JP2021113133A - Processing method, processing system and processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a processing method capable of removing an unnecessary part of a material by processing by using a laser beam.SOLUTION: There is provided a processing method for removing an unnecessary part of a material by radiating a laser beam to the optically transparent material. In the processing method, a fracture section for removing an unnecessary part is formed by radiating a laser beam from the upper side of the material along a plurality of linear irradiation portions set on the lower side of the material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a machining method, a machining system, and a machining program.

A processing device for cutting a material such as metal or resin to obtain a target product is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In order to obtain the desired product, it is necessary to remove unnecessary parts of the material. Therefore, in the conventional cutting process, unnecessary portions are removed while moving the cutting tool along the processing path set by the CAM system.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-2444439

By the way, there is an attempt to perform a process similar to a cutting process using a laser beam. As a processing method using laser light, there is non-thermal processing using a short pulse laser. By performing non-thermal processing on the material, unnecessary parts of the material can be removed.

On the other hand, depending on the position where the laser beam is applied to the material, sufficient processing may not be possible and unnecessary parts of the material may not be removed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of removing unnecessary parts of a material by processing with a laser beam.

One invention for achieving the above object is a processing method for removing an unnecessary portion of a light-transmitting material by irradiating the light-transmitting material with a laser beam, which is set under the material. This is a processing method for forming a split cross section for removing the unnecessary portion by irradiating a laser beam from above the material along a plurality of linear irradiation sites.
Further, one invention for achieving the above object is a processing system for removing an unnecessary portion of a light-transmitting material by irradiating the light-transmitting material with a laser beam, and irradiating the material with the laser beam. Along with a portion, a holding portion for holding the material, a driving mechanism for relatively moving the irradiation portion and the holding portion, and a plurality of linear irradiation portions set under the material, the said portion. It is a processing system having the irradiation unit and the control unit that controls the drive mechanism so as to form a fractured surface for removing the unnecessary portion by irradiating the laser beam from above the material.
Further, one invention for achieving the above object is a program executed by a processing optical system that removes unnecessary parts of a light-transmitting material by irradiating the light-transmitting material with a laser beam. This is a processing program for forming a fractured surface for removing unnecessary portions by irradiating laser light from above the material along a plurality of linear irradiation sites set on the lower side of the material.
Other features of the invention will be clarified by the description herein.

According to the present invention, unnecessary parts of the material can be removed by processing using laser light.

It is a figure which showed the irradiation site which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the processing system which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the processing system which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing method which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing method which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing method which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing method which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which showed the split cross section which concerns on the modification. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the processing system which concerns on a modification.

== Outline of the embodiment ==
In the processing method according to the present embodiment, an unnecessary portion of the light-transmitting material is removed by irradiating the light-transmitting material with a laser beam.

The material used in this embodiment is a material that transmits laser light (hereinafter, "light-transmitting material"). The light-transmitting material is, for example, a resin material such as acrylic resin, glass, or a dental material such as glass ceramic. The light transmittance of the material does not have to be 100%, as long as the laser beam reaches the irradiation site and can be processed. The shape of the material may be a rectangular parallelepiped, a cube, or a triangular column, a columnar, or a sphere.

The unnecessary part is a part other than the target part in the material. The target product can be obtained by forming a split cross section (described later) on the material and removing unnecessary portions from the material. The object is, for example, a glasswork or a prosthesis used in dentistry.

As the laser light, light from a short pulse laser can be used. In particular, in order to directly irradiate the irradiation site inside the material with the laser light, it is preferable to use the light from the ultrashort pulse laser. The ultrashort pulse laser is a laser that irradiates a laser beam having a pulse width of several picoseconds to several femtoseconds. Ablation processing (non-thermal processing) can be performed by irradiating the irradiated portion inside the material with laser light from an ultrashort pulse laser for a short time. In the ablation processing, the portion melted by the laser beam is instantly evaporated, scattered and removed, so that the irradiated portion is less damaged by heat as compared with the general laser processing (thermal processing). The ablation process is particularly effective for processing small objects such as prostheses used in dentistry. The laser light that can be ablated is not limited to the ultrashort pulse laser.

