JP6183380B2 - Steel plate cutting method and cutting apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a steel sheet cutting method and a cutting apparatus for dividing a steel sheet product part and a scrap part by cutting a steel sheet using a laser.

In the steel plate manufacturing process, a steel plate that is larger than the product is cut using a cutting device such as a laser cutting machine and divided into a product part and a scrap part, thereby processing the product into a desired size. Is called. At this time, the cut steel plate may be deformed such as warping due to stress, so that the steel plate and the tip of the cutting device may come into contact with each other and the cutting device may be damaged.
On the other hand, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a cutting method in which water for cooling is sprayed in the form of a mist around a laser beam irradiation portion when laser cutting a steel sheet. According to the cutting method of Patent Document 1, since thermal deformation due to thermal stress generated at the time of cutting can be suppressed, contact between the steel plate after cutting and the tip of the laser cutting device can be prevented.

JP 2000-52081 A

However, in the cutting method described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to suppress thermal deformation due to thermal stress generated during cutting, but it is not possible to suppress residual stress generated in the rolling process and heat treatment process of the steel sheet. For this reason, when the residual stress of a steel plate is large, the cut steel plate is deformed, and the steel plate and the cutting device come into contact with each other.
Then, this invention is made paying attention to said subject, and it aims at providing the cutting method and cutting device of the steel plate which can prevent the contact with the cut steel plate and a cutting device. .

  In order to achieve the above object, a steel sheet cutting method according to an aspect of the present invention divides a product portion and a scrap portion of a steel sheet using a cutting device that cuts the steel sheet by irradiating a laser from the tip of a head. When cutting the scrap part, cut the part of the boundary between the product part and the scrap part and raise the height from the upper surface of the steel plate to the tip of the head than when cutting part of the boundary. A part of the scrap part is cut off from the steel sheet by dividing and cutting.

  The cutting device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a laser cutting machine that irradiates a laser beam from the tip of the head to cut the steel sheet, and a control unit that controls a cutting operation of the laser cutting machine. , When dividing the product part and scrap part of the steel plate with a laser cutting machine, cut part of the boundary between the product part and scrap part, and from the upper surface of the steel plate than when cutting part of the boundary The laser cutting machine is controlled to divide and cut the scrap portion in a state where the height to the tip of the head is increased.

  According to the steel sheet cutting method and the cutting apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent contact between the cut steel sheet and the cutting apparatus.

It is a top view which shows the cutting device of the steel plate which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the cutting device of the steel plate which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a partial cross section figure which shows the head of a cutting device. It is explanatory drawing which shows the cutting method of the steel plate which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which the separated scrap part and the front-end | tip of the head contacted. It is a graph which shows the nozzle breakage frequency in an Example and a comparative example.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
<Device configuration of cutting device>
First, with reference to FIGS. 1-3, the apparatus structure of the cutting device 1 of the steel plate S which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. The cutting device 1 is provided at a cutting place where the steel sheet S is cut. As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 2, the laser cutting machine 3, the rails 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, and the control unit 6 Have

