CN105195904B - Laser processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a laser processing device which can save space, and can process laser processing with high speed and high quality in the laser processing process of multi-point simultaneous irradiation. A laser processing device (1) is provided with: a laser oscillator (3a) as a 1 st laser oscillation mechanism, which outputs a 1 st laser beam; a laser oscillator (3b) as a 2 nd laser oscillation mechanism for outputting a 2 nd laser beam; a sub-galvanometer type optical scanner (7a) as a 1 st sub-galvanometer type optical scanner; a sub-galvanometer optical scanner (7b) as a 2 nd sub-galvanometer optical scanner; a polarization beam splitter (8) as a laser combining mechanism; a main galvanometer type optical scanner (9a, 9 b); an f-theta lens (10) that condenses the 1 st laser light and the 2 nd laser light from the main galvanometer type optical scanner; and a laser oscillator control unit (22) as a laser oscillation control means for independently controlling the 1 st laser oscillation means and the 2 nd laser oscillation means.

Description

Laser processing apparatus

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a laser (laser) processing apparatus having a main function of punching a processing object such as a printed circuit board, and more particularly, to a multipoint simultaneous irradiation type laser processing apparatus for the purpose of improving production efficiency.

Background

Conventionally, there has been disclosed a laser processing apparatus in which 1 laser beam output from a laser oscillator (laser) is divided into 2 laser beams to simultaneously process 2 holes by the 2 laser beams in order to improve productivity (see, for example, patent document 1). In this laser processing apparatus, one of the two split laser beams is deflected (changed in the direction of travel) in two dimensions (in a plane) by a 1 st galvanometer optical scanner (galvanometer scanner) and a 2 nd galvanometer optical scanner, and is positioned, and the other of the two split laser beams is deflected in two dimensions (in a plane) by a 3 rd galvanometer optical scanner and a 4 th galvanometer optical scanner, and is positioned. Such a laser processing apparatus can realize high-speed laser processing and save space (space) by irradiating the object to be processed with 2 laser beams having passed through 1 f-theta lens (lens).

[ patent document 1 ] Japanese patent application laid-open No. 3237832

In such a laser processing apparatus, a galvanometer mirror (galvano meter mirror) of a galvanometer optical scanner needs to be disposed in the vicinity of the focal point of the f- θ lens so that the laser light is perpendicularly incident on the object to be processed. The pair of galvanometer optical scanners 1 st galvanometer optical scanner and 2 nd galvanometer optical scanner and the pair of galvanometer optical scanners 3 rd galvanometer optical scanner and 4 th galvanometer optical scanner are disposed close to each other. Therefore, the irradiation interval between the 2 laser beams used for scanning by the two sets of galvanometer type optical scanners is small.

For example, when a hole-punching pattern (pattern) is processed on a large-sized circuit board such as a printed circuit board of a personal computer (personal computer) or a mobile phone, two cases arise, one in which two-hole simultaneous processing by the above-mentioned 2 laser beams is necessary, and the other in which single-hole processing by only 1 laser beam is necessary. In the case of single-hole machining, one of the two split laser beams needs to be shielded.

As a method of shielding laser light to realize single-hole processing, a mechanical shutter (mechanical shutter) may be used to shield a beam of laser light. Since the opening and closing speed of the mechanical shutter is slow, usually several hundred milliseconds, there is a problem that the processing time is prolonged. As another method, the avoidance operation may be performed by largely rotating the galvanometer optical scanner on which unnecessary laser light is incident, so as to deflect the laser light in a direction other than the direction of the object to be processed (change the traveling direction). The method is low in cost, and can shield the laser in a shorter time than the method using a mechanical shutter.

For example, in the laser processing apparatus described in patent document 1, by rotating any one of the 1 st to 4 th galvanometer optical scanners at a rotation angle 2 times or more the rotation angle in a normal case, it is possible to prevent the object to be processed from being irradiated with the laser light from the f- θ lens. In this case, since the avoidance operation of the galvanometer optical scanner usually requires several milliseconds, there is a problem that the scanning time of the galvanometer optical scanner is long and the processing time is further prolonged.

In the laser processing apparatus described in patent document 1, since 1 laser beam is divided into 2 laser beams, the peak power (peak power) of the laser beam used for processing is reduced by half with respect to the peak power of the laser oscillator. Therefore, there are problems as follows: a long processing time is required for punching a metal material or a glass (glass) material which is required to be processed at a high peak power, and the processing quality is deteriorated due to the influence of heat generation.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a laser processing apparatus capable of performing laser processing at high speed and high quality while saving space in laser processing by simultaneous irradiation of multiple spots.

In order to achieve the above object, a laser processing apparatus according to the present invention includes: a 1 st laser oscillation mechanism which outputs a 1 st laser beam; a 2 nd laser oscillation mechanism which outputs a 2 nd laser beam; a 1 st sub-galvanometer scanner (sub-galvano scanner) for deflecting the 1 st laser light output from the 1 st laser oscillation mechanism toward a 1 st direction; a 2 nd sub galvanometer optical scanner configured to deflect the 2 nd laser light output from the 2 nd laser oscillation mechanism in a 2 nd direction, the 2 nd direction being different from the 1 st direction; a laser beam combining mechanism that combines the 1 st laser beam from the 1 st sub-galvanometer optical scanner and the 2 nd laser beam from the 2 nd sub-galvanometer optical scanner into one beam; a main-galvometer (main-galvometer scanner) that deflects the 1 st and 2 nd laser light from the laser combining mechanism; an f-theta lens condensing the 1 st laser light and the 2 nd laser light from the main galvanometer type optical scanner; and a laser oscillation control unit for independently controlling the 1 st laser oscillation unit and the 2 nd laser oscillation unit, respectively.

By adopting the invention, the laser processing device switches the simultaneous processing of two holes and the processing of a single hole according to the output of a laser oscillation trigger (trigger) signal. The laser processing apparatus can switch between simultaneous two-hole processing and single-hole processing at a higher speed than in the case where the avoidance operation is performed by the galvanometer type optical scanner. The laser processing apparatus performs simultaneous processing of two holes by using two laser oscillation mechanisms, thereby being capable of completing processing in a short time with high peak power and suppressing deterioration of processing quality due to the influence of heat generation. Therefore, in laser processing in which simultaneous irradiation of a plurality of spots is performed, laser processing can be performed at high speed and high quality with a reduced space.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a laser processing apparatus according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of dividing the object into a plurality of processing regions (areas).

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a scanning region of the sub-galvanometer type optical scanner.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart (flow chart) illustrating a procedure of a calibration operation of the laser oscillator.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a laser processing operation of the laser processing apparatus.

Fig. 6 is a configuration diagram of a laser processing apparatus according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an internal structure of the 1 st processing head (head).

Fig. 8 is a drawing showing an internal structure of the 2 nd processing head.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a calibration operation of the laser oscillator.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a laser processing operation of the laser processing apparatus.

Fig. 11 is a structural diagram of a laser processing apparatus according to embodiment 3 of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a drawing showing an internal structure of the 2 nd processing head.

Fig. 13 is a structural diagram of a laser processing apparatus according to embodiment 4 of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a laser processing operation of the laser processing apparatus.

[ description of reference ]

1. 41, 61, 70: a laser processing device; 2. 2a, 2b, 44a, 44b, 44c, 44 d: laser; 3a, 3 b: a laser oscillator; 4a, 4b, 4c, 4 d: a polarization mechanism; 5. 45, and (2) 45: a mirror; 7a, 7b, 7c, 7 d: a sub galvanometer optical scanner; 8. 8a, 8b, 43a, 43b, 72: a polarization beam splitter; 9a, 9b, 9c, 9 d: 10, 10a, 10 b: an f-theta lens; 11. 11a, 11 b: an object to be processed; 12: an XY stage; 13a, 13b, 13c, 13 d: laser processing holes; 14: a laser power sensor; 15. 15a, 15 b: a vision sensor; 16. 16a, 16b, 16 c: a machining head; 20. 50, 75: a control unit; 21: an instruction generation unit; 22: a laser oscillator control section; 23. 51: a galvanometer type optical scanner control unit; 24. 52: a vision sensor control unit; 25: an XY table control unit; 26: a laser power sensor control unit; 30: a machining area; 31. 32: processing the position of the hole; 33: a laser scanning area; 42a, 42b, 71: a beam splitting adjustment mechanism; 73: an optical switch; 74: an optical switch control unit.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of a laser processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[ 1 st embodiment ]

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a laser processing apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. The laser processing apparatus 1 performs laser drilling by irradiating a laser (pulse laser) to the object 11. The object 11 is, for example, a printed circuit board built in a personal computer.

The laser processing apparatus 1 includes: laser oscillators 3a, 3 b; polarization mechanisms 4a, 4 b; a processing head 16; an XY table (table) 12; a laser power sensor (laser power sensor) 14; a vision sensor (vision sensor) 15; and a control unit (20). The object 11 is placed on an XY table 12.

The laser oscillator 3a is a 1 st laser oscillation mechanism that outputs a laser beam 2a (1 st laser beam). The laser oscillator 3b is a 2 nd laser oscillation mechanism that outputs a laser beam 2b (2 nd laser beam). The laser processing apparatus 1 can simultaneously perform hole drilling processing at 2 positions by simultaneously irradiating the object 11 with the laser beams 2a and 2 b.

In fig. 1, the optical path of the laser beam 2a is indicated by a solid line, and the optical path of the laser beam 2b is indicated by a broken line. The laser light 2a output from the laser oscillator 3a and the laser light 2b output from the laser oscillator 3b are laser lights having the same wavelength or the same wavelength. For example, the peak (peak) wavelength of the carbon dioxide gas (gas) laser is 9.4 μm or 10.6 μm. Therefore, such a difference in degree can be regarded as an equivalent degree.

The laser oscillators 3a and 3b output pulsed laser beams 2a and 2b based on laser oscillation command set values for the peak power, pulse width, number of pulses, and pulse frequency of the laser pulses. The laser oscillators 3a and 3b output the laser beams 2a and 2b at corresponding timings (timing) in accordance with a laser oscillation trigger signal from the control unit 20.

The polarization mechanism 4a allows passage of specific linearly polarized light in the laser light 2a incident from the laser oscillator 3a into the processing head 16. The polarization mechanism 4a allows, for example, S-polarized light to pass therethrough. The polarization mechanism 4b allows passage of specific linearly polarized light in the laser light 2b incident from the laser oscillator 3b into the processing head 16. The polarization mechanism 4b allows, for example, P-polarized light to pass therethrough. The polarization means 4a, 4b are, for example, wave plates. The laser processing apparatus 1 can adjust the polarization directions of the laser beams 2a and 2b by rotating the polarization adjustment mechanisms 4a and 4 b.

The machining head 16 includes: a mirror (bend mirror) 5; sub galvanometer type optical scanners (sub scanners) 7a, 7 b; a polarizing beam splitter (beam splitter) 8; main galvanometer type optical scanners (main scanners) 9a, 9 b; an f-theta lens 10. The mirror 5 is provided in the optical path of the laser light 2a incident into the processing head 16 and in the optical path of the laser light 2 b. The laser light 2a is reflected by a mirror 5 provided in the optical path of the laser light 2a, whereby the laser light 2a is guided to a sub-galvanometer type optical scanner 7 a. The laser light 2b is reflected by a mirror 5 provided in the optical path of the laser light 2b, so that the laser light 2b is guided to a sub-galvanometer type optical scanner 7 b.

The sub galvanometer optical scanner 7a is a 1 st sub galvanometer optical scanner for deflecting the laser light 2a output from the laser oscillator 3a in the 1 st direction. The sub galvanometer optical scanner 7b is a 2 nd sub galvanometer optical scanner for deflecting the laser light 2b output from the laser oscillator 3b in the 2 nd direction. The 2 nd direction is a direction different from the 1 st direction, which is perpendicular to the 1 st direction. The 1 st direction is, for example, an X-axis direction. The 2 nd direction is, for example, the Y-axis direction. The X, Y and Z axes are mutually perpendicular axes.

