JP2003136274A - Laser beam machining method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a laser beam machining method and device by which machining accuracy and efficiency are improved. SOLUTION: An upper part control device 90 is provided which has a lower end in nearly the same contour as that of the support of a lower part holding device 47, and the control device 90 is arranged above a workpiece 1. Then, a distance δ of about 0.05 mm is set between the lower end 70a of the upper guide 70 of the upper part control device 90 and the upper surface 1b of the workpiece 1. It is more effective if the distance δ is made adjustable in a structure.

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 performing hole processing, cutting, etc. using laser light.

[0002]

In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-232490, a work holding device having a frame-shaped holding surface and a clamp device are provided, and a work is fixed to the holding surface without applying tension by the clamp device. The technology of the laser processing machine is disclosed. FIG. 5 is a front view showing the overall configuration of the laser processing machine in the above-mentioned conventional technique, and FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of a clamp part. The laser processing machine is the laser processing device A
And a supply device B and a discharge device C for the workpiece.

A pair of linear guides 12 for movably guiding the cross table 11 in the Y-axis direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of the drawing) are arranged on the upper surface of the bed 10 of the laser beam machine A. On the upper surface of the cross table 11, a pair of linear guides 14 that guide the table 13 movably in the X-axis direction (horizontal direction in the drawing) are arranged. The table 13 and the cross table 11 are each driven by a servo motor (not shown). A clamp device 30 is fixed to the upper surface of the table 13. The workpiece 1 is fixed to the upper surface of the clamp device 30.

A U-shaped frame 15 is erected on the bed 10. A laser head 16 is supported on the upper side surface of the frame 15 so as to be vertically movable so as to face the workpiece 1. The laser head 16 is provided with a pair of galvanometer scanners 17 and Fθ lenses 18. Two mirrors 20 and 21 are arranged between the laser oscillator 19 and the laser head 16. In addition,
The mirror 20 is fixed to the frame 15, and the mirror 21 is fixed to the laser head 16. A lower holding device 66 is fixed to the side surface of the leg of the frame 15 via a connecting member 50.

The transport portions of the supply device B and the discharge device C are a rail 22, a slider 23 which is movable on the rail 22 in the X-axis direction by a cylinder (not shown), and a slider 23.
It is composed of a lifter 24 and a workpiece suction device 25 held by the. The position indicated by the solid line in the figure is the slider 2.
3 is the standby position, and the position indicated by the dotted line is the supply or discharge position. Then, when the slider 23 is at the standby position, the lifter 24 is at the raised position. 26 is the work piece 1
Is a fixed workpiece placing table or a movable workpiece placing trolley for placing the workpiece 1 on the workpiece placing table 26 of the supply device B. The processed workpiece 1 is placed on the workpiece mounting table 26 of the discharging device C.

As shown in FIG. 6, a workpiece suction device 25
A large number of small-diameter holes 27 are provided on the lower surface of the. The external dimensions of the workpiece suction device 25 are such that the entire workpiece 1 can be sucked. The hollow portion provided inside is connected to a vacuum suction source via a pipe 28. The suction device 25 is provided with a play by a spring (not shown) with respect to the lifter 24, and is configured to be able to move upward by several mm from the lower end.

Next, the clamp device 30 will be described with reference to FIG. Four clamp frames 31 are fixed on the table 13 so as to form four sides of a rectangular frame. The same number of clampers 33 as the clamp frames 31 are fixed to the rod 32, respectively. The rod 32 is supported by a bearing (not shown), and is rotatable about the axis of the rod 32 by driving a drive device (not shown). The workpiece 1 is placed on the workpiece mounting reference surface 31 a of the clamp frame 31.

The holding device 66 passes through the notch 31a provided in the clamp frame 31, and passes through the clamp frame 31.
It is arranged in a space 45 surrounded by. FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of the holding device 66, and FIG. 8 is a plan view of the holding device 66. The lower holding device 66 is arranged so as to sandwich the workpiece 1 therebetween and to face the upper Fθ lens 18. Body 63
A plate cover 60 is arranged on the upper part of the. Inside the hole 63 a provided in the body 63, a plurality of (eight in the figure) support pins 61 are arranged so as to pass through the plate cover 60 and be vertically movable. The centers of the eight support pins 61 are positioned so as to coincide with the central axis O of the Fθ lens 18. Hereinafter, a range corresponding to a quadrangle formed by the support pins 61 will be referred to as a processing range S. The processing range S has a size of 30 mm × 30 mm, for example.

