JP2012148313A - Laser beam machining apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a laser beam machining apparatus capable of executing high-accuracy laser beam machining.SOLUTION: The laser beam machining apparatus includes a laser oscillator 41 for generating the laser beam L, an XY scanner 47 to scan the irradiation position of the laser beam L on a workpiece W in the XY direction, a telecentric lens 48 for realizing the constant outgoing angle of the laser beam L outgoing toward the workpiece W irrespective of the angle of incidence of the laser beam L to be incident from the XY scanner 47, and an integrally formed casing frame 60 for accommodating the laser oscillator 41 and the XY scanner 47. The casing frame 60 has a partition plate 61 arranged across the outgoing optical axis of the laser oscillator 41.

Description

  The present invention relates to a laser processing apparatus, and more particularly to an improvement of a laser processing apparatus that processes a workpiece by irradiating a laser beam.

  A laser marker is a laser processing device that processes a workpiece (work) by irradiating a laser beam, and prints characters, symbols, figures, etc. on the workpiece by scanning the irradiation position of the laser beam. Can do.

  This type of laser processing apparatus has a head housing with a dust-proof structure made of a light-shielding member such as metal, and leaks laser light by housing an optical system for emitting laser light in the head housing. As well as performance degradation due to dust and other effects. For example, a laser oscillator that generates laser light for processing and a scanner that scans the laser light are housed in the head casing.

  Further, there is known a laser processing apparatus that shortens the length of the head casing by bending the optical path of the laser light in the head casing and reduces the size (for example, Patent Document 1). In the laser processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, laser light emitted in a horizontal direction from a laser oscillator is bent at a right angle by a first fixed mirror disposed in front and enters a Z scanner disposed below. . Then, the laser beam that has passed through the Z scanner is bent at a right angle by the second fixed mirror, enters the XY scanner disposed behind, and is emitted toward the workpiece.

  When such a configuration is adopted, the head housing can be reduced in size, but due to errors and variations in the optical characteristics of the fixed mirror, the characteristics of the laser light deteriorate each time the laser light is reflected by the fixed mirror, There was a problem that high-precision laser processing could not be performed. Therefore, it is conceivable that the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator is incident on the XY scanner without being bent. However, if such a configuration is adopted, the head casing becomes longer, so that the rigidity of the head casing is increased. There is a problem that the processing accuracy decreases.

  In particular, in order to increase the accuracy of laser processing, in the case of a laser processing apparatus that irradiates a work with laser light incident through an XY scanner through a telecentric lens, the head housing may be deformed by the weight of the telecentric lens. Conceivable.

JP 2009-78280 A

  This invention is made | formed in view of said situation, and it aims at providing the laser processing apparatus which can perform a highly accurate laser processing.

  In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a laser processing apparatus capable of suppressing a decrease in processing accuracy due to errors and variations in optical characteristics of a fixed mirror. Moreover, it aims at providing the laser processing apparatus which can suppress the fall of the processing precision by the error of arrangement | positioning of an optical unit.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a laser processing apparatus capable of ensuring the dustproof property of the laser light emission path and improving the processing accuracy while suppressing the loss in the optical fiber.

  A laser processing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a laser oscillator that generates laser light, an XY scanner that scans an irradiation position of the laser light on a workpiece in a two-dimensional direction, and the laser that is incident from the XY scanner. A telecentric lens that makes the emission angle of the laser beam emitted toward the workpiece to be fixed irrespective of the incident angle of light, and an integrally molded housing that houses the laser oscillator and the XY scanner. The housing is configured to have a partition wall disposed so as to intersect with the outgoing optical axis of the laser oscillator.

  This laser processing device accommodates a laser oscillator and an XY scanner in a housing whose rigidity has been improved by integral molding, thereby reducing the placement error of these optical units and improving the processing accuracy. Yes. Furthermore, the rigidity of the housing can be further improved by forming a partition that intersects the outgoing optical axis of the laser oscillator. According to such a configuration, even if the XY scanner scans the laser beam two-dimensionally, it is possible to irradiate the workpiece with the laser beam at a certain angle, so that the accuracy of the laser processing can be improved. . In addition, since the rigidity of the housing is improved by forming the partition wall integrally, deformation of the housing due to the influence of the weight of the telecentric lens can be suppressed.

  A laser processing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a Z scanner that controls the focal length of the laser light in addition to the above-described configuration, and the laser oscillator, the Z scanner, and the XY scanner are aligned on a substantially straight line. It is comprised so that it may adhere to the said housing | casing in a state.

  This laser processing apparatus is configured without arranging a fixed mirror for bending the optical path of the laser beam between the laser oscillator and the XY scanner by arranging the laser oscillator, the Z scanner, and the XY scanner on a substantially straight line. . For this reason, it is possible to suppress a decrease in processing accuracy due to errors or variations in the optical characteristics of the fixed mirror. Further, as the optical unit is arranged on a substantially straight line, the distance between the laser oscillator and the XY scanner becomes longer, and it is possible to suppress a reduction in processing accuracy.

