JP7293700B2 - LASER PROCESSING APPARATUS AND LASER PROCESSING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a laser processing apparatus and a laser processing method for irradiating a laser beam onto a work to perform processing such as groove formation and cutting.

As one method for forming grooves in a work (object to be processed), a method using a laser beam has been conventionally proposed. This is done by irradiating the workpiece with a laser beam and blowing the melted material of the base material of the workpiece generated at the location where the laser beam is irradiated (hereinafter referred to as the laser beam irradiation location) from the assist gas nozzle. This is a method of forming grooves in a workpiece by blowing away and removing the particles, and continuously performing this process along the locations where the grooves are to be formed in the workpiece (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In this method, a laser beam is irradiated through a condensing lens from a direction orthogonal to the surface of the work so as to be condensed slightly behind the surface of the work.

JP-A-5-131286

By the way, in laser processing, which irradiates a laser beam on a workpiece to form grooves, there are various factors such as the usable laser beam output power, workpiece material, melting temperature, workpiece properties such as internal structure, and processing speed and processing environment. Depending on the conditions, there is a possibility that the depth of the groove that can be formed in the workpiece by one laser processing does not reach the planned depth of the groove.

As a countermeasure, the present inventors gradually increase the depth of the grooves formed in the work by repeatedly performing multiple passes of laser processing for groove formation on the work to form grooves of a desired depth. thought.

However, it is difficult to increase the depth of the groove formed in the workpiece with the conventional method of forming grooves by laser processing, even if multiple passes of laser processing are repeatedly performed on one location on the workpiece. It is the actual situation.

In other words, in the conventional groove forming method by laser processing, the laser beam is condensed slightly deeper than the surface of the workpiece, and the laser beam is irradiated to the workpiece at or near the focal point where the energy is concentrated. ing. Therefore, in the workpiece, the area where the molten material is generated at the laser beam irradiation point is usually several millimeters at most. Furthermore, since the laser beam is irradiated from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the work, the grooves are formed inside the work along the direction perpendicular to the surface of the work from the openings of the grooves on the surface of the work. formed to extend to Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of the groove formed in the work is such that the width of the groove at the opening on the surface of the work is about several millimeters, and the width of the groove gradually decreases from the opening toward the bottom. A narrow V-shaped groove results.

The shape of this groove is formed as a result of melting by a laser beam irradiated through the opening of the groove on the surface of the workpiece and removal of the molten material by blowing assist gas.

Therefore, in the conventional groove forming method by laser processing, in the second pass, the same laser beam as in the first pass is applied through the opening to the narrow V-shaped groove formed in the work in the first pass. Even with beam irradiation, it is difficult to further melt the bottom of the groove.

Moreover, in the second pass laser processing, it is also difficult to shift the position of the focal point of the laser beam condensed to the deeper side of the groove than in the first pass. This is because interference between the laser beam and the side walls of the groove formed in the first pass occurs when the beam diameter of the laser beam before reaching the focal point increases.

Therefore, conventionally, there has been no particular proposal for a method of forming grooves by performing a plurality of passes of groove forming processing by irradiating a laser beam on a workpiece.

Accordingly, the present invention is to provide a laser processing apparatus and a laser processing method capable of performing groove forming processing by irradiating a laser beam to a work in multiple passes to gradually increase the depth of the groove. It is something to do.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a robot equipped with a manipulator, a processing head attached to the tip side of the manipulator, a laser oscillator connected to the processing head, a control device, and the processing head. a gas nozzle for blowing an assist gas onto a portion irradiated with a laser beam from the laser beam; and a groove detection device. A function in which the operation of moving along the longitudinal direction of the groove to be formed is set as one pass of laser processing, and a function in which laser processing of one layer M passes (M is an integer of 3 or more) is set. , the width direction of the groove to be formed is defined as the x-axis direction, the longitudinal direction of the groove is defined as the y-axis direction, and the depth direction of the groove is defined as the z-axis direction. A pass machining position setting function for setting M pass machining positions arranged in the axial direction, a function for giving a command to the manipulator to execute the pass for each of the pass machining positions, and an array in the x-axis direction. and an end processing control function of tilting the processing head in opposite directions in the x-axis direction when performing the laser processing on the first pass processing position and the Mth pass processing position. Processing equipment.

With respect to the M pass machining positions set side by side in the x-axis direction by the pass machining position setting function, the controller controls that the laser machining at the pass machining position that is arranged first in the x-axis direction is adjacent to The condition that the arrangement order in the x-axis direction is performed after the laser processing at the second pass processing position, and the laser processing at the pass processing position whose arrangement order in the x-axis direction is M-th are the adjacent x-axis a processing order setting function for setting a processing order in which laser processing is performed so that the arrangement order of directions is performed after the laser processing at the (M−1)th pass processing position, and the x When laser processing is performed on the pass processing positions whose arrangement order in the axial direction is the second to the (M−1)th, the processing head is arranged so that the irradiation direction of the laser beam is the z-axis and the y-axis. and an intermediate portion processing control function for controlling the orientation along planes parallel to both sides.

The processing head may include a nozzle that irradiates the laser beam to the outside through an opening on the tip side, and further, may have a configuration in which the focal point of the laser beam is arranged at the position of the opening of the nozzle.

The processing head may have a nozzle for irradiating the laser beam to the outside through an opening on the tip side, and may further have a function for blowing off the purge gas to the outside through the opening of the nozzle.

Further, the operation of moving the processing head that irradiates the laser beam along the longitudinal direction of the groove to be formed in the work is one pass of laser processing, and the location where the groove is to be formed in the work is set in the control device. a process in which one-layer M passes (M is an integer of 3 or more) of laser processing are set in the controller; and the controller controls the groove width direction of the groove to be formed in the x-axis direction , the longitudinal direction of the groove is defined as the y-axis direction, and the depth direction of the groove is defined as the z-axis direction. and a process in which the control device gives a command for executing the pass at each of the pass machining positions to the manipulator. When the laser processing is performed on the pass processing position and the M-th pass processing position, the laser processing method controls the processing heads so that they are tilted in opposite directions to each other in the x-axis direction.

According to the laser processing apparatus and the laser processing method of the present invention, groove formation processing can be performed on the workpiece by irradiating the laser beam with a plurality of passes to gradually increase the depth of the groove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic side view which shows 1st Embodiment of a laser processing apparatus. It is a side view which expands and shows a processing head. It is a cut side view which further expands and shows the front-end|tip vicinity of the nozzle of a processing head. It is a figure for demonstrating the attitude|position of the processing head which laser-processes a workpiece|work. It is a figure for demonstrating the attitude|position of the processing head which performs laser processing on the bottom part of the already formed groove|channel. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing three pass processing positions set side by side in the groove width direction by a control device at a groove formation planned location when one-layer three-pass laser processing is performed; FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the setting of the irradiation direction of the laser beam by the processing head when laser processing is performed on the first and last pass processing positions among the pass processing positions. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing four pass processing positions set side by side in the groove width direction when performing one-layer four-pass laser processing. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing five pass processing positions set side by side in the groove width direction when performing five-pass laser processing for one layer;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a first embodiment of a laser processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a side view showing an enlarged processing head of the laser processing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a further enlarged cut side view showing the vicinity of the tip of the nozzle in the processing head.

