Tool-changing carrier and tool system

• US 10,065,267 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2012
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Inventors: Frank, Joerg, Bausch, Sascha, Deutges, Dominic
• Primary Examiner(s): Cadugan, Erica E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vitale, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/261,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20140059823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,405 Days
• Field of Search: 29 39, 21912163, 21912167, 21912176
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 2260/092 Lasers
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 29/24 Tool holders for a plurality of cutting tools, e.g. turrets indexing devices B23Q16/00
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 29/242 Turrets, without description of the angular positioning device turret lathes for turning individually-chucked workpieces B23B3/16; turrets with manually operated angular positioning devices B23B29/282; turrets with power operated angular positioning devices B23B29/323
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/00 Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0093 combined with mechanical machining or metal-working covered by other subclasses than B23K combined welding or cutting procedures or apparatus B23K28/02
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/70 Auxiliary operations or equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 23/04 for both machining and other metal-working operations
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 25/006 Heating the workpiece by laser during machining
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 2039/004 Machines with tool turrets
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 39/02 the sub-assemblies being capable of being brought to act at a single operating station
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5154 tool turret

Abstract

A tool-changing carrier, that is to say a tool turret (1) with a rotary turret unit having at least two tool mounts (9) and arranged such that it can be rotated relative to a basic turret body (12), has radiation-transmission means which are provided for passing electromagnetic radiation through the tool-changing carrier or along the same. A tool system comprises such a tool-changing carrier and at least two tool heads (3, 5, 15, 17, 18, 27, 34, 40, 43), intended for fixing on the tool mounts (9), wherein at least one tool head is an optical tool head (3, 15, 17, 18) which is suitable for exposing a workpiece (11) to electromagnetic radiation and has a tool optics unit (23) for deflecting and/or forming the electromagnetic radiation.

Claims

1. A tool system, comprising:

a tool change carrier having a plurality of tool receptacles (9), and

a plurality of tool heads (3, 5, 15, 17, 18, 27, 34, 40, 43), each of the plurality of tool heads being set up for fixing to a respective one of said plurality of tool receptacles (9),

wherein said tool change carrier is a tool turret (1) having;

a main turret body (12) with a longitudinal center axis,

a turret rotation unit (2) having said plurality of tool receptacles (9) disposed thereon, said turret rotation unit (2) being arranged in a rotatable manner, for rotation about the longitudinal center axis, relative to said main turret body (12), and

a radiation guide for guiding an electromagnetic radiation beam (7) through said main turret body (12) and the turret rotation unit (2),

wherein said radiation guide comprises a radiation passage (51), in said main turret body (12), said radiation passage (51) being offset from said longitudinal center axis of said main turret body (12) so as to guide the electromagnetic radiation beam (7) through said main turret body (12) at a distance from said longitudinal center axis of said main turret body (12),

wherein said radiation guide further comprises a central optical unit (37) within said turret rotation unit (2),

wherein said central optical unit (37) is annular and comprises a plurality of individual mirrors (38) operable to direct said electromagnetic radiation beam (7), after it has been guided through said radiation passage (51) to said turret rotation unit (2), towards a respective one of said plurality of tool receptacles (9),

wherein said plurality of tool receptacles (9) are transmissive for said electromagnetic radiation beam (7),

wherein at least one of said plurality of tool heads (3, 5, 15, 17, 18, 27, 34, 40, 43) is an optical tool head (3, 15, 17, 18) suitable for irradiating a workpiece (11) with said electromagnetic radiation beam (7), and the at least one optical tool head (3, 15, 17, 18) has a respective tool optical unit (23) for deflecting or shaping said electromagnetic radiation beam (7).

2. The tool system claimed in claim 1, wherein each respective tool optical unit (23) is remotely adjustable.

3. The tool system claimed in claim 1, wherein said central optical unit (37) is rotatable relative to said main turret body (12).

4. The tool system claimed in claim 1, wherein said central optical unit (37) is rotationally fixed relative to said turret rotation unit (2).

5. The tool system claimed in claim 1, wherein said radiation guide further comprises at least one optical channel (6) extending through said tool change carrier.

6. The tool system claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one conduit for feeding media to said plurality of tool receptacles (9).

7. The tool system claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of tool heads (3, 5, 15, 17, 18, 27, 34, 40, 43) is formed as a mechanical cutting tool head (5, 27, 40, 43) having a respective mechanical cutting tool (4, 16, 39, 44) mounted thereto for cutting the workpiece (11).

8. The tool system claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of tool heads (3, 5, 15, 17, 18, 27, 34, 40, 43) is a welding tool head (3, 5, 17, 18).

9. The tool system claimed in claim 1, wherein

at least one of said plurality of tool heads (3, 5, 15, 17, 18, 27, 34, 40, 43) is a welding tool head (3, 15, 17, 18), and

at least one of said plurality of tool heads (3, 5, 15, 17, 18, 27, 34, 40, 43) is a material feeding tool head (34).

10. The tool system claimed in claim 9, wherein at least one of said plurality of tool heads is a mechanical cutting tool head (5, 27, 40, 43).

11. The tool system claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of tool heads (3, 5, 15, 17, 18, 27, 34, 40, 43) are fixed to respective ones of said plurality of tool receptacles (9) so as to be adjacent to one another, and

corresponding pairs of the plurality of tool heads (3, 5, 15, 17, 18, 27, 34, 40, 43) are oriented in a suitable manner for jointly machining the workpiece (11).