JP6945802B2 - Laser processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a laser machining apparatus, and more particularly to an improvement of a work clamper that clamps a workpiece being machined.

A laser processing device is a device that cuts out a product having a desired shape from a plate-shaped workpiece with a laser. In this device, the work is clamped to the pallet with a work clamper, the laser head support is moved with respect to the work, and the product is cut out.

Introducing prior patents related to work clampers. Patent Document 1 (JPH11-170080A) proposes that the clamp member of the work clamper is urged upward by the urging member and lowered by the air cylinder to be clamped (Patent Document 1 [0043]).

JPH11-170080A

It is required to improve the yield of taking out products from the work. In this case, the laser head support and the work clamper interfere with each other in the vicinity of the work clamper, so that processing cannot be performed. Therefore, the inventor has studied to enable the work to be machined to the end by retracting the clamp member of the work clamper and avoiding interference with the laser head support, and has reached the present invention.

An object of the present invention is to improve the yield in a laser processing apparatus by enabling the work to be machined to the end without interfering with the clamp member.

The laser machining apparatus of the present invention includes a pallet having a work mounting portion configured to support the bottom surface of a plate-shaped work, and a pallet.
A work clamper configured to clamp the work to the pallet,
It is equipped with a laser head support, which is configured to move relative to the work on the top of the pallet and cut the work with laser light.
Work clamper
Clamp member and
A vertical shaft with a clamp member attached to the upper end,
By raising and lowering the shaft part and turning it around the vertical axis, the clamp member comes into contact with the upper surface of the work end to clamp the work, and in plan view, it comes off from the work and the upper surface of the clamp member. With a drive mechanism configured to temporarily raise the clamp member while moving between the unclamping position, which is at a height below the top surface of the work, and between the clamping position and the unclamping position. With
When the laser head support approaches the clamp member, the clamp member is retracted to the unclamping position so that the work can be freely machined to the end. It is preferable that the raising and lowering of the shaft portion and the turning around the vertical shaft are performed at the same time, but it may be turned after raising and lowering.

In the present invention, the clamp member can be retracted from the clamp position to the unclamp position, and at the unclamp position, the upper surface of the clamp member is at a height below the upper surface of the work, so that the member does not interfere with the laser head support. The clamp member once rises and descends from the clamp position to the unclamp position, and when returning from the unclamp position to the clamp position, the clamp member once rises and descends. Therefore, it can be smoothly moved between the clamp position and the unclamp position. Then, by retracting the clamp member, the laser head support can process the work to the end portion, and the yield of the work is improved. The upper surface of the clamp member at the unclamp position is preferably at a height equal to or lower than the upper surface of the work mounting portion.

Preferably, a plurality of work clampers having an independently controllable drive mechanism are provided, and other work clamper members are evacuated while maintaining at least one, particularly preferably two or more work clamper clamp members in the clamp position. Retract to the clamp position. In this way, even when a part of the clamp members are retracted to the unclamping position, the workpiece can be clamped by the other clamp member, so that the workpiece being machined can be fixed. In particular, if the clamp is continued with two or more clamp members, the work can be fixed more reliably.

Preferably, the drive mechanism includes an urging member that urges the shaft portion downward, a fluid pressure cylinder that rotatably raises and lowers the shaft portion, and a cam mechanism that swivels the shaft portion as the shaft portion moves up and down. .. The fluid pressure cylinder is, for example, an air cylinder, but a cylinder using nitrogen gas, a hydraulic cylinder, or the like may be used. Since the clamp member is urged downward via the shaft portion by the urging member, it is not necessary to operate the fluid pressure cylinder except when moving the clamp member between the clamp position and the unclamp position. Therefore, the consumption of air and the like can be reduced. Further, if the shaft portion is swiveled up and down by the fluid pressure cylinder and the elevating and lowering of the shaft portion is converted into a swirling motion by the cam mechanism, the shaft portion can be easily swiveled and raised and lowered.

Particularly preferably, the cam mechanism vertically moves the shaft portion so that the clamp portion retracts from the clamp position to the unclamp position in the first half rotation and the clamp portion returns from the unclamp position to the clamp position in the next half rotation. Rotate 360 ° around the axis. Then, the phase of the cam mechanism returns to the original state with one rotation of the shaft portion. In this way, the clamp member can be easily and surely moved between the clamp position and the unclamp position.