FIG. 4 shows the posture of the processing head in the laser processing apparatus. FIG. 4(b) shows the state when laser processing is performed at the pass machining position that is second in the groove width direction arrangement order among the three pass machining positions that are arranged in the groove width direction. FIG. FIG. 4(c) is a diagram showing a state when laser processing is performed at the pass processing position of which the arrangement order in the groove width direction is the third. FIG. 5 shows the posture of the processing head in the laser processing apparatus. FIG. 5B is a diagram showing the state when laser processing is performed at the pass processing position whose arrangement order in the width direction is the second, and FIG. FIG. 5(c) is a diagram showing the state when laser processing is performed at the third pass processing position in the arrangement order in the groove width direction. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing three pass processing positions set by the control device at positions where grooves are to be formed in a work when one-layer three-pass laser processing is performed.

The laser processing apparatus of this embodiment is indicated by reference numeral 1 in FIG. It has a configuration including a laser oscillator 6 connected via a fiber 5, a control device 7, a gas nozzle 8 for injecting an assist gas 9, and a camera 10 as a groove detection device.

For convenience of explanation, the surface of the work 100 on which the grooves 103 are formed by the laser processing by the processing head 4 is called the front surface 101 , and the opposite surface is called the back surface 102 .

Regarding the grooves 103 to be formed in the workpiece 100 and the grooves 103 formed in the workpiece 100, the groove width direction is referred to as the x-axis direction, as shown in FIG. 4(a). As for the x-axis, the direction from one end 104 of the groove 103 in the groove width direction to the other end 105 in the groove width direction is defined as the positive direction of the x-axis. Therefore, with respect to the x-axis, the negative x-axis end of the groove 103 is the end 104 and the positive x-axis end is the end 105 . Further, the groove longitudinal direction in which the groove 103 extends along the surface 101 of the workpiece 100 is referred to as the y-axis direction, as shown in FIG. Further, the depth direction of the groove 103 with respect to the surface 101 of the workpiece 100 is referred to as the z-axis direction, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4(a). Note that the x-axis direction, y-axis direction, and z-axis direction are directions determined depending on the posture of the work 100 and the grooves 103 formed in the work 100, and all of them are in the world coordinate system or prepared for the robot 2. It is not based on the coordinate system For example, when forming curved grooves 103 on the surface 101 of the workpiece 100, the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction change at each point in the longitudinal direction of the grooves 103. FIG. Further, depending on the inclination of the surface 101 of the workpiece 100, the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction are not limited to the horizontal direction, and the z-axis direction is not limited to the vertical direction. Also, the positive and negative directions of the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis may of course be reversed.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the processing head 4 that irradiates the laser beam 11 is blown off the molten material 15 generated at the irradiation point of the laser beam 11 by the assist gas 9 that is blown from the gas nozzle 8. The operation of moving along the longitudinal direction of the groove 103 to be formed is called a laser processing pass. When this laser processing pass is performed once, a single groove is formed in the workpiece 100 from which the base material of the workpiece 100 has been removed along the path along which the irradiated portion of the laser beam 11 moves. A groove formed by one pass of laser processing in this manner is hereinafter referred to as a unit groove. The unit groove has a narrower width in the x-axis direction and a smaller depth in the z-axis direction than the groove 103 to be formed in the workpiece 100 .

The position of the laser beam 11 irradiated by the processing head 4 is set to be smaller than the width of the unit groove in the x-axis direction, while the distance from the surface 101 of the workpiece 100 is substantially unchanged. When the passes of laser processing are performed a plurality of times while shifting each dimension, a plurality of unit grooves are formed in the workpiece 100 in a state of being connected in the x-axis direction. In this state, in the work 100, the depth dimension in the z-axis direction is substantially the same as the unit grooves, and the width dimension is a plurality of the unit grooves connected in the x-axis direction, along the surface 101 of the work 100. The layered region is in a state where the base material of the work 100 has been removed. Therefore, in this state, the workpiece 100 is in a state in which a groove having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the layered region is formed from the surface 101 .

Therefore, in the present specification, as described above, the irradiation position of the laser beam 11 by the processing head 4 is shifted in the x-axis direction to the above-described predetermined position while the distance from the surface 101 of the workpiece 100 is not substantially changed. Laser machining is performed n times (where n is an integer equal to or greater than 2) while shifting the size, and a groove having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the layered region is formed in the workpiece 100. This is called 1-layer n-pass laser machining. . Also, n is referred to as the number of passes per layer. Furthermore, the positions at which individual unit grooves are to be formed in each pass of the laser processing of the workpiece 100 before performing n-pass laser processing of one layer are referred to as pass processing positions individually corresponding to each pass.

The robot 2 moves the working head 4 over the entire length of the groove 103 on the workpiece 100 in a predetermined posture, which will be described later. It is set up to include a working range and an angular adjustment range.

The processing head 4 internally includes a condensing optical system (not shown) such as a lens and a condensing mirror for condensing the laser beam 11 transmitted from the laser oscillator 6 through the optical fiber 5 . For convenience of illustration, the laser beam 11 is hatched with dots (the same applies to FIGS. 3, 4(a), 4(b), and 5(c), 5(a), 5(b), and 5(c)).

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the processing head 4 is provided with a nozzle 12 that irradiates the laser beam 11 condensed by the condensing optical system to the outside through an opening 13 on the tip side.

The focal length of the condensing optical system of the processing head 4 is preferably set so that the focal point of the laser beam 11 condensed by the condensing optical system is arranged at the position of the opening 13 of the nozzle 12 . This is for the following reasons.

Although not shown, in the case of laser cutting the workpiece 100 , a groove penetrating from the front surface 101 to the rear surface 102 is formed in the workpiece 100 . Therefore, the melted material generated at the irradiated portion of the work 100 with the laser beam 11 can be removed by blowing it off to the rear surface 102 side of the work 100 through the already formed groove.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, in the case of processing to form a groove 103 that does not penetrate through the back surface 102 of the work 100, the molten material 15 blown off from the irradiation point of the laser beam 11 is blown off from the groove 103 to the surface of the work 100. It comes to be discharged to the 101 side. Therefore, when the work 100 is processed to form the grooves 103, the environment on the side of the surface 101 of the work 100 where the processing head 4 is arranged becomes an environment in which the blown molten material 15 may scatter.

