MACHINE TOOL AND METHOD FOR THE EFFICIENT AND FLEXIBLE PRO-DUCTION OF MACHINING PATTERNS BY MEANS OF A NUMBER OF SPINDLES

Abstract

The device and the corresponding method according to the invention relate in particular to a CNC machine tool and a machining method preferably for large machining patterns. The CNC machine tool may comprise a machining head 2 which may be connected to a Z-axis 1 such that it can be manually and/or automatically changed, and which may have at least two tool spindles 3 for receiving tools 4. The Z-axis 1 can be moved in a linear manner at least along two linear axial directions. The Z-axis 1 and/or the machining head 2 may have at least one axis of rotation.

Claims

1-18. (canceled)

19. A CNC machine tool comprising: a machining head connected to a Z-axis such that it is manually and/or automatically changeable and including at least two tool spindles for receiving tools, said Z-axis being displaceable at least along two linear axial directions, and said Z-axis and/or said machining head having at least one axis of rotation, wherein: said CNC machine tool is configured such that machining patterns, in particular drilling patterns, are processable in that said machining head is movable to a position of said machining pattern by linearly displacing said Z-axis along at least one of said linear axial directions, and said tools of said machining head are alignable with a contour of said machining pattern by rotating said machining head and/or said Z-axis.

20. The machine tool of claim 19 wherein said at least two tool spindles are arranged on at least one eccentric connected to said machining head, and a relative position between said tool spindles is adjustable by rotating said eccentric.

21. The machine tool of claim 20 wherein the distance between said tool spindles is adjustable in a manually or numerically controlled automatic manner.

22. The machine tool of claim 19 wherein said at least two tool spindles are arranged in a non-adjustable distance from one another on said machining head.

23. The machine tool of claim 19 wherein at least three tool spindles are arranged in a non-adjustable distance from one another on said machining head, said tool spindles being arranged on a straight line or on a curved line.

24. The machine tool of claim 19 wherein said at least two tool spindles are arranged on at least two linear guides connected to said machining head, and a distance between said tool spindles is adjustable by linearly displacing said tool spindles by means of linear guides.

25. The machine tool of claim 24 wherein the distance between said tool spindles is adjustable in a manually or numerically controlled automatic manner.

26. The machine tool of claim 19 wherein said machining head is manually and/or automatically changeable.

27. The machine tool of claim 19 wherein said machining head is automatically changeable by means of a pick-up method.

28. The machine tool of claim 19 wherein said tools are manually and/or automatically changeable, in particular by means of pick-up methods.

29. The machine tool of claim 19 wherein said machining head has at least a second axis of rotation.

30. The machine tool of claim 19 wherein said machine tool comprises an automatic tool changer which includes at least two receptacles for tools.

31. The machine tool of claim 19 wherein said tool spindles have an internal lubricant feed.

32. A method for multi-spindled production of linear and/or circularly arranged machining patterns, the method comprising: providing a machine tool comprising: a machining head connected to a Z-axis such that it is manually and/or automatically changeable and including at least two tool spindles for receiving tools, said Z-axis being displaceable at least along two linear axial directions, and said Z-axis and/or said machining head having at least one axis of rotation, wherein: said CNC machine tool is configured such that machining patterns, in particular drilling patterns, are processable in that said machining head is movable to a position of said machining pattern by linearly displacing said Z-axis along at least one of said linear axial directions, and said tools of said machining head are alignable with a contour of said machining pattern by rotating said machining head and/or said Z-axis; moving to a position on said machining pattern with said machining head by means of a linear displacement of said Z-axis along one or more linear axial directions; and arranging said tools of said machining head along a contour line of said machining pattern, in particular the outer diameter of the hole circle, by rotating said machining head and/or said Z-axis.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising adjusting the distance between said tool spindles of said machining pattern prior to processing said machining pattern and/or prior to each drilling operation.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising displacing said Z-axis and/or said machining head in a linear axial direction which is perpendicular to a plane which is spanned by the other linear axial directions.

35. The method of claim 32, further comprising automatically changing said machining head and/or tool by means of a pick-up method.

36. The method of claim 32, further comprising automatic changing of said tool by means of an automatic tool changer, the automatic changing comprising: arranging or removing a first tool on/from the associated tool spindle by means of said automatic tool changer; linearly displacing said Z-axis to a position in which said tool changer can insert or remove a second tool; and arranging or removing said second tool on/from the associated tool spindle by means of said automatic tool changer.

37. The method of claim 32, further comprising automatic changing of said tool by means of an automatic tool changer, the automatic changing comprising: arranging or removing a first tool on/from the associated tool spindle by means of said automatic tool changer; rotating said Z-axis and/or said machining head to a position in which said tool changer can insert or remove a second tool; and arranging or removing said second tool on/from the associated tool spindle by means of said automatic tool changer.

