JP6178908B1 - Water jet laser processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

A safe laser processing apparatus that significantly reduces the risk of laser exposure. A water jet laser processing machine that processes a workpiece by laser light guided by a water column discharged from a nozzle, a protective equipment mounted on an operator to protect the operator from exposure to laser light, and a protective equipment A device for detecting whether or not the laser beam is attached to an operator, and a water jet laser processing machine is disposed in the optical path of the laser beam from the laser light source to the nozzle. A shutter that can take either an open position that opens the light path or a blocking position that blocks the optical path, and a control unit that places the shutter in the blocking position when the equipment detection unit does not detect the wearing of the protective equipment by the operator, A laser processing apparatus comprising: [Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a water jet laser processing apparatus for processing a workpiece by laser light guided by a water column discharged from a nozzle.

  In particular, a laser processing machine for metal processing uses a powerful laser beam, and is usually classified as a class 4 apparatus defined in Japanese Industrial Standard JIS C 6802. Therefore, measures such as covering the processing area with a cover are taken in the laser processing machine so that laser exposure does not occur. Further, during the operation of the laser processing machine, protective equipment such as protective glasses for preventing laser exposure is worn by the operator.

  By the way, when the laser processing machine is operated, the irradiation position or the focal position of the laser beam is usually adjusted. At that time, the operator opens the door of the opening provided in the cover, and performs the work while preventing the laser exposure with the protective glasses. In particular, in the case of a water jet laser processing machine for precision processing, the laser beam passing through the water column is visible and the focal position of the laser beam is adjusted to the center of a minute nozzle (for example, 25 μm to 120 μm). Alignment must be performed at a relatively high frequency, which increases the chances of dealing with laser exposure with protective glasses alone.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a hand-held laser device that improves safety in cooperation with protective glasses. There, laser light can be emitted only when the line of sight of an operator wearing protective glasses is directed toward the laser torch. However, even if the invention described in Patent Document 1 is applied to a stationary water jet laser processing machine in which the laser beam emission direction is always constant, the safety is not improved.

JP-A-7-124767

  With regard to laser processing, while there remains work that must be performed while wearing protective glasses and avoiding laser exposure, the presence or absence of wearing protective glasses must be finally confirmed artificially. Therefore, it can be said that the conventional situation has not eliminated the risk of laser exposure.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a safe laser processing apparatus that significantly reduces the risk of laser exposure.

In order to achieve the above-described object, according to the present invention, a water jet laser processing machine that has a nozzle and processes a workpiece by laser light guided by a water column discharged from the nozzle, and exposure of laser light. A laser processing apparatus comprising a protective equipment attached to an operator for protecting the operator, and an equipment detection unit for detecting whether or not the protective equipment is attached to the operator, wherein the water jet laser processing machine comprises: A shutter that is disposed in the optical path of the laser light from the laser light source to the nozzle and can take an open position that opens the optical path and a blocking position that blocks the optical path, and an equipment detection unit detects the wearing of the protective equipment by the operator. when there was no, and a control unit to place the shutter in the shut-off position, which is a control unit orthosis detector is configured to communicate wirelessly Control unit detects the radio wave intensity, the detected field intensity laser processing apparatus to place or shutter to lower the intensity of the laser beam to the blocking position is provided is higher than the predetermined reference value.

  According to the present invention, when the equipment detection unit does not detect the wearing of the protective equipment by the operator, the control unit stops the emission of the laser light by placing the shutter at the blocking position, thereby reliably preventing laser exposure. Is possible. Further, stopping the emission of the laser beam is performed by placing the shutter at the blocking position, and the laser light source continues to operate, so that when the laser beam emission is permitted, the operator immediately It becomes possible to start a desired operation.

It is a perspective view of the water jet laser processing machine of the laser processing apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is typical sectional drawing of the optical head of a water jet laser processing machine. It is a block diagram which shows the component of a laser processing apparatus. It is a perspective view of protective glasses.