Here, in the processing method according to the present embodiment, more specifically, an unnecessary portion is formed by irradiating a laser beam from above the material along a plurality of linear irradiation parts set on the lower side of the material. Form a fractured surface to remove. A detailed description will be given below.

== Irradiation site ==
The irradiation site is a portion on the surface of the material or inside the material where the laser beam is irradiated. Each irradiation site is set linearly. Further, a plurality of irradiation sites are set in a predetermined range on the lower side of the material along the direction in which the fractured surface is formed (Z-axis direction described later).

An example of a plurality of irradiation sites will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows the material M. The XYZ axes shown in FIG. 1 are three orthogonal axes. The X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are the width directions of the material M, and the Z-axis direction is the height direction of the material M.

The material M shown in FIG. 1 is a solid rectangular parallelepiped and has an upper surface Mt, a lower surface Mb, and four side surfaces Ms1 to Ms4. The upper surface Mt and the lower surface Mb face each other. The side surface Ms1 and the side surface Ms3, and the side surface Ms2 and the side surface Ms4 also face each other. The upper surface Mt corresponds to the upper end of the material M, and the lower surface Mb corresponds to the lower end of the material M.

In FIG. 1, five linear irradiation sites (irradiation site L ₁ to irradiation site L ₅ ) extending in the Y-axis direction are set on the lower side of the material.

The lower side of the material is a predetermined range with reference to the lower end of the material. The predetermined range can be a range of 0 to α / 2 at the maximum when the lower end of the material is 0 and the height of the material (distance from the upper end to the lower end) is α. For example, when the height of the material M is 1.0 mm, the predetermined range is 0 mm to 0.5 mm at the maximum. Further, the number of irradiation sites is not limited to 5 within a predetermined range. Therefore, for example, a predetermined range may be set to 0.01 mm to 0.3 mm, and 10 irradiation sites may be set in that range.

It is preferable that the plurality of irradiation sites are set so that the positions of the materials in the width direction are the same and the positions of the materials in the height direction are different. In the example of FIG. 1, the irradiated area L _{1 ~} irradiation site and L _5, one position in the X-axis direction are the same, the position of the Z-axis direction are different. The position of the irradiation site can be indicated by coordinate values.

Of the plurality of irradiation sites, it is preferable that one irradiation site is set at the lower end of the material. In the example of FIG. 1, the irradiated area L ₁ is set on the lower surface of the material M Mb.

It is preferable that the plurality of irradiation sites are set as line segments connecting the side surfaces of the material to the opposite side surfaces. In FIG. 1, the irradiation site L ₁ to the irradiation site L ₅ are set as line segments connecting the side surface Ms2 of the material M to the opposite side surface Ms4, respectively.

Further, the plurality of irradiation sites may be set so as to be orthogonal to the direction in which the laser beam is irradiated. In the example of FIG. 1, when the laser beam perpendicularly to the top surface Mt from the Z-axis direction is irradiated, the irradiated portion L _{1 ~} irradiation site and L _5, perpendicular to the Z-axis direction.

Further, in the example of FIG. 1, the distance from the upper surface Mt (or lower surface Mb) of the material M to each irradiation site is uniform. In addition, the intervals in the Z-axis direction of each irradiation site are even.

The shape of the irradiation site is not limited to a straight line, but may be a curved line or a polygonal line. Further, the distance between the irradiation sites (in the example of FIG. 1, the distance in the Z-axis direction) may be different. Further, the plurality of irradiation sites may be set to be inclined with respect to the direction in which the laser beam is irradiated. The inclination means a state in which the linear irradiation site is set to have a certain angle (excluding 90 degrees) with respect to the direction in which the laser beam is irradiated.