Description

[0044] The device set forth herein and everything related are described below by way of example with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings. In the figures:

[0045] FIG. 1 shows a portion of a CNC machine tool,

[0046] FIG. 2 is a front view of the machining head of the CNC machine tool,

[0047] FIG. 3 shows an example of a machining pattern,

[0048] FIGS. 4a-d are views of a portion of a CNC machine tool,

[0049] FIG. 5 shows another example of a machining pattern,

[0050] FIGS. 6a-b are views of a portion of a CNC machine tool,

[0051] FIGS. 7a-c are views of a deposit station for machining heads,

[0052] FIGS. 8a-c are views of a magazine for tools,

[0053] FIGS. 9a-b are views showing a changing operation, and

[0054] FIGS. 10a-b are views of a portion of a CNC machine tool.

[0055] In the following, various examples will be described in detail and with reference to the figures. The same or similar elements in the figures are designated by the same reference symbols. However, the present device and method are not limited to the described combinations of features. Rather, further modifications and combinations of features of various examples are intended to be included within the scope of the independent claims.

[0056] FIG. 1 shows a part of the machine tool described herein. In particular, the figure shows (in a truncated manner) a part of a Z-axis 1 which is linearly displaceable at least along the indicated linear axial directions X and Y. Furthermore, an axial displaceability in the Z-direction is also preferred.

[0057] The Z-axis 1 includes an interface 1a, on which a machining head 2 is arranged changeably/detachably. The machining head 2 has at least one rotational degree of freedom, which is indicated by means of the double arrow. This degree of freedom may be provided by means of an axis of rotation of the machining head 2 and/or the Z-axis 1. FIG. 2 shows, by way of example, a continuous pivotability or rotatability of the machining head 2 relative to the Z-axis 1, which is indicated by the largest of the three double arrows.

[0058] FIG. 2 further shows that two tool spindles 3 are arranged on a front side 2a of the machining head 2, each of which holds a tool 4, here drilling tools 4a, 4b, rotatably and changeably. The two smaller double arrows indicate a rotatability of the two tool spindles 3, which makes it possible to vary their relative position, as, by way of example, is indicated by the dashed parts of the drawing.

[0059] FIG. 1 also shows that the two tools 4a, 4b or their tool spindles 3 are each arranged on an eccentric 5a, 5b. As already mentioned, FIG. 2 shows a front view of the machining head 2, which indicates, by means of double arrows, the continuous 360 rotatability/pivotability of the machining head 2 and the Z-axis 1 as well as the adjustability of the relative position of the tools 4a, 4b by rotating the eccentrics 5a, 5b.

[0060] FIG. 3 shows an example of machining a hole circle 6 as a machining pattern. The Roman numerals I-III indicate positions to which the Z-axis 1 is moved (indicated by dashed contours) with the machining head 2 at different times in order to drill/bore bores 7 at this position on/along the hole circle 6. The radius or diameter D of the hole circle 6 is arbitrary, but preferably relatively large, e.g., the diameter may be half a meter, one meter, more than one meter or several meters. The hole pattern or the curved machining pattern may also be arbitrary. The angular pitch or /2 and/or distances between the bores 7 may be selected in a continuous manner. The positions I-III are reached precisely by the machine tool or the Z-axis 1 by correspondingly displacing the Z-axis 1 along the X and/or Y direction until the desired position is reached.

[0061] Preferably after reaching the position, e.g., I, II or III (more or less positions are possible), the machining head 2 is rotated/pivoted. For this purpose, either the Z-axis 1 (if it has a C-axis or is configured as one) is continuously rotated and/or the machining head 2 itself is rotated relative to the Z-axis 1. Alternatively, it is also possible for the rotation to be carried out before moving to the (machining) position I-III. The rotation is performed in this way and serves to orient the tools 4a, 4b in such a way that the bores 7 to be bored are actually arranged on the hole circle 6, as shown in FIG. 3 with the empty points on the outer diameter of the hole circle 6.

[0062] An alternative to the example described above is given in FIGS. 4a-d. By way of example, a machining head 2, which includes four tool spindles 3a-d and tools 4a-d, is shown. In this example, the tool spindles 3 are connected to the machining head 2 with fixed (unchangeable) spacing and arrangement with respect to one another. In addition, the tools 4 are arranged on a curved line with respect to one another, as is particularly apparent from the partial FIG. 4b, so that drilling at a fixed angle , which is predetermined by the shape of the curved line, is made possible, as is illustrated by FIG. 5 via a further machining pattern/hole circle 6. The further features of this example of FIGS. 4a-d may correspond to the example(s) already described with reference to FIGS. 1-3.

