JP3908160B2 - Laser processing machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a laser processing machine in which a workpiece is irradiated with laser light from a processing nozzle provided in a processing head, and processing such as welding or cutting is performed on the workpiece.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in this type of laser processing machine, when a workpiece is welded, a workpiece is pressed along the welding path by using a dedicated workpiece fixing device. Therefore, when the welding path of the workpiece is changed, it is necessary to replace the workpiece fixing device, and there is a problem that the cost required for processing increases and the work efficiency decreases.
[0003]
In order to cope with such a problem, a pair of pressure rollers are rotatably supported by the support shafts on both sides of the tip of the machining nozzle, and the pressing position of the workpiece by the pressure roller is moved as the welding process proceeds on the workpiece. A laser beam machine configured as described above has also been conventionally proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0004]
On the other hand, in laser processing, a shield gas made of an inert gas such as carbon dioxide or argon is jetted and supplied to the laser processing unit in order to prevent oxidation of the laser processing unit and to suppress plasma generation. For this reason, a laser processing machine in which a shield nozzle having a double structure is disposed on the outer periphery of the processing nozzle has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In this laser processing machine, a shield gas is blown from the shield nozzle toward the processing point of the workpiece during laser processing.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-38480 A [Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-267876
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional laser beam machine has the following problems.
That is, in the laser processing machine described in Patent Document 1, since the pressure roller is supported by the support shaft, the rotational movement direction of the pressure roller is one direction. Therefore, there is a problem that it is not possible to cope with the case where the welding path of the workpiece is a curve.
[0007]
Further, in the laser processing machine described in Patent Document 2, since the shield gas is blown out so as to surround the entire periphery of the processing point from the double-structured shield nozzle, the amount of the shield gas to be ejected must be increased. There was a problem that it was uneconomical because gas wasted wastefully.
[0008]
The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems existing in the prior art. The purpose is to be able to efficiently press around the machining point even when the machining path of the workpiece is changing in the X direction and the Y direction, and to efficiently inject shield gas toward the machining point. An object of the present invention is to provide a laser processing machine that can be used.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the machining head or the workpiece is relatively moved in the X direction and the Y direction orthogonal to each other, and the workpiece is irradiated with laser light from the machining nozzle of the machining head. In the laser processing machine configured to process the workpiece, the processing head includes a pressing member provided with a plurality of free rollers for pressing around a processing point on the workpiece, and each free roller. A plurality of shield nozzles for injecting and supplying a shield gas to a processing point on the workpiece, each free roller passing through a laser optical axis and parallel to the X direction and the Y direction Displacement allowing means for allowing each free roller to individually shift in the vertical direction with respect to the surface of the work is provided, avoiding parallel Y-direction lines, Donozuru is disposed in an inclined state so as to lower as tip toward the machining point, it is characterized in that the distal end surface of each nozzle formed in the X and Y directions parallel to the plane .
[0010]
Therefore, according to the first aspect of the invention, even when the machining path of the workpiece changes in the X direction and the Y direction, the periphery of the machining point can be efficiently pressed by the plurality of free rollers. . Further, by arbitrarily operating the plurality of shield nozzles, it is possible to efficiently inject the shield gas toward the processing point, and it is possible to suppress the waste of the shield gas. Furthermore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the free roller hardly passes over the laser processing point, can stably hold the work, and the surface of the work changes into a wave shape or a step shape. Even in such a case, each free roller is moved according to the change in the surface shape of the workpiece, and the periphery of the processing point can be reliably pressed.
[0011]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, four free rollers and four shield nozzles are provided.
[0012]
Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, even when the machining path of the workpiece is set in either the X direction or the Y direction, the machining point is surrounded by the four free rollers on both sides thereof. The vicinity position can be effectively pressed. Also, the shield gas can be efficiently injected from the front side in the traveling direction with respect to the processing point by selectively operating the four shield nozzles arbitrarily.
[0013]
The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the respective free rollers are arranged at substantially the same distance from the processing point on the workpiece.
[0014]
Therefore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, since each free roller presses at a position that is substantially the same distance from the processing point, the pressing force of the free roller with respect to the processing point becomes substantially equal, and high precision processing is performed. Can contribute.