In this environment, the opening 13 of the nozzle 12 of the working head 4 can become a path for the splashed molten material 15 to enter the working head 4 . If the scattered molten material 15 enters the processing head 4, it may damage the optical system including the condensing optical system.

Therefore, in the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, in order to process the workpiece 100 to form the grooves 103, the scattered molten material 15 must reach the opening 13 of the nozzle 12 of the processing head 4, or It is important to take measures to prevent the scattered molten material 15 from entering the processing head 4 through the opening 13 of the nozzle 12 .

Therefore, the processing head 4 in this embodiment is configured such that the focal point of the laser beam 11 is arranged at the position of the opening 13 of the nozzle 12, so that the focal point of the laser beam 11 is arranged at a position other than the opening 13 of the nozzle 12. The opening area of the opening 13 of the nozzle 12 can be set smaller than that of the configuration described above. As a result, the processing head 4 according to the present embodiment can suppress the risk of the scattered molten material 15 entering the processing head 4 through the opening 13 .

If the processing head 4 can irradiate the workpiece 100 with the laser beam 11 with the set spot size, the focus of the laser beam 11 is limited to the position of the opening 13 of the nozzle 12. Of course not.

Further, the processing head 4 preferably has a configuration in which the purge gas 14 is supplied to at least the internal space of the nozzle 12 from a purge gas supply unit (not shown). As the purge gas 14, for example, air is supplied to the internal space of the processing head 4 at a pressure of 0.6-0.7 MPa. Thereby, the processing head 4 can have a function of blowing out the purge gas 14 supplied from the purge gas supply section to the outside through the opening 13 of the nozzle 12, as shown in FIG. Therefore, according to this configuration, the processing head 4 can form an outward gas flow of the purge gas 14 in the opening 13 of the nozzle 12 , so that the scattered molten material 15 enters the processing head 4 through the opening 13 . Possibilities can be further suppressed. It goes without saying that the type of gas of the purge gas 14 and the supply pressure are not limited to the above examples, and may be changed as appropriate.

Further, the processing head 4 increases the distance from the nozzle 12 to the point irradiated with the laser beam 11 on the workpiece 100 (hereinafter referred to as the distance between the nozzle and the workpiece), the more the molten material scattered from the point irradiated with the laser beam 11. 15 is less likely to reach the opening 13 of the machining head 4 .

Therefore, in the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the distance between the nozzle and the work is set to a certain dimension as an example will be described later. As a result, the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can suppress the scattered molten material 15 from reaching the opening 13 of the nozzle 12 of the processing head 4 based on the size of the distance between the nozzle and the workpiece. can.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the gas flow of the purge gas 14 blown out from the nozzle 12 can be prevented from affecting the process of blowing off the molten material 15 by the assist gas 9 at the irradiation point of the laser beam 11 on the workpiece 100. For the purpose, the nozzle-to-work distance is set to the certain dimension.

Note that the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can suppress the possibility that the scattered molten material 15 reaches the opening 13 of the processing head 4 based on the size of the nozzle-work distance. is, of course, not limited to the configuration having the function of blowing out the purge gas 14 from the opening 13 of the nozzle 12 .

In the present embodiment, the focal point of the laser beam 11 is located at the position of the opening 13 of the nozzle 12, so the laser beam 11 emitted from the nozzle 12 toward the outside has an increasing distance from the nozzle 12. , the beam diameter gradually expands. The relationship between this distance and the beam diameter depends on the focal length of the condensing optical system of the processing head 4 and the like.

Therefore, in the present invention, for example, the nozzle-work distance is about 150 mm, and the laser beam 11 is irradiated as a spot with a beam diameter of about 10 mm to the groove 103 formed in the work 100 by laser processing. , a condensing optical system of the processing head 4 is set. Further, in this state, the energy of the laser beam 11 is set so that the melted material 15 of the base material of the work 100 is generated at the location of the work 100 irradiated with the laser beam 11 .

The predetermined nozzle-to-work distance may be maintained by the operation of the manipulator 3 that holds the machining head 4 , and the operation of the manipulator 3 may be controlled by a command from the control device 7 .

Thus, in the laser processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, when the workpiece 100 is irradiated with the laser beam 11 from the processing head 4, the irradiated portion of the laser beam 11 on the workpiece 100 corresponds to the spot of the irradiated laser beam 11. It is possible to form a molten pool of a size that

The laser processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment moves the processing head 4 relative to the work 100 in the groove longitudinal direction by the operation of the manipulator 3, as will be described later, when performing processing to form the groove 103 in the work 100. Then, the irradiation location of the laser beam 11 is moved along the formation planned location and the formation location of the groove 103 in the workpiece 100 .

At this time, in the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, for example, when the direction of relative movement of the processing head 4 with respect to the work 100 is the direction indicated by the arrow D in FIGS. On the other hand, it is preferable to set the processing head 4 in an inclined posture so that the direction of irradiation with the laser beam 11 is slanted forward in the direction of the arrow D. As shown in FIG. This tilted attitude is hereinafter referred to as the forward angle attitude of the machining head 4 . 1 and 2, the direction of arrow D is the positive direction of the y-axis. Since there are cases where different passes of laser processing are sequentially performed on the return path, the direction of arrow D may, of course, be the negative direction of the y-axis.

The forward angular attitude of the machining head 4 may be realized by the operation of the manipulator 3 holding the machining head 4 , and the operation of the manipulator 3 may be controlled by commands from the control device 7 .

As a result, in the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the position of the processing head 4 is different from the position where the workpiece 100 is irradiated with the laser beam 11, that is, the position where the molten material 15 is scattered on the workpiece 100. It can be avoided to be arranged perpendicular to the surface 101 of 100 .

Therefore, according to this configuration, the position of the processing head 4 is arranged in the direction perpendicular to the surface 101 of the work 100 with respect to the position where the work 100 is irradiated with the laser beam 11. It is possible to suppress the possibility that the molten material 15 scattered from the irradiation point of the laser beam 11 reaches the opening 13 of the nozzle 12 of the processing head 4 .

The gas nozzle 8 is disposed on the rear side in the direction of the arrow D from the irradiation point of the laser beam 11 on the workpiece 100 by the processing head 4 in a posture facing the irradiation point of the laser beam 11 . In this posture, the gas nozzle 8 is attached to the processing head 4 via the support member 16 . A base end side of the gas nozzle 8 is connected to a supply portion for an assist gas 9 (not shown) via an assist gas line 17 . As a result, when the processing head 4 moves relative to the workpiece 100 and the irradiation location of the laser beam 11 on the workpiece 100 moves, the gas nozzle 8 moves to follow the irradiation location and emits the laser beam 11. Assist gas 9 can be blown toward a location where molten material 15 is generated by irradiation. The gas type and spray amount of the assist gas 9 are the same as the assist gas used in the conventionally practiced or conventionally proposed processing method of forming grooves in a workpiece using a laser beam. It may be appropriately set according to the seed and the amount of spraying.

