Loading method for a machine tool and tool transfer device

Abstract

The invention relates to a loading method for a machine tool (12), especially for a bending machine, having a tool-transfer device (1), a tool holder (17) of the machine tool (12), and a tool rack (13), wherein the tool holder (17) and the tool rack (13) are connected via a guide rail (4), and the tool-transfer device (1) has a magnetic retaining device (5). The tool-transfer device (1) is moved to a machining tool (18), which is arranged in a pick-up position (20) in a tool holder (17) or in a tool rack (13). The machining tool (18) is picked up and retained by means of a magnetic retaining device (5) of the tool-transfer device (1) and moved along the guide track (4) to a deposition position (21). There the machining tool (18) is deposited by deactivation of the magnetic retaining force (22). The magnetic retaining device (5) has an electromagnet (6) having an electronic activating device (7) wherein, upon deactivation of the magnetic retaining force (22), a demagnetization is performed by the activating device (7).

Claims

1. A loading method for a bending machine, having a tool-transfer device, a tool holder of the bending machine, and a tool rack, wherein the tool holder and the tool rack are connected via a guide track, and the tool-transfer device is disposed movably along the guide track, and wherein bending tools are arranged in the tool holder and/or in the tool rack, and the tool-transfer device has a magnetic retaining device, comprising the steps of: moving the tool-transfer device to a bending tool, which is arranged in a pick-up position in the tool holder or in the tool rack; picking-up and retaining the bending tool by activating magnetic retaining force of the magnetic retaining device of the tool-transfer device; moving the picked-up bending tool along the guide track to a deposition position in the tool rack or in the tool holder; depositing the bending tool by deactivating the magnetic retaining force; wherein the magnetic retaining device has an electromagnet having an electronic activating device wherein, upon deactivating the magnetic retaining force, the electronic activating device demagnetizes the electromagnet and wherein the tool-transfer device has an electrical energy store connected to the electronic activating device and a charging contact connected to the energy store, wherein, after the tool-transfer device moves along the guide track into a waiting position, the charging contact of the tool-transfer device is brought into connection with a charging terminal of the waiting position.

2. The loading method according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnet, during deactivation of the magnetic retaining force, is subjected by the electronic activating device to an electrical alternating current with decreasing signal amplitude.

3. The loading method according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic retaining device additionally has a permanent magnet, wherein the electromagnet, during deactivation of the magnetic retaining force, is subjected by the electronic activating device to a direct-component-containing electrical alternating signal having decreasing signal amplitude.

4. The loading method according to claim 1, wherein, during the pick-up of the bending tool, the electromagnet is subjected by the electronic activating device to an electrical pick-up and retention signal.

5. The loading method according to claim 4, wherein the strength of the pick-up and retention signal of the electronic activating device is changed over between a first signal strength for the pick-up of the bending tool and a second signal strength for the retention of the bending tool.

6. The loading method according to claim 5, wherein, for the retention of the bending tool, the second signal strength of the pick-up and retention signal is disconnected.

7. The loading method according to claim 5, wherein the second signal strength of the pick-up and retention signal is reduced prior to reaching of the deposition position.

8. The loading method according to claim 5, wherein an identification feature of the bending tool is read by a sensing means connected to the electronic activating device, and tool-characterizing data are extracted from the identification feature by the electronic activating device.

9. The loading method according to claim 8, wherein, based on an extracted tool weight and/or a tool length, the first signal strength and/or the second signal strength is read by the electronic activating device from a resident parameter table.

10. The loading method according to claim 4, wherein the pick-up and retention signal is output by the electronic activating device as a PWM signal or PPM signal.

11. The loading method according to claim 1, wherein the tool-transfer device has, connected to the electronic activating device, a position sensor, which determines the position of the tool-transfer device along the guide track and communicates a reaching of the pick-up position and/or a reaching of the deposition position to the electronic activating device.

12. The loading method according to claim 1, wherein the demagnetization is applied prior to reaching of the deposition position.