The hole 63a and the large diameter portion 61a provided under the support pin 61 constitute a cylinder.
The upper side of the hole has a hole 63b, and the lower side of the hole 63a has a hole 63b.
c is connected to a compressed air source via a joint 65 and a pipe 64, respectively. Therefore, the hole 63a or the hole 6
The support pin 61 can be moved up and down by supplying compressed air to 3b. When the support pin 61 is raised, the tip of the support pin 61 is positioned at the same height as the mounting reference surface 31a. Further, when the support pin 61 is lowered, the tip of the support pin 61 is positioned at a position sufficiently lower than the upper end of the hole 31a as shown by the chain double-dashed line in the figure.

Next, the clamping operation of the conventional laser processing machine will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the lifter 24 is lowered and the workpiece 1 sucked on the lower surface of the suction device 25 is pressed against the attachment reference surface 31a. In this state, the rod 32, that is, the clamper 33 is rotated to clamp the workpiece 1 on the mounting reference surface 31a, and then the suction of the suction device 25 is released to lift the lifter 24. Then, at the time of processing, the support pin 61 is raised to support the workpiece 1. Then, when the processing of the arbitrary processing range S is completed, the table 13 is moved and the processing of the next processing range S is performed.

With the above construction, the processing range S can be made flush with the mounting reference surface 31a even if the center of the workpiece 1 whose outer periphery is held by the clamp device is bent by its own weight. Therefore, the processing accuracy could be improved.

[0012]

However, the edge of the processed hole may rise depending on the material of the workpiece 1 or the processing conditions. In such a case, when the table is moved from the machining range S in which machining has been completed to the machining range S to be machined next, the tip of the support pin abuts on the edge of the machined hole to move the workpiece 1 up and down. Directional vibration occurs. For this reason, the imaging position of the laser light changed, and the processing accuracy deteriorated. Further, in order to improve the machining efficiency, the workpiece 1 vibrates even when the acceleration of the table is increased. For this reason, the table had to be moved at a low speed, and the processing efficiency could not be improved.

The object of the present invention is to solve the above problems,
A laser processing method and a laser processing apparatus capable of improving processing accuracy and processing efficiency.

[0014]

In order to solve the above problems, the invention of claim 1 clamps the outer edge of the workpiece and supports the lower portion of the processing region determined by the size of the lens with a frame-shaped member. However, in the laser processing method for processing, the processing is performed by limiting the movement of the workpiece in the direction away from the frame-shaped member within a predetermined range.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a clamp device for clamping the outer periphery of the workpiece in a frame shape, and a frame-shaped supporting device which is arranged in an area surrounded by the clamp device and supports the workpiece. In the laser processing apparatus for processing the workpiece clamped by the clamp device while supporting the workpiece by the supporting device, a regulating device having an outer shape substantially the same as the supporting portion of the supporting device is provided. Are arranged on the upper side of the workpiece.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described below based on embodiments. 1 is a front sectional view of a main part of a head portion of a laser processing apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line E of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a view taken along F of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a view taken along G of FIG. And FIG.
8 and those having the same functions as those in FIG.

