CA1156824A - Shaving unit and method of manufacture therefor - Google Patents
Shaving unit and method of manufacture thereforInfo
- Publication number
- CA1156824A CA1156824A CA000375798A CA375798A CA1156824A CA 1156824 A CA1156824 A CA 1156824A CA 000375798 A CA000375798 A CA 000375798A CA 375798 A CA375798 A CA 375798A CA 1156824 A CA1156824 A CA 1156824A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- blade
- welding
- support member
- strip
- welding mask
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
- B23K26/02—Positioning or observing the workpiece, e.g. with respect to the point of impact; Aligning, aiming or focusing the laser beam
- B23K26/06—Shaping the laser beam, e.g. by masks or multi-focusing
- B23K26/064—Shaping the laser beam, e.g. by masks or multi-focusing by means of optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors or prisms
- B23K26/066—Shaping the laser beam, e.g. by masks or multi-focusing by means of optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors or prisms by using masks
- B23K26/0661—Shaping the laser beam, e.g. by masks or multi-focusing by means of optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors or prisms by using masks disposed on the workpiece
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
- B23K26/20—Bonding
- B23K26/21—Bonding by welding
- B23K26/22—Spot welding
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Optics & Photonics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Laser Beam Processing (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Shaving units as well as methods and apparatus for producing such units by using laser energy to weld a narrow elongated razor blade strip to a support member. In one form of the invention, a perforated welding mask made from a metal having high reflectance to the laser energy is employed to define the spacing of the welds joining the two members.
Shaving units as well as methods and apparatus for producing such units by using laser energy to weld a narrow elongated razor blade strip to a support member. In one form of the invention, a perforated welding mask made from a metal having high reflectance to the laser energy is employed to define the spacing of the welds joining the two members.
Description
~-f~
SHAVING UNIT AND METHoD OF MANUFACTURE THE~EFOR
. . . I ~
¦ BACKuROUND OF THE IN~ENTION
l Traditional safety razor blades have a substantial -¦~ width perpendicular-to the cutting edge and are held in position 5 ¦l in-the razor by clamping between members which engage opposite-¦ surfaces of the blade itself. It has been proposed to replace such blades by very narrow blade strips which as well as being , economical of Material, 2re easily rinsed clean after use f^-nd can , - ~! be so mounted as to have a desirably greater degree of flexibil- ¦
? ity than conventional blades. To give the narrow blade strips ~ ~#~
adefquate rigidity~ it has been proposed to hold them under longi-il tudinal tension and/or to impart a special cross sectional shape . i~ to the blade strip.
- ~¦ It has also been proposed to provide a shaving unit 15 1l comprising a narro~ elongated blade strip sharpened along one longitudinal edge and an elongated support member whiCh is of greater length than the blade strip 9 and which is ~ormed over a length at least equal to the active shaving length of the blade !i strip with a substantially flat surface, one face of the blzde 20 il strip being secured-along its length to the sur~ace of the sup-¦i port member with the cutting edge of the blade projecting clear l,of the support member. Shaving un;ts of this type are disclosed - lin U.S. Patents 4,063,357 and 4,084,316. In the production of ~¦such shavinE units, the blade strips are positioned with respect 25 ¦I to the support member and secured by the use of conventional ,Iwelding techniques.-~
Existing welding techniques include gas welding which l¦employs a burning gas such as acetylene or hydrogen1 arc w~lding .
¦ in which the fusion ener~y i~ obtained from an electric arc, l -' ~ 1l -2- ' f ~
. ,'. ; '~
' 1,1 ' , ,. .
SHAVING UNIT AND METHoD OF MANUFACTURE THE~EFOR
. . . I ~
¦ BACKuROUND OF THE IN~ENTION
l Traditional safety razor blades have a substantial -¦~ width perpendicular-to the cutting edge and are held in position 5 ¦l in-the razor by clamping between members which engage opposite-¦ surfaces of the blade itself. It has been proposed to replace such blades by very narrow blade strips which as well as being , economical of Material, 2re easily rinsed clean after use f^-nd can , - ~! be so mounted as to have a desirably greater degree of flexibil- ¦
? ity than conventional blades. To give the narrow blade strips ~ ~#~
adefquate rigidity~ it has been proposed to hold them under longi-il tudinal tension and/or to impart a special cross sectional shape . i~ to the blade strip.
