Automatic universal workpiece feed and unloading device for machine tool

A method for operating a device for automatically feeding bars, blanks or half-finished bars to a machine tool, more particularly a computer numerical controlled (CNC) lathe, and automatically unloading workpieces machined from the bars, comprising:

• loading a bar through a rear of the device into a spindle of a lathe via a loading/unloading device including an integrated bar feeder device, a magazine configured to receive at least one bar to be machined, and a loading/unloading beam, the loading/unloading beam capable of successively or simultaneously moving at least in a vertical Z axis direction and a horizontal Y axis direction;
• machining the bar in a machining space in front of the lathe;
• unloading the bar by actuating the loading/unloading beam after the bar has been completely machined in order to recover a bar end in the machining space and to transfer the bar end to a trash bin for residual material and rejects, wherein
• the integrated bar feeder device comprises a carriage to which a bench is connected, the carriage and the bench being connected to a first motor so as to be vertically displaceable in a W axis direction, and the bench being connected to a second motor so as to be further horizontally displaceable autonomously in an X axis direction, and
• loading the bar through the rear into the spindle comprises receiving the bar in the bench, and positioning the bar in an axis of the spindle by moving the carriage and the bench in the W axis direction, and moving the bench in the X axis direction.