  The housing 2 is provided with rails 4a and 4b and a laser cutting machine 3, and as shown in FIG. 2, on both ends in the x-axis direction that is the longitudinal direction and on the z-axis negative direction side that is the lower end side, A pair of wheels 21 arranged in the y-axis direction are provided. The housing 2 is configured to be movable in the y-axis direction in which the rails 5a and 5b extend when the wheels 21 are arranged on the rails 5a and 5b and the wheels 21 are rotated by a drive unit (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the laser cutting machine 3 includes a head 31 and wheels 32. The laser cutting machine 3 is a fiber laser cutting machine using a fiber as an amplification medium, and cuts the steel sheet S using a laser L irradiated from the head 31. The head 31 is provided so as to be able to be raised and lowered in the z-axis direction which is the vertical direction by a lifting means (not shown), and has a head body 311 and a nozzle 312 as shown in FIG. The head body 311 is a cylindrical member, and a nozzle 312 is connected to the lower end. Further, on the upper part of the head main body 311, a condenser lens for narrowing the laser L transmitted from a laser oscillator (not shown), assist gas supply means for supplying the assist gas G 1, and the like are provided. The assist gas G1 is an oxygen gas and promotes an oxidation reaction when the steel sheet S is cut. The nozzle 312 is a substantially cylindrical member provided with a taper so that the lower end side, which is the z-axis negative direction side, is thin, and includes a shield gas supply port 312a, a header 312b, and a shield gas supply path 312c. The shield gas supply port 312a is connected to a shield gas supply device (not shown), and supplies the shield gas G2 sent from the shield gas supply device to the header 312b. The shield gas G2 is a gas in which oxygen gas and air are mixed. The header 312 b is formed in a substantially annular shape inside the nozzle 312, and a shield gas supply path 312 c is connected to the end in the negative z-axis direction. The shield gas supply path 312c extends from the header 312b to the lower end of the nozzle 312 and is provided over the entire circumference of the header 312b. A hollow portion 313 that penetrates from the upper end of the head main body 311 to the lower end of the nozzle 312 is formed at the center of the head main body 311 and the nozzle 312. The laser L emitted from the condenser lens provided at the upper end of the head main body 311 and the assist gas G1 supplied from the assist gas supply means are irradiated and ejected from the tip of the head 31 through the hollow portion 313.

  In the laser cutting machine 3, a buffer member (not shown) made of an elastic body is provided at the upper end of the head 31. With the above configuration, when the head 31 receives an external force mainly from the horizontal direction, the buffer member cushions the external force, and the head 31 is inclined with respect to the z-axis direction with the upper end as a fulcrum according to the external force. For this reason, the laser cutting machine 3 can prevent damage such as bending or breakage of the head 31 due to the external force by the buffer member buffering the external force when receiving an external force from the horizontal direction.

A pair of wheels 32 are provided at both ends in the y-axis direction, side by side in the z-axis negative direction and in the x-axis direction. In the laser cutting machine 3, the wheels 32 are arranged on the rails 4a and 4b, and the wheels 32 are rotated by a drive unit (not shown) provided in the laser cutting machine 3, so that the rails 4a and 4b extend. It is configured to be movable in the direction.
The rails 4a and 4b extend inside the housing 2 so as to extend in the x-axis direction, and wheels 32 are arranged on the upper part. Moreover, the rails 5a and 5b are laid and extended in the y-axis direction, and wheels 21 are arranged on the upper part.
The control unit 6 is connected to the housing 2 and controls the movement operation of the housing 2 in the y-axis direction and the movement operation and cutting operation of the laser cutting machine 3 in the x-axis direction.

  The cutting device 1 is provided in the cutting place shown in FIG. 1, and cuts the steel plates S1 to S4 arranged in the cutting place. The steel plates S1 to S4 are thick steel plates having a thickness of about 6 mm to 32 mm, for example, and are subjected to rolling, heat treatment, rough cutting processing, and the like in advance. In the cutting field, steel sleepers 7a to 7d extending in the x-axis direction are provided side by side in the y-axis direction between the rails 5a and 5b. Steel plates S1 to S4 are arranged on the sleepers 7a to 7d.

<Cutting method of steel plate>
Next, with reference to FIGS. 3-5, the cutting method of the steel plate S which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated.
The steel sheet S cut by the cutting device 1 is cut into a predetermined size in advance by rough cutting equipment such as shear equipment. The predetermined size of the steel plate S is a size composed of a product part Sa and a scrap part Sb indicated by a hatched area, as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, by cutting the steel plate S, the steel plate S is divided into the product portion Sa and the scrap portion Sb, and a steel plate having a desired size is manufactured. Furthermore, when the steel plate S is cut, the scrap portion Sb is divided into a plurality of regions for cutting. For example, in the example illustrated in FIG. 4A, the scrap portion Sb is cut into three scrap portions Sb1 to Sb3.
First, as shown in FIG. 1, steel plates S1, S2 are arranged on the sleepers 7a, 7b, and steel plates S3, S4 are arranged on the sleepers 7c, 7d, respectively. Then, the housing | casing 2 and the laser cutting machine 3 move to the predetermined | prescribed position where cutting is performed, and the four steel plates S1-S4 are cut | disconnected in order with the cutting method mentioned later.