- ~¦ It has also been proposed to provide a shaving unit 15 1l comprising a narro~ elongated blade strip sharpened along one longitudinal edge and an elongated support member whiCh is of greater length than the blade strip 9 and which is ~ormed over a length at least equal to the active shaving length of the blade !i strip with a substantially flat surface, one face of the blzde 20 il strip being secured-along its length to the sur~ace of the sup-¦i port member with the cutting edge of the blade projecting clear l,of the support member. Shaving un;ts of this type are disclosed - lin U.S. Patents 4,063,357 and 4,084,316. In the production of ~¦such shavinE units, the blade strips are positioned with respect 25 ¦I to the support member and secured by the use of conventional ,Iwelding techniques.-~
Existing welding techniques include gas welding which l¦employs a burning gas such as acetylene or hydrogen1 arc w~lding .
¦ in which the fusion ener~y i~ obtained from an electric arc, l -' ~ 1l -2- ' f ~
. ,'. ; '~
' 1,1 ' , ,. .
2'~
- -- - i , .
resiskance ~eldin~ in which current is pàssed through the work- !
piece placed between the ends of two electrodes, ultrasonie welding where the parts to be welded are clamped between anvils through which high frequency mechanical vibration is coupled to the ~orkpiece to effect solid state bonding o~ the adjoining surfaces, electron beam welding in which a ~ocused beam of elee- !
trons supplies the ~usion energy to the workpiece which is held ¦ :
in a vacuum environment, and laser welding in which the fusion energy is supplied by a focused beam of infra-red radiation. An opt-imum helding technique would include the desirable features from all methods; that is, precise control of position and size ~o~
of weld area, precise control o~ energy input, high welding speed !
capability, minimum heat affected zone, minimum disruption of ~etallurgical structure, a clean process free of oxidation re-actions, a non-contact operation, and easy application in an auto.~atic manufacturing process. Of the ~elding processes listed? laser welding combines a unique combination of advantages¦
that make it of distinct interest in specialized weldi~g applica-¦
tions. These advantages include: (1) The laser beam can be optically focused to provide precise position and si~e control of¦
the weld area; (2) po~1er density of the focused spot ean be adjusted and precisely controlled from low to very high values;
- -- - i , .
resiskance ~eldin~ in which current is pàssed through the work- !
piece placed between the ends of two electrodes, ultrasonie welding where the parts to be welded are clamped between anvils through which high frequency mechanical vibration is coupled to the ~orkpiece to effect solid state bonding o~ the adjoining surfaces, electron beam welding in which a ~ocused beam of elee- !
trons supplies the ~usion energy to the workpiece which is held ¦ :
in a vacuum environment, and laser welding in which the fusion energy is supplied by a focused beam of infra-red radiation. An opt-imum helding technique would include the desirable features from all methods; that is, precise control of position and size ~o~
of weld area, precise control o~ energy input, high welding speed !
capability, minimum heat affected zone, minimum disruption of ~etallurgical structure, a clean process free of oxidation re-actions, a non-contact operation, and easy application in an auto.~atic manufacturing process. Of the ~elding processes listed? laser welding combines a unique combination of advantages¦
that make it of distinct interest in specialized weldi~g applica-¦
tions. These advantages include: (1) The laser beam can be optically focused to provide precise position and si~e control of¦
the weld area; (2) po~1er density of the focused spot ean be adjusted and precisely controlled from low to very high values;
(3) very high weld speeds are possible by means of high power densities and/or pulsed laser operation; (4) with high welding ¦ -speeds the resulting heat affected zone is very small and dis- j ruption of the metallurgical structure at a distance from the fusion zone is minimized; (5) the process is very clean and oxidation reactions can be prevented easily by use of an inert cover g~s; (6) welding is performed in the open unlike electron -3~ .
,.,, , I
~. " , I .
'~
~ 2~
beam welding whereby the operation is typically performed in a vacuum; (7) the process is of the non-contact type; and (8) laser welding can be readily integrated into a high speed automatic assembly process.