In the irradiated portion irradiated with the laser light, a cavity or a modified portion (that is, a groove) is formed according to the spot diameter of the laser light and the energy at the time of focusing. By irradiating the laser beam along the plurality of linear irradiation sites, a fractured surface composed of a plurality of linear grooves is formed inside the material. The fractured surface is a portion formed inside the material to remove unnecessary portions. Cracks occur at the points where the fractured surface is formed. Then, the material can be cut by the spontaneous growth of the generated cracks or by applying mechanical or thermal stress to the cracks. That is, unnecessary parts can be removed from the material.

== Processing data ==
The processing data is data used in the processing system 100 (described later) when processing a material. The processing data is created by the CAD / CAM system 200 (described later) based on the three-dimensional data of the material.

The processing data according to the present embodiment includes at least irradiation site data, order data, and processing route data.

(Irradiation site data)
The irradiation site data is data relating to the position where the laser beam is irradiated to the material and the direction in which the laser beam is irradiated. Irradiation site data is created for the number of irradiation sites. For example, in the example of FIG. 1, as the irradiation site data, _{data corresponding to each of the irradiation site L 1} to the irradiation site L ₅ (that is, five irradiation site data) is created.

The irradiation site data consists of a plurality of point data arranged in one dimension. The point data is set at predetermined intervals in consideration of the size of the material and the like. Each point data has three-dimensional (XYZ) coordinate values and vector information.

The coordinate values are used in determining the focal position of the laser beam. That is, the coordinate values correspond to the positions where the laser beam is irradiated on the surface of the material or inside the material. The focal position of the laser beam varies depending on the refractive index of the material. Therefore, the coordinate value is a value corrected in advance in consideration of the refractive index of the material. The vector information is used in determining the irradiation direction of the laser beam.

For example, in Figure 1, the irradiation region data corresponding to the irradiated portion L _{1 ~} irradiation area L ₅ represents a three-dimensional coordinate values indicating the respective positions, and vector information is set.

In this embodiment, the vector information used when processing the material is common to all the irradiation site data. That is, the laser beam irradiated based on the irradiation site data is irradiated from the same direction with respect to each of the coordinate values indicated by the plurality of point data. Further, when the laser beam is incident inside the material, the influence of reflection and refraction on the surface of the material occurs. Therefore, when setting the vector information, it is preferable to set so that the laser beam is incident perpendicular to the material surface.

Further, among the plurality of point data included in the irradiation site data, the interval between adjacent point data can be set to be smaller than the spot diameter of the laser beam. In this case, since the cavities or modified portions corresponding to the adjacent point data are connected, cracks are likely to grow.

(Order data)
The order data is data indicating from which irradiation site the laser beam is irradiated from among the plurality of irradiation sites.

When there are irradiation sites that overlap in the irradiation direction of the laser light, there arises a problem of shielding the laser light by the site that has been irradiated with the laser light first. Specifically, when the laser beam is irradiated in the order of proximity to the surface of the material on which the laser beam is incident, the laser beam reaches the irradiated portion below the portion due to the presence of the portion irradiated with the laser beam first. There is a risk that it cannot be done. Therefore, the order data is set so that the laser light is irradiated in the order of distance from the material surface on which the laser light is incident (in order of distance from the material surface). The distance between the material surface and the irradiation site is determined along the direction in which the laser beam is incident. When one irradiation site data consists of a plurality of point data, the order data may include data indicating from which point data the coordinate values indicate the laser beam to be irradiated.

Here, in the example of FIG. 1, it is assumed that the irradiation direction of the laser light is set from the upper side to the lower side along the Z axis (that is, the laser light is set to be incident from the upper surface Mt). ). In this case, the irradiation site L ₁ to the irradiation site L ₅ overlap in the irradiation direction of the laser beam. Accordingly, the order data, along the Z axis, the irradiated area L ₁ farthest from the top surface Mt of the material M which the laser beam is incident to the first (1st), the irradiated portion closest to the upper surface Mt of the material M L ₅ is set as the last (fifth). That is, in the case of the example of FIG. 1, laser light is irradiated (that is, a groove is formed) in order from the lower irradiation site along the Z axis.

