JPH0985560A - Work clamp device and laser beam machining machine provided with it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate interference to a laser beam machining head as well as to eliminate deterioration of workability without interference in carrying in and out of a work. SOLUTION: When a work is clamped by a work clamp device 9 provided on one side of a work table, a clamp presser 41 is raised and also oscillated in relation to a clamp base 31 by operating an operating device, and the work is clamped by a lower clamp jaw 59 provided on the tip of the clamp base 31 and an upper clamp jaw 61 provided on the tip of the clamp presser 41. When the work is unclamped, the clamp presser 41 is oscillated and lowered in the reverse direction by operating the operating device, the upper surface of the clamp presser 41 is positioned in the approximately same height as a pass line, and therefore, carrying in and out of the work can be reliably performed without any interference, and workability is not deteriorated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to, for example, a work clamp device provided on a work table which can be moved back and forth or a carriage movable in one axis direction, and a laser beam machine equipped with the work clamp device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a laser processing machine, for example, a type is known in which a work table is moved in the front-rear direction and a laser processing head is moved in the left-right direction to perform laser processing on a work. A plurality of work clamp devices for clamping the work are provided on one side of the work table in the laser processing machine.

In this work clamp device, as is known from, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-28582, a clamp retainer is provided so as to be movable up and down with respect to a clamp base. The upper surface is positioned at a position lower than the height position of the work transfer surface, and the work is loaded and unloaded.

[0004]

By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional work clamp device, the clamp presser is positioned at a position lower than the height position of the work transfer surface when the work is carried in and out. Since it is higher than the height of the pass line, it may interfere with the upper surface of the clamp retainer depending on the loading / unloading status of the work.
There was a problem that workability was reduced.

Further, in the conventional work clamp device, when the laser machining head is moved to one side of the work table, the movement of the work table causes the work clamp device and the laser machining head to interfere with each other, so that the work end portion. There was a problem that it could not be processed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a work clamp device and a work clamp device which are designed to prevent the workability from deteriorating without interfering with the loading and unloading of the work, and to avoid interference with a laser processing head, for example. It is to provide a laser processing machine.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a work clamp device of the present invention according to claim 1 is a clamp base having a lower clamp jaw at the tip, and an upper clamp at the tip with respect to the clamp base. The clamp retainer equipped with jaws clamps the workpiece with the lower clamp jaw and the upper clamp jaw when clamping the workpiece, and the upper surface of the clamp retainer is positioned at approximately the same height as the pass line when the workpiece is unclamped, and on the processing machine. If a work loading / unloading device is installed,
In order to position the device below the height at which the work is lifted, an operating device for swinging and vertically moving the clamp presser is provided.

Therefore, for example, when a work is clamped by the work clamp device provided on one side of the work table, the actuator is operated to raise the clamp retainer with respect to the clamp base and to swing the clamp retainer.
The work is clamped by a lower clamp jaw provided at the tip of the clamp base and an upper clamp jaw provided at the tip of the clamp retainer.

When the work is unclamped, the actuator is operated to swing the clamp foot in the opposite direction and lower it so that the upper surface of the clamp foot is positioned at substantially the same height as the pass line. Workpieces can be loaded and unloaded reliably without hindering work efficiency.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the work clamp device according to the present invention, wherein the actuating device has a first link in which one end is connected to the clamp retainer by a first pin and the other end is connected to a clamp base by a second pin. A third link, one end of which is connected to the first link via a second link and the other end of which is pivotally supported by the clamp base, and the clamp retainer being swingable with the first pin as a fulcrum. A biasing member, a cylinder provided on the clamp base, a pull block provided on the tip of a piston rod mounted on the cylinder, and a holding pin provided on the pull block for pressing the third link. It is characterized by being present.

Therefore, when the work is clamped, the cylinder is actuated to raise the pull block via the piston rod, so that the pressing pin also rises, and the third link uses one end as a fulcrum by the urging force of the urging member. While rotating upward, the first link rotates via the second link and the clamp retainer rotates with respect to the clamp base with the first pin as a fulcrum. When the pull block is further raised, the clamp retainer rotates about the first pin as a fulcrum by the urging force of the urging member, and the upper clamp jaw provided at the tip of the clamp retainer and the lower clamp provided at the tip of the clamp base. The work is clamped with the jaw.

When the work is unclamped, the pull block is lowered by operating the cylinder, and the reverse operation to the above-described operation is performed, so that the clamp presser is positioned at a height position substantially the same as the height of the pass line. Since it is positioned at, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laser processing machine in which a laser processing head movable in the left-right direction and a work clamped by the work clamping device according to the second aspect are placed, and the work is movable in the front-back direction. A laser beam machine equipped with a table, wherein when the laser beam machining head is moved to one side of the work table, the work clamp device moves to a position below the laser beam machining head by the movement of the work table. It is characterized by comprising a sensor for detecting and a switching device for switching the piston rod up and down in the cylinder depending on whether or not the workpiece clamp device is detected by the sensor.