SUMMP.RY OF T~E INVENTION
One aspect of the present invention relates to a shaving unit which comprises a support member, a blade member having a cutting edge thereon and a series of welds disposed substantially throughout the length of the blade member and fixedly lntercon-necting the blade member and the support member, the blade memberbeing under tension lengthwise thereof.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method for welding a steel blade strip having cutting edge means thereon to a metallic support member. The method comprises holding the strip in tension while positioning it and the member with respect to each other/ positioning a welding mask so as to insure intimate contact between the strip and support member and subjecting the combination to a laser beam so that energy passes through the mask to weld the strip and support member together.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF T~IE DR~WINGS
The above and other objects and features of the present in~ention may be more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of a simple fixture designed for single unit hand assembly in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a welding fixture used in the laser welding of razor blade strips to support members;
~5~32~
FIG. 2 is an exploded ]arger scale view of a portion of the fixture, shown in FIG. l;
~ IG. 3 is an expanded partial cross-sectional view -4a .' '' ~1 . . I I .
2~ 1 ,,' - . i " . 1 I showlng the relative positioning of ti~o blade members and their ¦
- 'i support with respect to the welding fixture and masks;
- !, FIG. 4 is an isolated cross-sectional view showing the ,l operation Or a welding mask having counterbored apertures; and il FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a shaving unit of this invention showing the interrupted weld used in the practice of the invention. t DETAII.ED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With relerence to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 10 ! a perspective view o~ a laser welding system wherein a laser energy source 1 is employed to generate and direct a focused beam 2 of infra-red radiation toward a fixture base 3 upon whieh is ~' mounted the members to be welded. The laser energy source 1 may ' ' be a continuous ~,Jave or pulsed power laser of a well known type I such as, carbon dioxide with an output radiation wavelength of 10.6 microns, neodimium yittrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) at 1.06¦
microns, neodimium glass at 1. o6 microns, or ruby at 0.694 mio-~I rons. The increased ~elting efficiency of pulsed mode operation j, enhances the use of higher welding rates or greater melt zone , penetration for welding thicker materialsO Details of the laser l energy source 1 are well known and will accordingly not be des-,j cribed hereinO ¦ ~
The particular apparatus depicted in FIGS. 1 through 4 ' is designed to position two separate blade members with respect , to a single blade support member to form 'a shaving unit havingboth primary and secondary cutting edges. The method of this invention, however~ may be employed equally usefully in joining a single cutting member to a support to form a conventional single '! edged shaving unit, or three or more cutting members to form a multiple edged shaving unitO
' il ' ` , .
,, -5 , . ..
_ . ,.~ _ .... .. ...
. . ~_ 1, The apparatus depicted in particular in FIGS. 1 ar.d 2 - I comprises a fixture base 3 upon which is mounted, through 4ne.
agency of screws ll, a primary blade reference block 5 and ~
- !I secondary blade reference block 6. Formed by the juxtaposition , of blade reference blocks 5 and 6 are a primary blade locating Il slot 7 and a secondary blade locating slot 8, said blade locating !i slots being separated by a blade separating rib 22. For more ¦ . , ,I critical positioning of the blade edge, spring loaded pushers ¦
(not shown) may be added to urge the blade strips forward .~gainst ¦
reference stops. Formed integrally with primary blade reference ¦
block 5 is blade support locating rib 9.
In operation, a primary blade member 10 and a secondary blade member 11 9 each in the form of a stainless steel strip 'i having a width o~ about 0.04 inch and being sharpened to a cut-1S !~ ting edge over its entire length are positioned upon a blace - , 1, support member 12 after the blade support n~ember has been located I¦ in a blade support nest 13 with end protrusions 14 abutting the " blade support locating rib 9. Alnico bar magnets 23 are looated jj within holes drilled in primary blade reference block 5 as shown 20 1I for the purpose o~ assuring the location of protrusions 14 a-gainst blade support locating rib 9. Reference block 5 is made from a non-magnetic material such as austenitic stainless steel, " brass, or aluminum. In a production embodiment, wear resistant Il materials would be provided at points of wear,such as locating 25 il rib 9, blade reference blocks 5 and 6, an,d other critical points of wear. ' ¦ To provide tension in blade members 10 and 11 for the purpose of removing any lateral curvature or lack of straightness ,~
and maintaining them in alignment with blade support member 12, . ~ . . ' . ll I . ' . '' ,.
