Indexing pallet carrier for machine tools

In a machine tool, in combination:

• a traversing work table having a base with a central vertical opening;
• a circular mounting plate supported in said opening for vertical reciprocating movement and rotary indexing movement;
• a clamp ring surrounding and carried by said mounting plate, said clamp ring being rotatable about the mounting plate;
• a radially movable drive pin impaling the clamp ring and extending into a socket in the plate for selectively locking said ring to the plate or releasing it for rotation about the plate;
• means for moving said drive pin to release the ring in response to upward movement of the plate and ring to a predetermined level;
• annular toothed coupling means on the base surrounding the ring;
• a pallet, the underside of said pallet having annular toothed coupling means meshed with the coupling means on the base, and said underside also having locking means which is selectively engaged or disengaged by the clamp ring upon rotation of said ring in opposite directions;
• means for elevating the plate to a first level below said predetermined level to unmesh the pallet coupling means from the base coupling means for unitary indexing movement of the mounting plate, clamp means and pallet;
• means for elevating the plate to said predetermined level to release the clamp ring for rotation on the plate;
• and means operatively connectable with said clamp ring to rotate it for engaging or disengaging the pallet locking means when the plate is at said predetermined level.

In a machine tool, in combination:

• a traversing work table having a base;
• a mounting plate supported on said base for vertical reciprocating movement and rotary indexing movement;
• annular toothed coupling means on the base surrounding the mounting plate, said coupling means consisting of a plurality of arcuate toothed segments separated from one another by gaps of arcs at least at large as said segments;
• a pallet seated on the mounting plate, the underside of said pallet having annular toothed coupling means meshed with the coupling means on the base;
• a clamp ring which is rotatable in the mounting plate and interengaged with locking means in the bottom of the pallet;
• means for elevating the mounting plate to a predetermined level;
• means operable when the mounting plate is at said predetermined level to rotate the clamp ring for disengaging it from the pallet;
• and rotatable cover means having peripheral flanges which normally overlie the gaps in the coupling means on the base, said cover means being rotatable simultaneously with the clamp ring to move said flanges over the toothed segments when the pallet is disengaged from the mounting plate.

In a machine tool, in combination:

• a traversing work table having a base;
• a mounting plate supported on said base for vertical reciprocating movement and rotary indexing movement;
• annular toothed coupling means on the base surrounding the mounting plate;
• a pallet seated on the mounting plate, the underside of said pallet having annular toothed coupling means meshed with the coupling means on the base;
• interengaging clamp means on the mounting plate and locking means on the pallet locking the latter onto the former;
• and means for elevating the mounting plate to unmesh the pallet coupling means from the base coupling means.