First, the upper regulating device 90 will be described. In FIG. 1, the upper guide 70 has a truncated pyramid shape,
It is fixed to the plate 73. The inner dimension of the tip portion of the upper guide 70 is formed slightly larger than the processing range S, and a hole 70b is provided on each side surface. The two guide pins 74 fixed to the upper part of the plate 73 are
It is formed in the arm 71 and fits in the guide hole 71a.
A U-shaped support portion 71 b is formed on the side surface of the arm 71. The support portion 71b is provided with two screw holes 71c. The plate 73 has a support portion 71 on the outer peripheral portion.
It is arranged so as to be sandwiched by b, and is positioned in the height direction (vertical direction in the drawing) by adjusting screws 76 and 78 screwed into the screw holes 71c. The adjusting screws 76 and 78 are
The lock nuts 77 and 79 prevent loosening. Therefore, by operating the adjusting screws 76 and 78,
The distance δ between the lower surface 70a of the upper guide 70 and the workpiece 1 can be changed. In the plate 73 and the arm 71,
Notch openings 73a, 71 for passing laser light
d is provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, a swing shaft 81 is fixed to the end of the arm 71. The swivel shaft 81 is rotatably supported by the bearing 82 and is positioned in the height direction. The bearing 82 is supported by a bearing housing 83. The bearing box 83 is fixed to the fixing member 85 of the Fθ lens 18. Then, by operating an air cylinder (not shown) connected to the arm 71, the air cylinder shown in FIG.
As shown in, the center of the upper guide 70 can be positioned at a position deviated by the central axis O of the Fθ lens 18 and the angle α.

Between the Fθ lens 18 and the arm 71,
A dust suction duct 87 is provided. The dust suction duct 87 is provided with openings 87a, 87b, 87c, 87d. When the center of the upper guide 70 is aligned with the central axis O of the Fθ lens 18, the upper guide 70, the plate 73,
The openings 70c, 73a provided in the arm 71,
71d is configured to face the opening of the dust suction duct 87. The dust suction duct 87 is connected to a dust suction device (not shown).

Next, the lower holding device 47 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the lower holding device 47 is arranged so as to face the Fθ lens 18. The bracket 48 is fixed to the tip of the connecting member 50. Four guide pins 49 are erected on the upper surface of the bracket 48. The lower guide 51 has a guide hole 51b fitted into the guide pin 49 and is movable in the vertical direction. One end of each of the two links 52 is engaged with a hinge pin 53 fixed to the bracket 48 and is rotatable about the hinge pin 53. A shaft 51c is fixed to the other end of the link 52.
The roller 55 is rotatably supported by the shaft 51c.
The upper end of the roller 55 is in contact with the lower surface 51e of the lower guide 51, and the lower end of the shaft 51c is in contact with the flange 51d formed in the lower portion of the lower guide 51 in the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. The connecting rod 56 is engaged with the two shafts 51c. The bracket 48, the connecting rod 56 and the link 52 form a parallelogram link mechanism.
One end of the connecting rod 56 is engaged with the link joint 57 via the hinge pin 54. Link joint 5
7 is fixed to a rod 58a of a cylinder 58. The end of the cylinder 58 engages the hinge pin 99 and is rotatable about the hinge pin 99. The lower guide 5
The moving distance of 1 in the vertical direction is about 6 mm.

Above the lower guide 51, a prismatic support portion 51a is provided. The outer shape of the support portion 51a is slightly larger than the outer edge of the processing range S. In the center of each side,
Notches 51f and 51g are provided from the upper end toward the lower side. The height of the notch 51g (the vertical direction in FIG. 1) is larger than that of the notch 51f. Lower guide 51
The width of the apex is about 1.5 to 2.0 mm, and each ridge of the apex is rounded in consideration of slippage with the workpiece 1.

The suction port 59a of the dust suction duct 59 is arranged so as to face one notch 51g, and the other end is connected to a dust suction device (not shown). The distance between the suction port 59a and the support portion 51a is short.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. Prior to processing, the upper regulating device 90 is positioned. That is, the adjusting screws 76 and 78 are operated to set the distance C between the lower surface 70a of the upper guide 70 and the lower guide upper surface 51a to a value determined by the equation 1, and the lock nuts 77 and 79 prevent the loosening. C = “thickness t of the work piece 1” + “distance δ” Here, the distance δ is a value that differs depending on the material and the working shape of the work piece 1, and is about 0.02 to 0.1 mm.

Next, the cylinder 58 is operated to move the rod 5
When 8a is pulled in, the link 52 becomes vertical, and the lower guide 51 is guided by the guide pin 49 via the roller 55 and rises vertically. When the link 52 is vertical, the upper surface 51 a has the same height as the mounting reference surface 31 a of the clamp frame 31. Then, in this state, after clamping the workpiece 1, the dust collector (not shown) is operated.