Il 6 ,!
,, , . .' li .
I ~6x~z~
'I ' , , .
. ~ 1.
-i! strip end clarnps 15 are first tightened through the agency of.
¦~ screws 16. A pin 27, which rides on the upper surface of primary blade member 10 and in like case on secondary blade 11, as shown !l in FIG. 1, is urged downwardly by virtue of the action Or a 5 1I spring 24 which bears against a counterbore shoulder 28 and a Il foot 26, thereby exerting a downward, tensioning force indiviciu-'i ally on blade member strips 10 and llo To release the tension on ~¦ either blade member 9 a tensioning member 17 is lifted until pin i' 27 i.s clear of a slot 29 a~ter which a shaft 25 is rotated until i pin 27 bears against an upper surface of the primary blade ref0r~
'I ence block 5.
i A primary blade welding mask 18 and a secondary blade jl welding maslc 19 are then positioned with respect to blade members ¦l 10 and 11 so that counterbored holes 20 are centered over the ~I portion Or the blade members to be exposed to laser welding ! energy. The masks may be secured in position using screws or , clamps (not shown). The blade welding masks function as clamps ,1 and as heat sinks to (a) insure intimate contact between the l blade member and the blade support ~ember during welding, ~b) ii prevent heat distortion, and (c) limit conduction o~ heat that l may temper the blade edge. To this end, it is important to !l maximize contact area of the masks by minimizing the diameter of holes 20 in the portion of the welding masks nearest to surface !~ 21 which is in contact with the surface of the blade members. To ¦' reduce clipping of the focused laser beam as it enters and leaves each hole, the holes 20 are counterbored (or otherwise relieved) Ij as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. .
Blade welding masks 18 and 19 may be made from any ~setal . whlch is hi~hly reflective to the specific radiation wavelength j _7_ s . ,1 . . j, .
. ` . ¦! ' ;
¦~ Of the laser used to insure that it does rot itself become rnelted during the welding processO Two excellent materials, highly jl reflective to the range of wavelengths of interest, are copper ~1 and gold. To achieve adequate wear resistance Or masks that 5 ¦l utilize soft materials such as copper or gold, the wear surfaces of the masks may be surfaced with hard materials or the masks may l¦ be made of these hard materials, such as cerDented carbides, ,¦ hardened steel, or ceramics and then plated or otherwise clad with the high reflectivity materials of choice on the surfaces ll that see radiation.
another embodiment, the holes 20 in the masks ~ay be ii replaced with a continuous narrow slot and the interrupted (stitch) weld can be effected by repetitively gating on and off l, action of the laser beam as it traverses the length Or the slot.
15 il A typical weld pattern produced by the use of either a per~orated ll welding mask or by repetitively gating the laser beam is srown in ¦
,j Figure 5.
i Once the blade welding masks have been properly posi- 1 Il tioned with respect to the blade~ and blade support members, tne ¦
20 li¦ masks are clamped in place by agency of screws (not sho~rn) so that surfaces 21 bear directly on the blades in turn holding the blades in intimate contact with the blade support member. The blade members are welded to the blade support by movin~ either I the fixture assembly 3 or laser beam source 1 in a manner such 25 il that the focused beam 2 impinges upon the upper surfaces of the prlmary and secondary blade members 10 and 11 as it traverses ¦holes 20 in blade ~relding masks 18 and l9o By virtue of the interruptions in the reflective blade ~elding mask, a discontinu-~ous weld is produced which secures the blade member~ to the , il , :, 1~ -8-. '11 . ' ~ ' i . . . l 2~ 1 !l ` ~
i! i . support member without any of the disadvan~ages inherent in the 'I -use of other welding methods~ After welding, the ends of b~lade j~ members 10 and 11 are cut to the same length as blade support 'l member 12 by mechanical shearing or laser cutoff, for exa~,plo.