  In addition to the above configuration, the laser processing apparatus according to the third aspect of the invention divides an internal space of the housing into a first housing portion and a second housing portion by the partition, and the first housing portion includes the laser oscillator. In addition, an optical fiber for transmitting excitation light is drawn from the outside, and the second accommodating portion is configured to accommodate the Z scanner and the XY scanner.

  The laser processing apparatus divides the internal space of the housing into a first housing portion and a second housing portion by a partition, draws an optical fiber into the first housing portion, and houses the Z scanner and the XY scanner in the second housing portion. ing. For this reason, by making the airtightness of the second housing portion higher than that of the first housing portion, it is possible to ensure the dustproof property of the second housing portion without applying excessive stress to the optical fiber. Therefore, processing accuracy can be improved while suppressing loss in the optical fiber.

  In addition to the above configuration, the laser processing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes the Z scanner that expands the beam diameter of the laser beam, and the laser oscillator has an output window for outputting the laser beam at one end. The formed output cylinder is fixed, and the output cylinder is disposed through the partition so that the output window is disposed in the second housing portion.

  In this laser processing apparatus, the dust-proof property between the laser oscillator and the Z scanner is ensured by arranging the output window of the laser oscillator accommodated in the first accommodating part in the second accommodating part. For this reason, it can suppress that the laser beam which is output from a laser oscillator and a beam diameter is not expanded is influenced by dust, and can improve processing accuracy.

  A laser processing apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes, in addition to the above configuration, a wiring board provided with connectors on both sides to which the wiring cable is detachably connected, and the wiring board is formed on the partition wall. It is constituted so as to close the through-hole for use. According to such a structure, the through-hole for wiring formed in the partition can be reliably sealed.

  In addition to the above configuration, the laser processing apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is arranged such that the center of gravity in the arrangement direction of the laser oscillator, the Z scanner, and the XY scanner is closer to the XY scanner than the partition. It comprises three support legs that support the lower surface of the housing. According to such a configuration, the casing in which the telecentric lens, the laser oscillator, the partition wall, and the like are arranged can be supported in a balanced manner.

  The laser processing apparatus according to the present invention reduces the placement error of these optical units by housing a laser oscillator and an XY scanner in a casing that is integrally molded and has improved rigidity by providing a partition wall. The processing accuracy can be improved. In particular, by disposing the optical unit on a substantially straight line, the distance between the laser oscillator and the XY scanner becomes long, and the processing accuracy can be prevented from being lowered.

  Further, the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention is configured without arranging a laser oscillator, a Z scanner, and an XY scanner on a substantially straight line, and arranging a fixed mirror for bending the optical path of the laser beam. For this reason, it is possible to suppress a decrease in processing accuracy due to errors or variations in the optical characteristics of the fixed mirror.

  Further, the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention divides the internal space of the housing into the first housing part and the second housing part by the partition, and makes the airtightness of the second housing part higher than that of the first housing part, The dust-proof property of the second housing part can be ensured without applying excessive stress to the optical fiber. Therefore, processing accuracy can be improved while suppressing loss in the optical fiber.

  Further, the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention secures the dustproof property between the laser oscillator and the Z scanner by arranging the output window of the laser oscillator accommodated in the first accommodating portion in the second accommodating portion. For this reason, it can suppress that the laser beam which is output from a laser oscillator and a beam diameter is not expanded is influenced by dust, and can improve processing accuracy.

1 is a system diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a laser marking system 1 including a laser marker 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the block diagram which showed the detailed structure of the laser marker 20 of FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the telecentric lens 48 in FIG. 2. It is the figure which showed the spatial arrangement | positioning of the optical units 41-48 and 51-56 of FIG. It is the perspective view which showed the internal structure of the marker head 21 of FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration of a housing frame 60 in the marker head 21 of FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of an output cylinder 41B of the laser oscillator 41 of FIG. It is the figure which showed the wiring between Z scanner 45, XY scanner 47, and control boards 71-73. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a relay board unit 720 viewed from the Z scanner 45 side. It is the figure which showed one structural example of the relay board | substrate unit 720 seen from the laser oscillator 41 side. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a relay board unit 720 attached to a partition plate 61. FIG. It is the perspective view which showed one structural example of the wiring guide board 75 which seals the wiring extraction hole 63c of FIG. It is the perspective view which showed the mode at the time of attachment of the wiring guide board 75 of FIG.

<Laser marking system 1>
FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a laser marking system 1 including a laser processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. A laser marker 20 is shown as an example of the laser processing apparatus. The laser marking system 1 includes a laser marker 20 that irradiates a laser beam L to process a workpiece W, and a terminal device 10 for editing the processing conditions. The laser marker 20 includes a marker head 21 that generates and scans the laser light L, and a marker controller 22 that controls the operation of the marker head 21.

  The terminal device 10 is a device for controlling the laser marker 20, and for example, a personal computer in which an application program for a laser marker is installed can be used. By using the terminal device 10, the user can create and edit processing setting data that defines the processing conditions of the laser marker 20.

