JP2014007353A - Control method to stop gas laser oscillator, gas laser oscillator and laser beam machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a conventional problem that, when the pressure in a laser gas cylinder for a gas laser oscillator lowers exceeding a preset pressure, a laser beam machine makes an emergency stop resulting in a material loss in process.SOLUTION: When the pressure of a laser gas cylinder lowers to a preset value or less, a gas laser oscillator or a laser beam machine is controlled to stop after a preset time has passed. Or, when the pressure of a laser gas cylinder lowers to a preset value or less and when the pressure in the gas laser oscillator lowers to a preset pressure or less, the gas laser oscillator or the laser beam machine is controlled to stop. Or, when the pressure of a laser gas cylinder lowers to a preset value or less and when the gas laser oscillator satisfies a preset laser gas supply amount control condition, the gas laser oscillator or the laser beam machine is controlled to stop.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for controlling a laser oscillation device using a gas as a laser medium, a laser oscillation device, and a laser processing machine.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, laser oscillators and laser processing machines are widely used for cutting and welding various materials and counts because of the feature that a workpiece can be processed in a non-contact manner and with little thermal influence.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of schematic calibration of a conventional laser oscillation apparatus. Hereinafter, a conventional laser oscillation apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 2, 1 is a discharge tube made of a dielectric material such as glass, and 2 and 3 are electrodes provided around the discharge tube 1. Reference numeral 4 denotes a power source connected to the electrodes 2 and 3. A laser gas is discharged and excited in a space in the discharge tube 1 sandwiched between the electrodes 2 and 3. Reference numeral 6 denotes a total reflection mirror, and 7 denotes a partial reflection mirror, which constitutes an optical resonator. Reference numeral 8 denotes a laser beam output from the partial reflection mirror 7.

  An arrow 9 indicates the direction in which the laser gas flows. Reference numeral 10 denotes a gas piping path, reference numerals 11 and 12 denote a heat exchanger for lowering the temperature of the laser gas whose temperature has increased due to discharge in the discharge space 5 and operation of the blower 13, and reference numeral 13 denotes a blower for circulating the laser gas.

  A gas pressure switch 15 detects the laser gas cylinder pressure in the gas piping path 10 and makes the electrical contact conductive when the pressure is higher than the set gas pressure, and disconnects the electrical contact at the following times. When the electrical contact is cut, the laser oscillation device is stopped by the control means for stopping the laser oscillator device.

  The electromagnetic valve 14 is a valve that opens and closes a laser gas supply path from a cylinder 20 in which laser gas is sealed in advance. The electromagnetic valve 16 is a valve that opens and closes an exhaust path connected to a vacuum pump 18 for discharging laser gas. The laser gas separated by the discharge is discharged by the laser gas exhaust means, and a new laser gas is supplied by the laser gas supply means and replenished. Thereby, stable laser oscillation is maintained.

  A gas laser oscillation device gas pressure control means 21 opens and closes the electromagnetic valves 14 and 16 according to the difference between the output signal of the gas pressure detection means 17 constituted by a semiconductor strain gauge or the like and a preset target gas pressure signal. The gas pressure in the gas piping path 10 is controlled to be the target gas pressure by adjusting the supply / exhaust amount of the laser gas as needed.

  Generally, the gas pressure at the suction port of the blower 13 is set as the target gas pressure.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of a schematic configuration of a conventional laser processing machine. Hereinafter, a conventional laser beam machine will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 3, the laser beam 8 output from the laser oscillation device 22 is reflected by the reflecting mirror 60 and guided to the vicinity of the workpiece 61. The laser beam 8 is condensed into a high-density energy beam by a condensing lens 63 provided inside the torch 62, irradiated onto the workpiece 61, and processed. The workpiece 61 is fixed on a machining table 64, and the torch 62 is moved relative to the workpiece 61 by the X-axis motor 65 or the Y-axis motor 66, thereby machining an arbitrary shape.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-227086

  The conventional laser gas oscillation device control method detects the pressure in the laser gas cylinder that supplies the laser gas, and the gas laser oscillation device and the gas laser oscillation device are mounted as an interlock for lowering the remaining amount of gas in the laser gas cylinder when the pressure is below a certain level. Stop laser processing machine and stop processing forcibly.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable gas laser oscillation apparatus and laser processing machine apparatus that can be used stably and continuously.

  Laser gas supply means for supplying laser gas from the laser gas cylinder to the gas laser oscillation device, an electromagnetic valve for controlling the laser gas supply amount, a pressure switch for detecting the laser gas cylinder pressure, a gas pressure measuring device in the gas laser oscillation device, and a gas pressure in the gas laser oscillator. In the gas laser oscillation apparatus having the gas pressure control means to be controlled, the interlock control means for stopping the gas laser oscillation apparatus according to the magnitude of the laser gas cylinder pressure, and the control means for stopping the gas laser oscillation apparatus after a set time, the laser gas cylinder pressure is preset. The gas laser oscillation device or the laser processing machine is stopped after the time of the preset value when the gas laser oscillation device is less than or less than the preset value, or the laser gas cylinder pressure is less than or less than the preset value, and gas When the gas pressure in the laser oscillator is below or below a preset gas pressure, the gas laser oscillator or laser processing machine is stopped, or the laser gas cylinder pressure is below or below a preset value, and the gas laser oscillator is When the laser gas supply amount control condition is set in advance, control is performed to stop the gas laser oscillation device or the laser processing machine.