As a result, in the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the molten material 15 generated at the irradiation site of the laser beam 11 on the work 100 is carried on the flow of the assist gas 9 blown from the gas nozzle 8, and as shown in FIG. It can be removed by blowing away from 103 to the side preceding in the direction of arrow D. Therefore, even with this configuration, it is possible to suppress the possibility that the molten material 15 scattering from the irradiated portion of the workpiece 100 with the laser beam 11 reaches the opening 13 of the nozzle 12 of the processing head 4 .

Furthermore, the gas nozzle 8 in this embodiment has a nozzle width dimension that is perpendicular to both the direction of arrow D in FIG. The nozzle width dimension of the gas nozzle 8 is the width dimension of the gas nozzle 8 in the horizontal direction in FIG. 4(a). As shown in FIG. 4A, the nozzle width dimension of the gas nozzle 8 is set smaller than the groove width dimension of the groove 103 formed in the workpiece 100 . This is because the laser processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment irradiates the laser beam 11 from the processing head 4 to the bottom of the groove 103 as the depth of the groove 103 formed in the workpiece 100 gradually increases. The reason is that the gas nozzle 8 can be inserted and arranged in the groove 103 by doing so. 4(a), the gas nozzle 8 and the camera 10 attached to the processing head 4 are indicated by dashed lines for convenience (FIGS. 4(b) and 4(c), FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) ( c) as well).

If the gas nozzle 8 can spray the assist gas 9 onto the molten material 15 generated at the laser beam 11 irradiated portion of the workpiece 100, the shape and arrangement of the gas nozzle 8 are limited to those shown in the figure. Of course not.

The camera 10 has a function of photographing the grooves 103 formed in the workpiece 100 and sending information of the photographed grooves 103 to the control device 7 .

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the camera 10 is in a posture of photographing an area in front of the location where the laser beam 11 is irradiated from the processing head 4 to the workpiece 100 in the direction of arrow D. , and attached to the machining head 4 via a bracket 18 . Therefore, by moving the camera 10 together with the processing head 4 by the operation of the manipulator 3, the imaging range of the camera 10 can be arranged toward the groove 103 formed in the workpiece 100. . The movement of the camera 10 by the operation of the manipulator 3 may be controlled by a command given from the control device 7 to the manipulator 3. FIG.

Note that the camera 10 may be supported at a location other than the machining head 4 as long as the camera 10 can photograph the groove 103 formed in the workpiece 100 without being blocked by the operating machining head 4 and the manipulator 3. is of course. Further, the laser processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment may of course be configured to include a plurality of cameras 10 in order to correspond to the length and arrangement of the grooves 103 formed in the workpiece 100 .

Next, along with the description of the functions of the control device 7, the laser processing method performed by the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described.

When the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is used to form the grooves 103 in the work 100, the control device 7 forms the grooves 103 in the work 100 as shown by a dashed line as shown in FIG. 4(a). It has a function of setting the planned formation location and the planned formation depth.

The control device 7 also has a function of setting whether the groove 103 is formed by one-layer M-pass laser processing (M is an integer equal to or greater than 3). Although it depends on the ratio between the width dimension and the depth dimension of the unit groove formed by one-pass laser processing, the number of passes M per layer increases as the depth to be formed of the groove 103 increases. The set value tends to be large.

By the way, the width dimension and depth dimension of the unit groove formed in the work 100 by one-pass laser processing depend on the size of the spot of the laser beam 11 irradiated from the processing head 4 to the work 100 and the irradiation of the laser beam 11. It is naturally determined from conditions such as the energy absorbed by the work 100 and the properties of the base material of the work 100 . As a result, in the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, based on the width dimension of the unit groove, each pass of the pass processing position required to connect and form a plurality of unit grooves in the x-axis direction. Along with the amount of displacement in the x-axis direction being clarified, the groove width dimension in the x-axis direction of the groove 103 to be formed is determined based on the set value of the number of passes M per layer. Alternatively, in the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the number of passes M per layer may be determined based on the desired groove width dimension in the x-axis direction of the groove 103 to be formed.

As an example, in this embodiment, an example in which laser processing of one layer and three passes is set in the control device 7 will be described. In this case, the groove 103 formed in the workpiece 100 by one-layer three-pass laser processing has a groove width dimension in the x-axis direction, as shown in FIG. It is set to be twice the width of the groove or more than twice the width of the groove. be.

Although not shown, the control device 7 has a function of switching on and off the irradiation of the laser beam 11 from the processing head 4 and a function of switching on and off the injection of the assist gas 9 from the gas nozzle 8. there is

The control device 7 has a function of giving a command to the manipulator 3 to hold the machining head 4 in the above-described forward angle posture when machining the workpiece 100 to form the groove 103 .

In addition, the control device 7 sets the operation of moving the processing head 4 that irradiates the laser beam 11 along the longitudinal direction of the groove 103 formed in the workpiece 100 as one pass of laser processing. It has a function of giving the manipulator 3 a command for executing a pass.

Furthermore, the control device 7 has a path machining position setting function, a machining order setting function, an intermediate part machining control function, and a first end part machining control function and a second end part machining control function as end part machining control functions. It has functions and

As shown in FIG. 6, the control device 7 sets three pass processing positions Pa1, Pa1, This function sets Pa2 and Pa3 side by side. At this time, the pass machining positions Pa1, Pa2, and Pa3 are arranged so that the unit grooves Ga1, Ga2, and Ga3, which are scheduled to be formed individually and indicated by the two-dot chain lines, are connected to each other in the x-axis direction. It is set in an arrangement in which the ends of Pa3 overlap each other. Once the pass machining positions Pa1, Pa2 and Pa3 are determined in this manner, the controller 7 controls nozzles for forming unit grooves Ga1, Ga2 and Ga3 corresponding to the pass machining positions Pa1, Pa2 and Pa3.・The distance between workpieces can be determined.

The machining order setting function is configured so that the following first and second order setting conditions are both satisfied for the three pass machining positions Pa1, Pa2, and Pa3 set in the x-axis direction by the pass machining position setting function. This function sets the processing order for laser processing.

The first order setting condition is that the laser processing at the pass processing position Pa1 having the first arrangement order in the x-axis direction is performed after the laser processing at the adjacent pass processing position Pa2 having the second arrangement order in the x-axis direction. It is a condition that

The second order setting condition is that the laser processing of the pass processing position whose arrangement order in the x-axis direction is the last is performed after the laser processing of the adjacent pass processing position whose arrangement order is the penultimate in the x-axis direction. This is the condition. In the case of the present embodiment, the second condition is that the laser processing at the pass processing position Pa3, which is the third in the arrangement order in the x-axis direction, is performed at the adjacent pass processing position Pa2, which is the second in the arrangement order in the x-axis direction. The condition is that it is performed after the laser processing.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, both of these two order setting conditions are satisfied only when the machining order of the path machining position Pa2 is the first. Therefore, the control device 7 uses the machining order setting function to set the machining order, for example, in the order of the pass machining position Pa2, the pass machining position Pa1, and the pass machining position Pa3. It goes without saying that the processing order of the path machining position Pa1 and the path machining position Pa3 may be interchanged.