The sub galvanometer type optical scanners 7a and 7b as laser deflecting means each have: a scanner mirror that reflects the laser light 2a, 2 b; a motor (motor) that drives the scanner mirror. An angle sensor, not shown, is attached to the motor, and the sub galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7b drive the scanner mirrors that reflect the laser beams 2a and 2b by the motor, rotate the scanner mirrors, and control the rotation angle thereof to deflect the laser beams 2a and 2 b.

The sub galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7b deflect the laser beams 2a and 2b irradiating the object 11 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, which are perpendicular to each other. Accordingly, the sub-galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7b change the relative irradiation positions of the laser beams 2a and 2b on the object 11 in the two-dimensional direction (XY direction).

The polarization beam splitter 8 is a laser beam combining mechanism that combines the laser beam 2a from the sub-galvanometer optical scanner 7a and the laser beam 2b from the sub-galvanometer optical scanner 7b into one beam. The laser light 2a is reflected by the polarization beam splitter 8, the optical path thereof is bent, and the laser light 2b is transmitted through the polarization beam splitter 8, so that the laser light 2a, 2b traveling in the same direction are emitted from the polarization beam splitter 8.

The polarization beam splitter 8 has the following polarization characteristics: the laser beam 2a as S-polarized light is reflected, and the laser beam 2b as P-polarized light is transmitted. By adjusting the polarization direction of the laser light 2a by the polarization mechanism 4a, the polarization beam splitter 8 can efficiently reflect the laser light 2 a. By adjusting the polarization direction of the laser light 2b by the polarization mechanism 4b, the polarization beam splitter 8 can efficiently transmit the laser light 2 b.

The primary galvanometer optical scanner 9a is a 1 st primary galvanometer optical scanner that deflects the laser beams 2a and 2b from the polarization beam splitter 8 in the 1 st direction. The primary galvanometer optical scanner 9b is a 2 nd primary galvanometer optical scanner for deflecting the laser beams 2a and 2b from the polarization beam splitter 8 in the 2 nd direction.

The main galvanometer type optical scanners 9a and 9b as laser deflecting means each have: a scanner mirror that reflects the laser light 2a, 2 b; a motor driving the scanner mirror. An angle sensor, not shown, is attached to the motor, and the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a and 9b drive the scanner mirrors that reflect the laser beams 2a and 2b by the motor, rotate the scanner mirrors, and control the rotation angles thereof to deflect the laser beams 2a and 2 b.

The main galvanometer type optical scanners 9a and 9b deflect the laser beams 2a and 2b irradiating the object 11 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, which are perpendicular to each other. Accordingly, the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a and 9b change the irradiation positions of the laser beams 2a and 2b on the object 11 in the two-dimensional direction (XY direction).

The laser processing apparatus 1 deflects the laser light 2a in the X-axis direction by rotating the scanner mirror of the sub-galvanometer type optical scanner 7 a. The laser processing apparatus 1 deflects the laser beam 2b in the Y-axis direction by rotating the scanner mirror of the sub-galvanometer type optical scanner 7 b.

The laser processing apparatus 1 deflects the laser beams 2a and 2b in the X-axis direction by rotating the scanner mirror of the main galvanometer type optical scanner 9 a. The laser processing apparatus 1 deflects the laser beams 2a and 2b in the Y-axis direction by rotating the scanner mirror of the main galvanometer type optical scanner 9 b.

The main galvanometer type optical scanners 9a, 9b deflect the lasers 2a, 2b together over a wide range. The main galvanometer type optical scanners 9a, 9b can deflect the laser lights 2a, 2b together in the entire scanning area on the XY table 12, and cannot change the irradiation positions of the laser lights 2a, 2b individually.

The sub galvanometer type optical scanners 7a, 7b individually deflect the lasers 2a, 2b in a small range. The sub galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7b can change the irradiation positions of the laser beams 2a and 2b individually.

The effective rotation angle of the sub galvanometer type optical scanners 7a and 7b for deflecting the laser beams 2a and 2b is, for example, ± 0.8deg or less. Within this effective rotation angle range, the sub galvanometer optical scanners 7a, 7b enable the laser lights 2a, 2b to enter the polarization beam splitter 8, and enable the laser lights 2a, 2b to travel from the polarization beam splitter 8 to the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a, 9 b.

The effective rotation angle at which the main galvanometer type optical scanners 9a, 9b deflect the lasers 2a, 2b is, for example, ± 8deg or less. The effective rotation angle of the sub-galvanometer optical scanners 7a, 7b is about 10-1 of the effective rotation angle of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a, 9 b.

The avoidance operation can be performed by rotating the sub galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7b by an angle equal to or larger than the effective rotation angle, for example, by about ± 8deg, and the laser beams 2a and 2b can be made to travel in the direction other than the polarization beam splitter 8. The sub galvanometer type optical scanners 7a and 7b need several milliseconds to perform such avoidance operation once. Since the avoidance operation is a factor that increases the machining time, the avoidance operation is not performed in the present embodiment.

The f- θ lens 10 condenses the laser beams 2a and 2b from the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a and 9b on the object 11. The XY table 12 moves the object 11 in the X direction and the Y direction. The XY table 12 moves the object 11 in XY directions so that a processing point on the object 11 is positioned within the scanning areas of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a, 9 b.

The XY table 12 can move the object 11 in the XY direction within a range of 600mm × 600 mm. The object 11 is usually 300mm × 300mm or more, but the scanning areas of the laser beams 2a and 2b on the object 11 by the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a and 9b are small, i.e., about 50mm × 50mm, and the scanning areas of the sub galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7b on the object 11 are about 5mm × 5 mm. The laser processing apparatus 1 can perform laser drilling processing on the entire region of the object 11 larger than the scanning region of the scanner itself as the processing target by sequentially moving the object 11 in the XY directions by the XY table.

A laser power sensor 14 as a laser power measuring means is mounted on the XY table 12 at a position other than the position where the object 11 is placed. The laser power sensor 14 measures the power of the laser beams 2a and 2b irradiated to the object 11.

The machining head 16 is fixed to a Z-axis table, not shown, and is movable in the Z-axis direction. The vision sensor 15 is fixed to the processing head 16. The vision sensor 15 is constituted by a CCD camera (camera) that captures an image for measuring the hole diameter and the processing position of the laser-processed holes 13a, 13 b.

By moving the vision sensor 15 along the Z axis together with the processing head 16, the measurement range and the focus can be adjusted. By moving the XY table 12 on which the object 11 is placed, the vision sensor 15 can acquire images of the laser-machined holes 13a and 13 b.

The controller 20 controls the entire laser processing apparatus 1. The control unit 20 includes a command generation unit 21, a laser oscillator control unit 22, a galvanometer optical scanner control unit 23, a vision sensor control unit 24, an XY stage control unit 25, and a laser power sensor control unit 26. The control unit 20 is a computer system (computer) including a microprocessor (microprocessor), a memory (memory), a monitor (monitor), and various external interfaces (interfaces) (not shown).

The command generating unit 21 outputs various commands based on a machining program (program) in which coordinates indicating the position of a machined hole and laser machining conditions are described, and these commands are output to the laser oscillator control unit 22, the galvanometer-type optical scanner control unit 23, the vision sensor control unit 24, the XY stage control unit 25, and the laser power sensor control unit 26.

The laser oscillator control unit 22 as a laser oscillation control means transmits a laser oscillation command set value to the laser oscillators 3a and 3b based on the laser oscillation command output from the command generation unit 21. The laser oscillation command set value includes set values of the peak power, pulse width, pulse number, and pulse frequency of the laser pulse. The laser oscillator control section 22 controls the laser oscillators 3a and 3b in accordance with a laser oscillation command.

The laser oscillator control unit 22 sets whether or not the laser beams 2a and 2b can be output from the laser oscillators 3a and 3b, respectively, based on information on the machining hole in the machining program. The laser oscillator control unit 22 outputs a laser oscillation trigger signal for instructing the timing (time) of outputting the laser light 2a to the laser oscillator 3 a. The laser oscillator control unit 22 outputs a laser oscillation trigger signal for instructing the timing of outputting the laser light 2b to the laser oscillator 3 b.

In this way, the laser oscillator control section 22 outputs the laser oscillation trigger signals to the laser oscillators 3a and 3b individually. The laser oscillator control unit 22 outputs a laser oscillation trigger signal to control the laser oscillators 3a and 3b to output the lasers 2a and 2b at timings corresponding to the set values.

The galvanometer optical scanner control unit 23 controls the rotation angles of the sub galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7b and the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a and 9b based on the rotation angle command output from the command generating unit 21.

The vision sensor control unit 24 controls the vision sensor 15 when the vision sensor 15 measures the laser processed holes 13a and 13b formed in the object 11. The vision sensor control unit 24 performs arithmetic processing based on the image information acquired by the vision sensor 15 to determine the hole diameter, the processing position, and the circularity of the laser processed holes 13a and 13 b. The vision sensor 15 and the vision sensor control unit 24 are machining hole measuring means for performing various measurements of the laser machining holes 13a and 13b formed in the object 11.

The XY table control unit 25 controls the movement and positions of the XY table 12 based on the table position command output from the command generating unit 21. The table position command is a command regarding the position of the XY table 12.

When measuring the power of the laser beams 2a and 2b, the laser power sensor control unit 26 controls the laser power sensor 14. The laser power sensor 14 inputs the laser average power signal as a measurement result to the laser power sensor control unit 26. The laser power sensor control unit 26 calculates the energy (energy) of 1 laser pulse by using a laser oscillation command input to the laser oscillator control unit 22.

The laser power sensor control unit 26 outputs laser power measurement information on the average laser power and the energy of 1 pulse to, for example, a monitor of the control unit 20. The laser power sensor control unit 26 stores the laser power measurement information.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of dividing the object into a plurality of processing regions. Since the scanning areas of the laser beams 2a and 2b of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a and 9b are about 50mm × 50mm, a plurality of 50mm × 50mm processing areas 30 are set on a processing object of 300mm × 300mm, for example, as shown in fig. 2. During laser processing, the laser processing apparatus 1 sequentially moves the XY table 12 in the XY directions to position the object 11 so that the center position of each processing region 30 coincides with the center of the scanning region of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a and 9 b.

Fig. 3 shows an example of the scanning regions of the sub-galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7 b. In the machining region 30, the machining hole position 31 is an example of a machining hole position that can be machined by simultaneously irradiating the laser beams 2a and 2 b. The machining hole position 32 is an example of a machining hole position that can be machined by only one of the laser beams 2a and 2 b. The machining hole positions 31 and 32 can be moved within the laser scanning region 33 by deflecting the laser beams 2a and 2b by the revolute pair galvanometer type optical scanners 7a and 7 b.

The size (size) of the laser scanning area 33 of the sub-galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7b is about 5mm × 5mm, but the scanning area 33 can be moved and positioned to an arbitrary position within the processing area 30 of 50mm × 50mm by rotating the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a and 9 b.

The laser oscillator control unit 22 outputs laser oscillation trigger signals to the laser oscillators 3a and 3b at the same time for the position 31 of the machining hole to be machined 2 in the laser scanning region 33. Thus, the laser processing apparatus 1 performs laser drilling processing at 2 positions by 2 laser beams 2a and 2b simultaneously irradiated.

The laser oscillator control unit 22 outputs a laser oscillation trigger signal to either the laser oscillator 3a or the laser oscillator 3b for the position 32 of the processing hole to be processed 1 in the laser scanning region 33. Thus, the laser processing apparatus 1 performs laser drilling processing at 1 position by one of the 2 laser beams 2a and 2 b.

In the present embodiment, the laser processing apparatus 1 switches between two-hole simultaneous processing and one-hole processing based on the output laser oscillation trigger signal. The laser processing apparatus 1 can control ON and OFF of the 2 laser beams 2a and 2b condensed by the f- θ lens 10, and the ON and OFF of the laser beams 2a and 2b are independent of each other. For example, the laser processing apparatus 1 can switch between simultaneous two-hole processing and single-hole processing at a high speed as compared with a case where the simultaneous irradiation of 2 laser beams and the irradiation of one laser beam are switched by shielding with a shutter or by avoiding operation with a galvanometer type optical scanner.