(Processing route data)
The processing path data is data for setting a path for irradiating laser light at each irradiation site. For example, in the example of FIG. 1, the irradiation area L _{1 ~} irradiation area L ₅ each machining path data, it is set path of irradiating a laser beam along the Y-axis direction.

The processing data may include information on the output of the laser beam (spot diameter, irradiation time, intensity, etc. of the laser beam irradiating each point).

The CAD / CAM system 200 outputs the created machining data to the machining system 100. The format of the output data is not particularly limited as long as it can be used in the processing system 100.

== Processing system ==
The processing method according to this embodiment is carried out by the processing system 100 as shown in FIG. The processing system 100 processes the material by executing the processing program created by the CAD / CAM system 200. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the processing system 100. The processing system 100 includes a processing device 1 and a computer 2. However, the processing system 100 may be configured by the processing apparatus 1 alone by realizing the function performed by the computer 2 in the processing apparatus 1.

The processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has five drive axes (X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, A-rotation axis (rotation-axis around X-axis), B-rotation axis (rotation-axis around Y-axis)). Have. The processing apparatus 1 processes the material M by irradiating the irradiated portion with a laser beam based on the processing data. The processing device 1 includes an irradiation unit 10, a holding unit 20, and a driving mechanism 30.

The irradiation unit 10 irradiates the material M with a laser beam. The irradiation unit 10 includes an oscillator for laser light, an optical system such as a lens group for guiding the laser light from the oscillator to a material, and a galvanometer mirror. The holding portion 20 holds the material M. The method of holding the material is not particularly limited. For example, as in the case of performing conventional cutting, a method of sandwiching and holding a disk-shaped material with a clamp, or a method of adhering a metal pin to a block-shaped material and inserting the pin into a holding portion 20 to hold the material. The method is possible. The drive mechanism 30 includes a drive motor and the like. The drive mechanism 30 relatively moves the irradiation unit 10 and the holding unit 20. However, according to the processing method in the present embodiment, the unnecessary portion can be removed by irradiating the laser beam from one direction with the material fixed. That is, it is not necessary to rotate the irradiation unit 10 and the holding unit 20 around the A rotation axis and the B rotation axis.

An adjusting unit for adjusting the laser irradiation pattern may be provided. The adjusting unit is, for example, a member such as a galvanometer mirror, a Fresnel lens, a diffractive optical element (DOE), and a spatial light phase modulator (LCOS-SLM). The adjusting unit is arranged in the irradiation unit 10, for example, between the oscillator and the lens group.

By using the spatial optical phase modulator as the adjusting unit, it is possible to collectively irradiate one irradiation site with laser light. The spatial optical phase modulator can shape the laser beam from the transmitter into an arbitrary shape by adjusting the orientation of the liquid crystal. For example, a spatial optical phase modulator makes it possible to irradiate a line segment laser beam (one-dimensional laser beam) by forming the focal point of the point laser beam into a linear shape. By using such a spatial optical phase modulator, ablation processing can be performed on one irradiation site with one irradiation. That is, by using the spatial optical phase modulator, the irradiated portion in the one-dimensional region can be processed collectively, so that the processing time can be shortened.

The computer 2 controls the operation of the irradiation unit 10 and the drive mechanism 30. Specifically, the computer 2 controls the drive mechanism 30 so that the irradiation site corresponding to the processing data can be irradiated with the laser beam on the surface of the material or inside the material, and the relative position between the irradiation unit 10 and the holding unit 20. Adjust the relationship. When the laser beam is incident on the material, the focal position of the laser beam fluctuates according to the refractive index of the material. The computer 2 may correct the relative positional relationship between the irradiation unit 10 and the holding unit 20 in consideration of the contribution of the refractive index of the material. In this case, it is not necessary to consider the refractive index of the material when creating the processing data. Further, the computer 2 controls the irradiation unit 10 to adjust the focal position of the laser beam, the spot diameter of the laser beam to be irradiated, the intensity, and the like, and irradiate the material M with the laser beam for a predetermined time. .. The spot diameter, intensity, irradiation time, etc. affect the output (energy) of the irradiated laser beam. These values may be incorporated in the machining data in advance as described above, or may be set on the machining device 1 side. Further, when determining these values, the type and characteristics of the material to be processed may be taken into consideration. The computer 2 is an example of a “control unit”.