'! To prevent oxidation of the welds and heat affected i~ zones during welding, it is important to use an inert gas cover ,I which is essentially non~reactive with t,he material being ~relded.
~ While the embodiment of the invention described above illustrates apparatus for use in a unit process ~or welding a primary and a secondary blade member to a single blade sup?ort tol form a shaving unit, the method of the invention is equally applicable to continuous production processes.
Il In the application of this invention to a production .
i process, the basic runctions of the fixturization and methods of ~l operation previously described are preserved. H~owever, the ', equipment design is appropriately modified so that the actions of . parts feeding9 orienting, clamping, masking, and ~lelding are .l automatically per~ormed~ For example, in a typical embodiment, a 1 multiplicity of duplicate fixtures can be mounted on an indexing j. machine wherein as each fixture passes through successive sta-tions, the opèrations of loading of blade support, feeding, ' positioning, and clamping of blade strips, positionin~ of masks, laser welding, trimming of blade strip ends, and unloading of the il .
completed weldment are perforDledO
We claim:
.
.' ' I ' ` , ; ` ' ` . ` , .
, 9- ' .
, 'j , I ., . ` ` ` ` 1 ' -`
,.,, , I
~. " , I .
'~
~ 2~
beam welding whereby the operation is typically performed in a vacuum; (7) the process is of the non-contact type; and (8) laser welding can be readily integrated into a high speed automatic assembly process.
SUMMP.RY OF T~E INVENTION
One aspect of the present invention relates to a shaving unit which comprises a support member, a blade member having a cutting edge thereon and a series of welds disposed substantially throughout the length of the blade member and fixedly lntercon-necting the blade member and the support member, the blade memberbeing under tension lengthwise thereof.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method for welding a steel blade strip having cutting edge means thereon to a metallic support member. The method comprises holding the strip in tension while positioning it and the member with respect to each other/ positioning a welding mask so as to insure intimate contact between the strip and support member and subjecting the combination to a laser beam so that energy passes through the mask to weld the strip and support member together.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF T~IE DR~WINGS
The above and other objects and features of the present in~ention may be more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of a simple fixture designed for single unit hand assembly in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a welding fixture used in the laser welding of razor blade strips to support members;
~5~32~
FIG. 2 is an exploded ]arger scale view of a portion of the fixture, shown in FIG. l;
~ IG. 3 is an expanded partial cross-sectional view -4a .' '' ~1 . . I I .
2~ 1 ,,' - . i " . 1 I showlng the relative positioning of ti~o blade members and their ¦
- 'i support with respect to the welding fixture and masks;
- !, FIG. 4 is an isolated cross-sectional view showing the ,l operation Or a welding mask having counterbored apertures; and il FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a shaving unit of this invention showing the interrupted weld used in the practice of the invention. t DETAII.ED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With relerence to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 10 ! a perspective view o~ a laser welding system wherein a laser energy source 1 is employed to generate and direct a focused beam 2 of infra-red radiation toward a fixture base 3 upon whieh is ~' mounted the members to be welded. The laser energy source 1 may ' ' be a continuous ~,Jave or pulsed power laser of a well known type I such as, carbon dioxide with an output radiation wavelength of 10.6 microns, neodimium yittrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) at 1.06¦
microns, neodimium glass at 1. o6 microns, or ruby at 0.694 mio-~I rons. The increased ~elting efficiency of pulsed mode operation j, enhances the use of higher welding rates or greater melt zone , penetration for welding thicker materialsO Details of the laser l energy source 1 are well known and will accordingly not be des-,j cribed hereinO ¦ ~
The particular apparatus depicted in FIGS. 1 through 4 ' is designed to position two separate blade members with respect , to a single blade support member to form 'a shaving unit havingboth primary and secondary cutting edges. The method of this invention, however~ may be employed equally usefully in joining a single cutting member to a support to form a conventional single '! edged shaving unit, or three or more cutting members to form a multiple edged shaving unitO
' il ' ` , .
,, -5 , . ..
_ . ,.~ _ .... .. ...