Next, the calibration operation of the laser oscillators 3a and 3b performed before the laser processing apparatus 1 performs laser processing will be described. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the calibration operation of the laser oscillators 3a, 3 b. The processing in the step shown in fig. 4 is processing for equalizing the powers of the laser beams 2a and 2b, and the laser processing amounts are the same when the laser beams 2a and 2b output from the laser oscillators 3a and 3b are irradiated onto the object 11.

Even if the same laser oscillation conditions are set for the laser oscillators 3a, 3b, the powers of the laser beams 2a, 2b irradiated onto the object 11 may be different from each other. The reason for this is, for example, individual differences between the laser oscillators 3a, 3b, different power losses of the laser light 2a and the laser light 2b in the respective optical paths, and the like. Next, the procedure of the calibration operation of the laser oscillators 3a and 3b will be described in detail with reference to fig. 4.

The galvanometer optical scanner control unit 23 positions the sub-galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7b and the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a and 9b at the origin as a reference of the rotation angle (step S1). The origin is set as the center of the effective rotation angle for deflecting the laser beams 2a and 2 b.

The XY table controller 25 moves the XY table 12 to a position where the laser power sensor 14 can measure the power of the laser light 2a (step S2).

The laser oscillator control unit 22 sets the peak power Pc0, the pulse width Wc0, the number of pulses Nc0, and the pulse frequency Fc0 of the calibration laser pulse to the laser oscillator 3a based on a preset calibration laser oscillation command.

The laser oscillator control unit 22 sends these set values to the laser oscillator 3a, and outputs a laser oscillation trigger signal at regular time intervals. The laser processing apparatus 1 continuously outputs the pulse-shaped laser light 2a from the laser oscillator 3a for a predetermined time period based on the laser oscillation trigger signal (step S3).

The laser power sensor 14 moved to the measurement position of the laser light 2a in step S2 measures the power of the laser light 2a output from the laser oscillator 3a in step S3. The laser power sensor control unit 26 monitors the average laser power measured by the laser power sensor 14.

The operator rotates the polarization adjustment mechanism 4a to adjust the polarization direction of the laser beam 2a so that the average laser power is maximized. The laser power sensor control unit 26 stores the maximum value Pma of the average laser power in a memory (not shown) (step S4). The laser oscillator control section 22 stops outputting the laser oscillation trigger signal, and the laser oscillator 3a stops outputting the laser light 2 a.

The XY table controller 25 moves the XY table 12 to a position where the laser power sensor 14 can measure the power of the laser light 2b (step S5).

The laser oscillator control unit 22 sets, to the laser oscillator 3b, the same calibration laser pulse peak power Pc0, pulse width Wc0, pulse number Nc0, and pulse frequency Fc0 as those of the laser oscillator 3a, based on a preset calibration laser oscillation command.

The laser oscillator control unit 22 sends these set values to the laser oscillator 3b, and outputs a laser oscillation trigger signal at regular time intervals. The laser processing apparatus 1 continuously outputs the pulse-shaped laser light 2b from the laser oscillator 3b for a predetermined time period based on the laser oscillation trigger signal (step S6).

The laser power sensor 14 moved to the measurement position of the laser light 2b in step S5 measures the power of the laser light 2b output by the laser oscillator 3b in step S6. The laser power sensor control unit 26 monitors the average laser power measured by the laser power sensor 14.

The operator rotates the polarization adjustment mechanism 4b to adjust the polarization direction of the laser beam 2b so that the average laser power is maximized. The controller 20 stores the maximum value Pma of the average laser power in the memory (step S7). The laser oscillator control section 22 stops outputting the laser oscillation trigger signal, and the laser oscillator 3b stops outputting the laser light 2 b.

The command generating unit 21 calculates a correction coefficient Kb using the stored laser average powers Pma and Pmb. The correction coefficient Kb is a coefficient for correcting a laser oscillation command set value of the peak power or the pulse width set to the laser oscillator 3 b. The correction coefficient Kb can be obtained by the following equation (1), for example.

Kb＝Pma/Pmb (1)

By multiplying the set value of the peak power set to the laser oscillator 3b by the correction coefficient Kb, the powers of the laser beams 2a and 2b irradiated to the object 11 by the laser processing apparatus 1 can be made equal.

When the peak power Pc0 is set for the laser oscillator 3a and the laser average power Pma is acquired, the laser average power Pmb of the laser oscillator 3b can be made equal to Pma by setting a correction value Pc0b for the peak power for the laser oscillator 3 b. The correction value Pc0b is obtained by, for example, the following equation (2).

Pc0b＝Kb×Pc0 (2)

In the laser processing apparatus 1, the same effect can be obtained by correcting the pulse width Wc0 by the correction coefficient Kb in addition to correcting the peak power Pc0 of the laser pulse by the correction coefficient Kb. By multiplying the pulse width setting value set for the laser oscillator 3b by the correction coefficient Kb, the power of the laser light 2a, 2b irradiated to the object 11 by the laser processing apparatus 1 can be made the same.

Instead of the correction coefficient Kb calculated for the laser oscillator 3b, the command generating unit 21 may calculate the correction coefficient Ka for the laser oscillator 3 a. The correction coefficient Ka is a coefficient for correcting a laser oscillation command set value of the peak power or the pulse width set to the laser oscillator 3 a. The correction coefficient Ka can be obtained by, for example, the following equation (3).

Ka＝Pmb/Pma (3)

By multiplying the set value of the peak power or the pulse width set in the laser oscillator 3a by the correction coefficient Ka, the powers of the laser beams 2a and 2b irradiated to the object 11 by the laser processing apparatus 1 can be made equal. The command generating unit 21 stores the correction coefficient Ka or the correction coefficient Kb of the laser oscillation command obtained as described above in a memory (not shown) (step S8).

In the calibration operation of the laser oscillators 3a, 3b of the laser processing apparatus 1, the correction coefficient Ka or the correction coefficient Kb of the laser oscillation command is not limited to the power of the laser beams 2a, 2b measured by using the laser power sensor 14. The laser processing apparatus 1 may measure the laser processing hole using the vision sensor 15 during the calibration operation of the laser oscillators 3a, 3b, and obtain the correction coefficient Ka or the correction coefficient Kb of the laser oscillation command based on the measurement result so that the laser processing amounts when the laser beams 2a, 2b output from the laser oscillators 3a, 3b are irradiated onto the object 11 are the same.

In this case, the laser processing apparatus 1 sets the peak power Pc0, the pulse width Wc0, the number of pulses Nc0, and the pulse frequency Fc0 of the calibration laser pulses to the laser oscillators 3a and 3b based on the calibration laser oscillation command.

The laser oscillator control unit 22 transmits these set values to the laser oscillators 3a and 3b, and outputs a laser oscillation trigger signal to the laser oscillators 3a and 3 b. The laser processing apparatus 1 outputs laser beams 2a and 2b from laser oscillators 3a and 3b to form a laser processing hole for alignment in the object 11.

The vision sensor control unit 24 obtains the diameter D0a of the laser processed hole 13a formed by irradiating the laser beam 2a and the diameter D0b of the laser processed hole 13b formed by irradiating the laser beam 2b, based on the image information acquired by the vision sensor 15.

When the correction coefficient Kb is obtained, for example, the peak power Pc0b of the laser oscillator 3b when the diameter D0a and the diameter D0b are equal is obtained by measuring the laser machining hole 13b by performing calibration machining while continuously changing the peak power of the laser oscillator 3 b. The command generation unit 21 obtains the correction coefficient Kb according to the following expression (4), for example.

Kb＝Pc0b/Pc0 (4)

Next, a laser processing operation of the laser processing apparatus 1 will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which the laser processing apparatus 1 performs a laser processing operation.

The command generating unit 21 reads an NC program as a machining program (step 10). The command generating unit 21 stores the XY coordinates of the machining hole and the laser oscillation command in the memory based on the machining hole data (data) and the laser machining conditions in the machining program. The laser oscillation instruction includes information on the peak power, pulse width, number of pulses, and pulse frequency of the laser pulse. For example, when a printed circuit board of a mobile phone is used as the object 11, the number of data for processing a hole is usually several tens of thousands of holes to several hundreds of thousands of holes.

The command generation unit 21 transmits the stored laser oscillation command to the laser oscillator control unit 22. The laser oscillator control unit 22 corrects the received laser oscillation command based on the correction coefficient obtained in the calibration operation. The laser oscillator control unit 22 sets the corrected laser oscillation command to the laser oscillators 3a and 3 b.

The command generating unit 21 divides the object 11 into a plurality of machining areas 30 as shown in fig. 2, for example, and sets data of the machining hole in each machining area 30 based on the XY coordinates of each machining hole. The command generating unit 21 generates a table position command corresponding to the center coordinates of each machining area 30 (step S11).

Thereafter, the command generating unit 21 classifies the machining holes set in the machining area 30 and determines whether the machining holes belong to a machining hole position 31 where two-hole simultaneous machining is possible or a machining hole position 32 where single-hole machining is possible as shown in fig. 3. The command generating unit 21 sorts the machining holes in the machining order so as to minimize the machining time.

The command generating unit 21 calculates, for a machined hole that can be machined simultaneously in two holes, respective rotation angles of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a and 9b and the sub galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7b, which are rotation angles at which the laser beams 2a and 2b can be simultaneously irradiated to 2 positions. Further, the command generation unit 21 sets a laser oscillation trigger flag (flag) corresponding to both the laser oscillators 3a, 3b to ON (for example, "1").

Further, the command generating unit 21 selects any one of the two laser beams 2a and 2b as the laser beam used for the laser drilling process for the machining hole to be subjected to the single-hole machining. The command generating unit 21 calculates the rotation angle of one of the sub-galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7b corresponding to the selected laser beam and the rotation angle of each of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a and 9 b. The command generation unit 21 sets the laser oscillation trigger flag corresponding to the selected one of the laser oscillators 3a, 3b to ON, and sets the other laser oscillation trigger flag to OFF (for example, "0").

In this way, the command generating unit 21 generates a rotation angle command for the sub-galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7b and the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a and 9b (step S12). The command generating unit 21 stores the generated rotation angle command, the set laser oscillation trigger flag, and the machining hole data as a set (set) of data in a memory.

The command generating unit 21 outputs the table position command generated in step S11 to the XY table control unit 25. The XY table controller 25 moves the XY table 12 in accordance with the table position command. The XY table controller 25 positions the XY table 12 so that the machining region 30 as the machining target is positioned within the laser scanning regions of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a, 9b (step S13).

The command generating unit 21 outputs the rotation angle command generated in step S12 to the galvanometer type optical scanner control unit 23. The galvanometer optical scanner control unit 23 controls the rotation angles of the sub galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7b and the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a and 9b based on the rotation angle command (step S14).

The command generation unit 21 outputs a laser oscillation trigger signal generated by the laser oscillators 3a and 3b whose laser oscillation trigger flags are set to ON to the laser oscillator control unit 22. The rotation angle commands generated for the sub-galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7b and the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a and 9b and the current rotation angle are input to the laser oscillator control unit 22. When it is determined or estimated that each galvanometer optical scanner has rotated from the current rotation angle to the rotation angle instructed by the rotation angle command, the laser oscillator control unit 22 outputs a laser oscillation trigger signal.

When the laser oscillation trigger signal is input, the laser oscillators 3a and 3b output laser pulses having the peak power, pulse width, pulse number, and pulse frequency set in the laser oscillation command to form the laser beams 2a and 2b (step S15). The laser processing apparatus 1 forms laser processing holes 13a and 13b by irradiating laser beams 2a and 2 b.

After each laser-machined hole 13a, 13b is formed, the command generating unit 21 determines whether machining of all the machined holes in the machined region 30 is completed (step S16). When it is determined that there is a machined hole that has not been machined in the machining area 30 (step S16: No), the command generating unit 21 reads data of a machined hole to be machined next (step S17). The command generating unit 21 reads a rotation angle command and a laser oscillation trigger flag that are set together with the machining hole data. Thereafter, returning to step S14, the galvanometer optical scanner control unit 23 controls the rotation angle of the sub galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7b based on the read rotation angle command.

When it is determined that machining of all of the machining holes in the machining area 30 is completed (Yes in step S16), the command generating unit 21 determines whether or not machining of all of the machining areas 30 in the object 11 is completed (step S18).

