Development and Application of the BT40 Disc Tool Magazine
Product Introduction
In the domestic CNC machine tool magazine and automatic tool changer parts supporting, there are still many shortcomings, such as:
(1) tool magazine and automatic tool changer lack of core technology independent innovation design, tool magazine capacity knife number is small, long time to change the knife, low efficiency, tool changer positioning accuracy is poor.
(2) Weak capacity of mass production level, low level of ATC cam process, lack of CAD/CAM software, special equipment autonomy is weak.
(3) Insufficient performance and reliability of tool changer products, time-consuming tests, lack of data collection and system management, and lack of a complete set of standard specifications.
Current Challenges in Tool Magazines and Automatic Tool Changers
Tool magazine and automatic tool changer are key functional components of machining centers. With the development toward high-speed, high-precision, and high-reliability machining centers, requirements for tool magazines and changers have increased. These include high accuracy, reliability, efficiency, and long service life. However, domestic tool magazines and changers lag behind those from Taiwan, China, and developed countries in accuracy, tool change time, and reliability. Overseas companies with strong core technology dominate the market and charge high prices. The industry faces common technical problems in overall design, manufacturing, testing, application, and establishing standards for the tool magazine life cycle.
BT40 Disk Type Tool Magazine Overview
The BT40 disk type tool magazine is a key component of CNC machine tools. It stores tools during machining. Under CNC system control, it sends tools accurately to the changer. This enables smooth and precise tool changes.
Using the tool magazine and automatic changer, machining centers complete multiple processes with one clamping. This greatly reduces tooling, measurement, and adjustment time. It also lowers positioning errors caused by multiple installations, which improves machining accuracy.
The automatic tool changer uses a robot arm to pull tools from the magazine and spindle. Then, it rotates 180° to exchange the tools. Its tool change speed and positioning accuracy surpass those of bucket hat and chain tool magazines.
This product is widely used in machinery, electronics, light industry, textile, metallurgy, chemical industry, and other manufacturing sectors. It supports diverse industrial applications with high efficiency and reliability.
Advantages of BT40 Disk Type Tool changer Magazine
(1) As an efficient, stable and reliable machining center accessory, it has significant technical advantages. Its efficient storage capacity and fast changeover speed greatly improve productivity and reduce production costs. Meanwhile, the disc type tool magazine excels in tool clamping stability and machining accuracy, which meets the growing demand for key components for high-grade CNC machine tools. Technical parameters are: maximum tool weight :8kg, maximum tool diameter :φ80mm (adjacent tool set tool), φ160mm (adjacent tool set empty tool); maximum tool gravitational torque :10.29N – m; maximum tool magazine capacity :24; maximum magazine capacity 192kg.
(2) The market demand for BT40 rotary tool magazine is huge. With the development of the manufacturing industry, the demand for machining centers continues to increase, as an important accessory for machining centers, its market demand will continue to grow. In addition, with the progress of science and technology and the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry, the performance and application areas of the disc tool magazine will be further enhanced and expanded.
(3) BT40 disc tool magazine and its core components of independent research and development and industrialization, to enhance the market competitiveness of domestic enterprises is of great significance. Through the independent research and development of disc tool changer and its core components, it is not only expected to break the monopoly of the international market, but also enhance the technical level and innovation ability of domestic enterprises.
To sum up, BT40 rotary tool magazine products have good technical conditions and advantages, its independent research and development and industrialization will have a positive impact on the development of China’s manufacturing industry.
Product Features
1. Key technical principles of the product
Overall Design and Mechanism
The rotary tool magazine mainly consists of the ATC automatic tool changer and tool magazine. The ATC changer includes ATC cam, plane cam, four-way turret, and output shaft. The tool magazine has core parts such as body, knife disk (with Geneva groove wheel and position sensor), knife sleeve, reducer, drive mandrel, motor group (including servo motor), cylinder group (with check valve), and knife arm.
The motor drives an aligned hyperbolic gear to rotate the cam group around the axis center. The ATC cam curve drives the quadrilateral turret to rotate the output shaft. Simultaneously, the plane cam drives the pendulum arm for telescopic movement of the output shaft.