Therefore, with the laser processing head moved to one side of the work table, the work table moves in the front-rear direction, and the sensor detects that the work clamping device has reached the position below the laser processing head. Then, the switching device operates, and when the piston rod of the cylinder is lowered, the pull block is lowered and the clamp presser is positioned at almost the same height as the height of the pass line.
The clamp holder does not interfere with the laser processing head, and the workpiece is laser processed. Thus, the unworkable area can be eliminated.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 9, the laser beam machine 1 includes a box-shaped bed 3 extending in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction), and on the bed 3, parallel beds extending in the X-axis direction are provided. A plurality of guide rails 5 are laid. A drive motor (not shown), a ball screw,
A work table 7 movable in the X-axis direction by a nut member or the like is provided. A work W to be processed is placed on the work table 7. A plurality of work clamp devices 9 are provided at appropriate intervals on one side of the work table 7, that is, on the right side in the X-axis direction in FIG. 9.

A gate type frame 11 straddling the bed 3
Is erected. In addition, the portal frame 11 includes an upper frame 11U and side frames 11R and 11L. A plurality of parallel guide rails 13 extending in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction) are provided on the front side of the upper frame 11U in the gate-shaped frame 11. The guide rails 13 include, for example, a drive motor and a ball (not shown). Y that can be moved in the Y-axis direction by screws and nut members
A shaft carriage 15 is provided.

The Y-axis carriage 15 is provided with a bend mirror for guiding the laser beam output in the Y-axis direction to the processing point. Immediately below the bend mirror is a vertically movable unit such as a fluid cylinder (not shown). Direction (Z-axis direction)
A laser processing head 17 is provided which is movable.
The laser processing head 17 is provided with a bed mirror and a condenser lens.
The laser nozzle 19 is integrated with the tip of the. Further, the side frame 11 of the portal frame 11
An NC control device 21 for controlling the laser processing machine 1 is attached to the upper part of R via a bracket 23.

With the above structure, the work table 7 is moved in the X-axis direction, and the Y-axis carriage 15 is moved in the Y-axis direction, so that the laser beam oscillated from the laser oscillator (not shown) is bent by the mirror and focused. By irradiating the work W from the laser nozzle 19 through the lens, the work W is laser-cut into a required shape.

As shown in FIG. 5, the work table 7 is provided with a support frame 27 having work support columns 25 having a plurality of sharp tips in the Y-axis direction at appropriate intervals. The support frames 27 are provided at appropriate intervals in the X-axis direction. Moreover, the support frame 27
A fluid cylinder is provided between the respective work support columns 25 provided at, and a free bear is integrated at the tip of the piston rod attached to the fluid cylinder.

With the above construction, during laser processing, the work W is supported by a plurality of work supporting columns 25 on the pass line for laser processing, and at the time of loading and unloading the work W, the fluid cylinder is operated to operate the piston rod. The work W is carried in or carried out on the work carrying surface in which the free bear is projected from the tip of each work supporting column 25 via.

Each work clamp device 9 has a structure as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. That is, in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, on the right side of the work table 7, a guide rail extending in the X-axis direction (direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 5). 29 are laid.
A clamp base 31 which is a part of the work clamp device 9 is provided on the guide rail 29 so as to be slidable in the X-axis direction. Moreover, the clamp base 31 is fixed to the guide rail 29 by the front and rear clamp levers 33 at an arbitrary position.

A plurality of first links 35 are provided on the clamp base 31 in the front and rear (left and right in FIG. 2) in the X-axis direction.
One end of the first link 3 is pivotally supported by a pin 37.
The other end of 5 is attached by a pin 39 together with a clamp retainer 41. One end of a second link 43 is attached to the pin 39, and the other end of the second link 43 is pivotally supported by a pin 45 at one end of a third link 47. The other end of the third link 47 is pivotally supported on the clamp base 31 by a pin 49.

The pin 37 is always provided with a spring 51 as an urging member for urging the rear portion of the clamp retainer 41 upward.
One end of the spring 51 is attached and the other end of the spring 51 is wound around the pin 39. On the left side of the clamp base 31, a plurality of bolts 53 are used to abut the block 5.
5 is attached. In addition, the clamp retainer 41
Abutting blocks 57 are attached to the front and rear on the left side of the. Moreover, a lower clamp jaw 59 is attached to the upper left end surface of the clamp base 31, and an upper clamp jaw 61 is attached to the lower left end surface of the clamp retainer 41. Further, a free bear 63 is rotatably supported on the front and rear of the right side of the clamp holder 41. The right side of the clamp foot 41 (see FIG.
A roller 65 is attached to the lower surface on the right side of FIG.

