BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a machine tool, and more specifically to a machine tool such as a machining center which carries out machining operations on a workpiece.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Conventionally, a machining center and the like, for example, is well known as a machine tool. A machining center is provided with a variety of processing tools with which it carries out various types of processing on a workpiece. However, in a machining center, measures must be taken to connect and disconnect the processing tools on the processing head each time there is a change in the processing carried out on the workpiece, so that, in the case of a product with a comparatively small number of processing steps, improvement of this operation is a problem. In addition, an automatic tool changing (ATC) device is necessary to automatically disconnect, change, and reconnect the processing tools on the processing head, so another problem is that the overall configuration requires conversion to a large sized model.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first object of the present invention, is to provide, with due consideration to the drawbacks of such conventional devices, a machine tool with which processing can be performed on the workpiece from two directions.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a machine tool with which various types of processes other than turning can be performed on the workpiece.

In the present invention, in order to achieve such objects, a freely rotatable chuck means for clamping the workpiece is provided on a work supporting stand which is an integral part of the base, and a slide member on a horizontal guide section formed on the upper surface of the base is provided, supported in a freely reciprocating manner. An elevating slide member, supported in a freely vertically moving manner, is provided on a column member vertically erected on this slide member. A tool rest supported on this elevated slide member is horizontally provided in a freely reciprocal manner at 90 degrees to the reciprocating direction of the slide member, and a plurality of processing tools which perform processing on a workpiece gripped by the previously mentioned clamp device, are mounted on a turret member supported in a freely rotatable manner on this tool rest.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation showing, in abbreviated form, a machine tool which relates to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a left side elevation, viewed from the left direction of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Now referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a machine tool 1 comprises a box-shaped base 3, a work supporting stand 5, which is provided integrally with the base 3, to support a workpiece W which is to be processed, and a processing head device 9, which is equipped with a plurality of processing tools 7 which process the workpiece W.

In more detail, the work supporting stand 5 is provided as an integral part of the side section of the base 3, and a shutter section 5S for discharging the cuttings from the workpiece W into a freely movable, buggy-shaped chip box CB is formed at an inclination to the upper surface of the stand 5. A chuck means 11--for example, a scroll chuck--is provided on this work supporting stand 5, to grasp and support the workpiece W. This chuck means 11 is mounted on the upper end of a rotary shaft 13 which is supported perpendicular to the work supporting stand 5 in a freely rotatable manner. A plurality of chuck grips 11C are provided on the chuck means to hold the workpiece W. The gripping and releasing action on the workpiece W of the chuck grips 11C, is performed by the action of a chuck drive cylinder 15, which is mounted on the lower end of the rotary shaft 13. The construction by which the chuck grips 11C grasp and release the workpiece W through the action of this chuck drive cylinder 15, is the same construction which is found in a normal power chuck. A detailed operation will therefore be omitted.

The rotary shaft 13 is rotatably driven by a suitable control motor 17, such as a servomotor or a stepping motor, mounted on the work supporting stand 5. A detailed explanatory diagram has been omitted. However, the control motor 17 and the rotary shaft 13 are linked through a drive pulley 19 provided on the control motor 17, an intermediate pulley 21 supported in a freely rotatable manner on the work support stand 5, and a belt 23 which encloses both the pulleys 19 and 21. The control motor 17 is driven under the control of a suitable control means such as a numerical control device or computer. Further, a detailed explanatory drawing has been omitted, but, a rotary position detecting means such as a pulse encoder, for example, is mounted on the rotary shaft 13, and is constructed so that it is capable of detecting the angle of rotation of the workpiece W from a standard position of rotation. It is also capable of indexing an arbitrary rotary position of the workpiece W. In addition, a braking means is provided on the rotary shaft 13 or on the control motor 17 which can secure the rotary shaft 13 in an arbitrary rotary position.

To explain in more detail--the workpiece W clamped in the chuck means 11 is rotatably driven by the control motor 17. In addition, the workpiece W can be indexed in an arbitrary rotary position through suitable control of the control motor 17.

The processing head device 9, on which are provided the processing tools 7, is supported on the base 3. In more detail, a horizontal guide section 3G is formed on the upper surface of the base 3, and a slide member 25 is supported on the horizontal guide section 3G in a freely reciprocating manner. A detailed explanatory diagram has been omitted. However, the reciprocating action of the slide member 25 is activated by means of a ball screw mechanism driven by a drive means such as a servomotor, so that the reciprocating motion and the positioning of the slide member 25 are performed under the control of a control means.

A column member 27 is erected vertically on the slide member 25, and an elevating slide member 29 is supported, so that it is freely capable of vertical movement, on a perpendicular guide section 27G formed on the column member 27. The vertical motion of the elevating slide member 29 is activated by means of a ball screw mechanism (for which a detailed explanatory diagram has been omitted) so that the vertical movement and vertical positioning of the elevating slide member 29 is controlled by a control means.

A horizontal guide section 29G which is positioned 90 degrees to the horizontal guide section 3G, is formed on the elevating slide member 29. The tool rest 31 is supported in a freely reciprocating manner on the guide section 29G. The reciprocating motion of the tool rest 31 is activated by means of a ball screw mechanism for which a detailed explanatory diagram has been omitted, so that the horizontal movement and horizontal positioning of the tool rest 31 is controlled by a control means.

On one side of the tool rest 31, a turret member 35 is supported in a freely rotating and freely indexable manner through a horizontal shaft 33.

The turret member 35 is formed in a multiangled shape, and the processing tools 7 are mounted on its circumferential surface. A variety of processing tools such as cutting tools, drills, milling cutters, and the like are provided. The drills and milling cutters are constructed so as to be driven by the drive motor 37 mounted on the tool rest 32. Further, when indexing the turret member 35, an indexing motor (not shwon on the drawings) mounted on the tool rest 31 is controlled by a control means. Because the indexing mechanism and the power transmission mechanism which transmits power to the processing tools 7 from drive motor 37 can be of conventional construction, a detailed explanation will be omitted.

It is evident that, by means of a configuration such as outlined above, the slide member 25, running along the horizontal guide section 3G of the base 3, moves in a reciprocating manner, and the elevating slide member 29, running along the guide section 27G on the column member 27, moves vertically. Further, the tool rest 31, running along the horizontal guide section 29G of the elevating slide member 29, moves in a reciprocating manner. Therefore the turret member 35 supported by the tool rest 31 can move three dimensionally. The processing tools 7, are indexed by the rotation of the turret member 35 as shown, for example, as (a) in FIG. 2 in a perpendicular status, or as (b), in a horizontal status. Accordingly, the processing can be carried out on the workpiece W as shown in (A), from the upper direction, or as shown in (B), from the horizontal direction.

That is, by means of the present invention in the case where a cutting tool is used as the processing tool 7, turning of the workpiece W, for example, can be carried out. In addition, it is possible to create a perforation in a suitable location on the workpiece W, or to carry out a cutting operation by suitably performing the rotary positioning of the workpiece W, and by the use of a drill or milling cutter as a processing tool.

As already explained, by means of the present invention, it is possible to carry out the turning of the workpiece, to drill and cut the workpiece, and the like without disconnecting and reconnecting a processing tool on the turret member. Furthermore, vertical and horizontal processing of the workpiece can be performed, and the functions of a vertical type and a horizontal type machining center also can be obtained.