Apparatus for machining workpieces and method therefor

An apparatus for sequentially machining a plurality of workpieces, said apparatus comprising a base (24) which at least partially defines a work area (66), spindle means (26) connected with said base and disposed at one end of said work area for sequentially gripping workpieces and rotating a gripped workpiece about a spindle axis (28) which extends from one end of said spindle means through the work area, a plurality of stations (132, 134, 138, 142) disposed in the work area at locations along the spindle axis, said plurality of stations including a work station (138) disposed adjacent to an outer end portion of said spindle means, an inner index station (142) disposed along the spindle axis outwardly of said work station, a conveyor station (134) disposed along the spindle axis outwardly of said inner index station, and an outer index station (132) disposed along the spindle axis outwardly of said conveyor station, rotatable turret means (32) for holding tools to machine a workpiece as the workpiece is rotated by said spindle means, said turret means being movable along a path which extends parallel to the spindle axis between a retracted position in which said turret means is disposed adjacent to said spindle means and an extended position in which said turret means is disposed adjacent to an outer portion of the work area, turret drive means (39, 40) for moving said turret means between the extended and retracted positions and for moving said turret means toward and away from the spindle axis, conveyor means (50) for conveying unfinished workpieces to said conveyor station and for conveying finished workpieces from said conveyor station, said conveyor means including an infeed section (52) which extends into said conveyor station along a path which is transverse to the spindle axis and an outfeed section (62) which extends out from said conveyor station along a path extending transverse to the spindle axis, said infeed conveyor section being spaced from said outfeed conveyor section, shield means (58) disposed between said infeed and outfeed sections of said conveyor means and said inner index station for blocking materials moving away from the work station while a workpiece is being rotated by said spindle means, said shield means including means for at least partially defining an opening (56) through which the spindle axis extends, workpiece loading and unloading means (46) for engaging an unfinished workpiece at said infeed section of said conveyor means, for moving the unfinished workpiece through the opening in said shield means to said spindle means, for engaging a finished workpiece gripped by said spindle means, and for moving the finished workpiece through the opening in said shield means to the outfeed section of said conveyor means, said workpiece loading and unloading means including a support (114) rotatable about a second axis (126) which is parallel to and offset from the spindle axis and first and second gripper means (116, 118) mounted at spaced apart locations on said support for gripping workpieces, said first and second gripper means having central axes (120, 122) which extend parallel to the second axis and are offset relative to each other about the second axis by an accurate distance of less than 90 degrees, second drive means (106, 108, 112) for moving said support along a path extending between said plurality of work stations and for rotating said support about the second axis, and control means (42) for effecting operation of said second drive means (106, 108, 112) to move said support (114) toward and away from said spindle means (26) and to rotate said support relative to said spindle means about said second axis (126) and for effecting operation of said turret drive means (38) to move said turret means relative to said spindle means, said control means including means for effecting operation of said second drive means (106, 108, 112) to move said support to said outer index station (132), for effecting operation of said drive means to rotate said support at said outer index station to a pickup orientation (FIG. 5), for effecting operation of said drive means to move said first gripper means (116) into engagement with an unfinished workpiece at said infeed section (52) of said conveyor means at said conveyor station (134) while said support is in the pickup orientation in which a central axis of said first gripper means is aligned with a workpiece on said infeed section of said conveyor means, for effecting operation of said drive means to move said support and an unfinished workpiece engaged by said first gripper means to said outer index station (132), for effecting operation of said drive means to rotate said support at the outer index station to an unloading orientation (FIG. 7) in which the central axis of said second gripper means (118) is aligned with the spindle axis (28), for effecting operation of said drive means to move said support and an unfinished workpiece engaged by said first gripper means (116) through the opening (56) in said shield means (58) to the work station with the support in the unloading orientation to engage a finished workpiece gripped by said spindle means 26 with said second gripper means (118), for effecting operation of said drive means (106, 108, 112) o move said support (114) to the inner index station (142) and to rotate said support from the unloading orientation to a loading orientation (FIG. 8) in which the central axis of said first gripper means (116) is aligned with the spindle axis while said support is at the inner index station, for effecting operation of said drive means to move said support from the inner index station (142) to the work station (138) with said support (114) in the loading orientation to insert an unfinished workpiece held by said first gripper means into said spindle means, for effecting operation of said drive means to move said support and finished workpiece engaged by said second gripper means back to the inner index station (142), for effecting operation of said drive means (106, 108, 112) to rotate said support from the loading orientation (FIG. 8) to the unloading orientation (FIG. 7) at said inner index station (142), for effecting operation of said drive means (106, 108, 112) to move said support and the finished workpiece engaged by said second gripper means (118) through the opening (56) in said shield means (58) to said outer index station (132) with said support in the loading orientation, for effecting operation of said drive means (106, 108, 112) to rotate said support at the outer index station to the pickup orientation (FIG. 5), and for effecting operation of said drive means to rotate said support from the pickup orientation to a drop off orientation (FIG. 6) at the conveyor station to enable a finished workpiece to be transferred from said second gripper means to said outfeed section of said conveyor means.