A cylinder 67 is attached to the lower portion of the clamp base 31, and a pull block 71 is attached to the tip of a piston rod 69 attached to the cylinder 67.
Is attached. This pull block 71 has a third
A pressing pin 73 for pressing the link 47 from above is attached. Pipes 75 and 77 are connected to the upper and lower sides of one side of the cylinder 67.

With the above structure, when the work is clamped by the work clamp device 9, the cylinder 67 is operated to supply air from the pipe 77 to the lower cylinder chamber of the cylinder 67, and the pull block 71 is opened via the piston rod 69. It is raised in FIG. This pull block 71
When the lever is raised, the presser pin 73 is also raised and the third link 47 at the position indicated by the solid line is rotated clockwise in FIG. 1 by the biasing force of the spring 51 about the pin 49 to be positioned at the position indicated by the solid line. It

By the rotation of the third link 47, the second link 43 moves from the position indicated by the solid line to the position indicated by the chain double-dashed line to move the first link.
The link 35 is moved from the position indicated by the solid line to the position indicated by the chain double-dashed line, and the clamp presser 41 changes from the state A shown in FIG. 1 to the state B. When the pull block 73 is further raised,
The clamp retainer 41 is pressed by the spring 51 to the pin 39.
With the fulcrum as a fulcrum, it rotates counterclockwise to a state of C and then to a state of D, and an upper clamp jaw 61 provided at the tip of the clamp foot 41 and a lower clamp jaw 59 provided at the tip of the clamp base 31. The work can be reliably clamped by the cooperation of. In this case, the work is supported by the work supporting column 25.

When the cylinder 67 is operated and air is supplied from the pipe 75 to the upper cylinder chamber when the clamp presser 41 is in the D state, when the pull block 71 is lowered through the piston rod 69, the clamp presser 41 is in the C state. After that, the state becomes B. In addition, from the state of D to the state of B after passing through the state of C, the pulling operation of the pull block 71 is performed by the force of the spring 51. When the clamp retainer 41 moves from the position B to the position A, the second link 43, the third link 47 and the pull block 6 described above are used.
9, the third link 47 is pushed by the presser pin 73 to rotate counterclockwise around the pin 49 as a fulcrum, and the clamp presser 41 is returned to the state A. In this state, since the work W is supported on the free bear 63, the work W can be loaded and unloaded without interfering with the clamp retainer 41.

As shown in FIG. 7, a dog lifting cylinder 79 is provided at a lower position in the rear portion of the work table 7. This dog lifting cylinder 7
A clamp retracting dog 83, which is a part of the sensor, is attached to the tip of the piston rod 81 attached to the shaft 9. Further, a switching valve 85 (mechanical valve) for operating the cylinder 67 is attached to the work clamp device 9, and a tip end thereof serves as a roller plunger 87.

As an air circuit for operating the cylinder 67, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the upper and lower cylinder chambers 67U, 67 of the cylinder 67 are used.
One end of the pipes 75 and 77 is connected to D, and the other ends of the pipes 75 and 77 are connected to the switching valve 85. A switching valve 93 is connected to the switching valve 85 via pipes 89 and 91. This switching valve 93 has a pipe 9
An air source 97 is connected via 5.

With the above structure, the work clamp device 9 is provided on the work table 9, and the work clamp device 9 is provided.
Moves in the X-axis direction and the laser processing head 17 moves to Y
While moving in the + direction of the axis and the laser processing head 17 is in the safe area where it does not interfere with the work clamp device 9, the dog lifting cylinder 79 is lowered and the mechanical valve 87 is moved.
Does not come into contact with the clamp retracting dog 83, and as shown in FIG. 8 (A), the air from the air pressure source 97 enters the lower cylinder chamber 67D of the cylinder 67 through the pipes 95, 91, 77. Sent.

As a result, the pull block 71 is raised via the piston rod 69 and the lower clamp jaw 61 of the clamp presser 41 and the upper clamp jaw 59 of the clamp base 31 cooperate with each other to clamp the workpiece. The table 7 is moved in the X-axis direction.

When the laser processing head 17 approaches Y = 0 on the Y-axis, the clamp retreat dog 83 moves up by the operation of the dog lifting cylinder 79, and the work table 7 moves in the X-axis direction to reach an arbitrary position. The fixed work clamp device 9 passes through the clamp retracting dog 83.