  The method for cutting the steel sheet S will be described in detail. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, the steel sheet S is divided into four regions of a product part Sa and three scrap parts Sb1 to Sb3. First, from the state of FIG. 4A, a cutting region C1 that is a part of the boundary between the product part Sa and the scrap part Sb and is longer than the length in the longitudinal direction of the scrap part Sb1 is centered from the end of the steel sheet S. Cut towards. At this time, the cutting of the cutting region C1 is performed by a normal cutting process. The normal cutting process is a normal cutting method when the product part Sa and the scrap part Sb are divided and cut. In the normal cutting process, as shown in FIG. 3, the head 31 is provided with a height H that is a distance from the upper surface of the steel sheet S to the tip of the head 31 on the negative z-axis direction side. Although the predetermined height from the upper surface of the steel plate S to the tip of the head 31 varies depending on the specifications of the cutting device 1, it can be applied to a general laser cutting machine by setting it to 2 mm, for example. Thereafter, the laser L and the assist gas G1 are irradiated and jetted onto the steel sheet S through the hollow portion 313, and the steel sheet S is cut by an oxidation reaction. The assist gas G1 accelerates the oxidation reaction in the region of the steel sheet S irradiated with the laser L, and blows off dross generated on the cut surface of the steel sheet S. Further, simultaneously with the irradiation and injection of the laser L and the assist gas G1, the shield gas G2 is injected from the shield gas supply path 312c. The shield gas G2 suppresses diffusion of the assist gas G1 by increasing the straightness of the assist gas G1. In the normal cutting process, the laser cutting machine 3 moves in the y-axis direction at a predetermined moving speed while irradiating / injecting the laser L, the assist gas G1, and the shield gas G2, thereby cutting in the y-axis direction. The area C1 is cut at a predetermined cutting speed. At this time, the laser cutting machine 3 is moved by rotating the wheel 21 provided in the housing 2 and moving the housing 2 in the y-axis direction. The cutting speed during the normal cutting process varies depending on the specifications of the laser cutting machine 3, the thickness of the steel plate S, and the like, but is set so that the steel plate S is cut and the fracture surface has a satisfactory quality as a product. After the cutting area C1 is cut, the irradiation and injection of the laser L, the assist gas G1, and the shield gas G2 are stopped.

  Next, the laser cutting machine 3 moves to the cutting start position of the cutting area C2 shown in FIG. 4C corresponding to the short side of the scrap part Sb1, and the cutting area C2 is cut from the center of the steel sheet S toward the end. . The cutting of the cutting region C2 is a cutting process for dividing the scrap portions Sb1 and Sb2, and the scrap portion Sb1 is cut from the steel sheet S by cutting the cutting region C2. The cutting of the cutting area C2 is performed by a scrap cutting process. In the scrap cutting process, the head 31 is provided at a position where the height H shown in FIG. 2 is higher than that in the normal cutting process. The height H at the time of the scrap cutting process only needs to be higher than the height of the steel sheet S warped by the residual stress. For example, when the steel plate S is a general thick steel plate having a thickness of 6 mm or more and 32 mm, the amount of warpage caused by the residual stress is less than 4 mm. Therefore, in this case, the height H in the scrap cutting process is set to 4 mm.

