MANUFACTURING SYSTEM

• US 20170232567A1
• Filed: 10/24/2014
• Published: 08/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Corporation
• Original Assignee: Fuji Machine Manufacturing Company Limited (Fuji Corporation)
• Inventors: HIRATA, Shuichi, MIZUTA, Kenji, SUZUYAMA, Shigefumi
• Granted Patent: US 10,058,967 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 arranged in an arrangement direction on the base and attachable to and detachable from the base, wherein

the base includes multiple rail pairs that are provided to correspond to the multiple work machine modules, and are respectively configured by one pair of rails that are laid so as to extend in an intersecting direction that is a direction that intersects with the arrangement direction,

each of the multiple work machine modules has one pair of wheels,

the base is configured such that the position in the arrangement direction on the base of each of the multiple work machine modules is specified by one wheel of the one pair engaging with one rail of the one pair constituting the rail pair that corresponds thereto in a state in which positional deviation in the arrangement direction is prohibited and the other wheel of the one pair engaging with the other rail of the one pair constituting the rail pair that corresponds thereto in a state in which positional deviation is permitted in the arrangement direction, and

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

2. The manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein

each rail of the one pair is a mountain type cross sectional shape,

a V-shape cross-sectional shape groove is formed in one wheel of the one pair and a cross-sectional shape groove, which has a flat bottom face, is formed on the other wheel of the one pair, and

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

3. The manufacturing system according to claim 1,

wherein the wheel of the one pair is provided in each of the multiple work machine modules and the multiple rail pairs are provided on the base such that one wheel of the one pair and one rail of the one pair that engage in a state in which positional deviation in the arrangement direction is prohibited and the other wheel of the one pair and the other rail of the one pair that engage in a state in which positional deviation is permitted in the arrangement direction are positioned on the same side.

4. The manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein

each of the multiple module fixing mechanisms is configured to include

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

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

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

5. The manufacturing system according to claim 1,

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

two rails separated by a gap in the arrangement direction and one of the multiple module fixing mechanisms are provided in each of the multiple disposition regions on the base such that the positional relationship is the same in the disposition regions,

in a case where the multiple work machine modules are single region modules that occupy one out of the multiple disposition regions, the two rails that are provided in the disposition region that is occupied by the multiple work machine modules are used as the rails of the one pair and laid on the base, and are fixed at the setting position on the base by the module fixing mechanism that is provided in the disposition region that the multiple work machine modules occupy, and

in a case where the multiple work machine modules are multi-region modules that occupy two or more out of the multiple disposition regions, two rails that are provided one at a time in each of the two different disposition regions out of the two or more disposition regions that are occupied by the multiple work machine modules are used as the rails of the one pair and laid on the base, and are fixed at the setting position on the base using one out of two or more module fixing mechanisms that are provided in two or more disposition regions that the multiple work machine modules occupy.

6. The manufacturing system according to claim 5,

wherein the multi-region module is fixed to the setting position on the base by one being provided closest to one wheel of the one pair and one rail of the one pair engaging in a state in which positional deviation is prohibited in the arrangement direction out of the two or more module fixing mechanisms that are provided in two or more disposition regions that the multi-region module occupies.

7. The manufacturing system according to claim 5,

wherein in a case where a module fixing mechanism which is used for fixing to the setting position on the base out of the two or more module fixing mechanisms that are provided in two or more disposition regions that the multi-region modules occupy is defined as the main module fixing mechanism and a module fixing mechanism other than the main module fixing mechanism out of the two or more module fixing mechanisms is defined as a sub-module fixing mechanism,

the multi-region module is configured such that the multi-region module is restricted to the base by the sub-module fixing mechanism with a force that is smaller than the force of restricting 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 locking section that is able to lock a part of the work machine module, and

a locking section actuating device that operates the locking section to switch to and from a state in which the locking section locks the part of the work machine module and a state in which the locking section does not lock the part of the work machine module, and

the multi-region module

has 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 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 restricts 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 close 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 out in the intersecting direction by the wheel of the one pair rolling on the rail of the one pair.

11. The manufacturing system according to claim 10,

wherein each of the multiple work machine modules is able to be pulled out in either of both directions that are opposite from each other in the intersecting direction.