Patent ID: 8249741

Claim:
A method for controlling the loading and unloading of tools from a machine tool, said method comprising the steps of: transferring the tools from or to a magazine respectively to or from an intermediate storage station or provision area; transferring the tools from or to the intermediate storage station/provision area respectively to or from a spindle of the machine tool using a changing apparatus; providing a first CNC controller and a first PLC controller to the magazine for controlling the magazine; providing a second CNC controller and a second PLC controller to the machine tool for controlling the machine tool; using a separate controller for adjusting each of the first CNC controller and the first PLC controller for controlling the removal and the return of a tool from or to the magazine and for adjusting each of the second CNC controller and the second PLC controller for controlling the uploading and unloading of the spindle of the machine tool; and appointing priorities to the tools by said separate controller adjusting the second CNC controller and the second PLC controller to exchange the tools into the spindle of the machine tool.