The intermediate portion machining control function is such that the control device 7 first determines the path machining positions of the intermediate portion excluding the first position in the arrangement order in the x-axis direction and the third position in the arrangement order, which is the last position in the arrangement order. Identify the position Pa2. After that, when laser processing is performed on the pass processing position Pa2 specified as the intermediate pass processing position, the control device 7 controls the processing head 4 so that the irradiation direction of the laser beam 11 is set as shown in FIG. , to control the posture along a plane parallel to both the z-axis and the y-axis (see FIG. 2).

Therefore, the control device 7 stores the attitude of the machining head 4 controlled by the intermediate part machining control function and information on the nozzle-to-work distance required to form the unit groove Ga2 at the pass machining position Pa2. Based on this, it is possible to determine the posture and movement path of the processing head 4 when laser processing is performed on the path processing position Pa2. When the controller 7 gives a command to the manipulator 3 to execute a pass targeting the pass machining position Pa2, the controller 7 sends the manipulator 3 a command including information on the attitude and movement path of the machining head 4 determined as described above. It has the function of giving

As a result, as shown in FIG. 4( a ), the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment first performs pass processing at a location where the groove 103 is to be formed in the workpiece 100 in the step of laser processing with three passes for one layer. Laser processing can be performed for the position Pa2.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the laser processing is performed on the work 100 targeting the pass processing position Pa2 by the processing head 4, the work 100 corresponds to the pass processing position Pa2 at the location where the groove 103 is to be formed. The base material is removed at the hatched portion near the surface 101 to form the unit groove Ga2.

In this state, in the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the unit groove Ga2 formed in the workpiece 100 can be photographed by the camera 10 and detected.

Therefore, the control device 7 has a function of receiving the information of the unit groove Ga2 photographed by the camera 10 and obtaining the negative end and the positive end of the x-axis of the unit groove Ga2 by image processing. .

As shown in FIG. 4(b), the first end machining control function targets the pass machining position Pa1 on the side of the end 104 in the negative direction of the x-axis at the location where the groove 103 is to be formed by the machining head 4. This function is executed by the control device 7 when laser processing is performed.

In the first end processing control function, the control device 7 controls the processing head 4 when laser processing is performed for the pass processing position Pa1 that is the first in the array order in the x-axis direction, as shown in FIG. 4(b). is controlled so that the irradiation direction of the laser beam 11 is inclined in the negative direction of the x-axis with respect to a plane parallel to both the z-axis and the y-axis (see FIG. 2). At this time, as shown in FIG. 7A, the control device 7 sets the x coordinate of the end of the unit groove Ga2 in the negative direction of the x axis obtained from the photographing information of the camera 10 (see FIG. 1) to x1. When the z-coordinate of the bottom of the unit groove Ga2 obtained from the depth dimension of the groove Ga2 is z1, the irradiation direction of the laser beam 11 by the processing head 4 indicated by the two-dot chain line is tilted toward the coordinates (x1, z1). Arrangement is preferred. In this way, the control device 7 can easily implement control for determining the tilted attitude of the machining head 4 .

Therefore, the control device 7 controls the inclination attitude of the machining head 4 controlled by the first end machining control function and the nozzle-to-work distance required to form the unit groove Ga1 at the path machining position Pa1. , the tilting posture and movement path of the processing head 4 when laser processing is performed on the path processing position Pa1 as a target can be determined. When the controller 7 gives a command to the manipulator 3 for executing a pass targeting the pass machining position Pa1, the controller 7 sends the manipulator 3 a command including information on the tilt attitude and movement path of the machining head 4 determined as described above. It has a function to give to 3.

As a result, the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can perform laser processing on the path processing position Pa1 at the location where the groove 103 is to be formed on the workpiece 100, as shown in FIG. 4B.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 4(b), when the workpiece 100 is laser-machined at the path machining position Pa1 by the machining head 4, the edge of the negative direction of the x-axis at the location where the groove 103 is planned to be formed. At a portion corresponding to the pass machining position Pa1 on the part 104 side and in the hatched portion near the surface 101, the base material is removed and the unit groove Ga1 is formed first at the pass machining position Pa2. It is formed in a state of being connected to the unit groove Ga2 on the negative direction side of the x-axis.

As shown in FIG. 4(c), the second end machining control function targets the pass machining position Pa3 on the end 105 side in the positive direction of the x-axis at the location where the groove 103 is to be formed by the machining head 4. This function is executed by the control device 7 when laser processing is performed.

In the second end machining control function, the control device 7 controls the pass machining position Pa3, which is the third pass machining position in the x-axis direction arrangement order, as shown in FIG. 4(c). When laser processing is performed, the processing head 4 is controlled so that the irradiation direction of the laser beam 11 is inclined in the positive direction of the x-axis from a plane parallel to both the z-axis and the y-axis (see FIG. 2). At this time, as shown in FIG. 7B, the control device 7 sets the x coordinate of the positive end of the unit groove Ga2 obtained from the photographing information of the camera 10 (see FIG. 1) to x2 and the unit When the z-coordinate of the bottom of the unit groove Ga2 obtained from the depth dimension of the groove Ga2 is z1, the irradiation direction of the laser beam 11 by the processing head 4 indicated by the two-dot chain line is tilted toward the coordinates (x2, z1). Arrangement is preferred. In this way, the control device 7 can easily implement control for determining the tilted attitude of the machining head 4 .

Therefore, the control device 7 controls the tilting attitude of the machining head 4 controlled by the second end machining control function and the nozzle-to-work distance required to form the unit groove Ga3 at the path machining position Pa3. , the tilting attitude and movement path of the processing head 4 when laser processing is performed on the path processing position Pa3 as a target can be determined. When the control device 7 gives a command to the manipulator 3 to execute a pass targeting the pass machining position Pa3, the control device 7 sends the manipulator a command including information on the inclination attitude and movement path of the machining head 4 determined as described above. It has a function to give to 3.

As a result, the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can perform laser processing on the path processing position Pa3 at the location where the groove 103 is to be formed in the workpiece 100, as shown in FIG. 4(c).

In this case, as shown in FIG. 4(c), when the workpiece 100 is laser-machined at the path machining position Pa3 by the machining head 4, the edge of the positive direction of the x-axis at the location where the groove 103 is to be formed. In the portion corresponding to the pass machining position Pa3 on the part 105 side and in the hatched portion near the surface 101, the base material is removed and the unit groove Ga3 is formed first at the pass machining position Pa2. It is formed in a state of being connected to the positive direction side of the x-axis of the unit groove Ga2.