When the determination result shows that there is a machining area 30 that has not been machined in the object 11 (step S18: No), the command generating unit 21 reads a command for the next machining area 30 to be machined (step S19). The command generating section 21 reads a table position command for the next machining area 30. The command generating unit 21 reads the machining hole data, the rotation angle command, and the laser oscillation trigger flag of the next machining area 30. Thereafter, returning to step S13, the XY table control unit 25 moves the XY table 12 and positions it so that the next machining region 30 is positioned within the laser scanning region of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a, 9 b.

When the machining of all the machining areas 30 on the object 11 is completed as a result of the determination (step S18: Yes), the laser machining apparatus 1 ends the machining of the object 11.

In embodiment 1, the laser processing apparatus 1 can simultaneously process two holes by 2 laser beams 2a and 2b transmitted through 1 f- θ lens 10, and can perform laser processing at high speed and save space.

In the laser processing apparatus 1, the laser oscillation trigger signal is controlled, so that the two-hole simultaneous processing method and the single-hole processing method can be switched. Compared to the avoidance operation using a galvanometer optical scanner, the laser processing apparatus 1 can save the time required for the avoidance operation, and thus can switch between simultaneous two-hole processing and single-hole processing at high speed. Therefore, the laser processing apparatus requires a short processing time for laser processing.

In the laser processing apparatus 1, the power of the lasers 2a and 2b can be adjusted so that the laser processing amounts during simultaneous processing of both holes are equal, and the same laser drilling processing can be performed on 2 spots.

When 1 laser beam output from 1 laser oscillator is divided into 2 laser beams to simultaneously process two holes, the peak power of the laser beam used for processing is halved with respect to the peak power output from the laser oscillator. In contrast, according to the present embodiment, the laser processing apparatus 1 can perform laser processing at a high peak power by performing simultaneous processing of two holes using the lasers 2a and 2b output from the 2 laser oscillators 3a and 3 b. Therefore, even when a metal or glass material requiring high peak power is processed, the processing can be completed in a short time. In addition, deterioration of the processing quality due to heat generation can be suppressed.

As described above, the laser processing apparatus 1 can perform laser processing at high speed and high quality in a laser processing process of simultaneous irradiation of multiple spots, and can save space.

[ 2 nd embodiment ]

Fig. 6 is a configuration diagram of a laser processing apparatus 41 according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. The laser processing apparatus 41 according to embodiment 2 includes a plurality of processing heads. Since the laser processing device 41 includes a plurality of processing heads, high-speed laser processing can be realized. The same portions as those in embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be appropriately omitted.

The laser processing apparatus 41 includes: for example, 2 processing heads 16a (first processing head, 16b (second processing head), laser oscillators 3a, 3b, beam splitting adjustment mechanisms 42a, 42b, polarization beam splitters 43a, 43b, a mirror 45, polarization mechanisms 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, an XY stage 12, a laser power sensor 14, and a control unit 50.

On the XY table 12, 2 objects 11a (1 st object) and 11b (2 nd object) are placed. The laser processing apparatus 41 can simultaneously perform the punching process for 2 positions of the object 11a and the punching process for 2 positions of the object 11b, that is, the punching process for 4 positions, by simultaneously irradiating the objects 11a and 11b with the laser beams 44a, 44b, 44c, and 44 d.

The spectral adjustment mechanism 42a is a 1 st spectral adjustment mechanism for adjusting the spectral ratio of the polarization beam splitter 43 a. The spectral adjustment mechanism 42a allows specific linearly polarized light in the laser light 2a output from the laser oscillator 3a to pass therethrough. The spectral adjustment mechanism 42b is a 2 nd spectral adjustment mechanism for adjusting the spectral ratio of the polarization beam splitter 43 b. The spectral adjustment mechanism 42b allows specific linearly polarized light in the laser light 2b output from the laser oscillator 3b to pass therethrough. The spectral adjustment mechanisms 42a and 42b are, for example, wave plates. The polarization directions of the laser beams 2a and 2b can be adjusted by rotationally adjusting the spectral adjustment mechanisms 42a and 42 b.

The polarization beam splitter 43a serves as a 1 st splitting mechanism for splitting the laser beam 2a output from the laser oscillator 3a and passed through the beam split adjustment mechanism 42a into two beams, one beam traveling along the optical path toward the processing head 16a and the other beam traveling along the optical path toward the processing head 16 b. The polarization beam splitter 43b serves as a 2 nd splitting mechanism for splitting the laser beam 2b output from the laser oscillator 3b and passed through the beam split adjustment mechanism 42b into two beams, one beam traveling along the optical path toward the processing head 16a and the other beam traveling along the optical path toward the processing head 16 b.

The polarization beam splitter 43a reflects S-polarized light of the incident laser light 2a and transmits P-polarized light, for example. The polarization beam splitter 43b reflects S-polarized light of the incident laser light 2b and transmits P-polarized light, for example. The polarization beam splitters 43a and 43b split linearly polarized light polarized in the 45-degree direction into substantially uniform S-polarized light and P-polarized light. The polarization beam splitters 43a and 43b may be optical components that split circularly polarized light, not linearly polarized light polarized in the 45-degree direction. In this case, the polarization beam splitters 43a, 43b split the circularly polarized light into uniform S-polarized light and P-polarized light.

The polarization beam splitter 43a splits the incident laser light 2a into laser light 44a and laser light 44c, where the laser light 44a is P-polarized light and the laser light 44c is S-polarized light. The polarization beam splitter 43b splits the incident laser light 2b into laser light 44b and laser light 44d, where the laser light 44b is P-polarized light and the laser light 44d is S-polarized light. The polarization directions of the laser beams 2a and 2b are adjusted by the beam splitting adjustment mechanisms 42a and 42b, respectively, so that the polarized beams 43a and 43b emit laser beams 44a, 44b, 44c, and 44d having equal powers. In addition, the reflection characteristics and the transmission characteristics of the polarization beam splitters 43a and 43b can be changed as appropriate. The laser light 44a is the 1 st laser light incident to the 1 st processing head. The laser light 44b is the 2 nd laser light incident on the 1 st processing head. The laser light 44c is the 1 st laser light incident to the 2 nd processing head. The laser light 44d is the 2 nd laser light incident to the 2 nd processing head.

The plurality of mirrors 45 are provided in the optical paths of the laser beams 44a, 44b, 44c, and 44d, respectively. A mirror 45 provided in the optical path of the laser light 44a guides the laser light 44a to the processing head 16 a. A mirror 45 provided in the optical path of the laser light 44b guides the laser light 44b to the processing head 16 a. A mirror 45 provided in the optical path of the laser light 44c guides the laser light 44c to the processing head 16 b. The mirror 45 provided in the optical path of the laser light 44d guides the laser light 44d to the processing head 16 b.

The polarization mechanism 4a is a polarization mechanism that allows a specific (predetermined) linearly polarized light of the laser light 44a output from the polarization beam splitter 43a to pass through. The polarization mechanism 4b is a polarization mechanism that allows specific linearly polarized light in the laser light 44b output from the polarization beam splitter 43b to pass through. The polarization mechanism 4c is a polarization mechanism that allows specific linearly polarized light among the laser light 44c output from the polarization beam splitter 43a to pass through. The polarization mechanism 4d is a polarization mechanism that allows specific linearly polarized light of the laser light 44d output from the polarization beam splitter 43b to pass through.

The polarization mechanism 4a and the polarization mechanism 4d allow, for example, S-polarized light to pass therethrough. The polarization mechanisms 4b, 4c allow, for example, P-polarized light to pass through. The polarization directions of the laser beams 44a, 44b, 44c, and 44d can be adjusted by rotating the polarization adjustment mechanisms 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4 d.

The laser light 44a output from the polarization beam splitter 43a and the laser light 44b output from the polarization beam splitter 43b are incident into the processing head 16a as the 1 st processing head. The laser light 44c output from the polarization beam splitter 43a and the laser light 44d output from the polarization beam splitter 43b are incident into the processing head 16b as the 2 nd processing head.

The machining head 16a irradiates 2 laser beams 44a and 44b to one of two objects 11a placed on the XY table 12, thereby forming laser machined holes 13a and 13 b. The machining head 16b irradiates 2 laser beams 44c and 44d to another object 11b placed on the XY table 12, thereby forming laser machining holes 13c and 13 d.

The laser processing device 41 can perform laser drilling processing with the same pattern (pattern) on the objects 11a and 11b using the processing heads 16a and 16 b. As the number of machining heads included in the laser machining device 41 increases, laser drilling can be performed simultaneously on a larger number of objects to be machined. The production efficiency of the laser processing device 41 is proportional to the number of processing heads, and thus increasing the number of processing heads can improve the production efficiency of the laser processing device 41.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an internal structure of the first processing head 1. The processing head 16a as the 1 st processing head has: a mirror 5; sub galvanometer type optical scanners 7a, 7 b; a polarization beam splitter 8 a; main galvanometer type optical scanners 9a, 9 b; an f-theta lens 10 a; a vision sensor 15 a.

The mirror 5 is provided in the optical path of the laser light 44a incident into the processing head 16a and in the optical path of the laser light 44 b. The laser light 44a is reflected by a mirror 5 provided in the optical path of the laser light 44a, and is guided to a sub galvanometer optical scanner 7 a. The laser light 44b is reflected by a mirror 5 provided in the optical path of the laser light 44b, and is guided to a sub galvanometer optical scanner 7 b.

The sub galvanometer optical scanner 7a is a 1 st sub galvanometer optical scanner for deflecting the laser light 44a output from the laser oscillator 3a in the 1 st direction. The sub galvanometer optical scanner 7b is a 2 nd sub galvanometer optical scanner for deflecting the laser light 44b output from the laser oscillator 3b in the 2 nd direction.

The polarization beam splitter 8a is a laser beam combining mechanism that combines the laser beam 44a from the sub-galvanometer optical scanner 7a and the laser beam 44b from the sub-galvanometer optical scanner 7b into one beam. The polarization beam splitter 8a has the following polarization characteristics: the laser light 44a as S-polarized light is reflected, and the laser light 44b as P-polarized light is transmitted.

The primary galvanometer optical scanner 9a is a 1 st primary galvanometer optical scanner that deflects the laser beams 44a and 44b from the polarization beam splitter 8a in the 1 st direction. The primary galvanometer optical scanner 9b is a 2 nd primary galvanometer optical scanner that deflects the laser beams 44a and 44b from the polarization beam splitter 8a in the 2 nd direction.

The f- θ lenses condense the laser lights 44a, 44b from the main galvanometer type optical scanners 9a, 9b, respectively. The vision sensor 15a is constituted by a CCD camera (camera) that captures an image for measuring the hole diameter and the processing position of the laser-processed holes 13a, 13 b.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an internal structure of the 2 nd processing head. The processing head 16b as the 2 nd processing head has: a mirror 5; sub galvanometer type optical scanners 7c, 7 d; a polarization beam splitter 8 b; main galvanometer type optical scanners 9c, 9 d; an f-theta lens 10 b; and a vision sensor 15 b. The processing head 16b has the same structure as the processing head 16 a.

The reflecting mirror 5 is provided in the optical path of the laser light 44c incident into the processing head 16b and in the optical path of the laser light 44 d. The laser light 44c is reflected by a mirror 5 provided in the optical path of the laser light 44c, and guided to a sub galvanometer optical scanner 7 c. The laser light 44d is reflected by a mirror 5 provided in the optical path of the laser light 44d, and guided to a sub galvanometer optical scanner 7 d.

The sub galvanometer optical scanner 7c is a 1 st sub galvanometer optical scanner for deflecting 44c output from the laser oscillator 3a in the 1 st direction. The sub galvanometer optical scanner 7d is a 2 nd sub galvanometer optical scanner for deflecting 44d output from the laser oscillator 3b in the 2 nd direction.

The polarization beam splitter 8b is a laser beam combining mechanism that combines the laser beam 44c from the sub-galvanometer optical scanner 7c and the laser beam 44d from the sub-galvanometer optical scanner 7d into one beam. The polarization beam splitter 8b has the following polarization characteristics: the laser light 44c as S-polarized light is reflected, and the laser light 44d as P-polarized light is transmitted.