Stroke and load specifications:
(a) 30 standard ATC stroke: 85mm; load: 6kg
(b) 40 standard ATC stroke: 115mm; load: 8kg
(c) 50 standard ATC stroke: 165mm; load: 15kg
Cam Curve Design and Reliability Management
We designed the cam curve based on minimum relative normal curvature of the contact profile. Using cam indexing curve types and meshing motion laws, we mathematically characterized the arc cam mechanism’s envelope motion. We proposed a convex profile design for the indexing period, achieving over 90% cam curve contact rate. This reduces friction and wear, ensuring accuracy and long service life.
We also developed cloud-based reliability digital management and analysis technology. It includes reliability data collection and statistical analysis methods. The cloud service system manages and analyzes data efficiently online. This supports product optimization and reliability improvement. Furthermore, it promotes data sharing and application across enterprise departments, enhancing product quality.
Finally, we established a key technology standard system covering the whole product life cycle. It integrates process control, performance tests, reliability tests, usage and maintenance, and data management. This system ensures comprehensive reliability control for knife storage products throughout their life span.
Technological Innovation Points
1. Mastered the design technology of ATC automatic tool changer and its core component cam.
The company has broken through the curve design technology of ATC automatic tool changer and its core component cam.
The core cam component uses mathematical modeling and dynamic simulation to design cam curves. It develops plane cams and ATC cams, securing software copyrights. The design innovates cam mechanism transmission and telescopic guiding mechanisms. It adopts a one-aligned hyperbolic gear mesh transmission. This replaces two-stage speed change with one-stage. As a result, gears mesh with many overlapping teeth, providing high strength, smooth transmission, low noise, and high efficiency.
Moreover, the design optimizes the telescopic guide mechanism into a shaft hole fit. This reduces contact friction and improves tool change accuracy. It also lowers production costs and extends service life. The ATC automatic tool changer incorporates these cam mechanisms (planar cam, ATC cam, quadrilateral turret). The cam action controls the automatic tool change timing precisely. The system performs actions like home position, tool withholding, pulling down, rotating, inserting up, and returning to home position. This design creates an ATC automatic tool changer with independent intellectual property rights.
2. Developed a prototype of CNC rotary table ATC cam machining CNC machine.
For the first time, we have developed the ATC cam machining CNC machine tool, and its key components, such as high rigidity spindle and zero backlash cam roller CNC rotary table, have all been developed independently.
Through servo motor-driven machining depth feed, AB-axis superimposed linkage control parts rotation, while with the milling spindle tool to form a specific cam curve, combined with the cam precision manufacturing process and supporting special fixtures, to achieve a clamping can be completed in the entire cam product processing; mastering the cam machine tool assembly process of the casting joint surface shovel scraping technology, any square inch contact points of not less than 16 to achieve the precision level requirements, improve the assembly surface shoveling technology, any square inch contact points of not less than 16, to achieve the Precision level requirements, to improve the effective contact of the assembly surface to improve the assembly accuracy; supporting special fixtures to achieve rapid clamping and positioning to meet the batch production, to obtain authorization for ATC cam profiling patents, to solve the problem of independent research and development of the core component of the ATC unit cam.
3. Intelligent management of the tool magazine is realized, and the time of tool change (tool to tool) is reduced to 1.5 minutes.
The knife-to-knife tool change time is reduced to 1.3 seconds with intelligent technology.
Intelligent Tool-Seeking and Preselection:
Using intelligent tool-seeking and pre-selection, we cut tool change time significantly. We independently developed absolute value motor control software for the tool magazine. The system reads the encoder for cyclic indexing and positioning control. Following the closest rotation principle, it achieves proximity tool-seeking. Upon receiving machine instructions, the robotic arm grasps the selected tool. This preselection reduces tool warehouse running time and saves change time.
Servo Control and Impact Reduction:
We mastered servo tool magazine control with servo motors. The system detects servo motor current or torque to regulate speed. It slows down when the tool arm nears the spindle. This reduces impact on the spindle and prevents tool buckling, improving service life. We also developed the driver to set different tool speeds.
