Tool carrying head for machine tools

Claim 1

A machine tool having at least two tool carrying units each unit having at least one machining tool thereon, said units being slidably mounted on a guide rail extending across the machine in a substantially horizontal plane, said units being each selectively movable along said guide rail from a first inoperative position in which tools may be removed therefrom or placed therein, to a second operative position in which the chosen one of said units is engagable by a first actuating device for moving said chosen unit downwardly in a vertical plane into a machining position, said actuating device having means for driving said at least one tool on said chosen unit for performing machining operations, wherein the guide rail is formed in three sections, the outer two sections being rigidly fixed in stationary relationship to the structure of the machine so as to provide an inoperative position at each side thereof for receiving one or the other of the tool carrying units, and the central section providing said operative position and being movable downwardly with the chosen unit into the machining position, said outer two sections remaining in their stationary relationship to the structure of the machine when the central section is moved downwardly with the chosen unit.