. . ~_ 1, The apparatus depicted in particular in FIGS. 1 ar.d 2 - I comprises a fixture base 3 upon which is mounted, through 4ne.
agency of screws ll, a primary blade reference block 5 and ~
- !I secondary blade reference block 6. Formed by the juxtaposition , of blade reference blocks 5 and 6 are a primary blade locating Il slot 7 and a secondary blade locating slot 8, said blade locating !i slots being separated by a blade separating rib 22. For more ¦ . , ,I critical positioning of the blade edge, spring loaded pushers ¦
(not shown) may be added to urge the blade strips forward .~gainst ¦
reference stops. Formed integrally with primary blade reference ¦
block 5 is blade support locating rib 9.
In operation, a primary blade member 10 and a secondary blade member 11 9 each in the form of a stainless steel strip 'i having a width o~ about 0.04 inch and being sharpened to a cut-1S !~ ting edge over its entire length are positioned upon a blace - , 1, support member 12 after the blade support n~ember has been located I¦ in a blade support nest 13 with end protrusions 14 abutting the " blade support locating rib 9. Alnico bar magnets 23 are looated jj within holes drilled in primary blade reference block 5 as shown 20 1I for the purpose o~ assuring the location of protrusions 14 a-gainst blade support locating rib 9. Reference block 5 is made from a non-magnetic material such as austenitic stainless steel, " brass, or aluminum. In a production embodiment, wear resistant Il materials would be provided at points of wear,such as locating 25 il rib 9, blade reference blocks 5 and 6, an,d other critical points of wear. ' ¦ To provide tension in blade members 10 and 11 for the purpose of removing any lateral curvature or lack of straightness ,~
and maintaining them in alignment with blade support member 12, . ~ . . ' . ll I . ' . '' ,.
Il 6 ,!
,, , . .' li .
I ~6x~z~
'I ' , , .
. ~ 1.
-i! strip end clarnps 15 are first tightened through the agency of.
¦~ screws 16. A pin 27, which rides on the upper surface of primary blade member 10 and in like case on secondary blade 11, as shown !l in FIG. 1, is urged downwardly by virtue of the action Or a 5 1I spring 24 which bears against a counterbore shoulder 28 and a Il foot 26, thereby exerting a downward, tensioning force indiviciu-'i ally on blade member strips 10 and llo To release the tension on ~¦ either blade member 9 a tensioning member 17 is lifted until pin i' 27 i.s clear of a slot 29 a~ter which a shaft 25 is rotated until i pin 27 bears against an upper surface of the primary blade ref0r~
'I ence block 5.
i A primary blade welding mask 18 and a secondary blade jl welding maslc 19 are then positioned with respect to blade members ¦l 10 and 11 so that counterbored holes 20 are centered over the ~I portion Or the blade members to be exposed to laser welding ! energy. The masks may be secured in position using screws or , clamps (not shown). The blade welding masks function as clamps ,1 and as heat sinks to (a) insure intimate contact between the l blade member and the blade support ~ember during welding, ~b) ii prevent heat distortion, and (c) limit conduction o~ heat that l may temper the blade edge. To this end, it is important to !l maximize contact area of the masks by minimizing the diameter of holes 20 in the portion of the welding masks nearest to surface !~ 21 which is in contact with the surface of the blade members. To ¦' reduce clipping of the focused laser beam as it enters and leaves each hole, the holes 20 are counterbored (or otherwise relieved) Ij as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. .
Blade welding masks 18 and 19 may be made from any ~setal . whlch is hi~hly reflective to the specific radiation wavelength j _7_ s . ,1 . . j, .
. ` . ¦! ' ;
¦~ Of the laser used to insure that it does rot itself become rnelted during the welding processO Two excellent materials, highly jl reflective to the range of wavelengths of interest, are copper ~1 and gold. To achieve adequate wear resistance Or masks that 5 ¦l utilize soft materials such as copper or gold, the wear surfaces of the masks may be surfaced with hard materials or the masks may l¦ be made of these hard materials, such as cerDented carbides, ,¦ hardened steel, or ceramics and then plated or otherwise clad with the high reflectivity materials of choice on the surfaces ll that see radiation.
another embodiment, the holes 20 in the masks ~ay be ii replaced with a continuous narrow slot and the interrupted (stitch) weld can be effected by repetitively gating on and off l, action of the laser beam as it traverses the length Or the slot.