  The marker controller 22 controls the operation of the marker head 21 based on the processing setting data received from the terminal device 10. Further, excitation light for laser oscillation is generated in the marker controller 22 and transmitted to the marker head 21 via the optical fiber 23.

  The marker head 21 generates laser light L based on the excitation light from the marker controller 22 and irradiates the workpiece W with it. At this time, by scanning the emission axis of the laser light L based on the control signal from the marker controller 22, symbols such as characters, symbols and figures can be printed on the workpiece W. In addition, an illumination light source and a camera (not shown) are built in the marker head 21, and a photographed image of the work W photographed by the camera is transferred to the terminal device 10 via the marker controller 22 and displayed on the display. The The user can check and adjust the processing position on the workpiece W by browsing the captured image.

<Laser marker 20>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the laser marker 20 of FIG. 1, and shows an example of the internal configuration of the marker head 21 and the marker controller 22. The laser marker 20 can perform high-precision laser processing by irradiating the laser beam L through the telecentric lens 48.

<Marker controller 22>
The marker controller 22 includes a power supply 30, an excitation light generation unit 31, and a control unit 32. The power supply 30 supplies electric power to the marker head 21, the excitation light generation unit 31, and the control unit 32 using a commercial power supply. The excitation light generator 31 generates excitation light for laser oscillation. This excitation light is transmitted to the marker head 21 via the optical fiber 23. The control unit 32 controls the excitation light generation unit 31 and the marker head 21 based on the processing setting data transferred from the terminal device 10, and performs output control and scanning control of the laser light L.

<Marker head 21>
The marker head 21 includes a laser oscillator 41, a beam sampler 42, an oscillator shutter 43, a mixing mirror 44, a Z scanner 45, a polarization beam splitter 46, an XY scanner 47, a telecentric lens 48, a power monitor 51, a guide light source 52, and an illumination light source 53. , A half mirror 54, a camera shutter 55, and a camera 56.

The laser oscillator 41 is a laser generator that absorbs excitation light and generates laser light L including a laser beam, and includes a laser medium, a resonator, a Q switch, and the like. Here, it is assumed that the laser oscillator 41 is a solid-state laser oscillator that pulsates, for example, an SHG type laser oscillator. The SHG type laser oscillator uses a YVO ₄ (yttrium vanadate) crystal doped with Nd (neodymium) as a laser medium, and outputs green light having a wavelength of 532 nm using the second harmonic. Laser light having a wavelength of 808 nm is used as excitation light for exciting the laser medium. The laser light L generated by the laser oscillator 41 is applied to the workpiece W via the beam sampler 42, the mixing mirror 44, the Z scanner 45, the polarization beam splitter 46, the XY scanner 47, and the telecentric lens 48 in order.

  The beam sampler 42 is an optical splitter that branches a certain proportion of the laser light L output from the laser oscillator 41 as a sampling beam. For example, by utilizing the surface reflection of the transparent substrate, about 3% of the total amount of the incident laser light L is dispersed and incident on the power monitor 51 as a sampling beam. The power monitor 51 is a light intensity detection means for detecting the output power of the laser oscillator 41, and is composed of, for example, a thermal element such as a thermopile, and the detection result is used for output control of the laser oscillator 41.

  The oscillator shutter 43 is a leakage prevention blocking means for blocking the laser light L emission path so that the laser light L can be opened and closed, and is disposed upstream of the polarization beam splitter 46. Here, an oscillator shutter 43 is provided between the beam sampler 42 and the mixing mirror 44, and the emission path of the laser light L is blocked based on the output control signal of the laser light L except when the laser light L is irradiated. Yes. For this reason, when the work 56 is photographed by the camera 56, the emission path of the laser light L is blocked by the oscillation shutter 43.

  The mixing mirror 44 is an optical mixing optical splitter that substantially matches the emission axis of the guide light with the emission axis of the laser light L, transmits the laser light L from the laser oscillator 41, and reflects the guide light from the guide light source 52. Both are sent to the Z scanner 45. The guide light source 52 is a light source device that generates guide light for displaying a processing position on the workpiece W, and includes a light emitting element such as an LD (laser diode). The symbol pattern to be printed can be visually recognized as an afterimage of the irradiation spot by the lighting control of the guide light and the high-speed scanning of the emission axis of the guide light.

  The Z scanner 45 is beam diameter control means for adjusting the beam diameter of the laser light L, and controls the focal length of the laser light L by adjusting the expansion ratio of the beam diameter. The Z scanner 45 is composed of two lenses arranged on the optical axis of the laser beam L. By changing the relative distance between these lenses, for example, the beam diameter 2 mmφ of the incident laser beam L is maximized. It can be expanded to 8mmφ. If the beam diameter of the laser beam L is increased, the focal length becomes longer and the spot diameter on the workpiece is increased. By increasing the spot diameter of the laser light in this way, defocus control for reducing the energy density in the spot can be performed.