In the scrap cutting process, it is preferable that the cutting is performed at a lower cutting speed than the normal cutting process. Further, in the scrap cutting process, it is preferable to irradiate the laser L by lowering the laser output of the laser cutting machine 3 as compared with the normal cutting. Note that, in the scrap cutting process, the cutting speed and the laser output are set such that the steel sheet S is surely cut so that there is no uncut portion under the condition of the height H of the head 31 during the scrap cutting process. Furthermore, in the scrap cutting process, the steel sheet S is cut by pulse cutting that repeats on / off of laser irradiation until a predetermined length is cut from the start of cutting. The length for performing the pulse cutting differs depending on the specifications of the cutting apparatus 1, but can be applied to a general laser cutting machine by setting the length to 20 mm, for example.
In the scrap cutting process, the laser cutting machine 3 performs the cutting process while moving in the x-axis direction as the wheel 32 provided in the laser cutting machine 3 rotates. The other conditions such as the flow rates of the assist gas G1 and the shield gas G2 in the scrap cutting process are the same as those in the normal cutting process.

  Here, in the cutting process for dividing the scrap portion Sb, when the scrap portion Sb1 is separated from the steel plate S, if there is residual stress in the steel plate S, the separated scrap portion Sb1 is curled at the end on the short side. There is a possibility of deformation. When the scrap portion Sb1 is warped, if the height H of the head 31 is low as in the normal cutting process, the head 31 and the end portion of the scrap portion Sb1 come into contact with each other. At this time, when the buffer member is provided on the upper portion of the head 31 as in this embodiment, the head 31 and the scrap portion Sb1 are inclined because of the external force of the scrap portion Sb1 as shown in FIG. It is possible to prevent the head 31 from being bent or broken due to contact with the head. However, since the contact between the head 31 and the scrap portion Sb1 occurs immediately after the scrap portion Sb1 is cut off, the contact occurs with the laser L being irradiated. For this reason, the irradiation path of the laser L inside the head 31 is shifted from the hollow portion 313, and the head 31 is damaged such as a hole. If a hole is opened in the nozzle 312 of the head 31, the assist gas G1 and the shield gas G2 leak, and an appropriate gas pressure cannot be maintained. Further, the contact between the head 31 and the scrap portion Sb1 may cause damage to the nozzle 312 or may cause the head 31 to bend or break without being able to completely buffer the external force due to a large external force due to deformation. .

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, when cutting the scrap portion Sb, the height H from the upper surface of the steel sheet S to the tip of the head 31 is set higher than in the normal cutting process. For this reason, even when the scrap part Sb1 after separation warps due to residual stress, it is possible to prevent contact between the end of the scrap part Sb1 and the head 31. If the height H of the head 31 is made higher than that during the normal cutting process, the assist gas G1 diffuses, so that the ability to discharge dross from the cut surface of the steel sheet S by the assist gas G1 is reduced, and the fracture surface may be roughened. There is sex. However, since the cutting area C2 cut by the scrap cutting process is the area of the scrap portion Sb, there is no problem in quality even if the fracture surface is rough. Further, by making the height H of the head 31 higher than that during the normal cutting process, depending on conditions such as the output of the laser L and the flow rate of the assist gas G1, the cutting may not be performed sufficiently and uncut portions may be generated. is there. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the cutting speed at the time of scrap cutting processing is made slower than that at the time of normal cutting processing, and heat and assist gas G1 necessary for cutting can be sufficiently supplied, so that uncut residue can be prevented. it can. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the laser output during the scrap cutting process is set lower than that during the normal cutting process. Accordingly, excessive heat accumulation in the cutting region can be prevented, and thus burning can be prevented. Furthermore, by performing the initial cutting of the scrap cutting process by pulse cutting, it is possible to suppress burning when cutting the center side of the steel sheet S in the cutting region C2. For this reason, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the quality of the fracture surface of the product part Sa due to burning that occurs when the cutting region C2 is cut.

After the cutting region C2 is cut, the irradiation / injection of the laser L, the assist gas G1, and the shield gas G2 is stopped.
Further, the laser cutting machine 3 moves to the cutting start position of the cutting area C3 shown in FIG. 4 (d) corresponding to the long side of the scrap portion Sb2, and the cutting area C3 is cut. The cutting area C3 is a part of the boundary between the product part Sa and the scrap part Sb, similarly to the cutting area C1. The cutting of the cutting area C3 is performed in the same manner as the cutting of the cutting area C1 shown in FIG. That is, when cutting the cutting area C3, the product part Sa and the scrap part Sb are cut by the normal cutting process.