13. The tool-transfer device for the loading method according to claim 1, comprising an outer housing, a guide device for pick-up of the transfer device in the guide track, the magnetic retaining device disposed on a front axial end of the housing, wherein the magnetic retaining device has the electromagnet, and wherein the electronic activating device is present, which is designed for the supply of the electromagnet with an electrical demagnetization signal, which demagnetization signal is an alternating signal having declining amplitude and wherein the rechargeable energy store, which is connected to the charging contact on a housing outer side, is present in the outer housing.

14. The tool-transfer device according to claim 13, wherein the outer housing has an energy and/or data interface.

15. The tool-transfer device according to claim 14, wherein a hitching device for a manipulator is provided at a rear axial end of the housing.

16. The tool-transfer device according to claim 14, wherein the guide device has a drive, which is designed for movement of the transfer device along the guide track.

17. The tool-transfer device according to claim 14, wherein the electronic activating device has a table, in which tool-characterizing data and associated parameters of a tool pick-up and retention signal are resident.

18. The tool-transfer device according to claim 14, wherein a second electromagnet is disposed in one portion on the guide track.

Description

(1) For better understanding of the invention, it will be explained in more detail on the basis of the following figures.

(2) Therein, respectively in greatly simplified schematic diagrams,

(3) FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a subject tool-transfer device;

(4) FIG. 2 shows a system comprising machine tool, transfer device and tool magazine;

(5) FIG. 3 shows various possible modes of operation of the tool-transfer device;

(6) FIG. 4 shows a further possible embodiment of the subject tool-transfer device.

(7) FIG. 1 shows a tool-transfer device 1 for use in the subject loading method. The tool-transfer device 1 has an outer housing 2, a guide device 3 for pick-up of the transfer device 1 in a guide track 4, and a magnetic retaining device 5 disposed on a front axial end of the housing 2. The retaining device 5 further has an electromagnet 6, which is connected to an activating device 7, which is designed for the supply of the electromagnet 6 with an electrical demagnetization signal. In the housing 2, a rechargeable energy store 8 is further provided and is connected to a charging contact 9 provided on a housing outer side. Furthermore, a hitching device 10 for a manipulator is provided on the housing, especially at a rear axial end, and opposite the retaining device 5.

(8) FIG. 2 shows a machining system 11, in which the subject loading method is carried out with a tool-transfer device 1. The machining system 11 comprises a machine tool 12, especially a bending machine and a tool rack 13, which are connected to one another via a guide track 4, wherein the tool-transfer device 1 is disposed movably along this guide track 4.

(9) The machine tool 12 has a machine frame 14, which has a pressing bar 15 movable vertically therein and a fixed machine table 16. Further technical details of the machine tool 12, especially a bending press, are not described further herein, since this would not provide any contribution to the subject loading method or to the tool-transfer device.

(10) The subject loading method is designed to move machining tools between a pick-up and a deposition position. This means in particular that it moves tools from a tool rack 13 as the pick-up position to the machine tool 12 as the deposition position, and, synonymously, tools from the machine tool 12 as the pick-up position to the tool rack 13 as the deposition position. The latter situation is illustrated in FIG. 2.

(11) The machine table 16 has a tool holder 17, in which machining tools 18, especially bending tools, are arranged. Likewise, the pressing bar 15 also has a tool holder 17, in which machining tools 18 are also arranged.

(12) In the tool holder 17, machining tools 18 are arranged at several machining positions 19, wherein these may be different in type, so that different machining processes may be performed at the individual machining positions 19. For setup of these machining positions 19, the machining tools 18 must now be removed from the tool holder 17 and deposited in a tool rack 13 or conversely removed from the tool rack 13 and arranged in the tool holder 17. For this purpose, it is provided that the guide track 4 is then disposed in longitudinal direction of the tool holder 17 and thus a connection is formed between the machine tool 12 and the tool rack 13. In this guide track, the tool-transfer device 1 is disposed movably, wherein this is moved in the guide track 4 by means of a manipulator disposed on the hitching device 10. It is equally possible that the tool-transfer device 1 has drive means, in order to be able to move autonomously in the guide track 4. Since the specific embodiment is not of importance for the further consideration, it will not be described further herein. Possibilities are known to the person skilled in the art of how a tool-transfer device can be moved along a guide track.