== Processing by processing system ==
Next, the processing method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 4D. The machining method is executed by the machining system 100. Further, the machining method is pre-installed in the machining system 100 as a dedicated machining program. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the processing system 100. 4A to 4D are diagrams schematically showing a material M or a portion W processed by the processing method according to the present embodiment. Further, as processing data of the material M, the data corresponding to the linear irradiation site L _{1 ~} irradiation area L ₅ shown in FIG. 1 is assumed to be created in advance by CAD / CAM system 200.

The material M is selected and set in the holding portion 20 of the processing apparatus 1.

The computer 2 causes the processing apparatus 1 to process the material M based on the processing data of the material M. The computer 2 performs processing by irradiating a laser beam along the irradiation site based on the irradiation site data included in the processing data. At this time, the computer 2 irradiates the irradiation site with the laser beam based on the sequential data (irradiates the laser beam along the linear irradiation site. Step 10).

The computer 2 adjusts so that the coordinate values of the point data included in the irradiation site data and the focal position of the laser beam match. Specifically, the computer 2 adjusts the relative positions of the irradiation unit 10 and the holding unit 20, adjusts the direction of the emitted light by the lens group included in the irradiation unit 10, and adjusts the angle of the galvanometer mirror itself. The focal position may be adjusted in consideration of the refractive index of the material M. After matching the coordinate values of the point data with the focal position of the laser beam, the computer 2 controls the irradiation unit 10 and is above the material M along the Z axis based on the vector information contained in the point data. Is irradiated with laser light for a predetermined time. In this example, the laser beam is assumed to be incident perpendicular to the upper surface Mt of the material M.

When there is an irradiation site that is not irradiated with the laser beam (in the case of N in step 11), the computer 2 adjusts so that the coordinate value of the point data included in the next irradiation site data matches the focal position of the laser beam. (To the next irradiation site. Step 12). Then, the computer 2 controls the irradiation unit 10 and irradiates the laser beam from above the material M along the Z axis for a predetermined time based on the vector information included in the point data.

In FIGS. 4A to 4C, the irradiated portion before the laser beam is irradiated is shown by a broken line, and the irradiated portion that has been irradiated with the laser beam is shown by a thick line. The irradiated portion that has been irradiated with the laser beam is a cavity or a modified portion according to the spot diameter of the laser beam and the energy at the time of focusing. In this example, such a cavity or modified portion corresponds to a "groove".

4A shows a state of irradiating a laser beam along an illumination region L _1. The irradiation site L ₁ is the farthest from the upper surface Mt of the material M to which the laser beam is incident, among the plurality of irradiation sites. When the laser irradiation to the irradiation site L ₁ is completed, the irradiation unit 10 irradiates the irradiation site L ₂ , the irradiation site L ₃ , the irradiation site L ₄ , and the irradiation site L ₅ in this order. That is, in this example, the irradiation unit 10 irradiates the laser light in order from the line segment distant from the surface on which the laser light is incident. By irradiating the laser beam in this way, even if the irradiation sites overlap in the irradiation direction of the laser beam, the processing can be performed without being affected by the modification by the irradiation of the laser beam. 4B shows a state of irradiating a laser beam to all of the irradiated area L _{1 ~} irradiation area L _5.

When the irradiation of the laser beam to all the irradiated parts is completed (in the case of Y in step 11), the split cross section T (see FIG. 4C) is completed under the material M. In the material M on which the fractured surface T is formed, cracks are generated from the positions of the grooves forming the fractured surface T, and unnecessary portions are removed. As a result, a partial W is obtained (see FIG. 4D).

