JP2002178187A - Laser beam machining method and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a laser beam machining method that tends to produce less machining scraps by using a laser beam. SOLUTION: A laser beam from a laser oscillator 11 is emitted to a metallic plate 10, which is delivered at a specific speed, while the beam is transferred from one end to the other end in the breadthwise direction of the metallic plate 10. In this transfer, the metallic plate is machined in the breadthwise direction by moving the beam emitting position parallel to the feeding direction of the metallic plate.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a laser processing method and a laser processing apparatus for processing an object to be processed having a certain width and fed at a certain speed with a laser beam in the width direction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, processing for cutting an object to be processed, for example, a long plate-like member, which is fed at a certain speed, into a predetermined size is usually performed using a cutter. In this case, the mechanism for feeding the plate-shaped member feeds the plate-shaped member at a constant speed, temporarily stops when the plate-shaped member is fed by a predetermined size, performs cutting by the cutter in this state, and restarts the feeding of the plate-shaped member again after cutting. .

[0003]

However, since machining with a cutter involves a stopping operation at the time of cutting, the machining speed is limited and machining chips are easily generated. For this purpose, a means for collecting processing waste is required, and processing of the collected waste is also required.

[0004] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a laser processing method in which processing chips are hardly generated by using laser light.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a laser processing method capable of coping with fluctuations in the feed speed of a workpiece during processing.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a laser processing apparatus suitable for the above-mentioned processing method.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a laser processing method for performing processing by irradiating a laser beam onto a processing object having a certain width and sent in a direction perpendicular to the width direction. The laser light to be generated is irradiated while moving from one end side in the width direction of the processing object to the opposite end side, and in this movement, the irradiation position of the laser light, the feeding direction of the processing object and A laser processing method is provided in which the object is machined in the width direction by moving the object in a parallel direction.

In this case, in the movement, the irradiation position of the laser light may be moved in a direction parallel to the feed direction of the processing object in consideration of a change amount of the feed speed of the processing object. preferable.

According to the present invention, a laser oscillator for generating laser light is provided in a laser processing apparatus for performing processing by irradiating a laser beam to a workpiece having a certain width and sent in a direction perpendicular to the width. And, while irradiating while moving the laser light from one end side in the width direction of the processing object to the opposite end side, at the time of this movement, the irradiation position of the laser light, the feeding direction of the processing object and A laser for irradiating a laser beam from the laser oscillator to the irradiating unit with an irradiating unit for moving the object in a parallel direction, and processing the object to be processed in its width direction. A processing device is provided.

In this case, the irradiating means includes a scanner for oscillating the laser beam in a direction parallel to a feeding direction of the object, and the scanner is opposed to the scanner from one end in the width direction of the object. And a drive mechanism that moves toward the end.

The apparatus further includes a speed sensor for detecting a feed speed of the workpiece, and a control device for receiving a detection signal from the speed sensor and controlling the scanner and the driving mechanism. The apparatus moves the irradiation position of the laser beam in a direction parallel to the feed direction of the processing object when the scanner is moved by the driving mechanism, in consideration of a change amount of the feed speed of the processing object. It is desirable to control the scanner as described above.

Further, it is preferable that the drive mechanism is provided with a condenser lens for condensing the laser light so as to be focused on the object to be processed, on the laser light incident side of the scanner.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to a laser processing for cutting a long object to be processed, for example, a metal plate, into a fixed size without stopping once. The device will be described. In FIG. 1, the laser processing apparatus includes a laser oscillator 11 for generating a laser beam for cutting, and a scanner 1 for oscillating the laser beam.
2, a driving mechanism 13 for moving the scanner 12 from one end in the width direction of the metal plate 10 sent at a certain speed toward the opposite end, and a scanner 12 for transmitting the laser light from the laser oscillator 11 to the scanner 12. And a control device (not shown) for controlling the scanner 12 and the drive mechanism 13. The metal plate 10 is sent, for example, from a roll.

The laser oscillator 11 can generate a laser beam having energy capable of cutting the metal plate 10 according to the material of the metal plate 10, for example, a CO ₂ laser oscillator,
A solid state laser oscillator is used. Further, n-th harmonic (n is an integer of 2 or more) laser light such as 2ω or 3ω generated by a wavelength conversion element from a solid-state laser may be used.
As the scanner 12, as shown in FIG. 2, a one-axis galvanometer scanner having one galvanometer mirror 12-1 is used. The scanner 12 is a galvanomirror 12
By rotating -1 by the motor 12-2, the laser beam incident on the mirror can be scanned over a predetermined range. Here, as the optical path 14, a collimation lens 14-1 for converting the laser light from the laser oscillator 11 into parallel light and a reflection mirror 14-2 for changing the angle of the laser light are combined.