As a result, in the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the processing head 4 sequentially performs laser processing targeting the pass processing position Pa2, the pass processing position Pa1, and the pass processing position Pa3 as the one-layer, three-pass laser processing. can be implemented.

Therefore, when the one-layer, three-pass laser processing for the respective pass processing positions Pa1, Pa2, and Pa3 is completed, the work 100 has grooves 103 indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 5(a). A groove 103 having a desired width dimension for the groove 103 in the x-axis direction from the surface 101 but not reaching a desired depth is formed at the planned formation location. In the case of the present embodiment, when the path processing position Pa1 is laser-processed, the irradiation direction of the laser beam 11 by the processing head 4 is directed to the coordinates (x1, z1), and the path processing position Pa3 is laser-processed. , it is preferable that the irradiation direction of the laser beam 11 by the processing head 4 is directed to the coordinates (x2, z1). Strictly speaking, however, even if the target is the same, the position irradiated with the laser beam 11 on the work 100 changes if the angle of the tilting attitude of the processing head 4 is different. Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, the groove width dimension of the groove 103 formed in the workpiece 100 does not influence the angle of the inclination attitude of the processing head 4 when laser processing is performed at the pass processing position Pa1 and the pass processing position Pa3. Depends on how you received it.

Further, the groove 103 irradiates the laser beam 11 to the path processing position Pa1 with the irradiation direction inclined in the negative direction of the x-axis, and irradiates the laser beam 11 to the path processing position Pa3 in the irradiation direction. Since the irradiation is performed while being inclined in the positive direction of the x-axis, the formed groove 103 has substantially the same groove width in the x-axis direction from the surface 101 of the workpiece 100 to the bottom of the groove 103 . In this state, in the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the groove 103 formed in the workpiece 100 can be photographed by the camera 10 and detected.

Therefore, the control device 7 has a function of receiving information of the groove 103 photographed by the camera 10 and obtaining the negative end and the positive end of the x-axis at the bottom of the groove 103 by image processing. . Next, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the control device 7 has a function of restarting the same one-layer three-pass laser processing as described above targeting the bottom of the groove 103 formed so far. ing.

As a result, as shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C, the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has the bottom of the groove 103 already formed from the surface 101 of the workpiece 100, as shown in FIG. ) (b) and (c), three path machining positions Pa1, Pa2, and Pa3 are set side by side in the x-axis direction, and the laser beam 11 is directed to each of the path machining positions Pa1, Pa2, and Pa3. It is possible to perform laser processing of one layer and three passes for irradiation. Therefore, at the bottom of the groove 103 that has already been formed, processing can be performed to form a deeper groove 103 by further removing the base material in the layered region. At this time, the groove width dimension in the x-axis direction of the groove 103 already formed in the work 100 is at least twice the beam diameter of the spot of the laser beam 11 irradiated from the processing head 4 to the work 100. . Therefore, in the already formed groove 103, the laser beam 11 is irradiated from the opening of the groove 103 on the surface 101 of the workpiece 100 to the path processing position Pa1 set at the bottom of the groove 103, and the irradiation direction is the negative direction of the x-axis. and irradiating the path processing position Pa3 with the laser beam 11 with the irradiation direction tilted in the positive direction of the x-axis.

Therefore, the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can perform processing to gradually increase the depth of the groove 103 by further performing one-layer three-pass laser processing on the bottom of the existing groove 103. .

The control device 7 may repeat the one-layer three-pass laser processing by the processing head 4 until the depth of the groove 103 formed in the workpiece 100 reaches the planned depth. As a result, the groove 103 having the set width and depth is formed in the work 100 at the place where the groove 103 is to be formed.

As described above, the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment forms the groove 103 having a groove width dimension of at least twice the beam diameter of the spot of the laser beam 11 by one-layer three-pass laser processing. The bottom of the formed groove 103 is subjected to one-layer three-pass laser processing, so that the groove 103 can be formed gradually deeper.

Furthermore, the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment plans to form a groove 103 reaching from the front surface 101 to the back surface 102 in the work 100, and performs laser processing of 1 layer 3 passes on the planned formation location of the groove 103. You may make it carry out the process performed repeatedly. According to this technique, the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can cut the workpiece 100 at the formation location of the groove 103 .

In the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the control device 7 has the first end processing control function and the second end processing control function, and the arrangement order in the x-axis direction is the first. When laser processing is performed for the pass processing position Pa1 and the third pass processing position Pa3, the processing head 4 can be controlled to tilt in opposite directions in the x-axis direction. For example, the control device 7 controls the processing head 4 so that the irradiation direction of the laser beam 11 is tilted in the negative direction of the x-axis when laser processing is performed on the pass processing position Pa1 that is the first in the x-axis direction arrangement order. However, when laser processing is performed for the pass processing position Pa3 that is third in the arrangement order in the x-axis direction, the processing head 4 is controlled so that the irradiation direction of the laser beam 11 is tilted in the positive direction of the x-axis. Therefore, in the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the space inside the groove 103 already formed in the work 100 is used to prevent interference with the base material of the work 100 forming both side walls of the groove 103. Instead, the laser beam 11 can be irradiated from the processing head 4 to each of the pass processing positions Pa1, Pa2, and Pa3 set at the bottom of the groove 103. FIG. Therefore, the laser processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can generate a new molten material 15 at the bottom of the groove 103 formed in the workpiece 100 by sequentially repeating three-pass laser processing for one layer. By blowing off the molten material 15 with the assist gas 9 sprayed from the gas nozzle 8, the depth of the groove 103 can be progressively increased.

[Application example of the first embodiment]
In the first embodiment, an example in which the controller 7 is set to perform three-pass laser processing for one layer has been described. On the other hand, the control device 7 may have a function of setting a larger number of passes per layer, such as 4 passes per layer or 5 passes per layer.

Therefore, in the application example of the first embodiment, the configuration for the case of 1 layer 3 passes shown in the first embodiment is applied to the case of 1 layer 4 passes, 5 passes, or more passes. As applicable, the description is generalized to the case of 1-layer M-passes, where M is any integer greater than or equal to 3. Specifically, the functions of the control device 7 when one-layer M-pass laser processing is set in the control device 7 will be described.

The control device 7 has a path machining position setting function, a machining order setting function, an intermediate machining control function, and a first edge machining control function and a second edge machining control function as edge machining control functions. , provided.

The pass machining position setting function is a function in which the control device 7 sets M pass machining positions side by side in the x-axis direction for the workpiece 100 based on the setting of one-layer M-pass laser machining. At this time, each pass machining position is set so that the unit grooves to be individually formed are connected in the x-axis direction.