A method of operating a machine tool having a spindle assembly (26) with an axis (28) which extends outwardly through a work area (66) in which a work station (138) is disposed along the spindle axis adjacent to the spindle assembly, an inner index station (142) is disposed along the spindle axis outwardly of the work station, a conveyor station (134) is disposed along the spindle axis outwardly of the inner index station, an outer index station (132) is disposed along the spindle axis outwardly of the conveyor station, a shield (58) having an opening (56) therein is disposed between the inner index station and a conveyor (50) at the conveyor station, and a workpiece loading and unloading assembly (46) includes a support (114) on which first and second grippers (116, 118) are mounted at spaced apart locations, said method comprising the steps of moving the support (114) to the outer index station (132), rotating the support at the outer index station to a pickup orientation (FIG. 5) in which a central axis of the first gripper (116) is aligned with an unfinished workpiece at the conveyor station (134), moving the first gripper into engagement with the unfinished workpiece at the conveyor station while the support is in the pickup orientation, moving the support and the unfinished workpiece engaged by the first gripper back to the outer index station, rotating the support at the outer index station to an unloading orientation (FIG. 7) in which a central axis of the second gripper (118) is aligned with the spindle axis (28), moving the support and an unfinished workpiece engaged by the first gripper (116) through the opening (56) in the shield (58) to the work station (138) with the support in the unloading orientation, gripping a finished workpiece held by the spindle assembly (26) with the second gripper (118), moving the support to the inner index station (142) with the finished workpiece held by the second gripper (118) and the unfinished workpiece held by the first gripper (116), rotating the support at the inner index station to a loading orientation (FIG. 8) in which the central axis (120) of the first gripper is aligned with the spindle axis (28), moving the support from the inner index station to the work station with the support in the loading orientation to engage the unfinished workpiece held by the first gripper with said spindle assembly, disengaging the first gripper (116) from the unfinished workpiece engaged by the spindle assembly, moving said support and the finished workpiece engaged by the second gripper (118) back to the inner index station, rotating the support at the inner index station from the loading orientation (FIG. 8) to the unloading orientation (FIG. 7) in which the central axis of the second gripper is aligned with the spindle axis, moving the support and the finished workpiece engaged by the second gripper back through the opening (56) in the shield to the outer index station (132), rotating the support at the outer index station to the pickup orientation (FIG. 5) in which a central axis of the first gripper (116) is aligned with a succeeding unfinished workpiece, moving support from the outer index station to the conveyor station (134) with the support in the pickup orientation, engaging the succeeding workpiece at the conveyor station with the first gripper (116) while the support is in the pickup orientation, rotating the support at the conveyor station from the pickup orientation to a drop off orientation (FIG. 6) in which the support is angularly offset from the pickup orientation, and transferring the finished workpiece from the second gripper (118) to a conveyor (50) at the conveyor station while the support is in the drop off orientation.

An apparatus for sequentially machining a plurality of workpieces, said apparatus comprising a base (24), spindle means (26) connected with said base for sequentially gripping workpieces and rotating a gripped workpiece about a spindle axis (28) which extends from an outer end of said spindle means, a plurality of stations (132, 134, 138, 142) disposed in a linear array along the spindle axis, said plurality of stations including a work station (138) disposed adjacent to the outer end of said spindle means, a conveyor station (134) disposed along the spindle axis outwardly of said work station, and an outer index station (132) disposed along the spindle axis outwardly of said conveyor station, conveyor means (50) for conveying unfinished workpieces to said conveyor station (134) and for conveying finished workpieces from said conveyor station, shield means (58) disposed between said conveyor means (50) and said work station (138) for blocking materials moving away from a workpiece while the workpiece is being rotated by said spindle means (26), said shield means including means for at least partially defining an opening (56) through which the spindle axis (28) extends, workpiece loading and unloading means (46) for engaging an unfinished workpiece at said conveyor station (134), for moving the unfinished workpiece along a linear path extending parallel to the spindle axis (28) from the outer index station (132) through the conveyor station (134) and through the opening (56) in said shield means (58) to said work station (138), for engaging a finished workpiece gripped by said spindle means (26), for moving the finished workpiece along the linear path through the opening (56) in said shield means (58) and through the Conveyor station (134) to said outer index station (132), and for moving the finished workpiece from the outer index station (132) to the conveyor station (134).