[0063] FIG. 5 shows, as explained above, a further hole circle 6 which comprises the machining positions I-IX, wherein at each position four bores 7 are bored by means of the above-described machining head 2 in a single drilling step. Again, each position I-IX is reached by translatory displacement of the Z-axis 1. Furthermore, a rotation is performed which aligns the tools 4 with the hole circle 6.

[0064] FIGS. 6a-b show a further example which differs from the above-described examples in that the tool spindles 3 are each arranged on a translatory displacing device 10 (linear guide), and can be displaced/moved linearly (automatically or manually), e.g., along a rail 11 of the machining head 2 in such a way that the distance between the two tool spindles 3a, 3b shown may be set precisely and accurately.

[0065] Furthermore, FIGS. 7a-c schematically show a (pick-up) deposit station 8 which has a plurality of compartments 8a-c into which at least one machining head 2 can be inserted, respectively. If a machining head 2 is to be (automatically) changed, the Z-axis 1 is moved to a compartment 8a-c, where the machining head 2 is detached from the Z-axis 1 and deposited as is known. Thereafter, the Z-axis 1 is moved to another compartment 8a-c, in which another desired machining head 2 is deposited. This machining head 2 is then mounted automatically/autonomously on the Z-axis 1. The Z-axis 1 can then be moved back to the workpiece.

[0066] Furthermore, FIGS. 8a-c schematically show a (pick-up) tool magazine 9. The tool magazine 9 holds, in different positions, a plurality of different tools 4 which may be connected automatically/autonomously to a tool spindle 3 of a machining head 2. For this purpose, the Z-axis 1 is moved to the tool magazine 9, gripped tools 4 are released and deposited, and other tools 4 are gripped as known. The change of machining heads 2 and/or tools 4 may also be carried out manually. In addition, the (pick-up) tool magazine 9 may alternatively or additionally hold tool spindles 3 in stock.

[0067] FIG. 9a shows the change/insertion of a tool 4b by means of an automatic tool changer device 14 which includes an (automatic) tool changer 12 which can be displaced in a translational and rotational manner. The tool changer (double gripper head) 12 includes a receptacle/gripper 13a, 13b at its longitudinal ends, respectively, with which tools 4 can be gripped in order to take them from a magazine, insert them into a magazine, remove them from the tool spindle 3, insert them into the tool spindle 3, etc. The method shown in FIGS. 9a and 9b shows an example insertion/change of the tools 4a and 4b of the two-spindle machining head 2. The first tool, e.g., having reference sing 4b, may therefore first be gripped by the gripper 13a and, e.g., be Inserted or removed (into/from the tool spindle 3b). Thereafter, the Z-axis 1 can be displaced linearly downwards in the figures until the gripper 13 (e.g., the gripper 13a after a 180 rotation of the tool changer 12) is aligned with the tool spindle 4a so that the tool 4a can be removed or inserted there. Furthermore, it may be possible for the tool changer 12 to be moved along the rail 15 to the magazine or the like before, after or between the insertion or removing steps shown. In addition, the tool changer 12 may also be used for initially removing a tool 3 from the tool spindle 4, and then be rotated by 180 in order to insert an already prepared tool 3 with the second gripper 13a, b. The tool changer 12 may then be moved to the magazine while the Z-axis 1 may be displaced linearly to the position in which the second tool 3 can be changed when the tool changer has returned from the magazine (this position is shown, for example, in FIG. 9b).

[0068] Not shown is a further possibility of positioning the tool spindle 4 to the gripper 13, wherein a rotation of the Z-axis 1 or of the machining head 2 is performed, preferably by 180, instead of (or in addition to) a linear displacement thereof, so that the second tool 3 is again aligned with the receptacle/gripper 13 after rotation.

[0069] FIGS. 10a, b further show a second axis of rotation of the Z-axis 1 so that the element 1b can be rotated, as particularly indicated by the double arrow in FIG. 10b. Rotating is possible in a continuous manner and at least within an angular range of up to 90. The range may be larger or smaller. FIG. 10a shows, in particular, that the element 1b may be fork-shaped in order to be able to rotate the machining head 2 within the fork about the second axis of rotation.

[0070] In summary, the device according to the invention and the associated method for processing machining patterns (linear and preferably curved machining patterns) have the technical advantage that even for curved/radial/circular machining patterns, e.g., hole circles 6, multi-spindle machining heads may be used, which allows a significant reduction in the machining time/production time. The method may preferably be carried out (almost) fully automatically, including any necessary automatic and rapid change of tools 4, tool spindles 3 and/or machining heads 2.