  The polarization beam splitter 46 is disposed on the upstream side of the XY scanner 47 on the emission path of the laser light L, and transmits the laser light L from the Z scanner 45, while the light receiving axis of the camera 56 is used as the laser light L. This is an optical splitter for a camera that substantially coincides with the output axis of the camera. That is, of the reflected light from the workpiece W, the return light that enters the telecentric lens 48 and goes back through the emission path of the laser light L is reflected by the polarization beam splitter 46, thereby being separated from the emission axis of the laser light L, Head towards the camera 56. The polarization beam splitter 46 reflects the illumination light incident through the half mirror 54 toward the XY scanner 47 so that the emission axis of the illumination light coincides with the emission axis of the laser light L. For example, when the P-polarized laser light L is generated by the laser oscillator 41, the laser light L is allowed to pass by using the polarization beam splitter 46 that selectively transmits the P-polarized component and reflects the S-polarized component. On the other hand, the return light and the irradiation light including the S-polarized component can be reflected, respectively.

  The XY scanner 47 is a scanning device that two-dimensionally scans the emission optical axis of the laser light L, and includes an optical system such as a scanning mirror that reflects the laser light L and a drive unit that rotates the scanning mirror. The scanning mirror is called a galvanometer mirror, and is arranged on the emission path of the laser light L. The XY scanner 47 rotates the scanning mirror based on the position control signal from the marker controller 22. The irradiation position of the laser beam L on the workpiece W is scanned in the XY direction by the XY scanner 47.

  The telecentric lens 48 is an emission optical system that emits the laser beam L toward the workpiece W, and is disposed downstream of the XY scanner 47 in the emission path of the laser beam L, that is, on the workpiece W side. The telecentric lens 48 is composed of a plurality of optical lenses and a cover glass, and includes an object side telecentric optical system in which the angle of view on the workpiece W side is approximately 0 °. That is, the telecentric lens 48 emits the laser light L toward the workpiece W so that the principal ray of the laser light is substantially parallel to the lens optical axis regardless of the incident angle of the laser light L.

  The illumination light source 53 is a light source device that generates illumination light for illuminating the workpiece W, and includes a light emitting element such as an LED (light emitting diode). The illumination light source 53 generates illumination light including at least the same wavelength as the laser light L and emits the illumination light to the half mirror 54.

  The half mirror 54 is an optical splitter for illumination that is disposed on the light receiving path of the camera 56 and transmits the return light from the polarization beam splitter 46, while making the emission axis of the illumination light substantially coincide with the light receiving axis of the camera 56. That is, the return light from the polarization beam splitter 46 is transmitted and incident on the camera 56, while the illumination light from the illumination light source 53 is reflected toward the polarization beam splitter.

  The camera shutter 55 is a camera protection blocking means for blocking the light receiving path of the camera 56 so that it can be opened and closed, and preventing the return light from entering the camera 56 when the laser beam L is irradiated. It arrange | positions rather than the upstream. Here, a camera shutter 55 is provided between the half mirror 54 and the camera 56 and is opened and closed based on the output control signal of the laser light L, and the light receiving path of the camera 56 is cut off at least during the irradiation period of the laser light L. ing. For this reason, if the timing of laser irradiation is different from the timing of camera shooting, it is possible to prevent the camera 56 from being damaged by the return light of the laser light L.

  The camera 56 is an imaging unit that captures the workpiece W and generates a captured image. The camera 56 captures an image based on an imaging control signal from the marker controller 22, and outputs the obtained captured image to the marker controller 22. Here, it is assumed that the camera 56 receives substantially the same wavelength as the laser light and generates a captured image.

<Telecentric lens 48>
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the telecentric lens 48 of FIG. In (a) in the figure, when the laser beam L is irradiated to the center of the printable area, (b), when the laser beam L is irradiated near the left end of the printable area, (c), A case where the laser beam L is irradiated near the right end of the printable area is shown.

  The telecentric lens 48 emits the laser light L so that its principal ray is substantially parallel to the optical axis of the telecentric lens 48 regardless of the incident angle of the laser light L. For this reason, even when the scanning angle of the XY scanner 47 becomes deep and the incident angle to the telecentric lens 48 becomes large, the spot diameter of the laser beam L formed on the workpiece W does not change, and high accuracy is achieved. Laser processing can be performed.

  In such a laser marker 2, if the workpiece W is photographed using a camera 56 having a light receiving axis substantially coincident with the emission axis of the laser light L, a photographed image with little distortion can be obtained. That is, even if the scanning angle of the XY scanner 47 becomes deep and the incident angle to the telecentric lens 48 becomes large, the captured image is not distorted. Furthermore, regardless of the scanning angle of the XY scanner 47, surrounding images are not distorted in the captured image. Therefore, the processing position can be confirmed or adjusted with high accuracy based on the captured image with little distortion.

