Manufacturing system

• US 10,058,967 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2014
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Fuji Machine Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Suzuyama, Shigefumi, Hirata, Shuichi, Mizuta, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Cadugan, Erica E
• Application Number:
  US15/518,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20170232567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,404 Days
• Field of Search: 29560, 29563, 29 33 P
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 3/00 General-purpose turning-machines or devices, e.g. centre lathes with feed rod and lead screw; Sets of turning-machines
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 39/00 General-purpose boring or drilling machines or devices; Sets of boring and/or drilling machines
• CPC Class Codes: B23C 1/06 with one vertical working-spindle
• CPC Class Codes: B23F 5/22 the tool being a hob for making spur gears
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 23/02 Machine tools for performing different machining operations lathes, e.g. capstan lathes, B23B; combined horizontal boring and milling machines B23B39/02
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 1/0054 Means for adjusting the position of a machine tool with respect to its supporting surface B23Q1/262 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 1/0072 using a clamping opening for receiving an insertion bolt or nipple
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 1/015 Frames, beds, pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 1/26 characterised by constructional features relating to the co-operation of relatively movable members; Means for preventing relative movement of such members bearings for linearly moving parts F16C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 1/58 a single sliding pair
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 17/20 for indicating or measuring workpiece characteristics, e.g. contour, dimension, hardness
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 2039/008 Machines of the lathe type
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 3/157 of rotary tools in combination with non-rotary tools B23Q3/15506, B23Q3/15513
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 37/005 Modular base frames
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 37/007 Modular machining stations designed to be linked to each other
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 39/04 the sub-assemblies being arranged to operate simultaneously at different stations, e.g. with an annular work-table moved in steps associations of machines connected only by work-transferring means B23Q41/00
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 41/02 Features relating to transfer of work between machines arrangements for handling work for machine tools coordinated in production lines B23Q7/14
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 7/04 by means of grippers B23Q7/1494 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 7/05 by means of roller-ways B23Q7/1468, B23Q7/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 7/08 by means of slides or chutes
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 7/10 : by means of magazines
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 7/1405 : with a series disposition of similar working devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/50 : Convertible metal working machine
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5124 : with means to feed work intermittently from one tool station to another

Abstract

A manufacturing system including a base and multiple work machine modules that are arranged in an arrangement direction on base to be attachable to and detachable from base, in which one wheel of a pair provided on work machine module is engaged with one rail of a pair provided on base in a state in which positional deviation in the arrangement direction is prohibited, and the other wheel of the pair is engaged with the other rail of the pair in a state in which positional deviation is permitted in the arrangement direction, thereby the position of work machine modules on the base in the arrangement direction is specified, and work machine modules are fixed at a setting position on the base to be restricted so as to be drawn toward the base by a module fixing mechanism that is provided on the base.

Claims

1. A manufacturing system comprising:

a base; and

multiple work machine modules that are each arranged on the base on a common arrangement axis extending in an arrangement direction, and are each attachable to and detachable from the base, wherein

the base includes multiple rail pairs that are provided so that each pair corresponds to one of the multiple work machine modules, and each pair of the rails is laid so that a respective longitudinal direction thereof extends in an intersecting direction that is a direction that intersects with the arrangement direction,

each of the multiple work machine modules includes a respective one pair of wheels,

the base is configured such that the position, in the arrangement direction and on the base, of each of the multiple work machine modules is specified by one wheel of the corresponding one wheel pair engaging with one rail of the corresponding one rail pair with almost no gap in the arrangement direction between said respective one wheel and said respective one rail such that positional deviation of the respective one wheel in the arrangement direction is prohibited, and the other wheel of the corresponding one wheel pair engaging with the other rail of the corresponding one rail pair with a gap in the arrangement direction between said respective other wheel and said respective other rail such that positional deviation of said respective other wheel is permitted in the arrangement direction, and

the base further includes multiple module fixing mechanisms, each of which restricts a given one of the multiple work machine modules such that the given work machine module is drawn toward the base, and fixes the given work machine module at a respective setting position that is a designated position on the base.

