivot head 11 of the machining robots 10 includes a rotation drive and an automatic clamping arrangement for a non-illustrated tool like e.g. a drill, a saw, a milling bit or a grinding tool. Also non-rotating tools can be clamped. The tools are automatically retrieved by the machining robots 10 from magazines 13. The work pieces 2 can also be for example laser cut or water jet cut.

[0029] The feed arrangement 3 includes a fixing device 14 at the machining stations 9 for supporting the work pieces 2 during machining. In the embodiment the fixing devices 14 include suction tables 15. In the embodiment the work pieces 2 are not clamped mechanically which is possible but they are fixed on the suction tables with a vacuum. The suction tables include plates with holes on which the work pieces 2 rest at or in the machining stations 9. Air is sucked in through the holes so that a contacting work piece 2 is held by vacuum. Other fixing arrangements are possible, for example clamping arrangements which clamp a work piece 2 mechanically with fixed and/or movable clamping jaws (not illustrated). The suction tables are only operated, this means air is only pulled out when a work piece 2 is in contact which shall be fixed on the feed arrangement 3.

[0030] The feed arrangement 3 conveys the applied work pieces to the machining stations 9 where they are retained by the fixing arrangements 14 and machined by the machining robots 10 with the tools 12. After machining the fixing arrangements 14 are turned off and the work pieces 2 are conveyed further to another or to a next machining station 9 or to the unloading station 6 and machined further or retrieved from the feed arrangement 3. Because the work pieces 2 can be fed independently from each other a work piece 2 can be fed while another work piece is being machined. A work piece 2 can also be fed in a different direction or with a different speed than another work piece.

[0031] In order to determine a position of the work pieces 2 on the feed arrangement 3 the arrangement 1 according to the invention includes a mechanical scanner 16 and a laser scanner configured as a position scanner 17 which are retrieved by the machining robots 10 from the magazines 13 as measurement tools like the machining tools and which are clamped by the automatic clamping arrangements of the machining robots 10. The machining robots 10 receive data for machining the respective work piece 2 to be machined wherein the data is corrected according to a position of the work piece 2 on the feed arrangement 3 so that a movement of the tools 12 during machining is adapted to an actual position of the respective work piece 2. For a coarse first processing in a first machining station 9 the position of the work piece 2 on the feed arrangement 3 is mechanically determined by the scanner 16. For a fine machining or finishing of the work pieces 2 a position of the work pieces 2 is detected by the laser scanner 17 in a second, additional or last machining station 9.

[0032] The mechanical scanner 16 and in particular the position scanner 17 are configured to precisely detect a shape and size of the work piece 2. Thus a detection of the work piece 2 and a nominal/actual comparison are possible which is computed into the machining. For example the tools can be selected program controlled based on an actual shape, size and possibly hardness of the work pieces 2. Deficiencies of the work pieces 2 can also be detected. Furthermore a hardness measurement of the work pieces 2 is possible by impressing respective test bodies that are clamped by the automatic clamping devices of the machining robots 10 into the work pieces 2.

[0033] In FIGS. 4-6 the machining stations 9 of the autonomous production line 1 include portal machine tools 18 instead of the machining robots 10. Furthermore the two production lines 1 are configured identical and function in the same way so that the description of FIGS. 1-3 is referred to for providing descriptions regarding FIGS. 4-6 in order to avoid repetition. Identical or equivalent components in FIGS. 4-6 are designated with identical reference numerals like in FIGS. 1-3. A production line can be provided which includes machining robots and portal machine tools or also other machine tools at the machining stations (not-illustrated).