The driving mechanism 13 is provided so as to be movable along a guide mechanism 15 which is bridged so as to straddle the traveling path of the metal plate 10 in a right angle direction. In particular, the guide mechanism 15
Has a length such that an acceleration section at the start of movement of the drive mechanism 15 from one end of the metal plate 10 and a deceleration section at the opposite end for stopping the movement can be set. That is, since the scanning of the metal plate 10 with the laser beam needs to be performed at a constant speed, the driving mechanism 13 is actually scanned before scanning the metal plate 10.
The moving section corresponding to the rising time of the metal plate 10 is ensured outside one end of the metal plate 10, and corresponds to the time from the end of scanning of the metal plate 10 to the start of deceleration to the complete stop. The moving section is secured outside the opposite end of the metal plate 10.

In FIG. 3, the collimation lens 14
The parallel light from -1 is collected by the processing lens 12-3 via the reflection mirror 14-2 so as to focus on a position determined by the focal length f. Processing lens 12-3
Is mounted on the drive mechanism 13 so as to move together with the scanner 12 at a position before the scanner 12. And
The distance from the processing lens 12-3 to the metal plate 10 via the scanner 12 is set to be equal to the focal length f. As a result, the positional relationship between the processing lens 12-3 and the scanner 12 is always constant irrespective of the movement by the drive mechanism 13, and the metal plate 10 can be cut with the same laser beam diameter. This is because the processed lens 12-3
This is because the movement changes the distance between the reflecting mirror lens 14-2 and the collimating lens 14-1 and can always receive parallel light.

In this embodiment, when the scanner 12 is moved by the driving mechanism 13, the control device changes the irradiation position of the laser beam in accordance with the feed speed of the metal plate 10 as the position approaches the opposite end of the metal plate 10. By controlling the scanner 12 so as to be gradually shifted in the same direction as the feeding direction,
The metal plate 10 can be cut at a right angle to its widthwise end.

It is desirable that the feeding speed of the metal plate 10 is constant, but it is inevitable that the speed changes. If such a speed change occurs during scanning, it becomes difficult to cut the metal plate 10 at right angles to its widthwise end by the above control alone.

According to the present invention, in consideration of the change in the feed speed of the metal plate 10 as described above, during scanning, that is, when the scanner 12 is moved, the irradiation of the laser beam is performed in accordance with the change in the feed speed of the metal plate 10. The feature is that the scanner 12 is controlled to move the position in a direction parallel to the feeding direction of the metal plate 10.

For this purpose, a speed sensor for detecting the feed speed of the metal plate 10 is provided, and this speed detection signal is fed back to the control device. When the feed speed of the metal plate 10 changes during the scan, the control device
The irradiation position of the laser beam is moved according to the amount of change.
For example, when the feed speed of the metal plate 10 has increased, the irradiation position of the laser beam is moved in the same direction as the feed direction of the metal plate 10. Conversely, when the feed speed of the metal plate 10 has decreased, the irradiation position of the laser beam is moved in a direction opposite to the feed direction of the metal plate 10. In this way, even if the feed speed changes during one scan, the metal plate 10 can be cut at a right angle to the end in the width direction.

In FIG. 4, a scanner 12 using a galvano scanner usually converts incident laser light into a beam having a width (cm).
It has the ability to scan in a linear area of a degree. Utilizing this, the scanner 12 is controlled so as to irradiate the moving metal plate 10 with a laser beam obliquely at an angle θ apparently in the width direction of the metal plate 10. As a result, the metal plate 10 is cut at a right angle to its end. For this purpose, the apparent angle θ depends on the width of the metal plate 10, but according to the feed speed of the metal plate 10, the apparent angle θ in the feed direction at the opposite end when scanning the metal plate 10 in the width direction is determined. The displacement d is the above number (cm)
Must be within the range. In other words,
The apparent angle θ is adjusted by the control device according to the feed speed of the metal plate 10 and the width of the metal plate 10. In addition, if there is a change in the feed speed during scanning, the control device adjusts the angle θ according to the amount of change.

The above-described control is applied not only during scanning, but also immediately after starting movement of the metal plate 10 when starting machining and immediately before stopping traveling when finishing machining. For example, when processing is started, the feed speed of the metal plate 10 gradually increases to reach a certain speed, and the operation shifts to constant speed traveling. When the feed speed increases, the angle θ is gradually increased according to the feed speed. Conversely, when the feed speed is reduced at the end of machining, the angle θ is gradually reduced according to the feed speed. Of course, if the feed speed fluctuates during scanning when the feed speed increases or decreases, the same control as described above is performed.