== Modification example ==
A plurality of fractured faces may be formed in the width direction of the material. For example, FIG. 5 shows a material M in which three fractured faces T1 to T3 are formed in the X-axis direction. Each fractured surface is formed at equal intervals in the X-axis direction.

A processing method for forming a fractured surface as shown in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIG. The machining method is executed by the machining system 100. Further, the machining method is pre-installed in the machining system 100 as a dedicated machining program. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the processing system 100. It should be noted that detailed description of the same parts as those of the processing method described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 4D will be omitted.

First, the material M is selected and set in the holding portion 20 of the processing apparatus 1.

The computer 2 causes the processing apparatus 1 to process the material M based on the processing data of the material M. The computer 2 performs processing by irradiating a laser beam along the irradiation site based on the irradiation site data included in the processing data. At this time, the computer 2 irradiates the irradiation site with the laser beam based on the sequential data (irradiates the laser beam along the linear irradiation site. Step 20).

If there is an irradiation site that is not irradiated with laser light (N in step 21), the computer 2 adjusts so that the coordinate value of the point data included in the next irradiation site data matches the focal position of the laser light. (To the next irradiation site. Step 22). Then, the computer 2 controls the irradiation unit 10 and irradiates the laser beam from above the material M along the Z axis for a predetermined time based on the vector information included in the point data.

When the irradiation of the laser beam is completed on all the irradiation sites constituting one fractured surface (in the case of Y in step 21), the fractured surface T1 (see FIG. 5) is completed on the lower side of the material M. The computer 2 confirms whether or not all the fractured faces have been formed.

When the irradiation of the laser beam is not completed on the irradiation sites corresponding to all the fractured faces (in the case of N in step 22), the computer 2 uses the coordinate values of the point data included in the irradiation site data of the other fractured faces. Adjustment is performed so that the focal position of the laser beam is aligned (to the irradiation site corresponding to the next fractured surface. Step 24). Then, the computer 2 controls the irradiation unit 10 and irradiates the laser beam from above the material M along the Z axis for a predetermined time based on the vector information included in the point data.

The number of grooves (that is, the number of irradiation sites) constituting each fractured surface may be the same or different. Moreover, the number of fractured faces is not limited to three. Further, the intervals in the width direction of the fractured face do not have to be equal. For example, the distance between the fractured surface T1 and the fractured surface T2 may be formed wider (or narrower) than the distance between the fractured surface T2 and the fractured surface T3.

== Summary ==
As is clear from the above, the processing method according to the present embodiment is a processing method for removing unnecessary parts of the material by irradiating the light-transmitting material with a laser beam, and is on the lower side of the material. By irradiating the laser beam from above the material along the set linear irradiation sites, a split cross section for removing unnecessary portions is formed.

In this way, by irradiating the laser beam from above the material along the irradiation site set on the lower side of the material, a split cross section can be formed inside the material. The formation of the fractured surface causes cracks in the material. Cracks grow naturally or by applying a small amount of external force to the material. As a result, the material is chopped. That is, according to the processing method according to the present embodiment, unnecessary parts of the material can be removed by processing using laser light.

Further, the plurality of irradiation sites may be set so that the positions of the materials in the width direction are the same and the positions of the materials in the height direction are different. Due to the split cross section formed based on such an irradiation site, the material can be cut along the height direction of the material.

Further, the plurality of irradiation sites may be set as line segments connecting the side surfaces of the material to the opposite side surfaces. The fractured surface formed based on such an irradiation site can reliably cut the material.

The plurality of irradiation sites may be set so as to be orthogonal to the direction in which the laser beam is irradiated. Alternatively, the plurality of irradiation sites may be set to be inclined with respect to the direction in which the laser beam is irradiated. By setting the irradiation site in this way, various fractured faces can be formed according to the position and shape of the unnecessary portion to be removed.