Hereinafter, a laser processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
A laser processing apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a water jet laser processing machine (hereinafter referred to as “laser processing machine”) 100 shown in FIG. 1, protective equipment such as protective glasses 50 shown in FIG. An appliance detection unit 60 attached to the glasses 50 is provided. The laser processing machine 100 in FIG. 1 is a water jet type that guides laser light focused by a lens by a water column ejected from a nozzle, and is suitable for precise drilling and cutting of metal.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a laser processing machine 100 is provided with a table 108 for mounting a work, and a linear movement relative to the table 108 in the three orthogonal directions of the X, Y, and Z axes. The optical head 10 and a laser oscillator 40 (not shown in FIG. 1) are provided. The laser processing machine 100 also includes a rectangular parallelepiped cover 102 that surrounds the optical head 10 and the table 108 to form a processing chamber. An opening 104 is formed on the front surface of the cover 102 so that an operator can access the table 108 and the optical head 10. The cover 102 also has an operator door 106 that can slide in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) for opening and closing the opening 104. The operator door 106 includes a door switch 106a for detecting the open / closed state.

  An operation panel 110 for the laser processing machine 100 is attached to the front side wall of the cover 102. The operation panel 110 includes a display 112 and various operation buttons 114 for displaying parameters indicating the state and operation of the laser processing machine 100, icons for teaching an operation method for the operator, and the like. The display 112 can be a touch panel that allows various operations to the laser processing machine 100 when an operator touches an icon with a finger. The operation panel 110 has a built-in control device, and controls the laser processing machine 100 according to an operator's input and a program stored in the control device. The operation panel 110 can be set by inputting the output of laser light used for processing. Note that the control device is not built in the control panel 110 but may be stored in another place of the machine.

  An optical head 10 shown as an example in FIG. 2 includes a laser irradiation head 16 which is disposed in a housing 12 and receives laser light from a laser oscillator 40 via an optical fiber cord 40a and irradiates the collimation lens 18. doing. The laser light from the laser irradiation head 16 is converted into parallel rays by the collimation lens 18, reflected by the first mirror 20 toward the second mirror 22, and directed toward the focus lens 24 by the second mirror 22. Reflected. The laser light focused by the focus lens 24 is irradiated through the nozzle head 26 to the workpiece W that is usually placed on the table 108 outside the housing 12. At this time, the optical axis of the laser beam irradiated by the optical head 10 is substantially parallel to the Z axis. The optical head 10 also has motors 20a and 22a as mirror orientation changing means for adjusting the direction of laser light emitted from the optical head 10. Furthermore, the optical head 10 also includes a camera 32 that monitors the positional relationship between the laser light emitted from the nozzle 27a of the nozzle body 27 fixed to the bottom wall of the nozzle head 26 and the nozzle 27a. Since the second mirror 22 is formed of a dielectric multilayer film, the camera 32 can observe the upper end surface of the nozzle body 27 located below the second mirror 22.

  The laser light emitted from the nozzle 27a of the optical head 10 illustrated in FIG. 2 is surrounded by the water column 34 ejected from the same nozzle 27a, and travels while being totally reflected at the boundary surface between the water column 34 and the surrounding air. Then irradiate the workpiece. In order to form a water column, an ultrapure water supply device 30 is connected to the nozzle head 26 via a conduit 28.

  The protective glasses 50 illustrated in FIG. 4 include a lens 52 that absorbs laser light having a specific wavelength used for laser processing. The protective glasses 50 have a contact switch (not shown) that operates when the operator correctly wears the protective glasses 50 on each of the left and right temples 54, and a control signal of the laser oscillator 40, which will be described later. A device detection unit 60 including a transmission unit (not shown) for wireless transmission by Wi-Fi or Bluetooth (registered trademark) and a battery is attached to the unit 45. In the present embodiment, the contact switch of the appliance detection unit 60 is a limit switch configured such that the actuator is pushed by an operator's temple and is operated. However, various types of known switches can be used as the contact switch. For example, a pressure-sensitive switch or a capacitance switch may be used as the contact switch. An embodiment of protective glasses is also possible in which the contact switch is incorporated in the nosepiece rather than in the temple 54 of the glasses.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the laser processing apparatus 1000 according to the embodiment of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 3, the laser oscillator 40 of the laser beam machine 100 will be described first. The laser oscillator 40 includes a laser light source such as a laser output unit 41, a chiller 42, a shutter 43 that blocks and opens an optical path of laser light from the laser output unit 41 to the optical head 10, an output meter 44, and a control unit. 45, a power supply unit 46, and an optical fiber cord 40a (not shown in FIG. 3) for guiding laser light to the optical head 10. The power supply unit 46 supplies power to the laser output unit 41 and the chiller 42 via the control unit 45.

