Hat Type Tool Magazine or Arm Type Tool Magazine

Which is Better Choose for VMC Machining Center, Hat Type Tool Magazine or Arm Type Tool Magazine?

The tool magazines commonly used in machining centers include bamboo hat-type tool magazines and disc-type tool magazines, as well as a chain-type tool magazine. Such tool magazines are generally installed on gantry machining centers and horizontal machining centers, but are used in vertical Machining centers are few and far between. So, which is better, the bamboo hat type tool magazine or the arm type tool magazine?

1. Features of VMC Machining Center bamboo hat type tool magazine
The biggest feature of the bamboo hat type tool magazine is its high cost performance and simple structure. The tool change speed can complete the tool change process in 8s. The bucket hat type tool magazine is more suitable for small batch production. Maintenance and maintenance of the bucket hat type tool magazine Simple and convenient; the disadvantage of the bamboo hat type tool magazine is that the tool change speed is slow, when the tool handle is placed in the tool magazine, the cone surface is open and unprotected, and the cone surface is easy to stick to dirt, which directly affects the repeated installation of the tool precision.

Bamboo Hat Type Tool Magazine
2. Features of VMC Machining Center arm tool magazine
The arm type tool magazine can be called a manipulator tool magazine and a disc type tool magazine. It is called differently in each place, but they are all the same. They are all arm type tool magazines. The tool change speed of the tool arm type tool magazine is fast, the structure is complex, and the price is expensive. The tool change speed of the arm type tool magazine is within 4s, because of its tool change action: the robot arm pulls the tool from the tool magazine and the spindle at the same time through 180 °Rotate and install it on the spindle and the tool magazine to complete the tool changing process. The price of its tool magazine is much more expensive than that of the bucket hat type tool magazine. The tool magazine can hold up to 40 tools. The arm type tool magazine has extremely strict restrictions on the weight of the tool. Once the loaded tool exceeds the bearing range of the tool magazine, the tool will be easily thrown out of the tool magazine, which is easy to cause an accident. The arm type tool magazine also has certain restrictions on the length of the tool. If the length of the tool exceeds the specified size, it will collide with the tool during the tool change process, which will cause damage to the tool magazine and the tool.

Arm Tool Magazine
There are two points for regular selection: one is the price, and the other is the occasion of use. Price: Take 20 knives in the BT40 tool magazine as an example. The price of the bamboo hat type tool magazine is only about half of the arm type tool magazine. Occasion: Generally, the bamboo hat type tool magazine is better for single-piece small batch production, and the arm type tool magazine is used for mass production. In addition, everyone also knows that the arm type tool magazine is more reliable than the bamboo hat type tool magazine, but the maintenance of the bamboo hat type tool magazine is simple and convenient. In fact, there are a few points that are easily overlooked.

1. When the tool holder of the bamboo hat type tool magazine is placed in the tool magazine, the cone surface at 7:24 is open without protection. After a long time or the workshop environment is bad, the cone surface is easy to be dirty. Affects the repeatability of the installation of the tool. The tool holder of the arm type tool magazine covers all the tapered surfaces and is not easy to be dirty. It is especially beneficial to the stability of the boring accuracy of the fine boring tool.

2. The arm type tool magazine has strict requirements on the weight of the tool. Once it is overweight, the tool will be thrown out of the manipulator, which is prone to danger. The length must also be within the required range, the space occupied by the manipulator when rotating is relatively large, and the programmer must calculate whether the tool change will touch the fixture, etc.

3. Bamboo hat type tool magazine In terms of use, the tools should be placed evenly around the disc, and the center of mass should be in the center of the disc as much as possible. To extend the life of the tool magazine.

4. From the point of view of load-bearing, BT40 and BT30 are the better tool holders for bamboo hat-type tool magazines, and arm-type tool magazines are best for BT50 tool holders.

5. The arm type tool magazine is more troublesome to handle when using large-diameter tools (larger than the maximum diameter of adjacent tool positions). Either each tool spacing position is the same. Or set aside several tool pockets as “special zones” through PLC.

3. The fault off VMC Machining Center tool magazine
The failure probability of the bamboo hat type tool magazine is higher than that of the arm type tool magazine, and the wearing parts are mainly the needle roller bearings on the shift fork in the “horse-type mechanism”. That guide pair will wear out, as will the bearing in the center of the disc. But it’s easier to change the knife. The tool arm type tool magazine mainly relies on the cam mechanism to complete the tool change action, which is simple and reliable. Usually, you only need to change the oil in the cam box on time. long lasting. If the cam groove is worn to a certain extent and not replaced, the tool magazine cannot be used.