Of the plurality of irradiation sites, one irradiation site may be set at the lower end of the material. By providing one irradiation site at the lower end of the material, cracks are likely to occur in the formed groove, and unnecessary parts can be removed more easily.

Further, a plurality of fractured faces may be formed in the width direction of the material. By forming the fractured surface in this way, more cracks can be generated in the width direction of the material.

Further, the processing system 100 according to the present embodiment removes an unnecessary portion of the light-transmitting material by irradiating the light-transmitting material with a laser beam. The processing system 100 is set to an irradiation unit 10 that irradiates a laser beam, a holding unit 20 that holds the material, a drive mechanism 30 that relatively moves the irradiation unit 10 and the holding unit 20, and a lower side of the material. A computer 2 that controls the irradiation unit 10 and the drive mechanism 30 so as to form a fractured surface for removing unnecessary portions by irradiating a laser beam from above the material along a plurality of linear irradiation sites. Have. According to such a processing system, unnecessary parts of the material can be removed by processing using laser light.

Further, the processing program according to the present embodiment is executed by a processing system that removes an unnecessary portion of the light-transmitting material by irradiating the light-transmitting material with a laser beam. The processing program is used to form a fractured surface for removing unnecessary parts by irradiating a laser beam from above the material along a plurality of linear irradiation sites set on the lower side of the material. Can be done. According to such a processing program, unnecessary parts of the material can be removed by processing using laser light.

It is also possible to supply the program to the computer by using a non-transitory computer readable medium with an executable program in which the processing program of the above embodiment is stored. Examples of non-temporary computer readable media include magnetic recording media (for example, flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), and the like.

== Example ==
An experiment was conducted to remove unnecessary parts by irradiating the material with laser light.

(material)
A rectangular parallelepiped slide glass having a length of 76 mm, a width of 26 mm, and a height of 1.3 mm was used.

(Processing equipment)
As the processing device, a device capable of ablation processing using light by an ultrashort pulse laser was used. In all Examples and Comparative Examples, the laser output was 1.15 W and the feed rate was 1.7 mm / s. In addition, the material was attached to the processing apparatus so that the laser beam was vertically incident on the upper surface of the material from above the material.

(Processing method)
Using the processing data prepared in advance based on the processing conditions, a split cross section for removing unnecessary portions was formed by irradiating a laser beam from the upper surface of the material along a plurality of irradiation sites. In the examples and comparative examples, a plurality of irradiation sites are set in the height direction of the material. Therefore, the laser beam irradiation was performed from the irradiation site farthest from the upper surface of the material.

(Processing conditions and processing results)
The processing conditions and processing results are as shown in Table 1. In Table 1, the pitch is the distance between the irradiated parts in the height direction of the material. The processing time is the time required to irradiate all the irradiated parts with laser light to form a fractured surface.

The irradiation site in Example 1 was a line segment extending along the length direction of the material, and was a line segment parallel to the upper surface of the material. Further, in Example 1, a plurality of irradiation sites were set at a pitch of 0.02 mm in the height direction of the material in a range of ± 0.5 mm with respect to the lower surface of the material. The positions of the plurality of irradiation sites in the length direction and the width direction are the same. Further, the range of ± 0.5 mm is considered in consideration of the attachment error of the material to the processing apparatus, and the laser beam irradiation is performed but the processing is not performed in the range where there is no material.

The irradiation site in Example 2 was a line segment extending along the length direction of the material, and was a line segment inclined with respect to the upper surface of the material. Further, in Example 2, a plurality of irradiation sites were set at a pitch of 0.02 mm in the height direction of the material in a range of ± 0.5 mm with respect to the lower surface of the material. The positions of the plurality of irradiation sites in the length direction and the width direction are the same. The displacement in the height direction from the start point to the end point of the irradiation site in Example 2 is 0.1 mm. In Example 3, a plurality of irradiation sites similar to those in Example 1 were set in the width direction of the material. The distance between the irradiation sites in the width direction is 0.02 mm.