The primary galvanometer optical scanner 9c is a 1 st primary galvanometer optical scanner that deflects the laser beams 44c and 44d from the polarization beam splitter 8b in the 1 st direction. The primary galvanometer optical scanner 9d is a 2 nd primary galvanometer optical scanner for deflecting the laser beams 44c and 44d from the polarization beam splitter 8b in the 2 nd direction.

The f- θ lens 10b condenses the laser light 44c, 44d from the main galvanometer optical scanners 9c, 9d, respectively. The vision sensor 15b is constituted by a CCD camera that captures an image for measuring the hole diameter and the processing position of the laser processed holes 13c, 13 d.

The controller 50 controls the entire laser processing apparatus 41. The control unit 50 includes a command generation unit 21, a laser oscillator control unit 22, a galvanometer optical scanner control unit 51, a vision sensor control unit 52, an XY stage control unit 25, and a laser power sensor control unit 26.

The galvanometer optical scanner control unit 51 controls the rotation angles of the sub galvanometer optical scanners 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d and the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d based on the steering angle command output from the command generating unit 21.

The vision sensor control unit 52 controls the vision sensor 15a when the vision sensor 15a measures the laser-machined holes 13a and 13b formed in the object 11 a. The vision sensor control unit 52 controls the vision sensor 15b when the vision sensor 15b measures the laser-machined holes 13c and 13d formed in the object 11 b. The vision sensor control unit 52 performs arithmetic processing based on the image information acquired by the vision sensors 15a and 15b to determine the hole diameters, the processing positions, and the circularities of the laser processed holes 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13 d. The vision sensors 15a and 15b and the vision sensor control unit 52 are machining hole measuring means for performing various measurements of the laser machining holes 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d formed in the objects 11a and 11 b.

Next, the calibration operation of the laser oscillators 3a and 3b performed before the laser processing device 41 performs laser processing will be described. Fig. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of the calibration operation of the laser oscillators 3a, 3 b. The processing performed according to the steps shown in fig. 9 is processing for equalizing the powers of the laser beams 44a, 44b, 44c, and 44d, and by this processing, the laser processing amounts when the laser beams 44a, 44b, 44c, and 44d split by the polarization beam splitters 43a and 43b are irradiated onto the objects 11a and 11b are equalized.

Even if the same laser oscillation conditions are set for the laser oscillators 3a, 3b, the powers of the laser beams 44a, 44b irradiated to the object 11a and the laser beams 44c, 44d irradiated to the object 11b may differ from each other. This is because, for example, the laser oscillators 3a and 3b differ from one another, and the laser power losses of the lasers 44a, 44b, 44c, and 44d in the respective optical paths differ. In addition, the difference in the splitting ratio between the polarization beam splitters 43a and 43b may be one of the reasons. Next, the procedure of the calibration operation of the laser oscillators 3a and 3b will be described in detail with reference to fig. 9.

The galvanometer-type optical scanner control unit 51 positions the sub-galvanometer-type optical scanners 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d and the main galvanometer-type optical scanners 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d at the origin as a reference of the rotation angle (step S20).

The laser processing device 41 measures the laser light 44a, adjusts the polarization mechanism 4a, and stores the measurement value Pma in the memory (step S21). The XY table controller 25 moves the XY table 12 to a position where the laser power sensor 14 can measure the power of the laser light 44 a.

The laser oscillator control unit 22 sets the peak power Pc0, the pulse width Wc0, the number of pulses Nc0, and the pulse frequency Fc0 of the calibration laser pulse to the laser oscillator 3a based on a preset calibration laser oscillation command.

The laser oscillator control unit 22 sends these set values to the laser oscillator 3a, and outputs a laser oscillation trigger signal at regular time intervals. The laser oscillator 3a continuously outputs the pulse-shaped laser light 2a for a predetermined time period based on the laser oscillation trigger signal. The laser power sensor 14 measures the power of the laser 44 a. The laser power sensor control unit 26 monitors the average laser power measured by the laser power sensor 14.

The operator rotates the polarization adjustment mechanism 4a to adjust the polarization direction of the laser beam 44a so that the average laser power is maximized. The laser power sensor control unit 26 stores the maximum value Pma of the average laser power in the memory. The laser oscillator control unit 22 stops outputting the laser oscillation trigger signal, and stops the laser oscillator 3a from outputting the laser light 2 a.

Similarly to step S21, the laser processing device 41 measures the laser light 44c, adjusts the polarization mechanism 4c, and stores the measurement value Pmc in the memory (step S22). The XY table controller 25 moves the XY table 12 to a position where the laser power sensor 14 can measure the power of the laser light 44 c.

The laser oscillator control unit 22 sets the peak power Pc0, the pulse width Wc0, the number of pulses Nc0, and the pulse frequency Fc0 of the calibration laser pulse to the laser oscillator 3a based on a preset calibration laser oscillation command.

The laser oscillator control unit 22 sends these set values to the laser oscillator 3a, and outputs a laser oscillation trigger signal at regular time intervals. The laser oscillator 3a continuously outputs the pulse-shaped laser light 2a for a predetermined time period based on the laser oscillation trigger signal. The laser power sensor 14 measures the power of the laser 44 c. The laser power sensor control unit 26 monitors the average laser power measured by the laser power sensor 14.

The operator rotates the polarization adjustment mechanism 4c to adjust the polarization direction of the laser beam 44c so that the average laser power is maximized. The laser power sensor control unit 26 stores the maximum value Pmc of the average laser power in the memory. The laser oscillator control unit 22 stops outputting the laser oscillation trigger signal, and stops the laser oscillator 3a from outputting the laser light 2 a.

After that, the operator rotates and adjusts the spectral adjustment mechanism 42a so that the average laser power of the laser beam 44a and the average laser power of the laser beam 44c become equal to each other. The laser power sensor control unit 26 stores the laser average power Pmac of the laser light 44a and the laser light 44c after the spectral adjustment mechanism 42a is adjusted in the memory (step S23).

When there is a deviation between the measured value Pma of the average power of laser light stored in step S21 and the measured value Pmc of the average power of laser light stored in step S22, the reason why there is a deviation is that the polarization beam splitter 43a does not split the laser light into beams of equal energy. Therefore, the polarization direction of the laser beam 2a is adjusted by rotating the adjustment beam splitting adjustment mechanism 42a so that the powers of the laser beam 44a and the laser beam 44c split by the polarization beam splitter 43a are equalized.

The laser average power Pmac of the laser light 44a and the laser light 44c after the adjustment of the spectral adjustment mechanism 42a can be obtained by the following equation (5).

Pmac＝(Pma+Pmc)/2 (5)

In step S23, the laser oscillator control unit 22 outputs the laser oscillation trigger signal to the laser oscillator 3a again. The laser power sensor 14 measures the laser average power Pmc of the laser 44 c. The spectral adjustment mechanism 42a is rotationally adjusted so that the measured laser average power Pmc is equal to Pmac.

When the measured laser average power Pmc is equal to Pmac, the laser power sensor control section 26 stores the obtained laser power average value Pmac in the memory. The laser oscillator control unit 22 stops outputting the laser oscillation trigger signal, and stops the laser oscillator 3a from outputting the laser light 2 a.

Next, the laser processing device 41 measures the laser light 44b and adjusts the polarization mechanism 4b, and stores the measured value Pmb in the memory (step S24). The XY table controller 25 moves the XY table 12 to a position where the laser power sensor 14 can measure the power of the laser light 44 b.

The laser oscillator control unit 22 sets, to the laser oscillator 3b, the same calibration laser pulse peak power Pc0, pulse width Wc0, pulse number Nc0, and pulse frequency Fc0 as those of the laser oscillator 3a, based on a preset calibration laser oscillation command.

The laser oscillator control unit 22 sends these set values to the laser oscillator 3b, and outputs a laser oscillation trigger signal at regular time intervals. The laser oscillator 3b continuously outputs the pulse-shaped laser light 2b for a predetermined time period based on the laser oscillation trigger signal. The laser power sensor 14 measures the power of the laser 44 b. The laser power sensor control unit 26 monitors the average laser power measured by the laser power sensor 14.

The operator rotates the polarization adjustment mechanism 4b to adjust the polarization direction of the laser beam 44b so that the average laser power is maximized. The laser power sensor control unit 26 stores the maximum value Pmb of the average laser power in a memory. The laser oscillator control unit 22 stops outputting the laser oscillation trigger signal, and causes the laser oscillator 3b to stop outputting the laser beam 2 b.

Similarly to step S24, the laser processing device 41 measures the laser light 44d, adjusts the polarization mechanism 4d, and stores the measurement value Pmd in the memory (step S25). The XY table controller 25 moves the XY table 12 to a position where the laser power sensor 14 can measure the power of the laser beam 44 d.

The laser oscillator control unit 22 sets the peak power Pc0, the pulse width Wc0, the number of pulses Nc0, and the pulse frequency Fc0 of the calibration laser pulse to the laser oscillator 3b based on a preset calibration laser oscillation command.

The laser oscillator control unit 22 sends these set values to the laser oscillator 3b, and outputs a laser oscillation trigger signal at regular time intervals. The laser oscillator 3b continuously outputs the pulse-shaped laser light 2b for a predetermined time period based on the laser oscillation trigger signal. The laser power sensor 14 measures the power of the laser 44 d. The laser power sensor control unit 26 monitors the average laser power measured by the laser power sensor 14.

The operator rotates the polarization adjustment mechanism 4d to adjust the polarization direction of the laser beam 44d so that the average laser power is maximized. The laser power sensor control unit 26 stores the maximum value Pmd of the average laser power in the memory. The laser oscillator control unit 22 stops outputting the laser oscillation trigger signal, and causes the laser oscillator 3b to stop outputting the laser beam 2 b.

After that, the operator rotates and adjusts the spectral adjustment mechanism 42b so that the average laser power of the laser beam 44b and the average laser power of the laser beam 44d become equal to each other. The laser power sensor control unit 26 stores the laser average power Pmbd of the laser light 44b and the laser light 44d after adjusting the spectral adjustment mechanism 42b in the memory (step S26).

When there is a deviation between the measured value Pmb of the average power of laser light stored in step S24 and the measured value Pmd of the average power of laser light stored in step S25, there is a deviation because the polarization beam splitter 43b does not split the laser light into light beams of equal energy. Therefore, the polarization direction of the laser beam 2b is adjusted by rotating the adjustment beam splitting adjustment mechanism 42b so that the powers of the laser beam 44b and the laser beam 44d split by the polarization beam splitter 43b are equalized.

The laser average power Pmbd of the laser light 44b and the laser light 44d after the adjustment of the beam split adjustment mechanism 42b can be obtained from the following equation (6).

Pmbd＝(Pmb+Pmd)/2 (6)

In step S26, the laser oscillator control unit 22 outputs the laser oscillation trigger signal to the laser oscillator 3b again. The laser power sensor 14 measures the laser average power Pmd of the laser 44 d. The spectral adjustment mechanism 42b is rotationally adjusted so that the measured laser average power Pmd is equal to Pmbd.

When the measured average laser power Pmd is equal to Pmbd, the laser power sensor control unit 26 stores the obtained average laser power Pmbd in the memory. The laser oscillator control unit 22 stops outputting the laser oscillation trigger signal, and causes the laser oscillator 3b to stop outputting the laser beam 2 b.

The command generation unit 21 calculates the correction coefficient Kb using the stored laser average powers Pmac and Pmbd. The correction coefficient Kb is a coefficient for correcting a laser oscillation command set value of the peak power or pulse width of the laser oscillator 3 b. The correction coefficient Kb can be obtained by, for example, the following equation (7).

Kb＝Pmac/Pmbd (7)

By multiplying the set value of the peak power set to the laser oscillator 3b by the correction coefficient Kb, the power of the laser beam 44a irradiated to the object 11a and the power of the laser beam 44c irradiated to the object 11b can be made equal to the power of the laser beam 44b irradiated to the object 11a and the power of the laser beam 44d irradiated to the object 11 b.

