JP3515860B2 - Smoke exhaust device for laser processing 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 smoke exhausting device used in a laser processing machine for cutting a workpiece placed on a table while moving a moving rail and a laser irradiation part to the left, right, front and back of the table. It is about.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, while irradiating a workpiece with a laser beam, it is possible to cut the workpiece by relatively moving a laser irradiation part for irradiating the laser beam and the workpiece. It is being appreciated. In the case of such a cutting process, as the material used for the work piece, a material that emits harmful gas or the like during the process is often used. For this reason, a laser processing machine that performs such laser processing is provided with a smoke exhausting device for eliminating the generated gas.

As laser processing machines equipped with such a smoke exhausting device, there are a laser processing machine 1 shown in FIG. 4 and a laser processing machine 2 shown in FIG. Of these, in the laser beam machine 1 shown in FIG. 4, reference numeral 3 is a table having a flat upper surface, and rail portions 4a and 4b are parallel to each other at both edges along the longitudinal direction on the upper surface. It has been extended. Reference numeral 5 denotes a gate-shaped moving rail provided so as to cross the rails 4a and 4b at right angles.
It is movable along a and 4b.

A laser irradiation unit 6 is attached to one side surface of the movable rail 5 so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the movable rail 5. And this laser irradiation part 6
A reflection mirror 7 inclined downward by 45 degrees is attached to the upper side of the. This reflection mirror 7 sends the laser light sent from the laser generator 9 into the laser irradiation unit 6 via another reflection mirror 8 attached to the upper surface of one end of the moving rail 5. Has become.

Further, a condenser lens is provided in the laser irradiation unit 6 so that the laser beam sent into the laser irradiation unit 6 is placed on the upper surface of the table 3 to be processed 10. It is designed to be sent while focusing on the upper surface of the. Therefore, the workpiece 10 can be cut into an arbitrary shape by irradiating the laser beam while moving the movable rail 5 and the laser irradiation unit 6 to the left and right and back and forth, respectively.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a duct disposed on one end side of the upper surface of the table 3 and opening toward the center side of the table 3. This duct 11 has one end connected to the end of the hose 12, and the suction device (not shown) connected to the other end of the hose 12 operates to suck the gas generated on the table 3 and remove it to the outside. It is supposed to do.

Further, the laser processing machine 2 shown in FIG.
The main body portion 13 has the same configuration as that of the laser processing machine 1 except that the duct 11 and the hose 12 of the laser processing machine 1 are large and are not attached.
A funnel-shaped large suction duct 14 is suspended above the main body 13 so as to cover the main body 13. The end of the suction duct 14 is also connected to a suction device, and by its operation, the gas generated in the main body portion 13 can be sucked and discharged to the outside.

[0008]

However, of the above, in the laser beam machine 1 of FIG. 4, the moving rail 5 is
When it is located away from the duct 11, it is difficult to remove the generated gas. Further, since the duct 11 is provided on the upper surface of the table 3, there is a problem that the upper surface of the table 3 is widened and the entire apparatus is increased in size.

On the other hand, the suction duct 14 shown in FIG. 5 is generally used in a large-sized apparatus and is not suitable for a small laser processing machine or the like, and there is a problem that the apparatus becomes larger due to its use. Have Also in this case, if the table is large, it is difficult to remove the generated gas. Further, in both cases, when the gas remains on the table, it may adhere to a drive mechanism such as a rail to cause corrosion, or may adhere to a mechanism of an optical system to reduce accuracy.

Further, although such an apparatus is generally provided with a cover (not shown) and the like so that work can be performed in a closed processing chamber, smoke exhaust treatment is sufficiently performed. If not, there is also a problem that gas is leaked to the outside when the processed product is taken out after the processing is finished, which is unfavorable for hygiene.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to reliably eliminate the gas generated during processing, downsize the apparatus, and even if the table is made larger, the smoke emission effect does not change. The purpose is to provide a smoke exhaust device for a laser processing machine.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the inventor of the present invention provides a laser processing machine of a type in which a workpiece is fixed and a laser irradiation portion is moved with respect to the workpiece. In order to reliably remove the generated gas, it is more effective to use a smoke exhaust device in which the suction part moves together with the moving rail instead of using a fixed duct as in the conventional example. This invention was completed, paying attention to one thing.

That is, according to the present invention, the moving rail moving on the table is provided with a substantially cylindrical suction portion along the longitudinal direction thereof, and a slit-shaped suction hole is provided below the suction portion. A flexible tube is connected to one end of it. A suction device is connected to the other end of the flexible tube. In addition, the suction part
Is formed integrally with the base.

Therefore, when cutting the workpiece,
No matter what position the moving rail or laser irradiation unit moves to, the suction unit will follow the moving rail or laser irradiation unit, and the distance between the laser irradiation unit and the suction unit will always be a fixed distance. Will be able to hold. As a result, reliable smoke emission is possible.

Further, since a flexible tube is used as a member for connecting the suction unit and the suction device, it can be freely expanded and contracted and deformed, so that the movement of the moving rail is not hindered and the smooth movement of the moving rail is prevented. You can keep moving.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows a laser processing machine 20 equipped with a smoke exhaust device according to the present invention. Similar to the laser processing machine 1 shown in FIG. 4, the laser processing machine 20 has rails 22a and 22b extending from both edges along the longitudinal direction on the upper surface of the table 21, and the rails 22a and 22b.
The gate-shaped moving rail 23 is installed so that it crosses the rail at right angles.
It is provided so as to be movable along 2a and 22b.

The moving rail 23 has a substantially cylindrical suction portion which has a hollow inside and is provided with an elongated slit-shaped suction hole (not shown hidden in the figure) along the longitudinal direction on the lower side. It is provided along the longitudinal direction of the rail 23. A flexible tube 24 that can be expanded and contracted and deformed is connected to one end of the suction section, and a suction device (not shown) is connected to the other end of the flexible tube 24.
Are connected.