15 il A typical weld pattern produced by the use of either a per~orated ll welding mask or by repetitively gating the laser beam is srown in ¦
,j Figure 5.
i Once the blade welding masks have been properly posi- 1 Il tioned with respect to the blade~ and blade support members, tne ¦
20 li¦ masks are clamped in place by agency of screws (not sho~rn) so that surfaces 21 bear directly on the blades in turn holding the blades in intimate contact with the blade support member. The blade members are welded to the blade support by movin~ either I the fixture assembly 3 or laser beam source 1 in a manner such 25 il that the focused beam 2 impinges upon the upper surfaces of the prlmary and secondary blade members 10 and 11 as it traverses ¦holes 20 in blade ~relding masks 18 and l9o By virtue of the interruptions in the reflective blade ~elding mask, a discontinu-~ous weld is produced which secures the blade member~ to the , il , :, 1~ -8-. '11 . ' ~ ' i . . . l 2~ 1 !l ` ~
i! i . support member without any of the disadvan~ages inherent in the 'I -use of other welding methods~ After welding, the ends of b~lade j~ members 10 and 11 are cut to the same length as blade support 'l member 12 by mechanical shearing or laser cutoff, for exa~,plo.
'! To prevent oxidation of the welds and heat affected i~ zones during welding, it is important to use an inert gas cover ,I which is essentially non~reactive with t,he material being ~relded.
~ While the embodiment of the invention described above illustrates apparatus for use in a unit process ~or welding a primary and a secondary blade member to a single blade sup?ort tol form a shaving unit, the method of the invention is equally applicable to continuous production processes.
Il In the application of this invention to a production .
i process, the basic runctions of the fixturization and methods of ~l operation previously described are preserved. H~owever, the ', equipment design is appropriately modified so that the actions of . parts feeding9 orienting, clamping, masking, and ~lelding are .l automatically per~ormed~ For example, in a typical embodiment, a 1 multiplicity of duplicate fixtures can be mounted on an indexing j. machine wherein as each fixture passes through successive sta-tions, the opèrations of loading of blade support, feeding, ' positioning, and clamping of blade strips, positionin~ of masks, laser welding, trimming of blade strip ends, and unloading of the il .
completed weldment are perforDledO
We claim:
.
.' ' I ' ` , ; ` ' ` . ` , .
, 9- ' .
, 'j , I ., . ` ` ` ` 1 ' -`
Claims (10)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A shaving unit comprising a support member, a blade member having a cutting edge thereon, and a series of welds disposed substantially throughout the length of said blade member and fixedly interconnecting said blade member and said support member, said blade member being under tension lengthwise thereof.
2. A shaving unit as described in claim 1 in which said support member and said blade member are fixedly interconnected by a series of laser welds.
3. A shaving unit as described in claims 1 or 2 in which said blade member comprises a stainless steel strip.
4. A method for welding a steel blade strip having cutting edge means thereon to a metallic support member, said method comprising holding said strip in tension while positioning it and said member with respect to each other, positioning a welding mask so as to insure intimate contact between the strip and support member and subjecting the combination to a laser beam so that energy passes through the mask to weld the strip and support member together.
5. A method as described in claim 4 in which the welding mask is perforated.
6. A method as described in claim 4 in which the welding mask has a continuous narrow slot and in which an interrupted weld is effected by repetitively gating on and off the action of the laser beam as it traverses the length of the slot.
7. A method as described in claim 5 in which the perforations in the welding mask are relieved to reduce clipping of the laser beam as it enters and leaves each perforation.
8. A method as described in claim 4 in which the welding mask has a surface which is highly reflective to the specific radiation wavelength of the laser beam to insure that it does not itself become melted during the welding process.
9. A method as described in claim 4 in which the welding mask is made of a material selected from the class consisting of cemented carbides, hardened steel, and ceramics and has a surface clad with a metal which is highly reflective to the specific radiation wavelength of the laser beam.