In step S23, the power of laser light 44a irradiated to object 11a and the power of laser light 44c irradiated to object 11b are adjusted to be the same. In step S26, the power of laser light 44b irradiated to object 11a and the power of laser light 44d irradiated to object 11b are adjusted to be the same. Accordingly, the power of the laser beams 44a, 44b, 44c, and 44d irradiated to the objects 11a and 11b by the laser processing device 41 can be made equal.

The laser processing apparatus 41 may correct the pulse width by the correction coefficient Kb in addition to the peak power by the correction coefficient Kb. The command generating unit 21 may calculate the correction coefficient Ka for the laser oscillator 3a instead of the correction coefficient Kb for the laser oscillator 3 b. The correction coefficient Ka is a coefficient for correcting the laser oscillation command set value of the peak power or pulse width of the laser oscillator 3 a.

The command generating unit 21 stores the correction coefficient Ka or the correction coefficient Kb of the laser oscillation command determined as described above in the memory (step S27). In the calibration operation of the laser oscillators 3a, 3b, the laser processing apparatus 41 may measure the laser processed hole using the vision sensors 15a, 15 b.

Next, a laser processing operation of the laser processing apparatus 41 will be described. Fig. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the steps of the laser processing operation of the laser processing device 41.

The laser processing device 41 performs laser drilling on the objects 11a and 11b by causing the 2 processing heads 16a and 16b to perform the same operation as the processing head 16 (see fig. 1) in embodiment 1. The object 11a and the object 11b are placed on the XY table 12, and the distance between the two objects is the same as the distance between the processing head 16a and the processing head 16 b.

The command generating unit 21 reads an NC program as a machining program (step S30). The command generating unit 21 stores the XY coordinates of the machining hole and the laser oscillation command in the memory based on the machining hole data and the laser machining conditions in the machining program. The laser oscillation command includes information on the peak power, pulse width, number of pulses, and pulse frequency of the laser pulse.

The command generation unit 21 transmits the stored laser oscillation command to the laser oscillator control unit 22. The laser oscillator control unit 22 corrects the received laser oscillation command based on the correction coefficient obtained in the calibration operation. The laser oscillator control unit 22 sets the corrected laser oscillation command to the laser oscillators 3a and 3 b.

The command generating unit 21 divides the objects 11a and 11b into a plurality of machining areas 30, for example, as shown in fig. 2, and sets a machining hole in each machining area 30 based on the XY coordinates of each machining hole. The command generating unit 21 generates a table position command corresponding to the center coordinates of each machining area 30 (step 31).

Thereafter, the command generating unit 21 classifies the machining holes set in the machining area 30 in both the objects to be machined 11a and 11b, and determines whether the machining holes belong to a machining hole position 31 at which two-hole simultaneous machining is possible or a machining hole position 32 at which single-hole machining is possible as shown in fig. 3. The command generating unit 21 sorts the machining holes in the machining order so as to minimize the machining time.

The command generating unit 21 calculates the respective rotation angles of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a and 9b and the sub galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7b so that 2 positions can be simultaneously irradiated with the laser beams 44a and 44b, for a machining hole in the object 11a that can be simultaneously machined by two holes. The command generating unit 21 calculates the respective rotation angles of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9c and 9d and the sub galvanometer optical scanners 7c and 7d so that 2 positions can be simultaneously irradiated with the laser beams 44c and 44d with respect to a machining hole in the object 11b, which can be simultaneously machined by two holes. The command generation unit 21 sets the laser oscillation trigger flags corresponding to both the laser oscillators 3a and 3b to ON (for example, "1").

For a machining hole to be drilled into a single hole in the object 11a, the command generating unit 21 selects one of the two laser beams 44a and 44b as the laser beam to be used for the laser drilling. The command generating unit 21 calculates the rotation angle of one of the sub-galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7b corresponding to the selected laser beam and the rotation angle of each of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a and 9 b.

When the laser 44a is selected as the laser used for the laser drilling process, the command generating unit 21 sets the laser oscillation trigger flag corresponding to the laser oscillator 3a to ON, and sets the laser oscillation trigger flag corresponding to the laser oscillator 3b to OFF (for example, "0"). When the laser beam 44b is selected as the laser beam to be used for the laser drilling process, the command generating unit 21 sets the laser oscillation trigger flag corresponding to the laser oscillator 3b to ON, and sets the laser oscillation trigger flag corresponding to the laser oscillator 3a to OFF.

The command generating unit 21 selects one of the two laser beams 44c and 44d as the laser beam used for the laser drilling process for the machining hole to be processed for the single-hole machining in the object 11 b. The command generating unit 21 calculates the rotation angle of one of the sub-galvanometer optical scanners 7c and 7d corresponding to the selected laser beam and the rotation angle of each of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9c and 9 d.

When the laser 44c is selected as the laser used for the laser drilling process, the command generating unit 21 sets the laser oscillation trigger flag corresponding to the laser oscillator 3a to ON, and sets the laser oscillation trigger flag corresponding to the laser oscillator 3b to OFF. When the laser 44d is selected as the laser used for the laser drilling process, the command generating unit 21 sets the laser oscillation trigger flag corresponding to the laser oscillator 3b to ON, and sets the laser oscillation trigger flag corresponding to the laser oscillator 3a to OFF.

In this way, the command generating unit 21 generates the rotation angle commands for the sub-galvanometer optical scanners 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d and the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a, 9b, 9c, and 9d (step S32). The command generating unit 21 stores the generated rotation angle command, the set laser oscillation trigger flag, and the machining hole data as a set (set) of data in a memory.

The command generating unit 21 outputs the table position command generated in step S31 to the XY table control unit 25. The XY table controller 25 moves the XY table 12 in accordance with the table position command. The XY table controller 25 positions the XY table 12 so that the processing region 30 as the processing target of the processing head 16a is positioned within the laser scanning regions of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a, 9b and so that the processing region 30 as the processing target of the processing head 16b is positioned within the laser scanning regions of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9c, 9d (step S33).

The command generating unit 21 outputs the rotation angle command generated in step S32 to the galvanometer type optical scanner control unit 51. The galvanometer optical scanner control unit 51 controls the rotation angles of the sub galvanometer optical scanners 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d and the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a, 9b, 9c, and 9d based on the rotation angle command (step S34).

The command generation unit 21 outputs a laser oscillation trigger signal generated by the laser oscillators 3a and 3b whose laser oscillation trigger flags are set to ON to the laser oscillator control unit 22. The rotation angle commands generated for the sub-galvanometer optical scanners 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d and the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a, 9b, 9c, and 9d and the current rotation angle are input to the laser oscillator control unit 22. When it is determined or estimated that each galvanometer optical scanner has rotated from the current rotation angle to the rotation angle instructed by the rotation angle command, the laser oscillator control unit 22 outputs a laser oscillation trigger signal.

When the laser oscillation trigger signal is input, the laser oscillators 3a and 3b output laser pulses having the peak power, pulse width, pulse number, and pulse frequency set in the laser oscillation command, and use the laser pulses as the laser beams 2a and 2b (step S35). The laser processing apparatus 41 forms laser processed holes 13a and 13b in the object 11a by irradiating laser beams 44a and 44 b. The laser processing apparatus 41 forms laser processed holes 13c and 13d in the object 11b by irradiating laser beams 44c and 44 d.

After each completion of the machining of the laser-machined holes 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d, the command generating unit 21 determines whether or not the machining of all the machined holes in the machining area 30 is completed (step S36). When it is determined that there is a machined hole that has not been machined in the machining area 30 (step S36: No), the command generating unit 21 reads data of a machined hole to be machined next (step S37). The command generating unit 21 reads a rotation angle command and a laser oscillation trigger flag that are set together with the machining hole data. Thereafter, returning to step S34, the galvanometer optical scanner control unit 51 controls the rotation angles of the sub galvanometer optical scanners 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d based on the read rotation angle command.

When the machining of all the machining holes in the machining area 30 is completed as a result of the determination (Yes in step S36), the command generating unit 21 determines whether or not all the machining of all the machining areas 30 in the machining objects 11a and 11b are completed (step S38).

When the determination result shows that there is a machining area 30 that has not been machined in the objects 11a and 11b (No in step S38), the command generating unit 21 reads a command to be used for the next machining area 30 to be machined (step S39). The command generating section 21 reads a table position command for the next machining area 30. The command generating unit 21 reads the machining hole data, the rotation angle command, and the laser oscillation trigger flag of the next machining area 30.

Thereafter, returning to step S33, the XY table control unit 25 moves the XY table 12 and positions the XY table so that the processing region 30 to be processed next to the processing head 16a is positioned within the laser scanning regions of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a, 9b and the processing region 30 to be processed next to the processing head 16b is positioned within the laser scanning regions of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9c, 9 d.

When it is determined that the machining of all the machining areas 30 on the objects 11a and 11b is completed (step S38: Yes), the laser machining device 41 ends the machining of the objects 11a and 11 b.

In embodiment 2, the laser processing apparatus 41 can simultaneously process two holes by 2 laser beams 44a and 44b transmitted through 1 f- θ lens 10a, and simultaneously process two holes by 2 laser beams 44c and 44d transmitted through 1 f- θ lens 10 b. In embodiment 2 as well, laser processing can be performed at high speed and high quality and space can be saved in laser processing in which laser processing is performed by the laser processing apparatus 41 by simultaneous irradiation of multiple spots.

Since the laser processing device 41 includes the plurality of processing heads 16a and 16b, the plurality of processing objects 11a and 11b can be processed simultaneously. Thus, the laser processing apparatus 41 can perform laser processing on the plurality of objects 11a and 11b at high speed.

In the laser processing apparatus 41, as in the laser processing apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1, simultaneous processing of two holes and single hole processing on the object 11a and the object 11b can be switched by controlling the laser oscillation trigger signal. Compared to the case where the avoidance operation is performed by the galvanometer type optical scanner, the laser processing apparatus 41 can save the time required for the avoidance operation, and thus can switch between the simultaneous processing of two holes and the single-hole processing in the object 11a and the object 11b at high speed. Therefore, the laser processing apparatus requires a short processing time for laser processing.

In the laser processing apparatus 41, the power of the laser beams 44a, 44b, 44c, and 44d can be corrected so that the laser processing amount during simultaneous two-hole processing can be equalized for each of the plurality of objects 11a and 11b, and the laser processing apparatus 41 can perform equivalent laser hole processing for 2 points on each of the objects 11a and 11 b. The laser processing apparatus 41 can also equalize the laser processing amounts of the plurality of objects 11a and 11 b.

Further, there may be a difference between the transmittance of the polarization beam splitters 8a and 8b and the reflectance of the polarization beam splitters 43a and 43b with respect to the laser light. For example, the transmittance of the laser light may be 99% and the reflectance of the laser light may be 97%. Due to the variation between the transmittance and the reflectance, the power loss may vary among the optical paths of the laser beams 44a, 44b, 44c, and 44d of the laser processing apparatus 41.

Since the laser light 44a is transmitted through the polarization beam splitter 43a and then reflected by the polarization beam splitter 8a, the efficiency of the laser light 44a passing through the polarization beam splitter 43a and the polarization beam splitter 8a is 99% × 97%. Since the laser light 44b is transmitted through the polarization beam splitter 43b and through the polarization beam splitter 8a, the efficiency of the laser light 44b passing through the polarization beam splitter 43b and the polarization beam splitter 8a is 99% × 99%.

Since the laser light 44c is reflected by the polarization beam splitter 43a and reflected by the polarization beam splitter 8b, the efficiency of the laser light 44c passing through the polarization beam splitter 43a and the polarization beam splitter 8b is 97% × 97%. Since the laser light 44d is reflected by the polarization beam splitter 43b and then transmitted through the polarization beam splitter 8b, the efficiency of passing the laser light 44d through the polarization beam splitter 43b and the polarization beam splitter 8b is 97% × 99%.

Even when the laser power losses in the respective optical paths are different, the laser processing device 41 can correct the laser beams 44a and 44b incident on the object 11a and the laser beams 44c and 44d incident on the object 11b to have uniform average laser powers.

