A line for performing work operations on work members in successive stations, with each station having therein a unit on which is mounted a carriage moveable parallel to the line of working stations and having an intermediate working position on the base of the respective unit. Work supports are provided which are slidable on the carriages parallel to the sliding direction of the carriages and which can be locked to the carriages in intermediate working positions. When a carriage is moved to either of two end positions on the respective base it is adjacent the carriage on the next adjacent unit when the carriage on the next adjacent unit is moved to its end position nearest the first mentioned unit. In this juxtaposed position the work supports can be transferred from each carriage to a carriage next adjacent thereto for a further work operation.
A transfer apparatus wherein the conveyed loads, which need not absolutely possess a square or rectangular cross-sectional area or configuration, are received by or delivered from a transport vehicle, without the load itself having to experience a tilting movement, when it departs, for instance, from a stationary chain conveyor and is taken-over by the chain conveyor of a displacement carriage. The gap between the stationary chain conveyor and the chain conveyor mounted upon the transport vehicle is bridged by the laterally movable displacement carriage. The related chain drive serves for moving the conveyor chains of the chain conveyor and the displacement carriage. An alternately effective brake-locking device controls both movements. With blocked conveyor chains the displacement carriage, depending upon the direction of rotation of the drive motor of the chain drive, moves laterally in one or the other direction until reaching a related lateral stop or impact member. With released conveyor chains and blocked displacement carriage the conveyor chains of the chain conveyor are displaced until the conveyed load can be transferred or received, as the case may be.
The subject matter of the invention is an apparatus for the transfer of pallets having workpieces clamped thereto between a pallet terminal and the work support of a machine tool. In order to permit positioning of the pallet terminal close to the machine tool with small dimensions, the apparatus is provided, according to the invention, with a pallet carrier (10) with longitudinal guides (11) arranged between the pallet terminal (6) and the work support (2). The apparatus is rotatable about its vertical axis (20) between an inoperative position and a transfer position and has motor-actuated pushers (18) for transporting the pallets (12).
Three machine tools are positioned in spaced apart relationship at the corners of a triangle. Each machine tool has a worktable which is rotatably mounted on a corresponding bed for rotation about a corresponding vertical axis. Each worktable has guide means for slidably receiving a pallet carrying one or more workpieces. At least three workpiece transfer units are each positioned adjacent to the worktable of a corresponding machine tool for interaction therewith. Each workpiece transfer unit has guide means for slidably receiving a pallet and has a hydraulically actuated slide which engages the pallet and moves it along the guide means to transfer the pallet from one machine tool to the adjacent machine tool. One or more workpieces are clamped on each pallet. The pallets are introduced into the loop at an operator's station. The pallets carrying the workpieces are transferred from one machine tool to the next around the loop, having work performed on the workpieces at each machine tool, and finally, being returned to the operator's station for unloading.
An installation for processing or assembling components, which comprises a succession of transport and work stations. Each station comprises a housing member including a lower base frame and an upper base frame, at least one of the housing members supporting a straight conveying track for a workpiece carrier carrying the components and at least one of the housing members supporting intersecting conveying tracks for the workpiece carrier, the conveying tracks including vertical and lateral guides for the workpiece carrier. According to the invention, the housing members have the same dimensions in length and width, and the width of each housing member is shorter than the length, the housing member base frames having vertical side walls extending along the length and the width, a continuous fixing rail extending along the vertical side walls of the lower base frame, fixing rails extending along the entire length of the vertical side walls of the upper base frame extending along the width, and fixing rail sections extending towards each other along about a third of the length of the vertical side walls of the upper base frame extending along the length, and a forward feed for conveying the workpiece carrier along the tracks.
A production line comprises production devices arranged in a line for machining a workpiece by conveyance of the workpiece successively to the production devices. Each of the production devices has a machine for machining the workpiece, an individual base for supporting the machine, a mounting unit that removably integrally mounts the machine on a surface of the individual base, and a positioning/moving unit that positions the machine on the surface of the individual base and that facilitates sliding movement of the machine along the surface of the individual base to permit the machine to be slidingly drawn of f of the surface of the individual base when the machine is not mounted on the surface of the individual base by the mounting unit. The line unit also comprises a maintenance stand onto which the machine slidingly drawn off of the surface of the individual base is placed for transportation away from the production line and/or for undergoing a maintenance operation.