Top view of the laser processing device and the pallet switch of the embodiment Top view of the pallet used in the examples Top view of the laser processing device of the modified example The vertical sectional view of the work clamper used in the Example shows the clamp member at the clamp position. The vertical sectional view of the work clamper used in the Example shows the clamp member at the unclamped position. Top view showing the positions of four types of work clampers in the examples Horizontal sectional view of the work clamper used in the embodiment at the cam portion. Development view of the cam groove of the work clamper used in the examples Development view of the cam groove of the work clamper in the modified example Block diagram showing the control system of the laser processing apparatus of the embodiment

The optimum examples for carrying out the present invention are shown below. The scope of the present invention should be determined according to the understanding of those skilled in the art, based on the description of the scope of claims, taking into consideration the description of the specification and well-known techniques in this field.

1 to 10 show the laser processing apparatus 4 of the embodiment and its modification. FIG. 1 shows a laser machining system 2 including a laser machining device 4 and a pallet switch 5. The pallet 6 carries the work 20, and the pallet exchange 5 exchanges the pallet 6 with the laser processing device 4. For example, the pallet 6 on which the processed work is placed is carried out by the pallet changer 5 from the laser processing device 4, and at the same time, the pallet 6 on which the unprocessed work is placed is carried into the laser processing device 4 by the pallet changer 5.

The pallet 6 is provided with a plurality of work clampers 8, and two work clampers 8 are installed on each long side of the rectangular pallet 6, for example. However, the number and position of work clampers 8 such as one work clamper 8 on one long side, two on the other, or three or more on each long side, and one on each of the long and short sides. Is optional. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the work clamper 8 may be installed on the machine body of the laser processing device 4 instead of the pallet 6. In the embodiment, since the work clamper 8 is operated by an air cylinder, a pipe for air or the like is provided in the laser processing device 4. Further, in the pallet exchange 5, the work clamper 8 may or may not be used, and when it is used, the pallet exchange 5 is also provided with an air pipe. Nitrogen or the like may be used instead of air, or the work clamper 8 may be operated by a hydraulic pressure, a motor or the like.

In this specification, the longitudinal direction of the laser processing apparatus 4 is the x direction, the short side direction is the y direction, and the vertical direction is the z direction. The laser head support 10 is attached to a cross rail 12 that can move in the x direction, and moves in the y direction along the cross rail 12. The laser head support 10 includes, for example, a laser light source, and emits laser light from the laser head. The focal height of the laser beam can be changed according to the wall thickness of the work 20 and the depth of the processing position. The laser processing device 4 may be covered with a cover (not shown), and the laser light source may be provided outside the laser head support 10. The work 20 is, for example, a metal plate.

FIG. 2 shows the pallet 6, and two work clampers 8 are installed on the long sides 13 and 13 of the pallet 6, for example. The work mounting portion 15 is composed of a vertical plate-shaped member having a plurality of point-shaped tops 16, and is arranged, for example, between the short sides 14, 14 of the pallet 6 in parallel with the short sides 14, 14. There is. The top 16 of the work mounting portion 15 is provided in the pallet 6 at intervals in both the x direction and the y direction, and the top 16 supports the bottom surface of the work. The slag generated by the laser processing falls downward through the space between the work mounting portions 15 and 15, and is discharged to the outside of the machine by a conveyor (not shown).

FIG. 3 shows a modified example of the laser processing device 44, in which the work clamper 8 is provided on the body of the laser processing device 44 instead of the pallet 6'. In other respects, it is similar to the laser processing device 4 of FIG.

4 to 8 show the structure of the work clamper 8. The uppermost clamp member 18 of the work clamper 8 is attached to the upper end of the vertical shaft portion 24. The shaft portion 24 is housed in the housing 22 of the work clamper 8, and the flange 25 at the bottom of the shaft portion 24 is urged downward in the vertical direction by an urging member 26 such as a spring coil. This urging force becomes a force that brings the clamp member 18 into contact with the work 20.

FIG. 4 shows the clamp member 18 in the clamped state, and FIG. 5 shows the clamp member 18 in the unclamped state. During the change from the state of FIG. 4 to the state of FIG. 5, the clamp member 18 turns 180 ° and descends, and as shown in FIG. 5, the upper surface of the unclamp member 18 moves to a position lower than the upper surface of the work 20. Moving. Therefore, the laser head 11 provided at the bottom of the laser head support 10 can process the work 20 to the end without interfering with the unclamp member 18 in the state of FIG.