  Thereafter, the laser cutting machine 3 moves to the cutting start position of the cutting area C4 shown in FIG. 4 (e) corresponding to the short side of the scrap portion Sb2, and the cutting area C4 is cut. The cutting of the cutting area C4 is performed in the same manner as the cutting of the cutting area C2 shown in FIG. That is, when cutting the cutting area C4, the scrap sections Sb2 and Sb3 are divided and cut by the scrap cutting process. Thereby, the scrap part Sb2 is cut off from the steel plate S.

Next, the laser cutting machine 3 moves to the cutting start position of the cutting area C5 shown in FIG. 4 (f) corresponding to the long side of the scrap portion Sb3, and the cutting area C5 is cut. The cutting of the cutting area C5 is performed in the same manner as the cutting of the cutting area C1 shown in FIG. That is, when cutting the cutting area C5, the product part Sa and the scrap part Sb are cut by the normal cutting process. Thereby, the scrap part Sb3 is cut off from the steel plate S.
As described above, the scrap part Sb is separated from the steel sheet S through the cutting process steps shown in FIGS. 4A to 4F, and the steel sheet S is desired as shown in FIG. It is processed into a product part Sa having a size. In the present embodiment, the four steel plates S1 to S4 shown in FIG. 1 are sequentially cut by this series of cutting processes.

<Modification>
The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the steel sheet S is cut at a certain height H in the scrap cutting process, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the height H of the tip of the head 31 may be set higher than that of the normal cutting process only in the second half of the scrap cutting process, and may be the same as the normal cutting process at other times. In this case, when cutting at the same height H as the normal cutting process, the cutting speed may be the same as the normal cutting process.

Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the scrap part Sb adjoins the width direction of the product part Sa as shown to Fig.4 (a), this invention is not limited to this example. For example, the scrap portion Sb may have an L-shape that is adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the product portion Sa in a plan view similar to FIG. Also in this case, similarly, two types of cutting, that is, cutting of the product portion Sa and the scrap portion Sb and split cutting of the scrap portion Sb are performed by two types of cutting methods of normal cutting processing and scrap cutting processing. .
In the above embodiment, the laser cutting machine 3 is a fiber laser cutting machine, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, other solid-state laser cutting machines such as a crystal laser may be used.

<Effect of embodiment>
(1) The cutting method of the steel plate S according to the embodiment of the present invention uses the cutting device 1 that irradiates the laser L from the tip of the head 31 to cut the steel plate S, and uses the product portion Sa and the scrap portion Sb of the steel plate S. And cutting the part C1, C3 of the boundary between the product part Sa and the scrap part Sb and cutting the tip of the head 31 from the upper surface of the steel sheet S than when cutting the part C1, C3 of the boundary. In a state where the height H is increased, the scrap portion Sb is divided and cut to partly separate the scrap portion Sb from the steel plate S. According to the said structure, when the scrap part Sb is cut | disconnected from the steel plate S by making the height of the head 31 higher than the case where the product part Sa and the scrap part Sb are cut | disconnected, the cut | disconnected steel plate and laser cutting are carried out. Contact with the apparatus can be prevented. For this reason, breakage of the head 31 and the like can be prevented, and stable operation is possible, so that production efficiency can be improved. Moreover, according to the said structure, since the scrap part Sb is divided and cut | disconnected, the handling of the scrap part Sb after a cutting | disconnection can be made easy. Furthermore, the amount of warp caused by the residual stress can be reduced by dividing and cutting the scrap portion Sb and shortening the length of the divided and cut scrap portions Sb1 to Sb3.

(2) When the scrap part Sb is divided and cut, the cutting speed of the cutting device 1 is reduced as compared with the case where the product part Sa and the scrap part Sb are cut. According to the above configuration, by increasing the height H of the head 31 at the time of dividing and cutting, even when the energy of the laser L is difficult to be transmitted, heat storage necessary for cutting can be sufficiently performed.
(3) When the scrap portion Sb is divided and cut, the laser output of the cutting device 1 is reduced. According to the above configuration, since it is possible to prevent excessive heat accumulation, it is possible to prevent burning even when the cutting speed is reduced as in the configuration (2).