[0018]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, each shield nozzle is selectively operated in accordance with a change in a processing traveling direction with respect to the workpiece. It is characterized by making it.
[0019]
Therefore, according to the fourth aspect of the invention, even when the machining path of the workpiece changes in the X direction and the Y direction, each shield nozzle that always functions effectively is selectively activated, for example, at the machining point. On the other hand, the shield gas can be efficiently injected from the front side in the traveling direction.
[0020]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(First embodiment)
Below, 1st Embodiment of this invention is described based on FIGS. 1-3.
[0021]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a processing table 12 is supported on a bed 11 by a driving device and a guide (not shown) so as to be reciprocable in the X direction, and a work W is placed and supported on the upper surface thereof. It has become. A processing head 13 is disposed on the bed 11 through a column (not shown) so as to be able to reciprocate in a Y direction perpendicular to the moving direction X of the processing table 12, and a processing nozzle 14 for irradiating a laser beam below the processing head 13. Is protruding. Then, while the machining table 12 is moved in the X direction and the machining head 13 is moved in the Y direction, a laser beam is irradiated from the machining nozzle 14 onto the workpiece W, whereby a predetermined machining path is applied to the workpiece W. Laser processing such as welding and cutting is performed along the line.
[0022]
A mounting plate 15 is suspended and fixed via four mounting pipes 16 at the lower portion of the processing head 13, and a through hole 15a through which the processing nozzle 14 is inserted is formed at the center. A support plate 17 is vertically supported on the lower surface of the mounting plate 15 via four support rods 18 so as to be movable in the vertical direction perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece W. At the center of the support plate 17, one pressing member 19 is supported through a spherical bearing 20 so as to be able to tilt around the center of the spherical bearing 20. An insertion hole 19a for inserting the tip portion is formed.
[0023]
Four free rollers 21 are attached to the lower surface of the pressing member 19 via a roller holder 22 so as to be rotatable in all directions. As shown in FIG. 4, these free rollers 21 are located at the corners of a substantially square area from the center of the machining nozzle 14, that is, at a substantially equal distance from the machining point P on the workpiece W. . Between the mounting plate 15 and the support plate 17, press springs 23 are fitted on the outer circumferences of the support rods 18, and the press rollers 23 allow the free rollers 21 to move to the processing point P of the workpiece W with a predetermined pressure. It is urged to move downward so as to hold the periphery. That is, when the workpiece W is laser processed along the processing path by the laser light from the processing nozzle 14, the periphery of the processing point P in the vicinity of the processing point P is pressed by the four free rollers 21. It has become.
[0024]
Further, in this embodiment, as is apparent from FIG. 1, the respective free rollers 21 are arranged avoiding the X direction line X1 and the Y direction line Y1 passing through the laser optical axis at the center of the processing nozzle 14 in the lateral direction. ing.
[0025]
In this embodiment, the support plate 17 can be moved up and down and the holding member 19 can be tilted by the spherical bearing 20 to allow the free rollers 21 to move in the vertical direction. Allowing means are configured. When the workpiece W is laser machined along the machining path, if there are irregularities such as wavy or stepped on the surface of the workpiece W, each free roller 21 responds to the irregularity change of the surface shape of the workpiece W. Necessary changes are made by vertical movement and tilting about the center of the spherical bearing 20.
[0026]
Four shield nozzles 24 are attached to the periphery of the support plate 17 so as to be positioned between the four free rollers 21 so as to be directed to the processing point P via brackets 25. The tip surface of each nozzle 24 is formed in a plane parallel to the X direction and the Y direction as shown in FIGS. A gas supply source of shield gas (not shown) is connected to each shield nozzle 24 via an electromagnetic valve 26. When the workpiece W is laser machined along the machining path, one of the electromagnetic valves 26 is selectively opened and closed, for example, from the shield nozzle 24 positioned on the front side in the traveling direction with respect to the machining point P. A shielding gas made of an inert gas is injected to suppress oxidation of the processed portion.
[0027]
Next, the operation of the laser beam machine configured as described above will be described.
In the laser processing machine, when laser processing such as welding or cutting is performed on the workpiece W on the processing table 12, the processing table 12 is moved in the X direction and the processing head 13 is moved in the Y direction. While being moved, the processing nozzle 14 irradiates the workpiece W with laser light. By this laser light irradiation, the workpiece W is subjected to laser processing such as welding or cutting along a predetermined processing path.