  Further, the present invention is a gas laser oscillating device using the control method of the gas laser oscillating device, and a laser processing machine provided with the gas laser oscillating device.

  With the above configuration, the present invention can stably supply a laser gas for a certain period of time even when the laser gas cylinder pressure is reduced, so that the gas laser oscillation device and the laser processing machine can be continuously used, and the reliability is high and the material loss is low. A reduced device can be obtained.

Structure explanatory drawing of the laser oscillation apparatus in embodiment of this invention Configuration explanatory diagram of a conventional laser oscillation device Explanation of schematic configuration of laser processing machine

(Embodiment)
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the control method of the gas laser oscillation apparatus of the present invention.

  The same components as those shown in FIG. Also, the description of the basic operation is omitted where it is the same.

  In FIG. 2, a control method after detecting a laser gas cylinder pressure drop by the gas pressure switch which is the point of the present invention will be described.

  The set pressure in the interlock control means using a gas pressure switch that detects a drop in the pressure of the laser gas cylinder is set so that it can be safely stopped regardless of the operating state of the gas laser oscillator and the laser processing machine.

  In the operating conditions of the gas laser oscillating device and the laser processing machine that consume less laser gas in advance, if the pressure is lower than or below the set pressure, the operation is continued for a preset time to force the gas laser oscillating device or laser processing machine. Therefore, the gas laser oscillation device or the laser processing machine is manually stopped after waiting for a working state without loss of the processing material.

  Gas in the gas laser oscillation device with the operating conditions of the gas laser oscillation device and laser processing machine where the laser gas cylinder pressure is less than or less than the preset value and the consumption of the laser gas is low, and with the operation duration not exceeding the preset time When the pressure falls below or below a preset gas pressure, the gas laser oscillation device or the laser processing machine is stopped.

  According to this operation, the gas laser oscillation device or the laser processing machine state can be stopped while maintaining the laser performance, and an apparatus having an additional function can be obtained while maintaining high reliability.

  Next, a laser processing machine will be described.

  As described in the prior art with reference to FIG. 7, the machining table 64 on which the workpiece 61 is placed, and the X-axis motor 65 and the Y-axis motor 66 that move at least one of the movement of the machining table 64 and the laser machining torch 62 are driven. Means, a numerical control device (not shown) for controlling the driving means, and a laser processing machine for generating a laser by passing the laser beam 8 through the condenser lens 63. By configuring the control method and the laser transmission device using the control method, the laser processing machine can be used continuously and a highly reliable device can be obtained.

  With the above configuration, the present invention can stably supply a laser gas for a certain period of time even when the laser gas cylinder pressure is reduced, so that the gas laser oscillation device and the laser processing machine can be continuously used, and the reliability is high and the material loss is low. A reduced device can be obtained.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Discharge tube 2, 3 Electrode 4 Power supply 5 Discharge space 6 Total reflection mirror 7 Partial reflection mirror 8 Laser beam 9 Flow of laser gas 10 Gas piping path 11, 12 Heat exchanger 13 Blower 14, 16 Solenoid valve 15 Gas pressure switch 17 Gas Pressure detection means 18 Vacuum pump 20 Laser gas cylinder 21 Gas pressure control means 22 Gas laser oscillator 60 Reflector 61 Work 62 Torch 63 Condensing lens 64 Processing table 65 X-axis motor 66 Y-axis motor

Claims (3)

Laser gas supply means for supplying laser gas from the laser gas cylinder to the gas laser oscillation device, an electromagnetic valve for controlling the laser gas supply amount, a pressure switch for measuring the laser gas cylinder pressure, a gas pressure measuring device in the gas laser oscillation device, and a gas pressure in the gas laser oscillator In the gas laser oscillation apparatus comprising the gas pressure control means for controlling the gas laser, the control means for stopping the gas laser oscillation apparatus according to the magnitude of the laser gas cylinder pressure, and the control means for stopping the gas laser oscillation apparatus after a set time, the laser gas cylinder pressure is preset. The gas laser oscillator is stopped after elapse of a preset value when the value is less than or less than the preset value, or the gas pressure in the gas laser oscillator is preset with the laser gas cylinder pressure being less than or less than the preset value. Less than the gas pressure If no is fallen below, the control method of stopping the gas laser oscillator apparatus. A gas laser oscillation apparatus using the gas laser control method according to claim 1. The laser oscillation according to claim 2, wherein a machining table on which a workpiece is placed, a driving unit that moves at least one of the movement of the machining table and a laser machining torch, a numerical control device that controls the driving unit, and a laser beam are generated. And laser processing machine.

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