Therefore, when the suction device is operated, the air on the table 21 is sucked into the elongated suction hole of the suction portion, and suction can be performed over substantially the entire length of the moving rail in the longitudinal direction.

Numeral 25 is a laser irradiation unit which is movable along the longitudinal direction on one side surface of the moving rail 23. The laser irradiation unit 25 is used for the reflection mirror 2
6 and a condenser lens, the laser light sent from the laser generator 27 is sent while being focused on the upper surface of the workpiece 28 placed on the upper surface of the table 21. There is.

Reference numeral 29 is a reflection mirror arranged on the upper surface of the other end of the moving rail 23, and is arranged at an angle so as to reflect the laser light generated by the laser generator 27 and send it to the reflection mirror 26. . In the laser processing machine 20, the table 21 and the laser generator 27 are covered with a protective cover (not shown) so that work can be performed in a closed processing chamber.

In this structure, when cutting the workpiece 28, first, the suction device is operated, and then the laser generator 27 is operated, and the laser beam draws a predetermined shape. The moving rail 23 and the laser irradiation unit 25 are moved.

As a result, the workpiece 28 is cut into a predetermined shape by the laser light. At that time, the gas generated from the workpiece is sucked into the suction device via the suction portion and the flexible tube 24. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the gas from remaining on the table 21 and corroding the device or deteriorating the accuracy. Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples.

[0023]

【Example】

Example 1 FIG. 2 shows Example 1. In the first embodiment, the suction section 30 is integrally formed on the rear side of the moving rail 31. The slit-shaped suction hole 32 is provided on the lower surface of the suction portion 30 at a portion closest to the laser irradiation portion 33.

An air assist 34 is attached to the lower end of the laser irradiating unit 33, and an auxiliary gas such as an inert gas is sent to the workpiece 35 side through the air assist 34 during cutting. It has become. This auxiliary gas cleans the cut portion, prevents the gas generated from the workpiece 35 from rising during processing, and protects the condenser lens and the like of the laser irradiation unit 33.

A rail portion 36 is attached to the front surface of the moving rail 31 along the longitudinal direction, and a block portion 37 fixed to the laser irradiation portion 33 side is slidably engaged with the rail portion. The block part 37 is fixed to a part of the belt 38 wound around both ends of the moving rail 31 together with the laser irradiation part 33, and moves along with the movement of the belt 38.

Reference numeral 39 denotes one of a pair of pulleys that supports the belt 38, and is rotated by driving a motor (not shown) connected via a shaft 39a. The other pulley is in a freely rotatable state.

Second Embodiment FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment. In this embodiment, the suction unit 40 is made of a member separate from the moving rail 41, and can be removed from the moving rail 41. That is, in the suction portion 40, the slit-shaped suction hole 42 is provided at the front end portion on the lower surface, and the upper surface is fixed to the bottom surface of the moving rail 41 by the screw 43. 44
Is a cutout hole provided on the upper surface of the moving rail 41 for attaching the screw 43.

The configuration of the other parts is the same as that of the first embodiment.
Is the same as. Therefore, the same reference numerals are given to the same portions. With this configuration, the suction unit 40
When is dirty, it can be removed from the moving rail 41 and cleaned.

[0029]

As described above, in the smoke exhaust device for a laser machine according to the present invention, the suction portion is extended along the longitudinal direction of the movable rail and moves together with the movable rail. Therefore, no matter what position the moving rail or laser irradiation unit moves on the table, the distance between the suction holes in the laser irradiation unit and the suction unit is always constant,
A constant suction force always acts on the processing part. As a result, the gas generated during processing can be reliably and efficiently removed.

Further, since the smoke exhaust is efficiently performed, the smoke exhaust device can be downsized such as downsizing of the blower motor, and
Even if the device becomes larger and the table becomes wider, the smoke exhaust effect is hardly affected. Further, unlike the conventional example, since the duct is not arranged on the table, the table can be downsized accordingly.

Further, in the present invention, the flexible tube is used as a member for connecting the suction part and the suction device.
Since this flexible tube freely expands and contracts and bends, there is almost no resistance when the movable rail moves, and smooth movement of the movable rail is maintained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a laser processing machine equipped with a smoke exhaust device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a main part of the smoke exhaust device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a main part of a smoke exhaust device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a laser processing machine provided with a smoke exhaust device according to a conventional example.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a laser processing machine provided with a smoke exhaust device according to another conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

20 Laser processing machine 21 table 22a, 22b rail 23, 31, 41 Moving rail 24 flexible tube 25,33 Laser irradiation part 26,29 Reflective mirror 27 Laser generator 28,35 Workpiece 30,40 suction part 32, 42 suction holes 36 Rail part 37 block section 38 belt 39 pulley

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A moving rail that is movable from one end side to the other end side of a table, and a laser irradiation unit that is movably attached from one end in the longitudinal direction of the moving rail to the other end. Laser processing that performs cutting by irradiating the workpiece placed on the table with the laser light sent from the laser generator to the laser irradiation section through the reflection mirror while moving the irradiation section. A smoke exhausting device used for a machine, which is provided with a substantially cylindrical suction portion provided with a slit-shaped suction hole on the lower side along the longitudinal direction of the moving rail, and a flexible portion is provided at one end side of the suction portion. One end of the tube is connected and a suction device is connected to the other end of the flexible tube, and the suction part is formed integrally with the moving rail.
The smoke exhaust device for laser processing machines, which is characterized by being 2. An integral type of the suction part and the moving rail.
The suction part is removable from the moving rail.
Smoke exhaust for a laser processing machine according to claim 1, which is integrally formed.
Equipment .