[0028]
At the time of laser processing on the workpiece W, the vicinity of the processing point P on the workpiece W is pressed by the four free rollers 21 based on the pressing force of the pressing spring 23. If the surface of the workpiece W has irregularities such as undulations or steps, the support plate 17 moves up and down against or against the pressing force of the pressing spring 23, and the pressing member 19 It is tilted about the center of the spherical bearing 20 through the spherical bearing 20. For this reason, each free roller 21 is moved in the vertical direction and the tilting direction in accordance with the change in the surface shape of the workpiece W, and even if the workpiece W has irregularities, the surroundings in the vicinity of the processing point P are reliably pressed. Can do.
[0029]
Further, at the time of laser processing of the workpiece W, the electromagnetic valves 26 connected to the four shield nozzles 24 are selectively opened and closed, and shield gas is injected from the selected shield nozzles 24. For example, in a normal cutting process, one shield nozzle 24 is selected in front of the processing nozzle 14 with respect to the workpiece W in the direction of travel, and gas is injected from the front of the processing point P toward the rear in the direction of travel. . Further, when the workpiece W is welded using a welding rod, a welding wire, or the like, the welding rod or the like is supplied from the front in the traveling direction of the processing nozzle 14 to the processing point P. The shield nozzle 24 at the rear in the direction is selected, and the gas is injected from the rear in the traveling direction to the processing point P. And by these gas injection, shield gas is injected intensively with respect to a process location, without consuming wastefully, and the oxidation suppression etc. of the process location can be performed effectively.
[0030]
Therefore, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In this laser processing machine, the processing head 13 has a pressing member 19 provided with four free rollers 21 for pressing around the processing point P in the vicinity of the processing point P on the workpiece W. is doing.
[0031]
For this reason, even when the machining path of the workpiece W changes in the X direction and the Y direction, the four free rollers 21 can effectively press the machining point P and its periphery, and the required laser machining can be accurately performed. It can be carried out. Moreover, since the four free rollers 21 are substantially equidistant from the processing point P and are positioned at the corners of the square area, each free roller 21 applies an equal pressure to the processing point P. This contributes to accurate laser processing.
[0032]
(2) In this laser beam machine, each free roller 21 is arranged avoiding the X direction line X1 and the Y direction line Y1 that pass through the laser optical axis. Therefore, the free roller 21 becomes less and Turkey to move on the machining position, the machining unit may be damaged in the work W, the free roller 21 can be prevented from being damaged by heat or burrs.
[0033]
(3) In this laser beam machine, the pressing member 19 is supported by the processing head 13 so as to be movable and tiltable with respect to the surface of the workpiece W, and the pressing member 19 has four free rollers. 21 is rotatably attached. Then, a pressing force of the pressing spring 23 is applied to the pressing member 19, and each free roller 21 is allowed to shift in the vertical direction against the surface of the workpiece W against the pressing force. Yes. For this reason, even when the surface of the workpiece W is changed into a wave shape or a stepped shape, each free roller 21 is shifted so as to follow the change in the surface shape of the workpiece W, so that the periphery of the processing point P is surely obtained. Can contribute to accurate laser processing.
[0034]
(4) In this laser processing machine, four shield nozzles 24 for injecting shield gas to the processing point P on the workpiece W are provided between the free rollers 21. Then, by selectively operating the four shield nozzles 24 as necessary, the shield gas can be efficiently injected to the necessary place toward the processing point P, and the shield gas is wasted. Can be suppressed.
[0035]
(5) In this laser beam machine, an electromagnetic valve 26 is connected to each shield nozzle 24, and each shield nozzle 24 is opened / closed according to a change in the processing progress direction with respect to the workpiece W. Are selectively activated. For this reason, the shield gas can be efficiently injected from the effective direction with respect to the processing point P, the function of the shield gas can be sufficiently exhibited, and unnecessary consumption of the shield gas can be prevented.
[0036]
(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with a focus on differences from the first embodiment.
[0037]
In the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the support plate 17 in the first embodiment is omitted. The pressing member 19 that supports the free roller 21 and the four shield nozzles 24 are directly attached to the attachment plate 15 below the processing head 13.