At the time of processing, processing dust and fumes generated by the processing are removed to the outside via ducts 59 and 87 as shown by arrows in FIGS. 1 and 2. Further, when the table 13 is moved, vertical vibration may be generated in the work piece 1, but the work piece 1 is restricted by the lower surface 70a and does not float above the attachment reference surface 31a by a distance δ or more. .

When the lower holding device 47 is removed from the space 45 for mounting the work 1 or the like, a rod 58 is used.
Extend a. Then, when the link 52 falls by a predetermined angle, the hinge pin 54 pulls down the flange portion 51d and lowers the lower guide 51.

In this embodiment, since the upper guide 70 is provided with the window-shaped opening 70b, the workpiece 1 does not float above the mounting reference surface 31a even if the dust absorption force is increased.
Moreover, it is possible to reliably remove the processing dust and fumes.

Further, since the upper regulating device 90 is rotated in the horizontal plane, the work can be performed safely and surely, for example, when the Fθ lens 18 is replaced or the maintenance work is performed.

Further, in the case of drilling with a laser beam, in order to optimize the shape of the drilled hole, the distance H between the upper surface 1b of the workpiece 1 and the Fθ lens 18 must be changed with respect to the reference length. In some cases, the Fθ lens 18 is vertically shifted. In the present invention, since the upper guide 70 can be moved in the direction opposite to the direction in which the Fθ lens 18 is shifted, the distance between the lower surface 70a and the upper surface 1b can always be maintained at an appropriate distance δ.
Therefore, it is possible to perform processing with excellent accuracy.

A tension spring may be arranged between the lower guide 51 and the bracket 48 so that the lower guide 51 is always urged downward. By doing so, the vertical gap of the lower guide 51 is eliminated, so that the vibration of the lower guide 51 can be further reduced. Also,
The window-shaped opening 70b provided in the upper guide 70 may be U-shaped in a notch shape.

Although the upper regulating device 90 is rotated in the horizontal plane, it may be moved in a linear direction.

Further, the present invention can be applied not only to a single-axis laser processing machine but also to a multi-axis laser axis laser processing machine.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In the laser processing method of clamping the outer edge of the workpiece and supporting the lower part of the processing area determined by the size of the lens by the frame-shaped member, the movement of the workpiece in the direction away from the frame-shaped member is performed. Since the processing is limited to a predetermined range, it is possible to perform the drilling with high accuracy even on a film-shaped thin work piece. Further, since the dust collecting structures arranged above and below the workpiece can efficiently remove the machining dust fumes and the like generated during the drilling, not only the workpiece but also the inside and outside of the apparatus can be kept clean.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view of an essential part of a head portion of a laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line E of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an F view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view from G in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing the overall configuration of a conventional laser processing machine.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of a conventional clamp portion.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of a conventional holding device.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a conventional holding device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Workpiece 47 Lower Holding Device 90 Upper Limiting Device 70 Upper Guide 70a Lower End 1b of Upper Guide 70 Upper Surface δ of Workpiece δ Lower End 70a of Upper Guide 70 and Upper Surface 1b of Workpiece 1
Distance from

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. Clamping an outer edge of a work piece,
In a laser processing method for processing while supporting a lower portion of a processing area determined by the size of a lens with a frame-shaped member, processing is performed by limiting movement of a workpiece in a direction away from the frame-shaped member within a predetermined range. A laser processing method characterized by the above. 2. A clamp device, comprising: a clamp device for clamping the outer periphery of a workpiece in a frame shape; and a frame-shaped supporting device that is arranged in a region surrounded by the clamp device and supports the workpiece. In a laser processing apparatus for processing the workpiece clamped by the supporting device by the supporting device, a regulating device having an outer shape which is substantially the same as the supporting portion of the supporting device is provided, and the regulating device is provided on the upper side of the workpiece. A laser processing apparatus, which is characterized in that 3. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a moving means of the regulation device is provided, and a distance of the regulation device from the clamp device is variable. 4. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a means for surrounding a space between the regulating device and the lens is provided, and the inside is connected to the dust collecting device.