Intelligent Speed Regulation and Cutter Identification:
The driver sets speed intervals: low speed 1.3–4.0s/revolution, high speed 1.3–0.5s/revolution. It detects servo current or torque during cutter rotation. Then, it judges the cutter weight by comparing values. The system adjusts motor speed intelligently. Large, heavy cutters exchange at low speed; small, light cutters at high speed. This enables intelligent identification, acceleration, and deceleration.
Patents and Achievements:
Overall, tool change time dropped from 1.4–1.8 seconds to 1.3 seconds. We obtained patents for the servo tool magazine control method and copyright for the absolute value motor control software.
4. Preliminarily established the performance testing platform of the tool magazine, and carried out the life test and reliability test.
We carry out product evaluation for the whole life cycle. First, we establish a performance testing platform for the tool magazine. Then, we conduct aging tests and service life tests. The tool magazine service life reaches over one million tool changes.
Next, we complete high-speed disc type tool magazine and automatic tool changer reliability tests. These include maximum tool weight exchange tests and largest diameter tool exchange tests. We also test the maximum tool torque exchange and longest tool exchange times.
Additionally, we perform continuous tool automatic exchange tests and other reliability assessments. These tests support reliability analysis and evaluation. The results provide a solid basis for improving the design of new tool magazines and automatic tool changers.
5. Has mastered the knife magazine quasi-stopping control methods, devices, equipment and other methods
We control the knife magazine drive motor to stop upon detecting a falling edge signal. Then, we acquire stopping pulses fed back from the drive motor when it completes stopping. Next, we determine feedback pulses based on stopping pulses and latching pulses.
We calculate pulse deviations by comparing feedback pulses with preset pulse offsets. Then, we control the drive motor according to these pulse deviations. This drives the knife magazine to stop at a set position. The invention uses pulse data to prevent damage from control signal abnormalities.
This method improves the stopping position accuracy of the knife magazine. It solves prior technical problems effectively. The technology includes the control method, device, equipment, and storage media. It has begun application in new disc type knife magazine products
Product Application and Industrialization Prospects
Currently, the international market for intelligent high-speed disc tool changers is led by top companies like Swiss Mikron and German Hammer. Meanwhile, the domestic market is mainly controlled by firms from China and Taiwan. The ATC automatic tool changer is the key component of rotary tool magazines. Advanced foreign and Taiwanese companies mainly develop it. Mainland China mostly depends on imports. The ATC cost makes up over 40% of the rotary tool magazine price.
Domestic companies have not yet developed the core cam components of ATC. They rely entirely on imports. Limited cam product types in the market cannot meet China’s growing demand for high-grade CNC machines. Prices remain high. In 2022, China sold 450,000 metal cutting CNC machines. The tool magazine market demand is about 1 million units, worth around 20 billion yuan.
The “14th Five-Year” National Plan promotes intelligent manufacturing and high-grade CNC machine tools. It urges breakthroughs in multi-axis CNC systems, servo motors, and key software. The State Council’s innovation plan supports high-grade CNC tools and manufacturing equipment. Research on intelligent high-speed disc tool changers aligns with these national policies. It focuses on core technologies, reliability, precision, and maintenance.
Product Development and Industrialization
BT40 rotary tool magazines are widely used across industries and show strong prospects. First, they play a key role in CNC machine tools. They enable fast automatic tool changes. This improves processing efficiency. Also, disc tool magazines are common in electronics and semiconductor industries. They store and change tools automatically. This boosts productivity and cuts costs. In workshops, disc tool magazines suit molds, automotive parts, and castings. They change tools based on machining needs. Production quality, capacity, and reliability have greatly improved. The failure rate has dropped significantly. The MTBF now reaches one million tool changes.
Second, demand for machining centers grows with manufacturing. As a key accessory, disc tool magazine demand will rise. Technology advances will further improve their performance. The application range will widen. Their fast tool change, large capacity, and reliability give them an edge. Disc tool magazines are replacing traditional ones. They become the main choice for machining centers.
Overall, disc tool changers have broad applications and strong prospects. However, they must adapt to market changes and tech progress. Only then can they remain competitive.