[ 3 rd embodiment ]

Fig. 11 is a structural diagram of a laser processing apparatus 61 according to embodiment 3 of the present invention. The laser processing apparatus 61 according to embodiment 3 includes a plurality of processing heads. In addition, in the laser processing apparatus 61, variations in power loss among the optical paths of the laser beams 44a, 44b, 44c, and 44d can be reduced. The same portions as those in embodiment 1 and embodiment 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted as appropriate.

The laser processing apparatus 61 includes: for example 2 machining heads 16a, 16 c; laser oscillators 3a, 3 b; spectral adjustment mechanisms 42a, 42 b; polarization beam splitters 43a, 43 b; a reflecting mirror 45; polarization mechanisms 4a, 4b, 4c, 4 d; an XY stage; a laser power sensor 14; and a control unit (50).

The polarization beam splitter 43a reflects and transmits P-polarized light of S-polarized light in the incident laser light 2a, for example. The polarization beam splitter 43b reflects and transmits P-polarized light of S-polarized light in the incident laser light 2b, for example. The polarization beam splitter 43a splits the incident laser light 2a into laser light 44a as P-polarized light and laser light 44c as S-polarized light. The polarization beam splitter 43b splits the incident laser light 2b into laser light 44b as S-polarized light and laser light 44d as P-polarized light. The reflection characteristics and the transmission characteristics of the polarization beam splitters 43a and 43b may be appropriately changed.

In embodiment 2, the laser light 44b incident on the processing head 16a is a component of the laser light 2b that is transmitted through the polarization beam splitter 43b, and the laser light 44d incident on the processing head 16b is a component of the laser light 2b that is reflected by the polarization beam splitter 43 b. In contrast, in embodiment 3, the laser light 44b incident on the processing head 16a is a component of the laser light 2b reflected by the polarization beam splitter 43b, and the laser light 44d incident on the processing head 16b is a component of the laser light 2b transmitted through the polarization beam splitter 43 b.

The processing head 16a as the 1 st processing head has, for example, the same structure as that in the 2 nd embodiment shown in fig. 7. The polarization beam splitter 8a in the machining head 16a reflects the component of the laser beam 2a that has passed through the polarization beam splitter 43a, that is, the reflected laser beam 44 a. The polarization beam splitter 8a transmits the component of the laser light 2a reflected by the polarization beam splitter 43b, that is, the laser light 44 b.

The processing head 16c as the 2 nd processing head has a configuration different from that of the processing head 16b in the 2 nd embodiment shown in fig. 8. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an internal structure of the 2 nd processing head. The processing head 16c as the 2 nd processing head has: a mirror 5; sub galvanometer type optical scanners 7c, 7 d; a polarization beam splitter 8 b; main galvanometer type optical scanners 9c, 9 d; an f-theta lens 10 b; and a vision sensor 15 b.

The polarization beam splitter 8b is a laser beam combining mechanism that combines the laser beam 44c from the sub-galvanometer optical scanner 7d and the laser beam 44d from the sub-galvanometer optical scanner 7d into one beam. The polarization beam splitter 8b has the following polarization characteristics: the laser beam 44c as P-polarized light is transmitted and the laser beam 44d as S-polarized light is reflected.

The polarization characteristics of the polarization beam splitter 8b of the processing head 16c and the forms of the optical paths of the laser beams 44c and 44d are different from those of the processing head 16b shown in fig. 8. Other components of the machining head 16c are the same as those of the machining head 16 b. The polarization beam splitter 8b in the processing head 16c transmits the component of the laser beam 2a reflected by the polarization beam splitter 43a, that is, the laser beam 44 c. The polarization beam splitter 8b reflects the component of the laser light 2b that has passed through the polarization beam splitter 43b, that is, the reflected laser light 44 d.

For example, the polarization beam splitters 8a and 8b and the polarization beam splitters 43a and 43b have a transmittance of 99% and a reflectance of 97% with respect to the laser light. Since the laser light 44a is transmitted through the polarization beam splitter 43a and reflected by the polarization beam splitter 8a, its efficiency through the polarization beam splitter 43a and the polarization beam splitter 8a is 99% × 97%. Since the laser light 44b is reflected by the polarization beam splitter 43b and transmitted through the polarization beam splitter 8a, its efficiency through the polarization beam splitter 43b and the polarization beam splitter 8a is 97% × 99%.

Since the laser light 44c is reflected by the polarization beam splitter 43a and transmitted through the polarization beam splitter 8b, its efficiency through the polarization beam splitter 43a and the polarization beam splitter 8b is 97% × 99%. Since the laser light 44d is transmitted through the polarization beam splitter 43b and reflected by the polarization beam splitter 8a, its efficiency through the polarization beam splitter 43b and the polarization beam splitter 8a is 99% × 97%.

As described above, in the processing device 61, the laser beams 44a, 44b, 44c, and 44d are transmitted through the polarization beam splitters 8a and 8b and the polarization beam splitters 43a and 43b the same number of times and are reflected the same number of times, whereby variations in laser power loss occurring between the respective optical paths can be reduced. In the process of performing laser processing with the highest laser peak power by the laser processing apparatus 61, the variation in laser processing can be made small, and the quality of laser processing can be made high. The laser processing apparatus 61 is useful when the objects 11a and 11b are materials that need to be processed at the highest laser peak power, for example, when the objects 11a and 11b are metals.

In embodiment 3, it is also possible to achieve high-speed and high-quality laser processing with space saving in the laser processing by the laser processing device 61 that performs laser processing by simultaneous irradiation of multiple spots. The laser processing apparatus 61 can perform laser drilling processing with a uniform processing amount on 2 points on each of the plurality of objects 11a and 11 b. In addition, the laser processing apparatus 61 can equalize the processing amounts of the laser processed holes between the respective objects to be processed when processing the plurality of objects to be processed 11a and 11 b.

In the above embodiments, for example, the laser oscillators 3a and 3b each have a laser resonator for amplifying the energy (power) of the laser light in their respective housings. The laser processing apparatuses 1, 41, and 61 may have only one laser oscillator having a plurality of laser cavities instead of the laser oscillators 3a and 3b having the housings, respectively. In this case, the 1 st laser resonator provided in the laser oscillator housing may be set as the 1 st laser oscillation mechanism, and the 2 nd laser resonator may be set as the 2 nd laser oscillation mechanism.

In embodiments 2 and 3, the laser processing devices 41 and 61 may have 3 or more processing heads. If the number of the processing heads is N (N is an integer of 1 or more), the 1 st beam splitting mechanism splits the 1 st laser beam into N beams, and the kth (k is 1,2, …, N) laser beam of the N beams obtained by splitting the 1 st laser beam is incident on the kth processing head. The 2 nd beam splitting mechanism splits the 2 nd laser beam into N beams, and causes the kth (k is 1,2, …, N) laser beam of the 2 nd laser beam split to be incident on the kth processing head. The laser processing apparatus may be configured to: a 1 st sub-galvanometer optical scanner, a 2 nd sub-galvanometer optical scanner, a laser combining mechanism, a main galvanometer optical scanner and an f-theta lens are arranged in the 1 st to N processing heads, wherein the 1 st sub-galvanometer optical scanner deflects the 1 st laser beam split by the 1 st splitting mechanism to the 1 st direction; a 2 nd sub-galvanometer optical scanner configured to deflect the 2 nd laser beam split by the 2 nd splitting mechanism in a 2 nd direction; a laser beam combining mechanism for combining the 1 st laser beam from the 1 st sub-galvanometer optical scanner and the 2 nd laser beam from the 2 nd sub-galvanometer optical scanner into one beam; a main galvanometer type optical scanner for deflecting the 1 st laser beam and the 2 nd laser beam from the laser combining mechanism; the f-theta lens condenses the 1 st laser light and the 2 nd laser light from the main galvanometer type optical scanner.

Accordingly, the laser processing apparatuses 41 and 61 can simultaneously process N objects to be processed by 2 × N laser beams in total using N laser beams obtained by splitting the 1 st laser beam and N laser beams obtained by splitting the 2 nd laser beam. The laser processing apparatuses 41 and 61 can switch between simultaneous two-hole processing using 2 × N laser beams and single-hole processing using N laser beams at high speed by controlling the laser oscillation trigger signal.

[ 4 th embodiment ]

The laser processing apparatuses 1, 41, and 61 according to embodiments 1 to 3 independently control the laser oscillators 3a and 3b based on the laser oscillation trigger signal. The laser processing apparatuses 1, 41, and 61 can switch between simultaneous two-hole processing and single-hole processing with 1 processing head at high speed, and thus can realize high-speed laser processing. The laser processing apparatus 70 according to embodiment 4 has 1 laser oscillator 3a, and can switch between simultaneous two-hole processing and single-hole processing at high speed. Since the laser processing apparatus 70 includes 1 laser oscillator 3a, the cost (cost) can be reduced.

Fig. 13 is a structural diagram of a laser processing apparatus 70 according to embodiment 4 of the present invention. The same components as those in embodiment 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is appropriately omitted.

The laser processing apparatus 70 includes: a laser oscillator 3 a; spectral adjustment mechanisms 71, 42a, 42 b; polarization beam splitters 72, 43a, 43 b; an optical switch (optical switch) 73; a reflecting mirror 45; polarization mechanisms 4a, 4b, 4c, 4 d; processing heads 16a, 16 b; an XY table 12; a laser power sensor 14; and a control unit 75. The control unit 75 includes a light opening control unit 74.

The laser oscillator 3a is a laser oscillation mechanism that outputs the laser light 2. The spectral adjustment mechanism 71 is used to adjust the spectral ratio of the polarization beam splitter 72. The beam splitting adjustment mechanism 71 allows a specific linearly polarized light in the laser light 2 output from the laser oscillator 3a to pass through. The spectral adjustment mechanism 71 is, for example, a wave plate. The polarization direction of the laser light 2 can be adjusted by rotating the adjustment beam splitting adjustment mechanism 71.

The polarization beam splitter 72 is a 1 st beam splitting mechanism for splitting the laser light 2 into 2 laser light beams 2a and 2 b. The laser light 2a as the 1 st laser light travels along an optical path in a direction toward the polarization beam splitter 43a as the 2 nd spectroscopic mechanism. The laser light 2b as the 2 nd laser light travels along an optical path in a direction toward the polarization beam splitter 43b as the 3 rd beam splitting mechanism.

The optical switch 73 is disposed in the optical path between the 2 polarization beam splitters 72 and 43 a. The optical switch 73 transmits or blocks the laser light 2a from the polarization beam splitter 72. The optical switch 73 can switch transmission and blocking of the laser light 2a at high speed in response to an external signal. The optical switch 73 is constituted by an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) or an electro-optic modulator (EOM) as an optical element.

When an optical switch control signal for turning ON the optical switch 73, which is output from the optical switch control unit 74, is input to the optical switch 73, the optical switch 73 is instantaneously set (switched) to a state in which the laser beam 2a is transmitted. When the optical switch control signal for turning OFF the optical switch 73, which is output from the optical switch 74, is input to the optical switch 73, the optical switch 73 is momentarily in a state of shielding the laser beam 2 a. The laser beam 2a blocked by the optical switch 73 is irradiated to a damper (damper) of the optical switch 73 (not shown) and is prevented from being emitted from the optical switch 73.

The beam splitting adjustment mechanism 42a is for adjusting the polarization angle of the laser beam 2a so that the laser beam 2a transmitted through the optical switch 73 is split into light beams having uniform energy by the polarization beam splitter 43 a. The polarization beam splitter 43a reflects the S-polarized light and transmits the P-polarized light of the laser beam 2a from the beam splitting adjustment mechanism 42 a. The polarization beam splitter 43a splits the incident laser light 2a into laser light 44a and laser light 44c, where the laser light 44a is P-polarized light and the laser light 44c is S-polarized light.

One mirror 45 of the plurality of mirrors 45 is disposed in the optical path of the laser light 2b from the polarized light beam splitter 72. The beam splitting adjustment mechanism 42b is for adjusting the polarization angle of the laser beam 2b so that the laser beam 2b reflected by the mirror 45 is split into beams having uniform energy by the polarization beam splitter 43 b.

The polarization beam splitter 43b reflects the S-polarized light and transmits the P-polarized light of the laser beam 2b from the beam splitting adjustment mechanism 42 b. The polarization beam splitter 43b splits the incident laser light 2b into laser light 44b and laser light 44d, where the laser light 44b is P-polarized light and the laser light 44d is S-polarized light.

