JP3194891B2 - Conveyor device for laser cutting machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a conveyor device for a laser cutting machine, and more particularly, to a laser cutting machine for cutting (cutting) a sheet material such as paper or cloth by a laser beam and holding the sheet material. The present invention relates to improvement of the structure of a conveyor body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a laser cutter includes a laser irradiation mechanism and a conveyor device. That is, in a conventional laser cutting machine, a cloth (material to be cut) is mounted on an upper surface of a plurality of conveyor bodies constituting a conveyor band of a conveyor device, and the cloth is sucked and held on the upper surface by negative pressure. I have. Then, a laser beam is irradiated from above the cloth by a laser irradiation mechanism to cut the cloth into an arbitrary shape. In this case, the conveyor body holding the cloth on the upper surface has been constituted by a honeycomb structure in order to adsorb the cloth with a negative pressure from below. In other words, it has a honeycomb-like structure in which a large number of hexagonal cylinders are continuous in a plan view. Moreover, this honeycomb structure was made of aluminum, copper, or an alloy thereof. This is because the laser light is hardly cut and the laser light is reflected.
Regarding such a honeycomb structure, for example,
No. 1-152395, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 1-127693, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 6-30827, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-31881.
No. 62, for example.

[0003]

However, in such a conventional conveyor apparatus of a laser cutting machine, since each conveyor body (running member) constituting the conveyor band is formed of a honeycomb structure, the following problems arise. Had occurred. First, laser light applied to a honeycomb-structured conveyor body is reflected on the surface of the honeycomb member and cuts the sheet material by the reflected light, resulting in frequent cutting errors. This is because the conveyor body that adsorbs and holds the sheet material has a honeycomb structure and has a large surface area per unit. Secondly, a part of the sheet material cut by the laser irradiation is not discharged, but is welded and remains on the surface of the honeycomb structure of the conveyor body. Even if you try to scrape off a part (remaining residue) of this welded sheet material with a brush,
Because of the honeycomb structure, the brush tip did not easily reach the innermost part, and could not be sufficiently cleaned and removed. Thirdly, when trying to increase the cleaning ability by increasing the strength of the cleaning brush,
The strength of the honeycomb structure side was insufficient, and it was not possible to cope with this. Therefore, it is conceivable to change this conveyor body from a honeycomb structure to a lattice structure. However, mere adoption of a general-purpose lattice structure did not ensure sufficient strength to withstand long-term operation.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a laser cutting machine conveyor device capable of minimizing cutting errors of a cut material due to reflection of a laser beam. It is another object of the present invention to provide a laser cutting machine conveyor device that can increase the strength of a holder and prevent the plate from falling off during long-term operation. Further, the present invention
It is an object of the present invention to provide a conveyor device of a laser cutting machine that prevents the adhesion of residual debris during fusing by a laser beam. An object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor device for a laser cutting machine in which the yield of cut material is increased.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of holders for adsorbing and holding a cut material cut by a laser beam are arranged and connected in a direction perpendicular to the running direction. To form an endless conveyor belt, the conveyor belt is configured to be able to run along its longitudinal direction, and each of the holding members is disposed at both ends in the width direction of the holding member.
A plurality of plates having a predetermined thickness extending along the traveling direction of the conveyor belt are supported between the pair of support plates, and a grid having a thickness surface of each of the plate members as a surface for holding the cut material. In the conveyor device of the laser cutting machine configured from the above, each of the plate members, formed at the lower end of both ends in the length direction of the plate member, a pair of standing pieces bent to one side in the thickness direction of the plate member,
A pair of plate receiving portions formed by bending lower portions of both upright pieces outward to receive the two support plates, and a portion between the lower upright pieces and the upright pieces of each of the plate bodies is folded upward. A pair of reinforcing members fixed to the plate in a state where each of the support plates is inserted in a series in a plate receiving portion on a corresponding side of each of the plate members. Is a conveyor device of a laser cutting machine reinforced respectively by the following.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a conveyor device for a laser cutting machine according to the first aspect, wherein the surface of the holding member is coated with a carbon cloth having a laser light absorbing property.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a conveyor device for a laser cutting machine according to the first aspect, wherein a carbon-containing paint having a laser beam absorbing property is applied to a surface of the holding body.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a conveyor device for a laser cutting machine according to the first aspect, wherein the surface of the holding member is coated with a nonwoven fabric containing a superabsorbent polymer having a laser beam absorbing property. is there.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a conveyor apparatus for a laser cutting machine according to the first aspect, wherein the surface of the main body is coated with a material in which a paper laminate having a laser light absorbing property is made to absorb water. It is.