<Spatial arrangement of optical unit>
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a spatial arrangement of the optical units 41 to 48 and 51 to 56 of FIG. The laser oscillator 41, the beam sampler 42, the mixing mirror 44, the Z scanner 45, the deflecting beam splitter 46, and the XY scanner 47 are aligned on a substantially straight line in the horizontal direction, and the laser light L is transmitted from the laser oscillator 41 to the XY scanner 47. It passes through a substantially straight path, is bent downward by the XY scanner 47, and enters the telecentric lens 48. By adopting such a linear arrangement, it is not necessary to arrange a fixed mirror between the laser oscillator 41 and the XY scanner 47 and bend the laser light emission path as in the conventional laser processing apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the laser processing accuracy from being lowered due to errors or variations in the optical characteristics of the fixed mirror.

  The laser oscillator 41 has a T-shape, receives excitation light from the lower right input terminal 41T, and outputs laser light L from an output window 41W formed at the tip of the upper left output tube 41B.

  The beam sampler 42 and the mixing mirror 44 are disposed with an inclination of 45 ° with respect to the emission axis of the laser light L.

  The deflecting beam splitter 46 is disposed so as to be inclined by about 56.6 ° with respect to the emission axis of the laser beam L, and makes the incident angle of the laser beam L substantially coincide with the Brewster angle. For this reason, the laser beam L can be transmitted almost 100%. The return light is reflected by the deflecting beam splitter 46 and travels upward with an angle of about 66.8 ° with respect to the emission axis of the laser beam L in the horizontal direction.

  The illumination module 530 is a module in which the illumination light source 53 is arranged on the front side of the paper and the half mirror 54 is arranged on the back side of the paper. The illumination light irradiated from the front to the back is reflected by the half mirror 54. , And enters the deflection beam splitter 46 in the lower left direction. The return light incident from the deflection beam splitter 46 passes through the half mirror 54 and enters the camera module 560 in the upper right direction.

  The camera module 560 is a module composed of a camera 56 and a lens barrel 57, and the camera 56 is attached to the lens barrel 57 in an exchangeable manner.

<Internal structure of marker head 21>
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the marker head 21 of FIG. In the marker head 21, the optical units other than the telecentric lens 48 and the camera 56 among the optical units 41 to 48 and 51 to 56 illustrated in FIG. 2 are accommodated in the housing frame 60. Further, the internal space of the housing frame 60 is divided into two accommodating portions 62 and 63 by a partition plate 61. In this figure, the right side is the rear of the marker head 21 and the left side is the front.

  The right (rear) accommodation portion 62 accommodates the laser oscillator 41, the cable connection portion 231 of the optical fiber 23 is attached to the outer wall, and the optical fiber 23 passes through the wall surface. The excitation light is incident on the lower right portion of the laser oscillator 41 via the optical fiber 23, and the laser light L is emitted from the output window 41 </ b> W at the upper left portion of the laser oscillator 41. The output window 41W is disposed in the tip of the output cylinder of the laser oscillator 41 that penetrates the partition plate 61, that is, in the left side (front) housing 63.

  Each optical unit excluding the laser oscillator 41, the telecentric lens 48 and the camera 56 is accommodated in the left accommodating portion 63. The housing portion 63 has a dustproof structure, and prevents a reduction in accuracy of laser processing due to the influence of dust.

  Three support legs 65 capable of adjusting the height for supporting the marker head 21 are attached to the housing frame 60. Each support leg 65 is a columnar support member extending in the optical axis direction of the telecentric lens 48, and the length can be individually adjusted. Each support leg 65 is attached to a common attachment plate 66, and the marker head 21 is installed on a work table or the like via the attachment plate 66. Each support leg 65 is arranged such that the center of gravity in the arrangement direction of the laser oscillator 41, the Z scanner 45 and the XY scanner 47 is closer to the XY scanner 47 than the partition plate 61. In other words, the partition plate 61 is disposed closer to the laser oscillator 41 than the center of gravity of the three support legs 65 in the arrangement direction of the laser oscillator 41, the Z scanner 45, and the XY scanner 47.

  A main board 71 on which a communication circuit for communicating with the marker controller 22 and a control circuit for controlling the optical unit in the marker head 21 are formed is disposed in the right accommodating portion 62. Various control signals are input to the main board 71 via the signal transmission cable 70. The main substrate 71 is arranged in a vertical plane parallel to the outgoing optical axis of the laser oscillator 41.

  On the other hand, a relay substrate 72 is arranged in the left accommodating portion 63. The relay board 72 is a wiring board that relays the control board of the Z scanner 45 and the XY scanner 47 and the main board 71. The relay substrate 72 is fixed to the partition plate 61.

<Housing frame 60>
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration of the housing frame 60 of FIG. The housing frame 60 is an integrally formed head housing made of a metal such as aluminum, and separates the bottom plate 601, the side wall 602 erected along the outer edge of the bottom plate 601, and the accommodating portions 62 and 63. The partition plate 61 is integrally formed by sand casting. By fixing the optical units 41 to 48 and 51 to 56 to the highly rigid housing frame 60, the arrangement accuracy of these optical units is improved, and the accuracy of laser processing is improved.

