Abstract: The tools of the various machining heads are housed on a common drum, which is remote from the heads and rotated to select a given row of tools. At each head, there is provided and intermediate station having a container housing a row of tools; and a shuttle provides for sequentially transferring the tools between the drum and the intermediate stations. Each container is rotated 90° between a position cooperating with the shuttle and a position cooperating with a device for exchanging the tools between the head and the container. The container is also movable with respect to the device to select the location of the tool to be changed.

Abstract: The workpiece or pack of printed circuit boards is fitted to a clamping fixture carried by the table and is machined by a machining head; the head and the table being movable with respect to each other along two coordinate X, Y axes. The aligning method includes the steps of providing the pack with two locating holes; fitting the pack to the fixture; determining the distances between the real positions of the holes and two reference positions; and moving the pack on the fixture to eliminate the distances. The aligning device has an optoelectronic sensor carried by the head to determine the real position of each hole; and a number of motors controlled on the basis of the real position of each hole to move a locating member for locating a first pin on the pack, and to move one bar of a pair of bars for clamping the other pin on the pack.

Abstract: Each pack has a pair of opposite edges and a pair of locating pins, and is also provided with pairs of holes separated by a distance equal to that between the pins to enable the packs to be stacked in offset manner, with the pins inserted inside the holes of the underlying pack. The loading and unloading device has a loading station and an unloading station located on either side of the worktable; and a transfer device movable between the stations and a fixture on the worktable for clamping the pack for machining. An unpinning mechanism for unpinning the pack has punches which are activated to remove the pins from the pack before the pack is deposited at the unloading station.

Abstract: The fixture has a pair of plates for supporting a pack of printed circuit boards having two locating pins projecting from one face of the pack and which are housed inside a gap between the two plates. The plate is fitted with a fixed bar, while the other plate is fitted with a movable bar associated with a conduit made of elastomeric material, extending parallel to the movable bar, and which is deformed by means of compressed air to move the movable bar towards the fixed bar to clamp the pin. The first plate also carries a locating member having a V-shaped seat, which cooperates with the movable bar to locate and clamp the other pin and so align the pack on the fixture.

Abstract: The workpiece or pack of printed circuit boards is fitted to a clamping fixture carried by the table and is machined by a machining head; the head and the table being movable with respect to each other along two coordinate X, Y axes. The aligning method includes the steps of providing the pack with two locating holes; fitting the pack to the fixture; determining the distances between the real positions of the holes and two reference positions; and moving the pack on the fixture to eliminate the distances. The aligning device has an optoelectronic sensor carried by the head to determine the real position of each hole; and a number of motors controlled on the basis of the real position of each hole to move a locating member for locating a first pin on the pack, and to move one bar of a pair of bars for clamping the other pin on the pack.

Abstract: The tools of the various machining heads are housed on a common drum, which is remote from the heads and rotated to select a given row of tools. At each head, there is provided an intermediate station having a container housing a row of tools; and a shuttle provides for sequentially transferring the tools between the drum and the intermediate stations. Each container is rotated 90.degree. between a position cooperating with the shuttle and a position cooperating with a device for exchanging the tools between the head and the container. The container is also movable with respect to the device to select the location of the tool to be changed.

Abstract: The machine tool featuring a number of machining heads for machining printed circuit boards has a worktable movable along the Y axis, and two rows of four machining heads fitted to a common carriage movable along the X axis. The circuit boards are arranged in packs, each having two locating pins for aligning and locking the pack to a respective rectangular fixture fitted to the worktable with the short side parallel to the Y axis. Each pair of heads is provided with a pair of tool-change devices and a common tool store, which is defined by one or two boxes removably insertable inside respective supports fitted to the carriage; three pairs of tool-change devices are housed inside gaps between adjacent pairs of fixtures; and a further two pairs of tool-change devices are located adjacent to the end fixtures.

Abstract: The machine has a device for exchanging tools between a tool store and the spindle of a machining head carried by a carriage movable along the X axis; the store has a number of locations for the tools arranged in a matrix of rows and columns; a worktable is movable along the Y axis; and the tool-change device and the store are movable with respect to each other to select the required tool. For which purpose, activatable means are provided to enable the carriage to command the relative movement of the device and the store. A support, movable parallel to the X axis, is engaged by an element carried by the carriage to enable the support to be moved in a given direction in opposition to the action of return springs for restoring the support to a rest position.

Abstract: The drilling machine comprises a pair of cross slides formed of two parallelepiped blocks of granite connected as a T above a horizontally stationary board carrying table. The transverse block carries two operating heads and, by means of pneumostatic bearings, guides their movement along the X-axis. The other block is guided by the machine frame by means of other pneumostatic bearings. Each head carries a spindle operable to lock and unlock the tool to permit automatic tool replacement from a corresponding tool magazine with provision for checking the integrity of the engaged tool. One of the heads can be disengaged from the X-axis servomotor and connected to the other one at a predetermined distance. Two series of equal printed circuit supports can be drilled simultaneously by using a single package of boards to be cut after the drilling or the etching. Tool changing and tool integrity checking operations can be effected simultaneously for the two operating heads.

Abstract: To reduce dead times and waste of dummy boards necessary for preparing individual packages of stacked boards to be drilled, the latter are loaded on the table in a single stack and are drilled from the top in groups formed of a predetermined limited number of boards, drilling only partially into the next board to be drilled. The drilled boards are carried out of the stack which is reapproached to the drilling head. The drilling restarts by following the impression left by the tool in the preceding cycle on the partially drilled board. The numerically controlled drilling machine includes a table vertically movable to bring the stack against a fixed stop. A slide transversely movable after each drilling cycle engages the already drilled boards and carries them to an unloading support external to the table.

Abstract: To place the bags on a filling spout, the bags are hurled one at a time w the valve flange through a shaping tube, which is distanced from the spout as to allow the filled bag to be removed from the spout without displacing the tube. The bag is hurled at high speed by at least one continuously moving belt engaging the bag body along the entire length of the tube, as to be placed on the spout substantially when the valve flange leaves the tube. This latter is formed of two symmetric parts, the distance between which is adjustable by means of double screws having two ends threaded in opposite directions and engaging corresponding holes of the two parts of the tube.

Abstract: The bags have each a pair of flanges folded on two edges, one of the flan being provided with a valve. The bags are placed vertically in a magazine, with the valve flange located on the vertical plane of a valve oening device. The bags are picked up one at a time by a device including a set of vacuum cups carried by a pivoted arm. The valve flange of the bags is firstly engaged by the vacuum cups. The arm is then rocked on said plane to align the flange with the opening device. Finally, the arm is telescopically extended the insert the flange into the opening device.

Abstract: Two embodiments of an electronic measuring gage are disclosed, each suitable for the visual display of a workpiece dimension. A grinder gage of one embodiment has a single movable measuring probe with both coarse and fine travel components. The measuring probe is mounted on an inner coaxial shaft which is fitted within a sleeve-like outer coaxial shaft. The outer coaxial shaft is slidably mounted in the grinder gage housing for coarse travel and carries the inner shaft and measuring probe with it. The inner shaft is adapted for fine travel relative to the outer shaft, and resilient connection means are provided for connecting the two shafts. One element of an Inductosyn position-measuring transducer is fixed to the inner coaxial shaft and the other element is fixed to the grinder gage housing. A base probe and a positioning probe are also mounted in the housing to maintain the measuring probe and base probe colinear with a diameter of a round workpiece to be measured.