Automatic metal machining center system

A machining center particularly adapted for automated turning of large workpieces, comprising:

• a headstock including a rotatably mounted spindle and means connected to rotate said spindle, a chuck mounted on and driven by said spindle, and drive means connected to rotate said spindle;
• a bed extending transversely to said spindle in spaced relation thereto and defining a machining area between said chuck and one end of said bed;
• a cross slide mounted on said bed and slide drive means for traversing said slide along said bed;
• a ram mounted on said slide parallel to said spindle and having one end thereof facing said chuck, at least one tool holder on said one end of said ram, and ram drive means for moving said ram transversely of said bed whereby operation of said slide drive means and said ram drive means can maneuver a tool mounted in said tool holder toward and away from a workpiece held in said chuck;
• and
• barrier means including interconnected top, side and end walls defining a machine room isolating said headstock, said bed, said slide, all of said drive means and all but said one end of said ram from said chuck and said tool holder, said room encompassing the range of movement of said one end of said ram as said slide is traversed along said bed and said ram is moved across said slide.

A machining center particularly adapted for automated turning of workpieces, comprising:

• a headstock including a pair of rotatably mounted spindles having separate parallel longitudinal axes and drive means connected to rotate said spindles independently of each other, said spindles being located in spaced generally horizontal alignment,
• workpiece supporting means mounted on and driven by each of said spindles,
• a bed extending transversely to said spindles in spaced relation thereto and defining separate machining areas between said workpiece supporting means and one end of said bed;
• a cross slide mounted on said bed,
• slide drive means connected to move said slide along said bed and into each of said machining areas,
• a ram mounted on said slide parallel to said spindle axes and having one end thereof facing into said machining areas,
• at least one tool holder on said one end of said ram,
• ram drive means for moving said ram with respect to said slide toward and away from said workpiece holding means to maneuver a tool mounted in said tool holder toward and away from workpieces, and
• barrier means including interconnected top, side and end walls defining machine rooms isolating said headstock, said bed, said slide, all of said drive means and all but said one end of said ram from said workpiece holding means and said tool holder, said rooms encompassing the range of movement of said one end of said ram as said slide is traversed along said bed and said ram is moved across said slide.

A machining center comprising:

• a headstock including a rotatably mounted spindle having a longitudinal axis and means connected to rotate said spindle about its said axis,
• a workpiece supporting member driven by said spindle,
• a bed extending generally at a right angle to said spindle axis and in spaced relation thereto,
• a cross slide mounted on said bed,
• a ram mounted on said slide parallel to said spindle and having one end thereof facing said headstock,
• at least one tool holder on said one end of said ram, said holder also being adapted to support a measuring probe,
• slide drive means for traversing said slide along said bed and ram drive means for moving said ram transversely of said bed to move a tool mounted in said tool holder toward and away from a workpiece held in said workpiece supporting member,
• a tool exchange station located to one side of said headstock opposite said bed and including a tool magazine for storing a plurality of tools and/or measuring probes in exchangeable carriers all of which are acceptable in said tool holder on said one end of said ram,
• means for transferring tools and/or probes between said magazine and said tool holder,
• means defining a tool verification position, said verification position being located at approximately the same distance from said one face of said ram as is said workpiece supporting member, whereby verification operations on a tool supported in said tool holder are performed with approximately the same ram extension as employed during machining operations on a workpiece, and
• barrier means including interconnected top, side and end walls defining a machine room isolating said headstock, said bed, said slide, said tool exchange station, said verification position, all of said drive means and all but said one end of said ram from said workpiece holding means and said tool holder,
• said room encompassing the range of movement of said one end of said ram as said slide is traversed along said bed and said ram is moved across said slide.