  In particular, in the marker head 21 according to the present embodiment, the optical units from the laser oscillator 41 to the XY scanner 47 are linearly arranged. Adopting such a configuration eliminates the need for a fixed mirror and suppresses a reduction in processing accuracy due to errors and variations in the fixed mirror, but increases the distance between the laser oscillator 41 and the XY scanner 47 and increases the housing frame. The influence of the distortion of 60 on the machining accuracy increases. Therefore, by improving the rigidity of the housing frame 60, a reduction in processing accuracy due to the linear arrangement of the optical unit is suppressed.

  The partition plate 61 is a partition wall that divides the internal space of the housing frame 60 into the accommodating portions 62 and 63, and is arranged so as to intersect the alignment direction of the laser oscillator 41, the Z scanner 45, and the XY scanner 47. That is, it is made of a wall surface perpendicular to the outgoing optical axis of the laser oscillator 41 and is connected to the bottom plate 601 and the side walls 602 facing each other, dividing the internal space of the housing frame 60 and improving the rigidity of the housing frame 60. ing.

  The right accommodating portion 62 is formed with an optical fiber drawing hole 62 a and a wiring drawing hole 62 b in the right-hand side wall 602. The optical fiber drawing hole 62a is a through hole for drawing the optical fiber 23 from the outside, and the wiring drawing hole 62b is a through hole to which a connection portion of the signal transmission cable 70 is attached.

  The left receiving portion 63 has a lens barrel attachment hole 63 a formed in the lower side wall 602, a lens barrel extraction hole 63 b formed in the upper side wall 602, and a wiring extraction hole 63 c formed in the bottom plate 601. The lens barrel attachment hole 63 a is a circular through-hole for inserting the upper end of the lens barrel of the telecentric lens 48 into the accommodating portion 63. The lens barrel lead-out hole 63b is a rectangular through hole for pulling out the lens barrel 57 of the camera module 560 from the housing portion 63 to the outside of the housing frame 60. The wiring lead-out hole 63 c is a rectangular through-hole for drawing out a wiring cable for controlling the XY scanner 47.

  The partition plate 61 is inserted into the output tube 41B of the laser oscillator 41, and the wiring formed by a circular output tube insertion hole 61a for placing the output window 41W in the accommodating portion 63 and a long hole through which the wiring cable passes. A hole 61b is formed. The laser oscillator 41 is fixed to the bottom plate 601 with the output tube 41B inserted into the output tube insertion hole 61a. On the other hand, the Z scanner 45 is fixed to the Z scanner arrangement area 631 of the bottom plate 601, and the XY scanner 47 is fixed to the XY scanner arrangement area 632. These scanners 45 and 47 are arranged with their optical axes substantially coincident with the outgoing optical axis of the laser oscillator 41.

  The lens barrel attachment hole 63a, the lens barrel lead-out hole 63b, the wiring lead-out hole 63c, the output tube insertion hole 61a, and the wiring hole 61b are sealed using a predetermined sealing member such as an O-ring. In addition, O-ring grooves are formed on the end surfaces of the side wall 602 and the partition plate 61, and the O-rings 62c and 63d are arranged so as to surround the accommodating portions 62 and 63, respectively. For this reason, the housing parts 62 and 63 can be sealed by covering the housing frame 60 with an upper plate (not shown).

  The optical fiber lead-in hole 62a is blocked by the cable connection portion 231 of the optical fiber 23. However, if the optical fiber drawing hole 62a is sealed, an excessive stress is applied to the optical fiber 23, resulting in a reduction in power and optical characteristics due to transmission loss. . For this reason, the accommodating part 62 is allowing the dust from flowing in through the optical fiber drawing hole 62a.

  On the other hand, the accommodating portion 63 is separated from the accommodating portion 62 with the partition plate 61 therebetween, and is formed as a space that is more airtight than the accommodating portion 62. For this reason, the dust in the accommodating part 62 penetrates into the accommodating part 63, and the Z scanner 45 and the XY scanner 47 are prevented from malfunctioning. Further, dust is prevented from entering the optical path of the laser light L, deteriorating the characteristics of the laser light L, and lowering the processing accuracy.

  Three leg attachment holes 603 for attaching the support legs 65 are formed on the outer wall surface of the side wall 602. Each leg attachment hole 603 is an engagement hole for fixing the support leg 65, and is arranged so that the center of gravity of the three support legs 65 is closer to the telecentric lens 48 side than the partition plate 61.

<Output tube 41B>
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the output cylinder 41B of the laser oscillator 41 of FIG. 5, and shows a state in which the marker head 21 is cut by a vertical plane including the emission optical axis of the laser oscillator 41. ing.

  The laser oscillator 41 emits laser light L through the output lens 411. The output lens 411 is locked in the oscillator housing 410 by screwing the output lens locking flange 413 into the oscillator housing 410. The internal space of the oscillator housing 410 is sealed by an O-ring 412 disposed between the output lens 411 and the oscillator housing 410.