  The laser output unit 41 in FIG. 3 is configured as an Nd: YAG solid-state laser resonator. Therefore, although not shown in the figure, an Nd: YAG rod, an excitation light source, a collector, a total reflection mirror, and an output mirror are included therein. Etc. In addition, the laser light output from the laser output unit 41 is green visible light in the present embodiment.

  Since the calorific values from the laser output unit 41 and the output meter 44 are considerably large, a refrigerant pipe from the chiller 42 is connected to the laser output unit 41 and the output meter 44 in order to cool them. While the laser oscillator 40 is in an energized state, the chiller 42 operates so as to supply a constant amount of refrigerant to the laser output unit 41 and the output meter 44 regardless of whether processing is performed or not.

  Laser light emitted from the laser output unit 41 is focused by a fiber incident coupling lens (not shown) disposed in front of an incident end (not shown) of the optical fiber cord 40a and introduced into the optical fiber cord 40a. Is done. The shutter 43 is disposed in the optical path of the laser light between the emission end of the laser output unit 41 and the fiber incidence coupling lens. The shutter 43 can take a blocking position for blocking the optical path and an open position for opening the optical path. In FIG. 3, the blocking position is indicated by a solid line, and the open position is indicated by an imaginary line. The shutter 43 is a plate having a pivot, and is a type that is rotated by a motor 47 about the pivot. The shutter 43 includes a reflecting surface that reflects the laser beam received from the laser output unit 41 toward the output meter 44 when the shutter 43 is in the blocking position.

  The control unit 45 includes a shutter control unit 48 and an output control unit 49. The shutter control unit 48 controls the shutter driving motor 47 based on a signal from the door switch 106 a provided on the operator door 106 of the cover 102 and a signal from the equipment detection unit 60. While the door switch 106a detects the open state of the operator door 106, the shutter control unit 48 controls the motor 47 so that the shutter 43 takes the blocking position, and the door switch 106a closes the operator door 106. While the state is detected, the motor 47 is controlled so that the shutter 43 takes the open position. However, in consideration of the case where laser alignment adjustment is performed, a predetermined command can be issued from the operation panel 110 so that the shutter 43 can be in the open position even when the operator door 106 is open. It is. Even when the shutter 43 is in the blocking position, in the present embodiment, the laser output unit 41 operates to output laser light having a predetermined output. This is because, once the laser output unit 41 is turned off, it takes a relatively long time to restart and obtain a stable laser output.

  The output control unit 49 controls the current supplied to the excitation light source of the laser output unit 41 to control the output of the laser light emitted from the laser output unit 41 from 0 to a specified maximum output. It is configured. The output control unit 49 is also configured to monitor the output of the laser light reflected to the output meter 44 by the shutter 43 disposed at the cutoff position when the laser oscillator 40 is started and started. When the output of the laser light reaches a specified output, the shutter control unit 48 moves the shutter 43 to the open position by the motor 47 and holds it at that position.

  The control unit 45 includes a receiving unit (not shown) for wirelessly receiving an operation signal of a contact switch of the appliance detection unit 60 attached to the protective glasses 50. The shutter control unit 48 of the control unit 45 controls the motor 47 for driving the shutter based on the signal from the appliance detection unit 60 received by the reception unit. The shutter control unit 48 is configured so that the shutter 43 takes the open position while the contact switches of the two equipment detection units 60 of the protective glasses 50 are closed by, for example, the operator wearing the protective glasses 50 correctly. Thus, the motor 47 is controlled. On the other hand, for example, when the operator does not wear the protective glasses 50 and at least one of the two contact switches is opened, the shutter control unit 48 moves the motor so that the shutter 43 takes the blocking position. 47 is controlled. However, even in this case, the laser output unit 41 outputs laser light having a predetermined output. This is because, when the protective glasses 50 are properly worn and the laser beam is allowed to be emitted from the optical head 10, if the shutter 43 is placed in the open position, the laser beam with a predetermined output is emitted immediately. This is to make it happen.

  When at least one of the two contact switches of the appliance detection unit 60 is opened, in the present embodiment, an alarm message that prompts the user to wear the protective glasses 50 is displayed on the display 112 of the operation panel 110 and a warning sound. Further, the warning lamp is turned on, and the control unit 45 issues a signal for stopping execution of the machining program to a control device (not shown) in the operation panel 110.

  In the present embodiment, the shutter control unit 48 also detects that the shutter 43 is open if the contact switch of the appliance detection unit 60 is opened even while the door switch 106a is detecting the closed state of the operator door 106. Controls the motor 47 to take the blocking position.