[0010]

According to the conveyor device of the laser cutter according to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of holders are arranged and connected to form an endless conveyor band. Direction). Then, the cut material such as cloth is sucked and held on the holder, and the cut material is cut into a desired shape by irradiating the cut material with laser light. At this time, each of the holders is configured by arranging a plurality of plate members extending in the traveling direction in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the conveyor belt (the width direction of the conveyor belt). That is, the respective plate members are provided in parallel with each other at predetermined intervals. Each plate body has a predetermined thickness, and the thickness surface is configured as a surface for holding the cut material. That is, the respective plate members, which are rectangular plate members having a predetermined thickness, are arranged in parallel so that the thickness direction thereof is the width direction of the conveyor belt, thereby forming a holder. The holding body is formed in a so-called childlike shape with a large gap.

As a result, as compared with the conventional honeycomb structure, the surface area of the holder to which the laser beam is irradiated (the sum of the surface areas of the thickness surfaces of the respective plates becomes the surface area of the irradiation surface) becomes smaller as a whole. , Cutting error due to its reflection (defective product rate)
Decreases. This is because most of the laser light passes through the gap between the plates of the holder. Further, since a slit or a vertical groove (a gap between the plate members) extending in the traveling direction is formed in this holding body, it is possible to almost completely remove the residue left behind by brush cleaning. This is because the tip of the brush easily enters the slit and easily escapes. Further, the holding surface of each holding body is formed in a grid shape, and the grid extends in the traveling direction of the conveyor belt, so that brush cleaning is easy. Each of the holders is provided with a plurality of plate members each of which is reinforced at both ends by upright pieces and each lower portion of which is reinforced by a folded portion.
Since the pair of support plates are incorporated, the overall strength of the holder can be increased. Moreover, since these reinforcing members are fixed to the plate so that each support plate inserted into the plate receiving portion of the plate is sandwiched between the reinforcing member and the plate, the plate can be used for a long period of operation. Can be prevented from falling off.

[0012] In particular, according to the second to fifth aspects of the present invention, the surface of the holding body is coated with a carbon cloth having a laser light absorbing property (claim 2).
Applying a carbon-containing paint (claim 3), covering with a nonwoven fabric containing a superabsorbent polymer (claim 4),
By coating the paper laminate with a material that has absorbed water (claim 5), it is possible to further reduce cutting errors of the cut material due to the reflection of the laser beam.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a conveyor device of a laser cutting machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the laser cutter. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the laser cutter. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a holding member which is a constituent member of the conveyor belt. FIG. 5 is a front view of the holder. FIG. 6 is a front view of a support plate constituting the holding body. FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 5 showing a part of the conveyor body according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a part of a plate of a conveyor body according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a schematic process diagram for explaining a manufacturing process of a plate body which is a constituent member of the conveyor body according to one embodiment of the present invention.

First, the structure of the laser cutting machine will be described with reference to FIGS. The laser cutting machine 10 includes a feeder 20 for supplying the cloth 11, a conveyor device 30 for adsorbing the supplied cloth 11 and expanding and holding the cloth 11 in a plane, and cutting / cutting the cloth 11 into an arbitrary shape. Laser irradiation mechanism 40 for cutting, and unloading mechanism 50 for unloading cut cloth 11
And is configured. The feeder 20 is configured to be able to continuously supply the roll-shaped cloth 11 (a cloth having a predetermined width wound around a roll) to the upper surface of the conveyor band 31 of the conveyor device 30. This feeder 20
Is disposed at one end in the length direction of the conveyor device 30 (the traveling direction of the conveyor belt 31). As the cloth 11 provided as the cut material, various materials having an arbitrary thickness can be used. An unloading mechanism 50 for unloading the cloth 11 (product cloth or end cloth) cut from the conveyor device 30 is disposed on the other end of the conveyor device 30 and on the side opposite to the feeder 20. The unloading mechanism 50 has a belt conveyor 51 provided at a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal plane. Is carried out. These feeders 2
Driving of the output mechanism 50 and the unloading mechanism 50 is controlled by a control mechanism (configured by a computer) not shown.