  The output cylinder 41B is a lens barrel extending in the direction of the emission optical axis of the laser oscillator 41. An output window 41W for outputting the laser light L is formed at one end, and a flange portion is formed at the other end. The output cylinder 41B is fixed to the laser oscillator 41 by screwing with the output lens locking flange 413. An O-ring 421 is disposed between the output tube 41B and the oscillator housing 410. Further, the output cylinder 41B penetrates the partition plate 61 through the output cylinder insertion hole 61a so that the output window 41W is disposed in the housing portion 63.

  A thread groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the output tube 41B, and the partition plate 61 is interposed between the output tube locking nut 431 and the flange portion of the output tube 41B by screwing the output tube locking nut 431. The output cylinder 41B is fixed to the partition plate 61. Further, an O-ring 432 is disposed between the output tube locking nut 431 and the output tube 41B, and an O-ring 433 is disposed between the output tube locking nut 431 and the partition plate 61 so that the output tube is inserted. The hole 61a is completely sealed. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent dust from entering the housing portion 63 from the housing portion 62 side.

<Wiring diagram>
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing wiring between the Z scanner 45, the XY scanner 47, and the control boards 71 to 73, and schematically shows a cut surface when the marker head 21 is cut by a horizontal plane passing through the wiring lead-out hole 63c. Has been. An XY scanner driver board 73 and a heat sink 76 are attached to the marker head 21.

  The XY scanner driver board 73 is a control board on which a control circuit for controlling the XY scanner 47 is formed, and is arranged outside the housing frame 60. The wiring cable 74 that connects the XY scanner driver board 73 and the XY scanner 47 and the wiring cable 74 that connects the XY scanner driver board 73 and the relay board 72 are drawn out to the outside through the wiring lead-out hole 63c, and are connected to the wiring guide. The plate 75 passes through and is connected to the XY scanner driver board 73.

  The wiring guide plate 75 is a sealing member for the wiring cable, and is disposed so as to close the wiring drawing hole 63 c of the housing frame 60. The heat sink 76 is a heat radiating member for radiating heat from the XY scanner driver board 73.

  The relay board 72 is disposed in the accommodating portion 63 so as to close the wiring hole 61 b of the partition plate 61, and the XY scanner driver board 73, the Z scanner 45, and the main board 71 are connected via the wiring cable 74.

<Relay board 72>
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the relay board unit 720 as viewed from the Z scanner 45 side. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the relay board unit 720 as viewed from the laser oscillator 41 side. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the relay board unit 720 attached to the partition plate 61, and shows a plane cut by a vertical plane parallel to the emission optical axis of the laser oscillator 41. The relay board unit 720 includes a relay board 72 and a sealing reinforcing plate 721 to which the relay board 72 is fixed, and is attached to the partition plate 61 from the accommodating portion 63 side so as to close the wiring hole 61b.

  On the relay substrate 72, a plurality of connectors 723 for detachably connecting the wiring cable 74 are disposed on both main surfaces. The sealing reinforcing plate 721 has a through hole 726 that allows the wiring cable 74 to pass therethrough. On the Z scanner 45 side, an annular groove is formed so as to surround the through hole 726, and an O-ring 722 is disposed. The relay board 72 is fixed to the seal reinforcing plate 721 by screwing attachment screws into the seal reinforcing plate 721, and the gap between the relay board 72 and the seal reinforcing plate 721 is sealed by an O-ring 722.

  On the other hand, on the laser oscillator 41 side of the sealing reinforcing plate 721, an annular groove is formed along the outer edge, and an O-ring 724 is disposed. The relay board unit 720 is fixed to the partition board 61 by screwing attachment screws into the partition board 61, and a gap between the relay board 72 and the partition board 61 is sealed by an O-ring 724. Accordingly, the wiring hole 61b is completely sealed by the O-rings 722 and 724.

<Wiring guide plate 75>
FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the wiring guide plate 75 that seals the wiring lead-out hole 63c of FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state when the guide plate 75 of FIG. 12 is attached. The wiring guide plate 75 includes wiring block pieces 751 and 752, and a plurality of through holes through which the wiring cable 74 passes are formed by making the end faces of these block pieces face each other. The wiring cable 74 is inserted into these through holes, and the wiring guide plate 75 is disposed so as to close the wiring drawing hole 63c of the housing frame 60, so that the wiring drawing hole 63c is inserted into the wiring cable 74. Sealed.

  Each wiring cable 74 drawn out from the wiring lead-out hole 63c is accommodated in the engaging groove 757 of the wiring block 751, and is inserted through the O-ring 756 and the locking flange 755 in order. The wiring block pieces 751 and 752 are provided with a plurality of engaging grooves 757, and through holes are formed by the opposing engaging grooves 757. The inner diameters of these through holes are narrowed on the housing frame 60 side, and if the O-ring 756 is pushed into the through-hole from the outside using the locking flange 755, the O-ring 756 is engaged in the through-hole. It is sandwiched between the inner wall of the groove 757 and the locking flange 755. For this reason, the through-hole is sealed by the O-ring 756 in a state where the wiring cable 74 is inserted.