  The control unit 45 is also configured such that the reception unit (not shown) controls the position of the shutter 43 according to the intensity of the radio wave received from the appliance detection unit 60. When the intensity of the radio wave received by the receiving unit of the control unit 45 exceeds the preset upper limit value as a result of the protective glasses 50 being too close to the laser oscillator 40, the shutter control unit 48 places the shutter 43 at the blocking position. Therefore, emission of laser light from the optical head 10 is stopped. This is because even if the operator wears the protective glasses 50, it is dangerous to observe the laser beam up close, so that it can be avoided.

  According to the above-described embodiment, whether or not the protective glasses 50 are attached is reliably detected without the operator being conscious, and the position of the shutter disposed in the optical path is controlled based on the detected information, and the optical The emission of laser light from the head 10 is allowed or prohibited. Accordingly, since the emission of the laser beam is stopped when the protective glasses 50 are not worn, the laser exposure can be surely prevented. Further, stopping the emission of the laser beam from the optical head 10 is performed by placing the shutter 43 at the blocking position, and the laser output unit 41 continues to operate, so that the emission of the laser beam is allowed. When this happens, the operator can immediately start the desired work.

Other Embodiments The protective equipment is not limited to the protective glasses 50, and may be various things, for example, an overboot that protects the operator's feet and shins from spatters, or an apron.

  As in the above-described embodiment, it is preferable that the appliance detection unit 60 is attached to the protective glasses 50. However, the appliance detection unit 60 is separated from the protective appliances such as the protective glasses 50 and is held by the operator and contacted. Embodiments in which the switch is operated manually are also possible.

  While the contact switch of the appliance detection unit 60 is open, an embodiment in which the laser beam output from the laser output unit 41 is reduced to a safe level equivalent to, for example, class 1 is also possible. In this case, the output control unit 49 of the control unit 45 reduces the current supplied to the laser output unit so that the laser beam output is equivalent to class 1. At this time, the shutter 43 is disposed in the open position, and low-power laser light is emitted from the optical head 10. However, an embodiment in which the shutter 43 is disposed at the blocking position and the laser light output is reduced is also possible.

  Similarly, when the intensity of the radio wave received from the appliance detection unit 60 by the receiving unit of the control unit 45 exceeds a preset upper limit value, the laser light output from the laser output unit 41 is set to a safe level equivalent to, for example, class 1. A reduced embodiment is also possible.

  An embodiment in which the appliance detection unit 60 and the control unit 45 of the laser oscillator 40 are connected by communication instead of wirelessly is also possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Optical head 27a Nozzle 40 Laser oscillator 41 Laser output part 43 Shutter 45 Control part 48 Shutter control part 49 Output control part 50 Protective glasses 60 Equipment detection part 100 Water jet laser processing machine 102 Cover 106 Operator door 106a Door switch 108 Table 110 Operation panel 1000 Laser processing equipment

Claims (5)

A water jet laser processing machine that has a nozzle and processes a workpiece by laser light guided by a water column discharged from the nozzle;
Protective equipment worn on the operator to protect the operator from exposure to laser light;
A brace detector that detects whether the protective brace is worn by an operator;
A laser processing apparatus comprising:
The water jet laser processing machine is
A shutter that is disposed in an optical path of laser light from a laser light source to the nozzle, and can take an open position that opens the optical path and a blocking position that blocks the optical path;
A control unit that arranges the shutter at the blocking position when the appliance detection unit does not detect the wearing of the protective device by an operator ; and
The appliance detection unit and the control unit are configured to communicate wirelessly,
The control unit detects a radio wave intensity, and when the detected radio wave intensity is higher than a predetermined reference value, reduces the intensity of the laser beam or arranges the shutter at a blocking position. Processing equipment.   The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit issues a signal for stopping execution of a machining program when the appliance detection unit does not detect attachment of the protective device by an operator. The water jet laser processing machine further comprises a cover that separates the processing area from the outside, and a door open / close detection unit that detects an open / closed state of the door provided in the cover,
The control unit arranges the shutter at the blocking position when the appliance detection unit does not detect attachment of the protective device by an operator even if the door opening / closing detection unit detects closing of the door. Item 3. The laser processing apparatus according to Item 1 or 2. The appliance detection unit is attached to the protective appliance,
The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the appliance detection unit includes a switch that automatically operates when the protective appliance is attached to an operator.   The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protective equipment is configured as protective glasses.

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