The conveyor device 30 constituting the main body of the laser cutting machine 10 has an endless conveyor belt 31 provided so as to be able to run along its longitudinal direction. Specifically, a machine base 32 having a predetermined width and a predetermined length is erected on the floor surface,
Sprocket wheels 33 and 34 are rotatably attached to the upper end of the machine base 32 at both ends in the length direction. These sprocket wheels 33, 3
The endless conveyor belt 31 is stretched over the conveyor belt 4, and the conveyor belt 31 as a whole is mounted on the machine base 3 in a horizontal plane.
2 are provided so as to be able to run along the length direction. Note that a mechanism for rotating and driving the sprocket wheels 33 and 34 is provided inside the machine base 32, and this drive mechanism is configured to be controlled and driven by the control device. Also,
Although not shown, a roller-like cleaning brush is provided below and adjacent to the sprocket wheel 34 so as to clean the conveyor belt 31. The rotation drive of the cleaning brush is also managed and controlled by the control device.

In this conveyor device 30, an endless conveyor band 31 is provided so as to be able to run along its longitudinal direction, and the horizontal upper surface of the conveyor band 31 has a cloth 11 mounted thereon.
It constitutes a holding surface. As shown in FIG. 1, the conveyor belt 31 is formed by connecting a plurality of rectangular conveyor bodies 35 endlessly. That is, the plurality of conveyor bodies 35 are chained (not shown) such that the long sides of the rectangles are adjacent to each other and face each other.
To form an endless conveyor belt 31. The length of the conveyor body 35 is the width of the conveyor belt 31.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, each of the conveyor bodies 35 has a plurality of plate bodies 36 (FIG. 7) mounted on two support plates (FIG. 6) 37 so that the upper surface thereof is formed in a vertical lattice. Is configured. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, a large number of rectangular plates 36 having a predetermined thickness are used, and are fixed to two support plates 37 shown in FIG. The thickness of the plate 36 is, for example, 0.3 to 0.5 mm. As shown in FIG. 6, these support plates 37 are formed of a long plate material having a predetermined width and a predetermined length, and a large number of slits 38 are arranged at equal intervals along the length direction on the upper side in the width direction. It is formed with. Two slits 39 of the plate 36 are fitted into these slits 38, respectively, and are bonded and fixed with, for example, epoxy resin. FIG.
As shown in (2), two slits 39 extending from the lower end to a predetermined height position are formed in the plate 36 at a predetermined interval.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, both ends of the support plates 37, 37 in the longitudinal direction are fixed by U-shaped fixing members 41, 41, and a large number of the support plates 37, 37 are fixed to the support plates 37, 37. The plate bodies 36 are fixed in parallel at equal intervals to form a conveyor body 35 as a holding body. The thickness of the support plates 37 is greater than the thickness of the plate 36, for example, 2 to 3 mm. The upper surface of the conveyor body 35 is formed in a lattice shape of only vertical pieces by fixing a number of plate bodies 36 in parallel at predetermined intervals. Each plate body 36 has its thickness surface 36A as an upper surface (the suction surface of the cloth 11), and an interval larger than the thickness (0.3 to 0.5 mm) between the plate members 36 and the vertical direction. Gap 43 penetrating through
Are formed. The interval between the gaps 43 is about 8 to 30 times the thickness of the plate 36 (for example, 7 to 15 mm).

Further, both support plates (flat bars) 3
7 and 37 are reinforcing members 7 having an L-shaped cross section for reinforcing them.
1, 71 are provided. These reinforcing members 71, 71
As in the case of the support plates 37, 37, both ends in the longitudinal direction are fixed to the U-shaped fixing members 41, 41, respectively. As shown in FIG. 4, both ends of the support plates 37, 37 in the longitudinal direction are bent in an L-shape, and the bent ends are fixed to the fixing member 41 with screws. Further, a plate receiving portion 36B, which is a part of the plate body 36, is sandwiched between the reinforcing members 71 and the support plate 37, and is firmly fixed (see FIG. 8).