  (4) It has the laser cutting machine 3 which irradiates the laser L from the front-end | tip of the head 31, and cut | disconnects the steel plate S, and the control part 6 which controls the cutting operation of the laser cutting machine 3, The control part 6 is laser cutting When the product part Sa and the scrap part Sb of the steel sheet S are divided by the machine 3, a part C1, C3 of the boundary between the product part Sa and the scrap part Sb is cut and a part C1, C3 of the boundary is cut. The laser cutting machine 3 is controlled so as to divide and cut the scrap portion Sb in a state where the height H from the upper surface of the steel sheet S to the tip of the head 31 is increased as compared with the case where it is performed. According to the said structure, the effect similar to (1) can be acquired.

Next, examples performed by the present inventor will be described.
In the example, the height H from the upper surface of the steel sheet S to the tip (lower end) of the head 31 is set to 2.0 mm during the normal cutting process and 4.0 mm during the scrap cutting process, and the steel sheet S is cut as in the above embodiment. Processed. Further, in the scrap cutting process, the cutting speed of the steel sheet S and the laser output of the laser cutting machine 3 were reduced in the range of 5% or more and 20% or less, compared with the normal cutting process. Moreover, as a comparison of the examples, in the comparative example, all the cutting of the steel sheet S including the division of the scrap portion Sb was performed under the same cutting conditions as the normal cutting process of the example.

As a result of the example, it was confirmed that there was no uncut residue and no burning occurred when the scrap cutting process was performed.
FIG. 6 shows the frequency of breakage due to the contact of the nozzle 312 at the tip of the head 31 with the steel plate S when the same number of steel plates S is processed under the conditions of the example and the comparative example. In FIG. 6, in order to show the relative value of the nozzle occurrence frequency in the example with respect to the comparative example, the nozzle breakage frequency in the comparative example is indexed as 1. As shown in FIG. 6, the nozzle breakage frequency in the example was 0.15, and it was confirmed that the nozzle breakage frequency due to contact with the steel sheet S could be reduced by 85% and stable operation was possible. In addition, as an effect of stable operation, it was confirmed that by applying the method of the example, the amount of cutting the steel sheet S per day increased by 4% compared to the comparative example.

1: Cutting device 2: Housing 3: Laser cutting machine 31: Head 311: Head body 312: Nozzle 312a: Shield gas supply port 312b: Header 312c: Shield gas supply path 313: Hollow part 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b: Rail 6a-6d: Sleeper S, S1-S4: Steel plate Sa: Product part Sb: Scrap part

Claims (4)

Using a cutting device that cuts the steel sheet by irradiating a laser from the tip of the head, when dividing the product part and scrap part of the steel sheet,
Cutting a part of the boundary between the product part and the scrap part,
In a state where the height from the upper surface of the steel plate to the tip of the head is higher than when cutting a part of the boundary, a part of the scrap portion is separated from the steel plate by dividing and cutting the scrap portion. A method for cutting a steel sheet, characterized by separating.   The steel sheet cutting method according to claim 1, wherein when the scrap part is divided and cut, the cutting speed of the cutting device is reduced as compared with the case of cutting the product part and the scrap part.   The steel sheet cutting method according to claim 2, wherein when the scrap portion is divided and cut, a laser output of the cutting device is reduced. A laser cutting machine for cutting a steel sheet by irradiating a laser from the tip of the head;
A control unit for controlling the cutting operation of the laser cutting machine,
The control unit cuts a part of the boundary between the product part and the scrap part when the product part and the scrap part of the steel plate are divided by the laser cutting machine, and cuts a part of the boundary. A cutting apparatus for controlling the laser cutting machine so as to divide and cut the scrap portion in a state where the height from the upper surface of the steel plate to the tip of the head is higher than the case of performing the above.

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