The irradiation site in Comparative Example 1 was a line segment extending along the length direction of the material, and was a line segment parallel to the upper surface of the material. In Comparative Example 1, a plurality of irradiation sites were set in the height direction of the material within a range of ± 0.5 mm with respect to the upper surface of the material. The positions of the plurality of irradiation sites in the length direction and the width direction are the same.

By irradiating the irradiated portion with the laser beam, one fractured surface is formed in each of Example 1, Example 2, and Comparative Example 1. On the other hand, in Example 3, three fractured faces are formed.

As is clear from the description in Table 1, cracks were generated in the fractured surface formed in each of Examples 1 to 3. Then, the material could be cut by advancing the crack by an external force. That is, it is considered that the unnecessary portion can be removed by appropriately setting the irradiation site on the lower side of the material. On the other hand, when the split cross section was formed on the upper side of the material as in Comparative Example 1, no cracks were generated and the material could not be split.

As in Comparative Example 1, by irradiating the irradiated portion on the upper side of the material with laser light from above the material, the fume generated by the processing is deposited on the processed portion. Then, the heat of the laser beam is applied to the deposited fume, which causes a state similar to that of thermal processing, so that the split cross section formed is not uniform. Therefore, it is considered that cracks are unlikely to occur in the fractured surface.

On the other hand, by irradiating the laser beam from above the material toward the irradiation site below the material as in the embodiment, the quality of the laser light transmitted through the material is not deteriorated and the light collection rate is also improved. do. Furthermore, since the fume generated during processing falls below the material, it does not accumulate on the processed portion. Therefore, a uniform fractured surface can be formed without being affected by the heat of the laser beam. Since cracks are likely to occur in such a fractured surface, it is considered that unnecessary portions can be easily removed.

If the distance between the irradiated parts is too wide, there will be many unprocessed areas, and the cracks will be shortened. On the other hand, if the distance between the irradiation sites is too narrow, the areas to be processed overlap. Therefore, the material is re-fixed in the region, and the shape of the fractured surface becomes non-uniform, so that the crack is shortened. In the above embodiment, the distance between the irradiation sites is preferably about 0.02 mm.

1 Processing device 2 Computer 10 Irradiation unit 20 Holding unit 30 Drive mechanism 100 Processing system

Claims (9)

It is a processing method that removes unnecessary parts of a light-transmitting material by irradiating it with a laser beam.
A processing method for forming a split cross section for removing an unnecessary portion by irradiating a laser beam from above the material along a plurality of linear irradiation sites set on the lower side of the material. The processing method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of irradiation sites are set so that the positions of the material in the width direction are the same and the positions of the material in the height direction are different. The processing method according to claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of irradiation sites is set as a line segment connecting the side surface of the material to the opposite side surface. The processing method according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of irradiation sites are set so as to be orthogonal to the direction in which the laser beam is irradiated. The processing method according to claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of irradiation sites is set to be inclined with respect to the direction in which the laser beam is irradiated. The processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein one irradiation site is set at the lower end of the material among the plurality of irradiation sites. The processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a plurality of fractured faces are formed in the width direction of the material. A processing system that removes unnecessary parts of a light-transmitting material by irradiating it with laser light.
The irradiation unit that irradiates the laser beam and
A holding part for holding the material and
A drive mechanism that relatively moves the irradiation unit and the holding unit,
By irradiating the laser beam from above the material along a plurality of linear irradiation sites set on the lower side of the material, the irradiation portion and the irradiation portion and the irradiation portion so as to form a split cross section for removing the unnecessary portion. A control unit that controls the drive mechanism and
Processing system with. A program executed in a processed optical system that removes unnecessary parts of a light-transmitting material by irradiating it with a laser beam.
A processing program for forming a split cross section for removing an unnecessary portion by irradiating a laser beam from above the material along a plurality of linear irradiation sites set on the lower side of the material.

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