  A rubber sheet for sealing 753 is disposed between the wiring block pieces 751 and 752 and sealed. Further, an O-ring 754 is disposed on the outer wall surface of the housing frame 60 so as to surround the wiring lead hole 63c. For this reason, the wiring lead-out hole 63c is completely sealed by fixing the wiring guide plate 75 engaged with the wiring block pieces 751 and 752 to the housing frame 60.

  According to the present embodiment, by arranging the laser oscillator 41, the Z scanner 45, and the XY scanner 47 on a substantially straight line, the emission path of the laser light L between the laser oscillator 41 and the XY scanner 47 is made substantially linear, Since the number of times of bending by the mirror is reduced, it is possible to suppress a decrease in processing accuracy due to an error of the optical unit. Further, since the laser oscillator 41, the Z scanner 45, and the XY scanner 47 are fixed to the integrally formed housing frame 60, it is possible to reduce errors in the arrangement of these optical units and improve processing accuracy. Furthermore, by forming the partition plate 61 (partition wall), the rigidity of the housing frame 60 is improved, and errors in the arrangement of the optical unit are further reduced, so that the processing accuracy can be greatly improved.

  The Z scanner 45 and the XY scanner 47 are accommodated in the accommodating portion 63, while the laser oscillator 41 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 62, and the optical fiber 23 is drawn into the accommodating portion 62, so that the accommodating portion 63 is made higher than the accommodating portion 62. If airtight, the dust-proof property of the accommodating portion 63 can be ensured without applying excessive stress to the optical fiber 23 that transmits the excitation light. For this reason, it is possible to improve processing accuracy while suppressing loss in the optical fiber 23.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the laser marker 20 is an SHG type laser marking device has been described. However, the laser processing device according to the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to a fiber laser type marking apparatus. The fiber laser type marking device is a laser marker using a fiber doped with Yb (ytterbium) as an amplifier.

20 Laser Marker 21 Marker Head 22 Marker Controller 23 Optical Fiber 231 Cable Connection Portion 41 Laser Oscillator 41T Input Terminal 41B Output Tube 41W Output Window 410 Oscillator Housing 411 Output Lens 412 O Ring 413 for Sealing in the Oscillator Output Lens Locking Flange 421 432, 433 O-ring 431 Output tube locking nut 45 Z scanner 47 XY scanner 48 Telecentric lens 560 Camera module 57 Camera lens barrel 60 Housing frame 601 Bottom plate 602 Side wall 603 Leg mounting hole 61 Partition plate 61a Output tube insertion hole 61b Wiring hole 62 Right housing part 62a Optical fiber lead hole 62b Wiring lead hole 62c O-ring 63 for oscillator housing part seal Left housing part 63a Lens barrel mounting hole 63b Lens barrel lead hole 63c Wiring lead hole 63d O-ring 631 for scanner accommodating portion seal Z scanner placement area 632 XY scanner placement area 70 Signal transmission cable 71 Main board 72 Relay board 720 Relay board unit 721 Seal reinforcement plate 722,724 O for wiring hole seal Ring 723 Connector 726 Through hole 73 XY scanner driver board 74 Wiring cable 75 Wiring guide plates 751, 752 Wiring block pieces 753 Sealing rubber sheets 754, 756 Wiring hole sealing O-ring 755 Wiring cable locking flange 76 Heat sink L Laser light

Claims (6)

A laser oscillator that generates laser light;
An XY scanner that scans the irradiation position of the laser beam on the workpiece in a two-dimensional direction;
A telecentric lens that makes the emission angle of the laser beam emitted toward the object to be processed constant regardless of the incidence angle of the laser beam incident from the XY scanner;
An integrally molded housing that houses the laser oscillator and the XY scanner,
The said housing | casing has a partition arrange | positioned so that the output optical axis of the said laser oscillator may be crossed, The laser processing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. A Z scanner for controlling the focal length of the laser beam,
The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the laser oscillator, the Z scanner, and the XY scanner are fixed to the housing in a state of being aligned on a substantially straight line. The internal space of the housing is divided into a first housing part and a second housing part by the partition wall,
The first accommodating portion accommodates the laser oscillator, and an optical fiber for transmitting excitation light is drawn from the outside.
The laser processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second storage unit stores the Z scanner and the XY scanner. The Z scanner enlarges the beam diameter of the laser beam,
In the laser oscillator, an output tube in which an output window for outputting the laser beam is formed at one end is fixed,
The laser processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the output cylinder is disposed through the partition wall so that the output window is disposed in the second housing portion. Provided with a wiring board provided on both sides with connectors to which the wiring cable is detachably connected,
The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiring board closes a wiring through hole formed in the partition wall.   The laser oscillator, the Z scanner, and the XY scanner are arranged such that the center of gravity in the arrangement direction is closer to the XY scanner than the partition, and includes three support legs that support the lower surface of the housing. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 2.

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