The machining order setting function performs laser machining so that the following first and second order setting conditions are both satisfied for the M pass machining positions set in parallel in the x-axis direction by the pass machining position setting function. This function sets the machining order.

The first order setting condition is that the laser processing of the pass processing position having the first arrangement order in the x-axis direction is performed after the laser processing of the adjacent pass processing position having the second arrangement order in the x-axis direction. It is a condition.

The second order setting condition is that the arrangement order in the x-axis direction is the last, that is, laser processing at the M-th pass processing position, and the arrangement order in the adjacent x-axis direction is the second from the end, that is, the arrangement order is (M -1) The condition is that the laser processing is performed after the laser processing of the th pass processing position.

In the machining order setting function, if the first and second order setting conditions are satisfied, other machining orders can be arbitrarily set from the viewpoint of, for example, improving the efficiency of the operation of the machining head 4 by the manipulator 3. You can

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, in the case of 4 passes for 1 layer, 4 pass machining positions Pb1, Pb2, Pb3, and Pb4 are set side by side in the x-axis direction. In this case, if the machining order of the path machining position Pb1 is after the path machining position Pb2 and the machining order of the path machining position Pb4 is after the path machining position Pb3, the machining order setting function of the control device 7 Other processing orders may be set arbitrarily.

For example, the path machining position Pb2 and the path machining position Pb3 may be processed in any order. In this case, one of the path machining position Pb2 and the path machining position Pb3, which is given the first machining order, is set as the first machining order. Specifically, the order of machining in the case of 1-layer 4-pass is as follows: Pb2, Pb1, Pb3, Pb4; Pb2, Pb3, Pb1, Pb4; Pb2, Pb3; Any one of Pb4, Pb1, Pb3, Pb2, Pb1, Pb4, Pb3, Pb2, Pb4, Pb1, and Pb3, Pb4, Pb2, Pb1 is set.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, in the case of 5 passes for 1 layer, 5 pass machining positions Pc1, Pc2, Pc3, Pc4, and Pc5 are set side by side in the x-axis direction. In this case, if the machining order of the path machining position Pc1 is after the path machining position Pc2 and the machining order of the path machining position Pc5 is after the path machining position Pc4, the machining order setting function of the control device 7 Other processing orders may be set arbitrarily.

In the case of 1 layer 5 passes, the conditions for the machining order of the pass machining position Pc1 and the pass machining position Pc2 and the conditions for the machining order of the pass machining position Pc4 and the pass machining position Pc5 are the same as in the case of the 1 layer 4 passes described above. The conditions for the machining order of the pass machining positions Pb1 and Pb2 and the conditions for the machining order of the pass machining positions Pb3 and Pb4 are the same. Therefore, in the case of 1 layer 5 passes, the processing order for the 4 pass machining positions Pc1, Pc2, Pc4, and Pc5 excluding the pass machining position Pc3 is the same as the machining order in the case of 1 layer 4 passes described above. Similarly, 6 different settings are possible. That is, the processing order of the pass machining positions Pc1, Pc2, Pc4, and Pc5 in the case of five passes for one layer is indicated by the reference numerals of the respective pass machining positions, Pc2, Pc1, Pc4, and Pc5, Pc2, Pc4, and Pc2, Pc4, Can be set to any of Pc1, Pc5, Pc2, Pc4, Pc5, Pc1, Pc4, Pc2, Pc1, Pc5, Pc4, Pc2, Pc5, Pc1, Pc4, Pc5, Pc2, Pc1 . By the way, for the path machining position Pc3, there is no particular condition for setting the machining order. Therefore, the machining order of the path machining position Pc3 is set so that the machining order is the first in each of the six ways of arranging the machining orders of the path machining positions Pc1, Pc2, Pc4, and Pc5. may be inserted to be the second, third, or fourth, or may be added to be the fifth. Therefore, in the case of one layer and five passes, one of the pass machining position Pc2, the pass machining position Pc3, and the pass machining position Pc4 is set as the first machining order.

The intermediate portion machining control function is such that the control device 7 controls the pass machining positions of the intermediate portion excluding the 1st and Mth arrayed orders in the x-axis direction, that is, the 2nd to 2nd pass machining positions in the x-axis direction. When laser processing is performed for the (M−1)-th pass processing position, as shown in FIG. ) to control the posture along a plane parallel to both.

The first end processing control function is that when the controller 7 performs laser processing on the pass processing position that is the first in the array order in the x-axis direction, the processing head 4 is moved to the position shown in FIG. , the irradiation direction of the laser beam 11 is controlled so as to tilt in the negative direction of the x-axis from a plane parallel to both the z-axis and the y-axis (see FIG. 2). At this time, as shown in FIG. 7( a ), the control device 7 controls the x-direction of the negative x-direction end of the unit groove formed at the second pass machining position in the x-axis direction. Based on the coordinates and the z-coordinate of the bottom of the unit groove, the tilting attitude of the machining head 4 is determined so that the irradiation direction of the laser beam 11 from the machining head 4 is directed to the position having the x-coordinate and the z-coordinate. is preferred.

The second end processing control function is that when the controller 7 performs laser processing on the M-th pass processing position in the x-axis direction arrangement order, the processing head 4 is controlled as shown in FIG. 4(c). , the irradiation direction of the laser beam 11 is controlled so as to tilt in the positive direction of the x-axis from a plane parallel to both the z-axis and the y-axis (see FIG. 2). At this time, as in the case of the laser processing at the pass processing position Pa3 shown in FIG. Based on the x-coordinate of the end of the unit groove in the positive direction of the x-axis and the z-coordinate of the bottom of the unit groove, the processing head 4 irradiates the laser beam 11 at the position having the x-coordinate and the z-coordinate. It is preferable to determine the tilted posture of the processing head 4 so that the direction is directed.

As a result, in the laser processing apparatus 1 of this application example, the control device 7 controls the arrangement order in the x-axis direction by the edge processing control function based on the first edge processing control function and the second edge processing control function. When laser processing is performed for the first pass processing position and the Mth pass processing position, the processing heads 4 can be controlled to tilt in opposite directions in the x-axis direction.

Therefore, since the laser processing apparatus 1 of this application example can perform single-layer M-pass laser processing, it can be used in the same manner as the laser processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment, and can obtain similar effects. .

Note that the laser processing apparatus and laser processing method of the present disclosure are not limited only to the above-described embodiments and application examples.

The number of joints, shape, and size of the manipulator 3 of the robot 2 shown in FIG. 1, and the shape and size of the processing head 4, which is an end effector, are for convenience of illustration and are not limited to those shown.

If the robot 2 has a function of moving the machining head 4 in the above-described predetermined inclined posture over the entire length of the groove 103 formed in the work 100, the direction in which the groove 103 formed in the work 100 extends, Arrangement of the robot 2 may be set arbitrarily. Further, for example, the robot 2 may be of a type in which the base to which the manipulator 3 is attached is movable.

