Several common forms of tool magazine

1. The function of the tool magazine

In an automatic tool changer, the tool magazine is one of the most important components. The tool magazine is a place used to store processing tools and auxiliary tools. Its capacity, layout and specific structure have a great influence on the design of CNC machine tools.

2. The form of the tool magazine According to the capacity of the tool magazine and the way of taking out the knife, the tool magazine can be designed in various forms. The common forms are as follows.

1) Linear tool magazine

The tools are arranged in a straight line in the tool magazine. Its structure is simple, and the capacity of the tool magazine is small. Generally, it can accommodate 8 to 12 tools, so it is rarely used. This form is more common in automatic tool change CNC lathes, and it has also been used in CNC drilling machines.

2) Disc cutter

In this form, there are as few as 6 to 8 knives and as many as 50 to 60 knives, and there are many forms of them.

（1）The tool magazine of the first type has a radial layout of the tools and occupies a large space. The position of the tool magazine is limited. It is generally placed on the upper end of the machine tool column. The tool changing time is shorter, which makes the whole tool changing device simpler.

（2）The second type of tool magazine, the axial layout of the tool, is often placed on the side of the spindle. The axis line of the tool magazine can be placed vertically or horizontally, and this form is often used.

（3） The third type of tool magazine, the tool and the axis of the tool magazine are arranged in an umbrella shape at a certain angle (less than 90o). This can arrange the position of the tool magazine according to the overall layout requirements of the machine tool. The capacity should not be too large.

The above-mentioned three kinds of disc tool magazines are more commonly used forms, and their storage capacity is at most 50 to 60. If the storage capacity is too large, the structural size will be huge, which will not coordinate with the layout of the machine tool.

3) Chain tool magazine

Chain tool magazine is the more commonly used form. The tool holder of this tool magazine is fixed on the ring chain link. Commonly used are single-row chain tool magazines. This kind of tool magazine uses an extended chain, so that the chain can be folded and rewinded to improve space utilization and further increase the storage capacity. The chain tool magazine has a compact structure and a large tool magazine capacity, and the shape of the chain link can be made into various shapes according to the layout of the machine tool. At the same time, the tool change position can also be highlighted for easy tool change. Within a certain range, when the number of tools needs to be increased, the length of the chain can be increased without increasing the diameter of the sprocket.

Therefore, the peripheral speed of the sprocket (chain linear speed) may not increase, and the increase in the inertia of the tool magazine may not be considered. These provide a lot of convenience for the design and manufacture of series tool magazines. Generally, when the number of tools is 30 to 120, chain tool magazines are mostly used.

4) Other magazines

There are many forms of tool magazines, and it is worth mentioning the grid box tool magazine. Single-sided type, due to the inflexible layout, the tool magazine is usually placed on the workbench, and its application is seldom. Multi-faceted type, in order to reduce the tool change time, the tool change manipulator usually takes out the tool to be replaced in advance by using the time of the previous tool to process the workpiece (the equipped CNC system should have this function). The tool magazine occupies a small area, has a compact structure, and can accommodate a large number of tools in the same space. However, due to its complex tool selection and tool removal, it is less used in single-machine machining centers and more used in the centralized tool supply system of FMS (flexible manufacturing system).

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