10. A method as described in claim 4 in which the welding mask is made of a metal which is highly reflective to the specific radiation wavelength of the laser used and in which a wear surface is made from a material selected from the class consisting of cemented carbides, hardened steel, and ceramics.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000427775A CA1161904A (en) | 1980-04-21 | 1983-05-09 | Laser welding apparatus |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US14232480A | 1980-04-21 | 1980-04-21 | |
| US142,324 | 1980-04-21 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1156824A true CA1156824A (en) | 1983-11-15 |
Family
ID=22499410
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000375798A Expired CA1156824A (en) | 1980-04-21 | 1981-04-21 | Shaving unit and method of manufacture therefor |
Country Status (4)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1156824A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE3115842A1 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2480653A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2074070B (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE3833110A1 (en) * | 1988-09-29 | 1990-04-05 | Siemens Ag | METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR WELDING THERMOPLASTIC MATERIALS BY MEANS OF HEAT RADIATION |
| IE910063A1 (en) * | 1991-01-09 | 1992-07-15 | Rosspark Ltd | A method for seam welding |
| FR2821577B1 (en) * | 2001-03-02 | 2003-06-20 | Commissariat Energie Atomique | METHOD OF ASSEMBLING ELEMENTS BY LOCALIZED HEATING |
Family Cites Families (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4000392A (en) * | 1974-07-01 | 1976-12-28 | United Technologies Corporation | Fusion zone purification by controlled laser welding |
| US4084316A (en) * | 1974-10-08 | 1978-04-18 | The Gillette Company | Safety razors |
-
1981
- 1981-04-13 GB GB8111689A patent/GB2074070B/en not_active Expired
- 1981-04-21 CA CA000375798A patent/CA1156824A/en not_active Expired
- 1981-04-21 FR FR8107929A patent/FR2480653A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1981-04-21 DE DE19813115842 patent/DE3115842A1/en not_active Withdrawn
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB2074070B (en) | 1985-01-09 |
| GB2074070A (en) | 1981-10-28 |
| FR2480653A1 (en) | 1981-10-23 |
| DE3115842A1 (en) | 1982-01-14 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| US4379219A (en) | Shaving unit and method of manufacture therefor | |
| US5502292A (en) | Method for laser welding ultra-thin metal foils | |
| US4159686A (en) | Process for smoothing the eye of a needle and needle made thereby | |
| ES8504520A1 (en) | Laser-beamwelding. | |
| EP0337753A3 (en) | Chain saw for cutting aggregate material | |
| WO2003004210B1 (en) | Method of ablating an opening in a hard, non-metallic substrate | |
| US3474219A (en) | Machining process using radiant energy | |
| CA1156824A (en) | Shaving unit and method of manufacture therefor | |
| GB1405487A (en) | Apparatus for treating workpieces with laser radiation | |
| Copley | Laser Shaping of Materials.(Retroactive Coverage) | |
| GB1114985A (en) | A method of processing workpieces by means of energy-carrying rays | |
| US5472772A (en) | Method for welding stacker laminations and article therefrom | |
| CS367490A3 (en) | Process for hardening cutting edges of saw blades, knives and punches | |
| ATE127054T1 (en) | DEVICE FOR CUTTING AND BUTT WELDING STRIPS OR SHEET METALS WITH LIMITED DIMENSIONS. | |
| CA1161904A (en) | Laser welding apparatus | |
| US4339655A (en) | Laser undercutting system | |
| DE19501442A1 (en) | Prodn. of cutting tools for machine tools, esp. saw blades | |
| JPS62104693A (en) | Laser cutting method | |
| Abe et al. | High Speed Welding of Thick Plates using a Laser Arc Combination System | |
| JPS5785688A (en) | Laser cutting method for non-metallic corrugated laminate | |
| US5254831A (en) | Method of manufacturing bobbins for sewing machine | |
| Taeusch | YAG laser processing in the aircraft industry | |
| JPS589782A (en) | Cutting method by laser | |
| US3573424A (en) | Method for removal of the porous portion of a butt weld | |
| JPS57106488A (en) | Laser welding method |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry | ||
| MKEX | Expiry |
Effective date: 20001115 |