Flexible manufacturing system

A flexible manufacturing system comprising:

• machining tools and chuck jaws each having a read/write memory device;
• pallets, said pallets each having a read/write memory device for memorizing data concerning the pallet with which said read/write device is associated and for memorizing data concerning one or more members supported by said pallets which members include work pieces, said machining tools and said chuck jaws;
• a numerical control machine tool which includes means for reading the memory of each of said pallets, and said numerical control machine tool further comprising means for receiving work pieces, machining tools and chuck jaws supported by said pallets, and means for transferring the work pieces, machining tools and chuck jaws from said pallets to said receiving means according to the data contained in the memory of each supporting pallet;
• a stacker structure for supporting a plurality of pallets;
• a stacker crane for transferring pallets to and from said stacker structure, said loading station and said numerical control machine tool;
• and
• a controller which manages control tables for storing data associated with said members and revises the control tables with present status data for each of said machining tools or chuck jaws in the flexible manufacturing system.

A flexible manufacturing system, comprising:

• machining tools and chuck jaws each having a read/write memory device;
• pallets, each of said pallets having an associated read/write memory device for memorizing data concerning the pallet with which said read/write device is associated and for memorizing data concerning one or more members which are supported by said pallets which members include work pieces, said work machining tools and said chuck jaws;
• pallet groups each formed of a plurality of stacked pallets;
• a stack yard for storing pallet groups;
• a numerical control machine tool adapted to receive at least one pallet from one of said pallet groups, said numerical control machine tool including means for reading the memory of respective ones of said pallets, and said numerical control machine tool further comprising means for receiving said work pieces, machining tools and chuck jaws supported by said pallets and means for transferring the work pieces, machining tools and chuck jaws from said pallets to said means for receiving;
• a loading station which includes a reading/writing device for reading and writing the memory of said pallets, said loading station including a display for facilitating a setting up of pallets with at least one predetermined member taken from a group of said machining tools and chuck jaws in accordance with the memory of the pallet to receive said at least one member;
• a stacker crane for transferring single pallets or said groups of said pallets among said stack yard, said loading station, and said numerical control machine tool, said stacker crane having means for stacking individual pallets on to a pallet groups and picking up a pallet in accordance with the data contained in the memory of the pallet being picked up;
• and
• a controller which includes means for storing data concerning said tools and chuck jaws, managing the data stored on said tools and chuck jaws and updating said storing means with present status data for each of said machining tools and chuck jaws in said flexible manufacturing system.