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, linear horizontal cuts 36D, 36D having a predetermined length (depth) are formed at predetermined height positions on both sides 36C of the rectangular plate 36, respectively. Form. At the same time, the lower side 36E of the plate body 36 similarly has a linear cut 3 of a predetermined length upward at a predetermined position.
6F and 36F are formed respectively. FIG. 9A shows this state. Next, as shown in FIG.
Folded portion 3 of lower edge between cuts 36F, 36F
6G is folded upward and overlaps the main body of the plate 36. Next, as shown in FIG.
The lower portions 36H, 36H are bent 90 degrees inward from the horizontal cuts 36D, 36D at both side edges to form standing pieces. Further, the upright pieces 36H, 36 of these predetermined widths are used.
In FIG. 9H, as shown in FIG. 9 (D), the plate receiving portions 36B, 36B, which are the lower ends thereof, are formed by bending outward, thereby forming U-shaped slits 36K, 36K therebetween.

The support plate 37 is inserted from above into the slit 36K of the plate 36 formed as described above, received by the plate receiving portions 36B, 36B, and the reinforcing member 71 and the support plate 37 are screwed. Fix at 72.
As a result, each plate 36 is firmly fixed to the support plate 37. Conveyor body 3 configured in this way
Regarding 5, without changing the material thickness, material, etc.
Since the strength against the external force is increased, the reliability in long-term continuous operation is further improved. In addition, it is possible to completely prevent the plate body 36 from falling off during long-term operation.

Further, between the upper and lower pieces of the fixing member 41,
SUS sleeves 48 for connecting the conveyor body 35 as the holding body to the driving chain are interposed. A connecting bolt is inserted into the sleeve 48 in the up-down direction to be connected and fixed to the chain member. Each of the plate members 36 is made of aluminum or its alloy, and the support plates 37, 37, the fixing members 41, 41, and the channel member 49 are also made of aluminum or its alloy. Thereby, the weight of the conveyor body 35 and the conveyor belt 31 is reduced.

Then, as described above, the conveyor device 3
A cleaning brush is disposed on the side of the transport mechanism 50 of the machine base 32, and the brush removes fusing debris and the like attached to the plate body. The brush is composed of a roller body, for example, which is planted with a strong resin or the like, and its driving is controlled by the control device. The brush tip is configured to be able to enter the gap 43 between the plates of the conveyor body 35.

On the other hand, a negative pressure is generated in the space inside the conveyor belt 31 inside the machine base 32 of the conveyor device 30. For example, the upper side space inside the conveyor belt 31 is connected to a negative pressure source (such as a compressor). That is, the cloth 1 developed through the gaps 43 between the respective plates 36 of the respective conveyor bodies 35 of the conveyor belt 31.
1 is configured to be adsorbed and held on the thickness surface 36A. Reference numeral 51 shown in FIG. 2 is an exhaust duct. Duct 51
Debris can also be discharged. Also, the conveyor device 3
The upper surface of the machine base 32 is covered with a gull-wing-shaped cover 52.

Further, the machine base 3 covered with the cover 52
A laser light irradiation mechanism 40 is provided in the upper space of the second. The laser irradiation mechanism 40 includes a laser head 55 for irradiating a laser beam,
On the upper surface of the conveyor belt 31 in the XY directions. Then, this laser head 55
And the travel of the traveling member 56 are controlled by, for example, a program by the control device. A marking pen is attached to the laser head 55 so that the cloth 11 can be marked simultaneously with the irradiation of the laser beam. The traveling member 56 has, for example, a pair of rails disposed on both sides in the width direction of the conveyor belt 31 and has a traverse member erected transversely to these rails. The traverse member is guided by the rail. Is to run. The traveling member 56 is configured to be able to travel on the laser head 55 along the width direction of the conveyor belt 31 which is supported by the traverse member and extends.

In the conveyor device 30 of the laser cutting machine according to the above configuration, the cloth 11 is supplied from the feeder 20 onto the conveyor belt 31 in a state where the cloth 11 is developed, and is suctioned and held by the negative pressure. Then, the laser head 55 is driven and driven to emit a laser beam, and the cloth 11 is cut into a predetermined shape. The cut cloth 11 and the end cloth are transported by the transport mechanism 50.
Is carried out by In the above operation, in the conveyor device 30, the holding surface 36A of the cloth 11 of the conveyor body 35 of the conveyor belt 31 is formed in a lattice shape or a grate shape, so that when the cloth 11 is cut by the laser beam, the thickness 3
Light reflected by 6A is small, and cutting errors are greatly reduced. When the cloth 11 is carried out by the conveyor device 30, the brush contacts and cleans the holding surface 36A of the plate 36 and the side surface of the plate 36 forming the gap 43 therebetween. The mechanical cleaning with a brush is performed on the upper surface side of the conveyor body 35. The welded residue residue is completely scraped off and discharged.