(13) Since the energy store 8 of the tool-transfer device 1 is designed, preferably rechargeably, for operation of the activating device 7 and of the electromagnet of the retaining device 5, it is provided that the tool-transfer device 1 is moved during loading pauses to a waiting position, so that the charging contact 9 of the tool-transfer device 1 is brought into connection with a charging terminal 30 at the waiting position. Thus an automatic recharging of the energy store 8 takes place during charging pauses.

(14) FIG. 1 shows the situation in which the tool-transfer device 1 has picked up a machining tool 18 from the machining position 19. For this purpose, the tool-transfer device 1 is brought to the pick-up position in the immediate vicinity of the arranged machining tool and the magnetic retaining device 5 is activated by the activating device 7, and thus a magnetic retaining force is established between the transfer device 1 and the machining tool 18. In order to be able to remove the bending tool from the tool holder 17, this must be unlocked or released by a machine controller. Together with activated, magnetic retaining device 5, the tool-transfer device 1 moves the machining tool 18 along the guide track 4 to the deposition position, which in this case is the tool rack 13.

(15) FIG. 3 now shows several variants in which a machining tool 18 is picked up at a pick-up position 20 and moved along the guide track 4 to a deposition position 21 and deposited there. The upper diagram illustrates the magnetic retaining force 22 and the lower diagram the activating current 23 with which the electromagnet of the tool-transfer device is operated by the activating device.

(16) FIG. 3a shows the pick-up of a small machining tool 18, wherein small means that the machining tool 18 on the one hand has a light weight and above all is short in the direction of the extent of the guide track 4. In the case of such short tools, it is possible that, during admission of high current to the magnetic retaining device 5 and associated therewith the generation of a strong magnetic field, the bending tool to be picked up will be bulk magnetized and a second bending tool arranged after it will likewise be retained. Thus the danger exists that, instead of the one tool to be picked up, two or possibly further bending tools will cling persistently to the magnetic retaining device 5 of the tool-transfer device 1. In order to prevent this, it is provided according to the illustrated embodiment that, in one portion 24 of the electromagnet, only a small activating current 23 is admitted and thus only a correspondingly small magnetic retaining force 22 is also generated. As soon as the tool has been picked up and removed by a distance from the remaining, arranged machining tools 18, the electromagnet of the retaining device 5 is subjected by the activating device of the tool-transfer device 1 to a higher activating current 23, whereby the magnetic holding force 22 is also increased. This means that the picked-up tool is retained effectively and securely, whereby higher speeds of movement along the guide track 4 are also possible.

(17) Due to the action of the magnetic retaining force 22 on the picked-up machining tool 18 as well as on the magnetic retaining device 5, a buildup of a residual magnetism takes place in these. Without appropriate countermeasures, this would strengthen upon each pick-up and retention cycle to a degree that the tool and the retaining device acquire permanent magnetic properties and thus a reliable pick-up and deposition would no longer be possible. In particular, it may then occur that the machining tools 18 cling so strongly to one another that they can no longer be separated from one another without an additional mechanical separating aid. It is therefore provided in the loading method according to the invention that, at the deposition position 21, a demagnetization process is performed that consists, for example, in that the electromagnet of the magnetic retaining device 5 is subjected to an alternating current 25 having decreasing amplitude. The decrease of the amplitude preferably takes place according to an exp(−x) function. At the end of the demagnetization process, a residual magnet field in the tool or in the retaining device is dissipated, or at least greatly reduced.

(18) FIG. 3b shows a situation in which a small machining tool 18 is picked up at the pick-up position 20 and moved to the deposition position 21, wherein further machining tools 18 are already arranged at the deposition position 21. In order to prevent a bending tool present at the deposition position 21 from being attracted by the bending tool picked up by means of magnetic retaining force of the tool-transfer device 1, it is likewise provided that the current due to the activating current 23 and thus the retaining force 22 is reduced in a portion 24 prior to reaching of the deposition position 21.

(19) Here also, the magnetic retaining force 22 is deactivated upon reaching of the deposition position, and a demagnetization is performed by application of an alternating current 25 to the electromagnets of the retaining device 5.