2. The manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein

each of the rails is of a mountain type cross sectional shape,

a respective V-shape cross-sectional shape groove is formed in each of the one wheels of each of the one wheel pairs, and a respective cross-sectional shape groove having a flat bottom face is formed on each of the other wheels of each of the one wheel pairs, and

thereby, each of the one wheels of each of the one wheel pairs engages with the corresponding one rail of the respective one rail pair in a state in which positional deviation of the respective one wheel in the arrangement direction is prohibited and the respective other wheel of the respective one wheel pair engages with the respective other rail of the corresponding one rail pair in a state in which positional deviation of the respective other wheel is permitted in the arrangement direction.

3. The manufacturing system according to claim 1,

wherein each respective one of the wheel pairs is located, with respect to the intersecting direction, on a common side of the corresponding work machine module.

4. The manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein

each of the multiple module fixing mechanisms is configured to include

a respective locking section that is able to lock a respective locking target section that is formed in the work machine module being fixed, and

a respective locking section actuating device that operates the respective locking section to switch to and from a state in which the respective locking section locks the respective locking target section and a state in which the respective locking section does not lock the respective locking target section, and,

in a state in which the respective locking section locks the respective locking target section, it is possible for the respective locking section operating device to fix the work machine module being fixed in a state of the work machine module being fixed being drawn toward the base by biasing the respective locking section toward the respective locking target section.

5. The manufacturing system according to claim 1,

wherein multiple disposition regions on the base are set with an equal width to each other in the arrangement direction,

wherein the following are provided in each of the multiple disposition regions:

(i) one of the rail pairs, with the two rails of the one rail pair being separated by a gap in the arrangement direction, and

(ii) one of the multiple module fixing mechanisms, and

wherein the work machine modules include;

(a) a single region module that occupies one of the multiple disposition regions, or (b) a multi-region module that occupies two or more out of the multiple disposition regions.

6. The manufacturing system according to claim 5,

wherein the work machine modules include a multi-region module that occupies two or more out of the multiple disposition regions, and

wherein the multi-region module is fixed to the base by two or more of the module fixing mechanisms that are provided in the two or more disposition regions that the multi-region module occupies.

7. The manufacturing system according to claim 6,

wherein of the two or more of the module fixing mechanisms that are provided in the two or more disposition regions that the multi-region module occupies, one of the two or more of the module fixing mechanisms is defined as a main module fixing mechanism and another of the two or more of the module fixing mechanisms is defined as a sub-module fixing mechanism,

the multi-region module is configured such that the multi-region module is fixed to the base by the sub-module fixing mechanism with a force that is smaller than a force of fixing the multi-region module to the base by the main module fixing mechanism.

8. The manufacturing system according to claim 7, wherein each of

the multiple module fixing mechanisms is configured to include

a respective locking section that is able to lock a respective part of the work machine module being fixed by that module fixing mechanism, and

a respective locking section actuating device that operates the respective locking section to switch to and from:

a state in which the respective locking section locks the respective part of the work machine module being fixed, and a state in which the respective locking section does not lock the respective part of the work machine module being fixed by that module fixing mechanism, and

the multi-region module

has, as the part, (i) a first locking target section that is locked by the locking section of the main module fixing mechanism that corresponds to the main module fixing mechanism and (ii) a second locking target section that is locked by the locking section of the sub-module fixing mechanism that corresponds to the sub-module fixing mechanism, and

is configured such that a force at which the sub-module fixing mechanism fixes the multi-region module to the base in a state in which the locking section of the sub-module fixing mechanism locks the second locking target section is smaller than the force at which the main module fixing mechanism restricts the multi-region module to the base in a state in which the locking section of the main module fixing mechanism locks the first locking target section.

9. The manufacturing system according to claim 1,

wherein the multiple work machine modules are arranged adjacent to each other in the arrangement direction.

10. The manufacturing system according to claim 1,

wherein each of the multiple work machine modules is able to be pulled so as to move in the intersecting direction by the wheels of the corresponding one pair of wheels rolling on the rails of the corresponding one pair of rails.

11. The manufacturing system according to claim 10,

wherein each of the multiple work machine modules is able to be selectively pulled so as to move in both of two directions that are opposite from each other along an axis along which the intersecting direction extends.