For example, the cam portion 27 is fixed to the flange 25 at the lower end of the shaft portion 24, and the pin 29 fixed to the housing 22 is engaged with the cam groove 28 of the cam portion 27. The cam mechanism is composed of the cam portion 27 and the pin 29, and the bottom portion of the cam portion 27 is rotatably supported around the vertical axis by the piston 31 of the air cylinder 30 and is moved up and down by the piston 31. Although the air cylinder 30 is supplied with air from the air pipe 39, other fluids such as nitrogen gas and oil may be used instead of the air.

The clamp member 18 rotates 360 ° together with the shaft portion 24 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 6, for example, and reciprocates at least two times in the height direction during this period. The clamp member 18 is in a low position at the clamp position shown by the solid line, contacts the work end on the pallet, and clamps the work by the force from the urging member 26. At position 18c (unclamp position) of the chain line rotated 180 ° from the clamp position, the clamp member 18 descends most, the clamp member 18 faces the outside of the pallet 6, and the upper surface of the clamp member 18 is higher than the upper surface of the work 20. It becomes. Therefore, the clamp member 18 does not interfere with the laser head support 10 at the unclamped position. Then, at the intermediate positions 18b and 18d between the position shown by the solid line (clamp position) and the chain line position 18c (unclamp position), the clamp member 18 rises to the maximum and avoids the frame 13 and the like of the pallet 6. Note that FIG. 7 schematically shows the engagement between the cam groove 28 and the pin 29.

FIG. 8 shows a developed cam groove 28 provided on the surface of the columnar cam portion 27, and the B-B line on the left side and the B'-B' line on the right side of FIG. 8 are lines at the same position. Pin 29 moves in the direction of the white arrow in FIG. 8 and moves from left to right from the B-B line to the B'-B'line. This corresponds to the fact that the clamp member 18 makes one rotation from the position of the solid line in the order of position 18b → 18c (unclamping position) → 18d → solid line position in FIG. Since the pin 29 is fixed, the clamp member 18 is lowered when the pin 29 is raised with respect to the cam groove 28, and the clamp member 18 is raised when the pin 29 is lowered. The position of the clamp member 18 will be described. When the pin 29 is in the vertical groove 32, the clamp member 18 appears at the clamp position of the solid line in FIG. 6, and in the vertical groove 33, the clamp member 18 appears at the unclamp position of the chain line 18c in FIG. In the vertical groove 34, the clamp member 18 appears at an intermediate position of the chain wire 18b, and in the vertical groove 35, the clamp member 18 appears at an intermediate position of the chain wire 18d.

The cam groove 28 has two types of inclined grooves 36 and 37, and the inclined groove 36 is located at a lower position than the inclined groove 37, and both connect between the vertical grooves 32-35. Then, when the pin 29 descends through the cam groove 28, the pin 29 passes through the inclined groove 36, and when it rises, it passes through the inclined groove 37. This is because the cam portion 27 tries to move up and down as vertically as possible because it is moved up and down by the air cylinder and the urging member. The vertical grooves 32 and 33 have the same height of the highest point, but in the vertical groove 32, the pin 29 does not rise to the highest point because the clamp member contacts the work on the pallet. The range of the highest rising position of the pin 29 in the vertical groove 32 is indicated by S. The pin 29 rises to the highest point of the vertical groove 33, so that the upper surface of the clamp member is lower than the upper surface of the work in the unclamped state. As described above, the shaft portion 24 moves up and down at the same time as turning, and the clamp member 18 moves between the clamp position and the unclamp position faster than the one that turns after moving up and down.

The pin 29 may be provided on the shaft portion 24 side, and the cam portion 27'may be provided on the housing 22 side. FIG. 9 shows the arrangement of the cam grooves in such a modified example. The vertical groove 32'-35'is upside down with respect to the cam groove 28 in FIG. 8, and the inclined grooves 36'and 37'are upside down and left and right with respect to the inclined grooves 36 and 37 in FIG. In the embodiment, the urging member 26 is arranged on the top and the cam portion 27 is arranged on the bottom, but these may be turned upside down. Further, in the embodiment, the clamp member is rotated between the four positions, but it may be reciprocated between the clamp position and the unclamp position. In this case, it suffices to reciprocate from the solid line clamp position in FIG. 6 to the unclamp position 18c via the intermediate position 18b.