A galvano scanner usually has a width of 400 (m).
m) of the positioning accuracy ± 0.
1 (mm) laser light irradiation can be performed. on the other hand,
The spot diameter of the laser beam is set to 0.4 (mm), and the metal plate 1
Assuming that the cutting size of 0 is 100 (mm) and the scanner 12 is moved without deteriorating its performance,
The moving speed by the drive mechanism 13 is 2 (m / sec). According to such a driving mechanism 13, it is possible to cope with the feeding speed of the metal plate 10 of about several tens (m / min). Such a drive mechanism 13 is, for example, a linear motion mechanism using a linear motor or an endless belt provided over the entire length of the guide mechanism 15 so that the drive mechanism 13 can run, and a servo motor in which the endless belt is disposed on a fixed member. Can be used. Further, in order to make the movement along the guide mechanism 15 smooth, it is preferable to combine an air slide mechanism.

On the other hand, when the scanner 12 has a height 400 (mm) from the metal plate 10 and an optical path difference of about 12 (mm) in the direction parallel to the feeding direction of the metal plate 10 shown in FIG.
The spot of the laser beam irradiated to 0 enters a focal depth of ± 7 (mm).

In the above description, the movement of the scanner 12 from one end to the opposite end of the metal plate 10 causes the metal plate 1 to move.
Although the case of cutting at 0 has been described, it goes without saying that the cutting is performed by the movement of the scanner 12 from the opposite end to one end thereafter. In this case, the scanner 12 moves the metal plate 1 closer to one end of the metal plate 10.
The irradiation position is gradually shifted in the same direction as the zero feed direction. In addition, the laser light from one cutting to the next cutting is discarded by providing a turning mirror in the optical path 14 and deflected, or the laser oscillator 11 stops oscillation.

The present invention can be applied not only to a metal plate but also to a thin plate such as a resin plate or a relatively hard paper plate.

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention, an object to be processed having a certain width and fed at a certain speed is irradiated with a laser beam so that the object to be processed is not temporarily stopped in the width direction. The processing speed can be improved, and the processing by the laser beam is molten, so that the generation of processing chips can be suppressed. Also,
Even if the feed speed of the processing object changes during the processing, processing perpendicular to the edge of the processing object can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration for describing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the scanner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining scanning by the scanner of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Metal plate 11 Laser oscillator 12 Scanner 12-1 Galvano mirror 12-2 Motor 12-3 Processing lens 13 Drive mechanism 14 Optical path 14-1 Collimation lens 14-2 Reflection mirror 15 Guide mechanism

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A laser processing method for performing processing by irradiating a laser beam to a processing object having a certain width and sent in a direction perpendicular to the width direction, wherein the laser light generated by a laser oscillator is applied to the processing object. The irradiation is performed while moving from one end side to the opposite end side in the width direction of the object, and in this movement, the irradiation position of the laser beam is moved in a direction parallel to the feed direction of the object to be processed. A laser processing method for processing an object to be processed in its width direction. 2. The laser processing method according to claim 1, wherein, at the time of the movement, the irradiation position of the laser light is determined in consideration of an amount of change in a feed speed of the processing object, in accordance with a feeding direction of the processing object. A laser processing method characterized by moving in a parallel direction. 3. A laser processing apparatus for performing processing by irradiating a laser beam onto a processing object having a certain width and sent in a direction perpendicular to the width, a laser oscillator for generating laser light, and the laser light. Is irradiated while moving from one end side to the opposite end side in the width direction of the processing object, and at this time, the irradiation position of the laser beam is moved in a direction parallel to the feed direction of the processing object. A laser processing apparatus, comprising: an irradiation unit for causing the laser beam from the laser oscillator to be guided to the irradiation unit; and processing the object to be processed in a width direction thereof. 4. A laser processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said irradiating means includes a scanner for oscillating said laser beam in a direction parallel to a feed direction of said object, and said scanner is provided with said scanner. And a driving mechanism for moving from one end side to the opposite end side in the width direction of the laser processing apparatus. 5. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a speed sensor for detecting a feed speed of the workpiece, receiving the detection signal of the speed sensor, and connecting the scanner and the driving mechanism. A control device for controlling, the control device, when moving the scanner by the drive mechanism, the irradiation position of the laser light in consideration of the amount of change in the feed speed of the processing target, the processing position, A laser processing apparatus, wherein the scanner is controlled so as to move the object in a direction parallel to a feeding direction of the object. 6. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the driving mechanism further includes a laser beam incident side of the scanner for condensing the laser beam so that the laser beam is focused on the workpiece. A laser processing device equipped with an optical lens.