The roller plunger 87 of the mechanical valve 85 attached to the work clamp device 9 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (B), ride on the clamp retracting dog 83, the roller plunger 87 operates, and the switching valve 85
Is switched, and the air is supplied from the air pressure source 97 to the pipes 95, 9
1, 75 is fed to the upper cylinder chamber 67U, the pull block 71 descends and the work is unclamped, that is, the clamp presser waits at the position A in FIG. It can be avoided so as not to interfere with, and the unprocessable area can be eliminated.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be embodied in other modes by making appropriate changes. For example, the same operation can be performed by using another cylinder for the third link 47. The same operation can be performed by mounting a pinion integral with the third link 47 on the side connecting the third link 47 and the clamp base 31 and using a rack for the piston rod 69. Further, a limit switch or a touch sensor may be attached to the work clamp device 9, and ON / OFF may be detected by the clamp retracting dog 83 fixed to the frame. Further, the position of the work clamp device 9 may be confirmed using a photoelectric sensor and a proximity switch.

Further, in the example of the present embodiment, the work table 7 is provided with the work clamp device 9, but the carriage may be provided with the work clamp device 9. Besides, it can be used for a plate material processing machine such as a turret punch press other than the laser processing machine.

[0037]

As can be understood from the examples of the embodiment as described above, according to the invention of claim 1, for example, when a work is clamped by the work clamping device provided on one side of the work table. , The actuator is operated to raise and swing the clamp retainer with respect to the clamp base, and the lower clamp jaw provided at the tip of the clamp base and the upper clamp jaw provided at the tip of the clamp retainer. The work is clamped.

When the work is unclamped, the actuator is operated to swing the clamp foot in the opposite direction and lower it so that the upper surface of the clamp foot is positioned at substantially the same height as the pass line. Workpieces can be loaded and unloaded without getting in the way,
It is possible to eliminate the deterioration of workability.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the work is clamped, the cylinder is actuated to raise the pull block via the piston rod, and the presser pin is also raised. The three links rotate upward with one end as a fulcrum, and the first link rotates through the second link so that the clamp foot rotates with respect to the clamp base with the first pin as a fulcrum. When the pull block is further raised, the clamp retainer rotates about the first pin as a fulcrum by the urging force of the urging member, and the upper clamp jaw provided at the tip of the clamp retainer and the lower clamp provided at the tip of the clamp base. The work is clamped with the jaw.

When the work is unclamped, the pull block is lowered by operating the cylinder, and the operation reverse to the above-described operation is performed, so that the clamp presser is positioned at a height position substantially the same as the height of the pass line. Since it is positioned at, the same effect as in claim 1 can be obtained.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the work table moves in the front-rear direction while the laser processing head is moved to one side of the work table, and the work clamping device reaches the position below the laser processing head. When the sensor detects that the pressure is detected by the sensor, the switching device operates, and when the piston rod of the cylinder is lowered, the pull block is lowered and the clamp presser is positioned at almost the same height as the pass line height. Does not interfere with the laser processing head, and laser processing is performed on the work. Thus, the unworkable area can be eliminated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows the main part of the present invention and is taken along line I-I in FIG.
It is sectional drawing along the line.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the work clamp device in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a front view of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a side view of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a relationship between a laser processing head and a work clamp device.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of a structure for operating a cylinder in the work clamp device.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a laser processing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Laser Processing Machine 7 Work Table 9 Work Clamping Device 11 Laser Processing Head 29 Guide Rail 31 Clamp Base 35 First Link 41 Clamp Presser 43 Second Link 47 Third Link 51 Spring (Biasing Member) 59 Lower Clamp Jaw 61 Upper Clamp Joe 67 Cylinder 71 Pull block 73 Presser pin

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A clamp base having a lower clamp jaw at its tip, a clamp retainer having an upper clamp jaw at its tip with respect to this clamp base, and a work piece clamped by said lower clamp jaw and upper clamp jaw. And an operating device for swinging and vertically moving the clamp retainer so that the upper surface of the clamp retainer is positioned at substantially the same height as the pass line when the work is unclamped. Work clamp device. 2. A first link, wherein the actuating device has one end connected to the clamp retainer with a first pin and the other end connected to a clamp base with a second pin, and a second link to the first link. A third link, one end of which is connected to the clamp base via the clamp base, and the other end of which is pivotally supported by the clamp base; an urging member that swings the clamp presser about the first pin as a fulcrum; 2. A cylinder, a pull block provided at a tip of a piston rod attached to the cylinder, and a holding pin provided on the pull block for pressing a third link. Work clamp device. 3. A laser processing machine comprising a laser processing head movable left and right and a work table on which a work clamped by the work clamping device according to claim 2 is placed and which is movable front and back. , When the laser processing head is moved to one side of the work table,
A sensor for detecting that the work clamp device has reached a position below the laser processing head by the movement of the work table, and a switch for switching the piston rod up and down in the cylinder depending on whether or not the sensor detects the work clamp device. A laser processing machine comprising a device.