(20) Since in this case the machining tool 18 is pushed by the tool-transfer device 1 along the guide track 4, it is also possible, according to a further embodiment, for the magnetic retaining force 22 to be deactivated and the demagnetization to be performed already after pick-up of the machining tool 18 at the pick-up position 20, after which the tool merely lies on the tool-transfer device 1 and is pushed by it to the deposition position 21.

(21) Further possible embodiment variants are illustrated in FIG. 4. For example, a sensing means 26, which is connected to the activating device 7 and which is designed to read an identification feature 27 of the machining tool 18, may be provided on the tool-transfer device 1. From the read identification feature 27, tool-characterizing data, especially a tool shape, a tool weight and/or a tool length, can be extracted by the activating device 7. In the activating device 7, for example in a memory means, a table 28 may be provided, in which table 28, based on the extracted tool weight, the tool size or the tool shape, parameters are resident for the signal strength of the electrical activating signal for the supply of the magnetic retaining device 5.

(22) For determination of the position of the tool-transfer device 1 along the guide rail 4, especially for determination of the pick-up or deposition position, it may be further provided that a position sensor 29 is present together with the activating device 7. This position sensor 29 may sense or scan, for example, a marking disposed on the guide track 4, and from this determine a position.

(23) The position sensor 29 may also be designed as a distance sensor and preferably be disposed at the front axial end of the housing 2. Thereby the transfer device is automatically able to recognize an approach to a tool, and so no additional devices or markings have to be provided on the guide track or the machine tool. The advantage of the subject loading method or of the subject tool-transfer device lies in particular in that, by means of a simple and compact device, a faster tool change is permitted, especially without use of additional manipulators. A feedback effect on the tool or the transfer device due to the magnetism being used can be prevented.

(24) Finally, it is pointed out that like parts in the differently described embodiments are denoted with like reference symbols or like structural-part designations, wherein the disclosures contained in the entire description can be carried over logically to like parts with like reference symbols or like structural-part designations. The position indications chosen in the description, such as top, bottom, side, etc., for example, are also relative to the figure being directly described as well as illustrated, and these position indications are to be logically carried over to the new position upon a position change.

(25) The exemplary embodiments show possible embodiment variants, wherein it must be noted at this place that the invention is not restricted to the specially illustrated embodiment variants of the same, but to the contrary diverse combinations of the individual embodiment variants with one another are also possible and, on the basis of the teaching of the technical handling by the subject invention, this variation possibility lies within the know-how of the person skilled in the art and active in this technical field.

(26) The scope of protection is defined by the claims. However, the description and the drawings are to be used for interpretation of the claims. Individual features or combinations of features from the shown and described different exemplary embodiments may represent inventive solutions that are independent in themselves. The task underlying the independent inventive solutions may be inferred from the description.

(27) All statements about value ranges in the description of the subject matter are to be understood to the effect that they jointly comprise any desired and all sub-ranges therefrom, e.g. the statement 1 to 10 is to be understood to the effect that all sub-ranges, starting from the lower limit 1 and the upper limit 10 are jointly comprised, i.e. all sub-ranges begin with a lower range of 1 or greater and end at an upper limit of 10 or smaller, e.g. 1 to 1.7, or 3.2 to 8.1, or 5.5 to 10.

(28) Finally, it must be pointed out, as a matter of form, that some elements have been illustrated not to scale and/or enlarged and/or reduced for better understanding of the structure.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(29) 1 Tool-transfer device 2 Outer housing 3 Guide device 4 Guide track 5 Retaining device 6 Electromagnet 7 Activating device 8 Energy store 9 Charging contact 10 Hitching device 11 Machining system 12 Machine tool 13 Tool rack 14 Machine frame 15 Pressing beam 16 Machine table 17 Tool holder 18 Machining tool 19 Machining position 20 Pick-up position 21 Deposition position 22 Retaining force 23 Activating current 24 Portion 25 Alternating current 26 Sensing means 27 Identification feature 28 Table 29 Position sensor 30 Charging terminal