FIG. 10 shows the control system of the laser processing system, and the main controller 40 controls the laser head support 10, the cross rail 12, and the pallet switch 5. The main controller 40 may control these directly, or may be controlled via individual controllers provided therein. The clamper controller 42 individually controls the air cylinder for each work clamper 8, and may be integrated with or separate from the main controller 40.

In response to a command from the main controller 40, the laser head support 10 moves along a predetermined route by the cross rail 12 and cuts the work. The position of the laser head support 10 is sent from the laser head support 10 or the main controller 40 or the like to the clamper controller 42, and when the laser head support 10 approaches a position where it interferes with the clamp member, the clamp member is moved 180 °. Rotate and retract to the unclamp position. At the unclamped position, the upper surface of the clamp member is at a height below the upper surface of the work on the pallet, and the laser head support and the clamp member do not interfere with each other. Moreover, since the work clampers can be individually controlled, even if one work clamper retracts, the other work clampers clamp the work, and the work does not shift or rotate. For these reasons, the work can be machined to the end, and the yield of the work is improved.

In the examples, the following effects can be obtained.
1) Since the clamp member 18 is retracted to the unclamped position so as to avoid interference with the laser head support 10, the work can be machined to the end and the yield is improved.
2) When a plurality of work clampers 8 are used, even if one clamp is retracted to the unclamping position, the work can be clamped by the remaining work clampers. In particular, when three or more work clampers 8 are used, when one clamp is retracted to the unclamping position, the work can be clamped by two or more clampers, so that the position of the work being machined is more reliably displaced. Can be prevented.
3) By using the cam portion 27, the pin 29, and the air cylinder 30, the clamp member 18 can be rotated while being raised and lowered, and can be smoothly moved between the clamp position and the unclamp position.
4) The air cylinder 30 consumes air only when the clamp member 18 is raised, and does not consume air during clamping or unclamping. Therefore, the amount of air consumed is small.

2 Laser machining system
4,44 Laser Machining Equipment
5 Pallet switch
6,6'palette
8 work clamper
10 Laser head support
11 Laser head
12 crossrail
13,14 frames
15 Work mounting part
16 top
18 Clamp member
20 works
22 housing
24 Shaft
25 flange
26 Biasing member
27 Cam part
28 Cam groove
29 pins
30 air cylinder
31 piston
32-35 Vertical groove
36,37 Inclined groove
39 Air pipe
40 main controller
42 Clamper controller

Claims (4)

A pallet with a work mounting part configured to support the bottom surface of the plate-shaped work, and
A work clamper configured to clamp the work to the pallet,
A laser processing apparatus including a laser head support configured to move the upper part of the pallet relative to the work and cut the work by a laser beam.
The work clamper
Clamp member and
A vertical shaft with the clamp member attached to the upper end,
By raising and lowering the shaft portion and turning it around the vertical axis, the clamp member comes into contact with the upper surface of the work end portion to clamp the work, and the clamp is detached from the work in a plan view. The clamp member is configured to be temporarily raised while being moved between the unclamping position where the upper surface of the member is at a height equal to or lower than the upper surface of the work and between the clamping position and the unclamping position. Equipped with a drive mechanism
A laser machining apparatus characterized in that when a laser head support approaches a clamp member, the clamp member is retracted to an unclamped position so that the workpiece can be machined to the end. The drive mechanism can be controlled independently, and a plurality of the work clampers are provided.
The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the member of the other work clamper is retracted to the unclamping position while the clamp member of at least one work clamper is maintained at the clamp position. The drive mechanism includes an urging member that urges the shaft portion downward, a fluid pressure cylinder that swivels the shaft portion up and down, and a cam mechanism that swivels the shaft portion as the shaft portion moves up and down. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the laser processing apparatus is characterized in that. The cam mechanism rotates the shaft portion vertically so that the clamp portion retracts from the clamp position to the unclamp position in the first half rotation and the clamp portion returns from the unclamp position to the clamp position in the next half rotation. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the cam mechanism is rotated by 360 ° and the phase of the cam mechanism is configured to return to the original position by one rotation of the shaft portion.

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