[0038]
That is, four shaft-shaped pressing members 19 are supported on the mounting plate 15 so as to be movable in the vertical direction perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece W, and a free roller 21 is provided with a roller holder 22 at the lower ends of the pressing members 19. It is attached via a rotation. A pressing spring 23 is interposed between each pressing member 19 and the mounting plate 15, and pressing force is applied to each free roller 21 by these pressing springs 23.
[0039]
And in this embodiment, the displacement permission means for permitting the displacement to the up-down direction of each free roller 21 is comprised by the structure which can move each said pressing member 19 up and down. When the workpiece W is subjected to laser processing, when the surface of the workpiece W has irregularities such as undulations or steps, each pressing member 19 is moved up and down independently according to the change in the surface shape of the workpiece W. The free roller 21 is moved up and down.
[0040]
Therefore, according to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects described in the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(6) In this laser beam machine, four pressing members 19 having free rollers 21 are supported by the machining head 13 so as to be movable on the surface of the workpiece W independently in the vertical direction. For this reason, when the surface of the workpiece W is changed into a wave shape or a step shape to form irregularities, the followability of each free roller 21 is improved.
[0041]
(Example of change)
In addition, this embodiment can also be changed and embodied as follows.
In the laser processing machine according to the above-described embodiment, by selectively opening and closing the electromagnetic valve 26 according to the type of processing, the change in the plate thickness of the workpiece W, etc. Control to inject shielding gas toward the processing point P on W at the same time.
[0042]
-Change the number of multiple free rollers 21. For example, in FIG. 1, two free rollers 21 located on one diagonal line are removed, and the total number of free rollers is two.
[0043]
-Change the number of shield nozzles 24. For example, the shield nozzles 24 on both the left and right sides in the direction of travel of the processing nozzle 14 with respect to the workpiece W are removed, and the total number of shield nozzles 24 is two. Alternatively, the shield nozzles in front of or behind the processing nozzles 14 are removed to obtain a total of three.
[0044]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in the embodiment, in the present invention, the periphery of the workpiece processing point can be effectively pressed, and high-precision laser processing can be achieved. Moreover, in this invention, shield gas can be efficiently injected toward a processing point, and it can suppress that shield gas is consumed wastefully. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the free roller does not pass over the laser processing point, can stably hold the workpiece, and even when the surface of the workpiece changes in a wave shape or a step shape, The free roller is moved according to the change in the surface shape of the workpiece, and the periphery of the processing point can be reliably pressed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a bottom view of an essential part showing a laser beam machine according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIG.
3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a bottom view of an essential part showing a laser beam machine according to a second embodiment.
5 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG.
6 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 ... Processing head, 14 ... Processing nozzle, 15 ... Mounting plate, 17 ... Supporting plate, 19 ... Holding member, 20 ... Spherical bearing, 21 ... Free roller, 23 ... Pressing spring, 24 ... Shield nozzle, 26 ... Solenoid valve, W ... Workpiece, P ... Processing point, X1 ... X direction line, Y1 ... Y direction line.

Claims (4)

In the laser processing machine in which the processing head or the workpiece is relatively moved in the X direction and the Y direction orthogonal to each other, and the workpiece is irradiated with laser light from the processing nozzle of the processing head to process the workpiece. The head includes a pressing member having a plurality of free rollers for pressing around a processing point on the workpiece, and a plurality of members for spraying and supplying a shielding gas to the processing point on the workpiece provided between the free rollers. A shield nozzle, and each free roller is disposed so as to pass through the laser optical axis and avoid the X direction line parallel to the X direction and the Y direction line parallel to the Y direction. Displacement permitting means is provided for allowing individual shift in the vertical direction with respect to the surface, and each shield nozzle is located at the lower end toward the processing point. The laser processing machine is characterized in that the tip end surface of each nozzle is formed in a plane parallel to the X direction and the Y direction.   The laser processing machine according to claim 1, wherein four free rollers and four shield nozzles are provided.   3. The laser beam machine according to claim 1, wherein each of the free rollers is disposed at substantially the same distance from a machining point on the workpiece. The laser processing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a required shield nozzle is selectively operated in accordance with a change in a processing progress direction with respect to the workpiece.

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