As in the laser processing device 41 according to embodiment 2, the laser beams 44a and 44c output from the polarization beam splitter 43a and the laser beams 44b and 44d output from the polarization beam splitter 43b are guided to the processing heads 16a and 16 b. Similarly to the laser processing device 41, the laser processing device 70 processes the object 11a with the laser beams 44a and 44b and processes the object 11b with the laser beams 44c and 44 d.

The controller 75 controls the entire laser processing apparatus 70. The control unit 75 includes: a command generating section 21, a laser oscillator control section 22, an optical switch control section 74, a galvanometer type optical scanner control section 51, a vision sensor control section 52, an XY stage control section 25, and a laser power sensor control section 26. The optical switch control unit 74 is an optical switch control mechanism that controls the optical switch 73 to transmit or block the laser beam 2 a. The optical switch control unit 74 transmits an optical switch control signal for controlling transmission and shielding of the laser beam to the optical switch 73 based on the optical switch control command output from the command generating unit 21.

Next, a laser processing operation of the laser processing apparatus 70 will be described. Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing steps of a laser processing operation of the laser processing apparatus 70.

As in the case of embodiment 2 shown in fig. 10, in step S30 and step S31, the command generating unit 21 reads the machining program and generates a position command. The command generating unit 21 classifies the machining holes provided in the machining area 30 on both the objects to be machined 11a and 11b, and determines whether the machining hole belongs to a machining hole position 31 where two-hole simultaneous machining is possible or a machining hole position 32 where single-hole machining is possible as shown in fig. 3. The command generating unit 21 sorts the machining holes in the machining order so as to minimize the machining time.

The command generating unit 21 calculates the respective rotation angles of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a and 9b and the sub galvanometer optical scanners 7a and 7b so that the laser beams 44a and 44b can be simultaneously irradiated to 2 positions, respectively, with respect to a machining hole in the object 11a, which can be machined by two-hole simultaneous machining. The command generating unit 21 calculates the respective rotation angles of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9c and 9d and the sub galvanometer optical scanners 7c and 7d so that the laser beams 44c and 44d can be simultaneously irradiated to 2 positions with respect to the machining hole in the object 11b, which can be machined by two-hole simultaneous machining. Further, the command generation unit 21 sets a laser oscillation trigger flag corresponding to the laser oscillator 3a to ON ("1"), and sets an optical switch control signal corresponding to the optical switch 73 to ON ("1").

The rotation angles of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a and 9b and the sub galvanometer optical scanner 7b are calculated for a machining hole to be machined in a single hole in the object 11a so that the laser light 44b can be irradiated to the machining hole position. The command generating unit 21 calculates the respective rotation angles of the main galvanometer optical scanners 9c and 9d and the sub galvanometer optical scanner 7d so that the laser light 44d can be irradiated to the machining hole position with respect to the machining hole in the object 11b to be machined for single-hole machining.

The command generation unit 21 sets a laser oscillation trigger flag corresponding to the laser oscillator 3a to ON ("1"). Further, the command generating unit 21 sets the optical switch control signal corresponding to the optical switch 73 to OFF ("0"), thereby setting the blocking laser beams 44a and 44 c.

In this way, the command generating unit 21 generates the rotation angle commands for the sub-galvanometer optical scanners 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d and the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a, 9b, 9c, and 9d (step S42). The command generating unit 21 stores the generated rotation angle command, the set laser oscillation trigger flag, the optical switch control command, and the machining hole data as a set of data in a memory.

In step S33, the command generating unit 21 moves and positions the XY table 12, as in embodiment 2. In step S34, the galvanometer optical scanner control unit 51 controls the rotation angles of the sub-galvanometer optical scanners 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d and the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a, 9b, 9c, and 9 d.

The command generation unit 21 outputs an optical switch control command to the optical switch control unit 74, and outputs a laser oscillation trigger flag to the laser oscillator control unit 22. A turning angle command regarding the turning angles of the sub-galvanometer optical scanners 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d and the main galvanometer optical scanners 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d and the current turning angle are input to the laser oscillator control section 22.

The optical switch control unit 74 outputs an optical switch control signal to the optical switch 73 immediately before the galvanometer optical scanner is rotated from the current rotation angle to the rotation angle indicated by the rotation angle command. When determining or estimating that the galvanometer type optical scanner has been rotated from the current rotation angle to the rotation angle instructed by the rotation angle command, the laser oscillator control section 22 outputs a laser oscillation trigger signal to the laser oscillator 3 a. In this manner, the optical switch control unit 74 controls the transmission laser beam and the shielding laser beam of the optical switch 73. The laser oscillator control unit 22 controls the output of the laser oscillation trigger signal to the laser oscillator 3a (step S43).

When the optical switch control signal set to ON is input to the optical switch 73, the optical switch 73 is instantaneously in a state of transmitting the laser light 2 a. When the optical switch control signal set to OFF is input to the optical switch 73, the optical switch 73 is instantaneously in a state of shielding the laser light 2 a. When the optical switch 73 is in a state of shielding the laser light 2a, the laser light 2a is irradiated onto the damper inside the optical switch 73.

When the laser oscillation trigger signal is input, the laser oscillator 3a outputs a laser pulse having a peak power, a pulse width, the number of pulses, and a pulse frequency set by the laser oscillation command, and the laser pulse is set as the laser light 2.

When the optical switch control signal is ON, the laser oscillator 3a outputs the laser beam 2, and then the laser beams 44a and 44b are input to the machining head 16 a. The machining head 16a performs simultaneous machining of both holes on the object 11a by the lasers 44a and 44 b. The laser beams 44c and 44d are input to the machining head 16 b. The machining head 16b performs simultaneous machining of both holes on the object 11b by the laser beams 44c and 44 d.

As in embodiment 2, after step S36, the laser processing device 70 ends the processing of the objects 11a and 11 b.

In embodiment 4, the laser processing apparatus 70 can simultaneously process two holes by 2 laser beams 44a and 44b transmitted through 1 f- θ lens 10a, and simultaneously process two holes by 2 laser beams 44c and 44d transmitted through 1 f- θ lens 10 b. The laser processing device 70 can perform single-hole processing with the laser light 44b and perform single-hole processing with the laser light 44d by shielding the laser light 2a with the optical switch 73. With the laser processing apparatus 70 according to embodiment 4, it is possible to achieve high-speed and high-quality laser processing with space saving in the laser processing process of simultaneous multi-spot irradiation.

The optical switch 73 may be disposed at a position other than the optical path between the 2 polarization beam splitters 72 and 43 a. The optical switch 73 may be disposed in the optical path between the 2 polarization beam splitters 72 and 43 b. In this case, the optical switch 73 transmits or blocks the laser light 2b output from the polarization beam splitter 72. In the laser processing apparatus 70, the optical switch 73 can switch between the simultaneous two-hole processing and the single-hole processing regardless of whether it is disposed in the optical path of the laser beam 2a or the optical path of the laser beam 2 b.

The optical switch 73 may be disposed in two, one of which is disposed in the optical path between the 2 polarization beam splitters 72 and 43a, and the other of which is disposed in the optical path between the 2 polarization beam splitters 72 and 43 b. In this case, the laser processing device 70 can switch between simultaneous two-hole processing and single-hole processing.

In embodiment 4, the optical paths from the polarization beam splitters 43a and 43b to the objects 11a and 11b are configured in the same manner as the laser processing apparatus 41 according to embodiment 2. The configuration of the optical paths from the polarization beam splitters 43a and 43b to the objects 11a and 11b of the laser processing apparatus 70 may be the same as that of the laser processing apparatus 61 according to embodiment 3.

Claims (7)

1. A laser processing device is characterized in that two-hole simultaneous processing and single-hole processing can be switched for each processing head aiming at a processing object,

comprising:

a 1 st laser oscillation mechanism which outputs a 1 st laser beam;

a 2 nd laser oscillation mechanism which outputs a 2 nd laser beam;

a 1 st splitting mechanism that splits the 1 st laser beam into a plurality of laser beams, the plurality of laser beams having been split traveling along a plurality of optical paths, respectively;

a 2 nd splitting mechanism that splits the 2 nd laser beam into a plurality of laser beams, the plurality of laser beams having been split traveling along a plurality of optical paths, respectively;

a plurality of processing heads;

a laser oscillation control unit which controls the 1 st laser oscillation unit and the 2 nd laser oscillation unit independently from each other, and outputs a laser oscillation trigger signal to the 1 st laser oscillation unit and the 2 nd laser oscillation unit, respectively, and the laser processing device switches between two-hole simultaneous processing and one-hole processing based on the output laser oscillation trigger signal,

the plurality of processing heads respectively have:

a 1 st sub-galvanometer optical scanner that deflects the 1 st laser light from the 1 st beam splitting mechanism in a 1 st direction;

a 2 nd sub-galvanometer optical scanner that deflects the 2 nd laser light from the 2 nd beam splitting mechanism in a 2 nd direction, the 2 nd direction being different from the 1 st direction;

a laser beam combining mechanism that combines the 1 st laser beam from the 1 st sub-galvanometer optical scanner and the 2 nd laser beam from the 2 nd sub-galvanometer optical scanner into one beam;

a main galvanometer-type optical scanner that deflects the 1 st laser light and the 2 nd laser light from the laser combining mechanism;

an f-theta lens condensing the 1 st laser light and the 2 nd laser light from the main galvanometer type optical scanner,

in the case where the plurality of machining heads simultaneously perform machining and each machining head simultaneously machines two holes,

the laser oscillation control mechanism simultaneously outputs trigger signals to the 1 st laser oscillation mechanism and the 2 nd laser oscillation mechanism,

in the case where the plurality of machining heads simultaneously perform machining and each machining head performs single-hole machining,

the laser oscillation control means outputs a trigger signal to either one of the 1 st laser oscillation means and the 2 nd laser oscillation means.

2. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of processing heads perform single-hole processing or simultaneous processing of two holes in the same pattern.

3. Laser processing apparatus according to claim 1,

comprising:

a 1 st spectroscopic adjustment mechanism that adjusts the spectroscopic ratio of the 1 st spectroscopic mechanism;

and a 2 nd spectral adjustment mechanism for adjusting the spectral ratio of the 2 nd spectral mechanism.

4. The laser processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the plurality of process heads has a 1 st process head and a 2 nd process head,

the laser processing apparatus includes a laser power measuring mechanism that measures powers of the 1 st laser beam and the 2 nd laser beam from the 1 st processing head and powers of the 1 st laser beam and the 2 nd laser beam from the 2 nd processing head,

the laser oscillation control means corrects a laser oscillation command for controlling the 1 st laser oscillation means and the 2 nd laser oscillation means, based on a measurement result of the laser power measurement means.

5. The laser processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

a machining hole measuring means for measuring a laser machining hole formed in a 1 st object to be machined by irradiating the 1 st laser beam and the 2 nd laser beam and a laser machining hole formed in a 2 nd object to be machined by irradiating the 1 st laser beam and the 2 nd laser beam,

and the laser oscillation control mechanism corrects a laser oscillation instruction according to the measurement result of the machined hole measuring mechanism, wherein the laser oscillation instruction is used for controlling the 1 st laser oscillation mechanism and the 2 nd laser oscillation mechanism.

6. The laser processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the plurality of process heads has a 1 st process head and a 2 nd process head,

the laser beam combining mechanism of the 1 st processing head reflects the 1 st laser beam transmitted through the 1 st beam splitting mechanism and transmits the 2 nd laser beam reflected by the 2 nd beam splitting mechanism;

the laser beam combining mechanism of the 2 nd processing head transmits the 1 st laser beam reflected by the 1 st spectroscopic mechanism and reflects the 2 nd laser beam transmitted through the 2 nd spectroscopic mechanism.

7. Laser processing apparatus according to claim 1,

in the case of simultaneously processing two holes, the peak power or pulse width of the laser oscillation command of the 1 st laser oscillation mechanism or the 2 nd laser oscillation mechanism is corrected so that the power of the two laser beams simultaneously irradiated to the object to be processed becomes the same.

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