Regarding the groove width dimension of the groove 103 formed in the work 100, in the case of 1 layer 3 passes, the ratio of the beam diameter of the spot of the laser beam 11 irradiated to the work 100 is 2 times or more, but these are examples of dimensions. is.

The larger the groove width of the groove 103 is, the more M-pass (M is an integer equal to or greater than 3) laser processing is applied to the bottom of the groove 103 while avoiding interference with the side wall of the groove 103. However, the amount of the base material of the workpiece 100 to be removed to form the grooves 103 is increased, so more energy and time are required.

On the other hand, the smaller the groove width of the groove 103, the smaller the amount of the base material of the workpiece 100 to be removed to form the groove 103. When irradiating the laser beam 11 for laser processing, it becomes difficult to avoid interference with the side wall of the groove 103 .

Therefore, the set value of the groove width dimension of the groove 103 is such that the laser beam 11 irradiated from the processing head 4 does not interfere with the side wall of the groove 103, and the one-layer M-pass laser processing set at the bottom of the groove 103 is performed. It goes without saying that the dimensions may be changed to those other than those described above as long as the condition of being practicable is satisfied. Even in this case, considering the energy and time required for processing to form the groove 103, it is preferable to make the groove width dimension of the groove 103 as small as possible.

In each of the above-described embodiments and application examples, the camera 10 was used as an example of the groove detection device. Any type of groove detection device other than the camera 10, such as a visual sensor, a 3D scanner, or the like, may be employed as long as it can detect the edge in the positive direction. Therefore, the control device 7 may have a function of appropriately performing processing for identifying the positions of the grooves 103 formed in the workpiece 100 and the unit grooves according to the format of the information received from the groove detection device. Also with this configuration, the laser processing apparatus and laser processing method of the present disclosure can obtain effects similar to those of the above-described embodiment.

It goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

As a further application of the laser processing apparatus and laser processing method of the present disclosure, it is also possible to form a groove by sequentially repeating laser processing of one layer and two passes at a location where a groove is to be formed in a work. is. In this case, the controller in the laser processing apparatus of the present disclosure first sets two pass processing positions side by side in the x-axis direction at the groove formation planned location on the work. After that, when laser processing is performed at the pass processing position that is the first in the array order in the x-axis direction, the control device moves the processing head so that the irradiation direction of the laser beam is aligned with both the z-axis and the y-axis (see FIG. 2). When the posture is controlled to tilt in the negative direction of the x-axis with respect to the parallel plane, and laser processing is performed on the second pass processing position in the array order in the x-axis direction, the processing head is set so that the irradiation direction of the laser beam is aligned with the z-axis. and the y-axis (see FIG. 2).

2 robot, 3 manipulator, 4 processing head, 6 laser oscillator, 7 control device, 9 assist gas, 8 gas nozzle, 10 camera (groove detection device), 100 workpiece, 103 groove, 104 end, 105 end, Pa1, Pa2 , Pa3 path machining position, Pb1, Pb2, Pb3, Pb4 path machining position, Pc1, Pc2, Pc3, Pc4, Pc5 path machining position

Claims (5)

a robot with a manipulator,
a processing head attached to the tip side of the manipulator;
a laser oscillator connected to the processing head;
a controller;
a gas nozzle for blowing an assist gas onto a location irradiated with the laser beam from the processing head;
a groove detection device,
The control device is
A function of setting a planned groove formation location for a workpiece;
A function in which an operation of moving the processing head along the longitudinal direction of the groove formed in the workpiece is set as one pass of laser processing;
A function in which laser processing of one layer M passes (M is an integer of 3 or more) is set;
Assuming that the groove width direction of the groove to be formed is the x-axis direction, the longitudinal direction of the groove is the y-axis direction, and the depth direction of the groove is the z-axis direction, the x-axis A path machining position setting function that sets M number of path machining positions arranged in a direction;
a function of giving a command to the manipulator to execute the path for each of the path machining positions;
When laser processing is performed at the pass processing position whose arrangement order in the x-axis direction is the first, the processing head is positioned so that the irradiation direction of the laser beam is closer to the x-axis than the plane parallel to both the z-axis and the y-axis. an end portion tilted in the negative direction of the axis and tilting the irradiation direction of the laser beam in the positive direction of the x-axis with respect to the plane when laser processing is performed at the M-th pass processing position in the arrangement order A laser processing device comprising: a processing control function; The control device is
For the M pass machining positions set side by side in the x-axis direction by the pass machining position setting function, the laser machining at the pass machining position that is arranged first in the x-axis direction is performed on the adjacent x-axis direction. The condition that the arrangement order is performed after the laser processing at the second pass processing position, and the laser processing at the pass processing position with the M-th arrangement order in the x-axis direction are that the arrangement order in the adjacent x-axis direction is a processing order setting function for setting the processing order in which laser processing is performed so that the condition that the laser processing is performed after the laser processing at the (M−1)th pass processing position is both satisfied;
When laser processing is performed at pass processing positions from the second to the (M−1)th in the x-axis direction arrangement order, the processing head is placed in a posture in which the irradiation direction of the laser beam is along the plane. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an intermediate portion processing control function for controlling. 3. The processing head comprises a nozzle for irradiating the laser beam to the outside through an opening on the tip side, and further comprising a configuration in which a focal point of the laser beam is arranged at the position of the opening of the nozzle. The laser processing device according to . 4. The processing head according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the processing head has a nozzle that irradiates the laser beam to the outside through an opening on the tip side, and further has a function of blowing off a purge gas to the outside through the opening of the nozzle. 3. The laser processing device according to the item. The operation of moving a processing head that irradiates a laser beam along the longitudinal direction of a groove formed in a workpiece is defined as one pass of laser processing.
a process of setting a groove formation scheduled location for the work in a control device;
A process in which laser processing of one layer M passes (M is an integer of 3 or more) is set in the control device;
The control device controls the groove width direction of the groove to be formed in the x-axis direction, the longitudinal direction of the groove in the y-axis direction, and the depth direction of the groove in the z-axis direction. a process of setting M pass machining positions arranged in the x-axis direction;
a process in which the control device gives a command to a manipulator to execute the pass at each pass machining position;
Further , the control device moves the processing head so that the irradiation direction of the laser beam is in both the z-axis and the y-axis when laser processing is performed on the pass processing position that is arranged first in the x-axis direction. When the posture is controlled to be tilted in the negative direction of the x-axis from the parallel plane, and laser processing is performed at the M-th pass processing position in the arrangement order, the irradiation direction of the laser beam is shifted from the plane to the processing head. A laser processing method characterized by performing a process of controlling the posture to tilt in the positive direction of the x-axis .

Images