The laser beam can be absorbed by carbon by coating the surface of the holding body (plate body 36) with carbon cloth. Alternatively, a carbon-containing paint may be applied to the surface of the support. In place of the carbon cloth, a nonwoven fabric containing a superabsorbent polymer or a material in which water is absorbed by a paper laminate can be used. Thereby, the carbon dioxide laser light can be completely absorbed. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate any cutting errors caused by the reflected laser light.

[0028]

According to the conveyor device of the laser cutting machine according to the present invention, the reflection of laser light is reduced, cutting errors are reduced, and the defective product rate is reduced as compared with the conventional apparatus. At the same time, the conveyor body can be reliably cleaned. It is possible to prevent dregs, dust and the like from re-adhering to the cloth surface. Furthermore, as a holding body, a plate body with a special structure,
Since a support plate reinforced with a reinforcing material is used, the strength of the holding body that can withstand long-term operation can be obtained. Moreover, since each reinforcing member is fixed to the plate so that the supporting plate inserted into the plate receiving portion of the plate is sandwiched between the reinforcing member and the plate, the plate is prevented from falling off during long-term operation. can do.

In particular, according to the second to fifth aspects of the present invention, the surface of the holder is covered with a carbon cloth (claim 2), or a carbon-containing paint is applied (claim 2). 3) Since the sheet is coated with a nonwoven fabric containing a superabsorbent polymer (Claim 4) or the paper laminate is coated with a material that has absorbed water (Claim 5), reflection of the laser beam is achieved. The cutting error of the cut material due to the above can be further reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a conveyor device of a laser cutting machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a laser cutter according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the laser cutter according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a holder which is a constituent member of the conveyor belt according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the holder according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a support plate constituting the holding body according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 5 showing a part of the conveyor body according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a part of a plate of a holding body (conveyor body) which is a component of the conveyor belt according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic process diagram for explaining a manufacturing process of a plate body which is a constituent member of the conveyor body according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 10 laser cutting machine, 11 cloth (material to be cut), 30 conveyor device, 31 conveyor belt, 35 conveyor body, 3
6 Plate (constituent member of lattice), 36A Thick surface (holding surface, suction surface), 36B Plate receiving portion, 36G folded portion, 36H standing piece, 43 gap (grating of lattice).

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] An endless conveyor belt is formed by connecting a plurality of holders for adsorbing and holding a cut material cut by a laser beam in a direction perpendicular to the running direction to form an endless conveyor band. Is configured to be able to run along the longitudinal direction thereof, and each of the holding members is arranged along a running direction of the conveyor belt between a pair of support plates disposed at both ends in the width direction of the holding member. A plurality of plate members having a predetermined thickness extending and supported, and a conveyor device of a laser cutting machine comprising a grid having a thickness surface of each plate member as a surface for holding a cut material, Is formed at the lower end of both ends in the length direction of the plate body, and a pair of upright pieces bent to one side in the thickness direction of the plate body, and formed by bending the lower portions of both upright pieces outward,
A pair of plate receiving portions for receiving the two support plates, and a folded portion formed by folding up a portion between the upright pieces at the lower portion of each of the plate bodies upward; Is a conveyor device of a laser cutting machine reinforced with a pair of reinforcing members fixed to the plate in a state of being serially inserted into a corresponding plate receiving portion of each plate. 2. The conveyor device of a laser cutting machine according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the holding member is coated with a carbon cloth having a laser light absorbing property. 3. The conveyor device of a laser cutting machine according to claim 1, wherein a carbon-containing paint having a laser beam absorbing property is applied to a surface of said holding body. 4. The conveyor apparatus for a laser cutting machine according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the holding member is coated with a nonwoven fabric containing a superabsorbent polymer having a laser light absorbing property. 5. The conveyor apparatus for a laser cutting machine according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the main body is coated with a material obtained by absorbing water on a paper laminate having a laser light absorbing property.