JP7409349B2 - Metal material thermal cutting device, metal material thermal cutting method, and metal material manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a metal material thermal cutting device and method for automatically or semi-automatically thermally cutting metal materials such as steel materials, such as thick plates and slabs, and a method for manufacturing metal materials using the same. It is something.

Gas cutting, laser cutting, plasma cutting, etc. are used as methods for thermally cutting metal materials such as steel materials. For example, in gas cutting of steel, a jet of high-pressure gas such as oxygen gas is blown onto the heated part to cause it to burn, the heat of combustion melts the steel, and the combustion products and molten metal are removed by the jet of high-pressure gas. It will be done. Then, when the cutting torch is moved, combustion, melting, and removal are repeated at the cutting portion of the steel material, and a cut surface is formed in the advancing direction, and the steel material is cut.

At the end face of the steel material, which is the starting point for thermal cutting, that is, at the preheating point, it is necessary to sufficiently heat the steel material to about 900° C., which is the ignition temperature of the steel material, before starting cutting. Conventionally, the length of preheating time has been determined by an operator while visually checking the heating state, and there has been a large variation depending on the level of skill of the operator. If the preheating time is too long, the preheating part may melt, or if the preheating time is too short, it may become impossible to cut, resulting in quality defects.

Therefore, for example, in Patent Document 1, the thickness of the material to be cut, a coefficient that depends on the material of the material to be cut, and when cutting is performed continuously, the temperature of the material to be cut is lower than that of the first cutting in the second and subsequent cuts. An automatic gas cutting machine is disclosed that calculates the preheating time based on coefficients that take into account factors such as high temperature.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-251667

Here, if the effective diameter of the preheating gas flame deviates from the preheating point of the end face of the steel material, the preheating point may hardly be preheated or it may take a very long time to reach the ignition temperature. On the other hand, if the preheating gas flame is too close to the end face of the steel material, the steel material will melt too much and the cut surface will be defective if the same preheating time is set.

Therefore, when preheating the end surface of the steel material, it is necessary to cause the preheating flame to follow the end surface of the steel material with high precision. The positional accuracy required for the preheating flame varies depending on the effective diameter of the preheating gas flame ejected from the cutting torch, but it generally needs to be within several millimeters.

However, while the method of Patent Document 1 allows the preheating time to be set accurately, it is difficult to precisely match the distance between the preheating flame and the end face of the material to be cut (steel material) and the angle of the torch relative to the material to be cut (steel material). Ta.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has a high heating effect during preheating on the end face of the steel material, which is the starting point of thermal cutting, thereby shortening the overall cutting time and improving the quality of the cut surface. To provide a thermal cutting device for metal materials, a method for thermal cutting of metal materials, and a method for manufacturing metal materials, which can perform thermal cutting automatically or semi-automatically regardless of the skill level of the worker. It is something.

The means for solving the above problems are as follows.
[1] A cutting torch that is movable and tiltable in the cutting direction of the metal material, and a detection means that detects that the cutting torch is at a preheated position separated by a predetermined distance from the end surface of the metal material. , a cutting torch tilting mechanism that tilts the angle of the cutting torch with respect to the metal material to a predetermined preheating angle when the detection means detects that the cutting torch is at the preheating position. Thermal cutting equipment.
[2] The cutting torch tilting mechanism tilts an angle of the cutting torch with respect to the metal material to a predetermined cutting angle different from the preheating angle when the cutting torch moves from the preheating position in the cutting direction. , [1] The thermal cutting device for metal materials.
[3] When the angle at which the cutting torch faces vertically downward is 0 degrees, and the angle at which the upper end of the cutting torch is inclined forward in the cutting direction is positive, the preheating angle is between -30 degrees and 0 degrees. The thermal cutting device for metal materials according to [2], wherein the cutting angle is set within a range of -10 degrees to +30 degrees.
[4] The detection means is a probe that is movable in the cutting direction of the metal material together with the cutting torch while a lower end portion is in contact with an end surface or an upper surface of the metal material, and the cutting torch tilting mechanism is configured to The probe and the cutting torch are configured to change the angle of the cutting torch from the preheating angle to the cutting angle when the lower end rides on the upper surface from the end surface of the metal material and the angle with respect to the metal material changes. The thermal cutting device for metal materials according to any one of [1] to [3], which is a link mechanism that interlocks.
[5] The detection means is a laser sensor that detects the position of the end surface or top surface of the metal material by irradiating the metal material with a laser, and the cutting torch tilting mechanism is configured to detect the position of the end surface or top surface of the metal material by irradiating the metal material with a laser beam. The thermal cutting device for metal materials according to any one of [1] to [3], which is an actuator that changes the angle of the cutting torch from the preheating angle to the cutting angle according to the position of the end surface or top surface of the metal material. .
[6] A method for thermally cutting a metal material using the metal material cutting device according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the cutting torch cuts the metal material from an end surface of the metal material. a detection step of detecting that the cutting torch is at the preheating position separated by a predetermined distance; and a predetermined angle of the cutting torch with respect to the metal material when the detection step detects that the cutting torch is at the preheating position. a preheating step of preheating the metal material with the cutting torch at a preheating angle of , and after the preheating is completed, tilting the angle of the cutting torch with respect to the metal material to a predetermined cutting angle different from the preheating angle, A method for thermally cutting a metal material, comprising: a cutting step of thermally cutting the metal material with the cutting torch.
[7] The method for thermally cutting a metal material according to [6], further comprising an initialization step of returning the angle of the cutting torch with respect to the metal material to a predetermined initial angle after the cutting step.
[8] A method for manufacturing a metal material, including the step of thermally cutting a metal material using the method for thermally cutting a metal material according to [6] or [7].

According to the thermal cutting device for metal materials and the thermal cutting method for metal materials of the present invention, it is detected that the cutting torch is at a preheated position separated from the end face of the metal material by a predetermined distance, and the angle of the cutting torch with respect to the metal material is detected. The preheating angle can be tilted to a predetermined preheating angle easily and accurately. Therefore, thermal cutting can be performed with the same precision as manual cutting, regardless of the skill level of the operator.

Furthermore, in the method for manufacturing a metal material of the present invention, by manufacturing the metal material using the above-described thermal cutting method, it is possible to shorten the time required for preheating and cutting, and to prevent the cut surface from becoming defective. metal materials can be manufactured with high precision in a short time.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the overall configuration of a thermal cutting device for metal materials according to a first embodiment. FIGS. 2A and 2B are side views showing the operation of the metal material thermal cutting apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the preheating angle of thermal cutting and the preheating limit plate thickness. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the cutting angle of thermal cutting and the slag height. FIGS. 5A and 5B are side views showing a cutting torch tilting mechanism in a modified example of the thermal cutting device for metal materials of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a side view showing the configuration and operation of a thermal cutting device for metal materials according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a process of a method for thermally cutting a metal material.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a metal material thermal cutting apparatus, a metal material thermal cutting method, and a metal material manufacturing method of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
<First embodiment>
FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a thermal cutting device 1 for metal materials according to a first embodiment. Note that FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a thermal cutting device for metal materials, and the positions and shapes of each member are different from those in an actual thermal cutting device for metal materials. As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus 1 for thermally cutting metal materials according to the present embodiment includes an apparatus main body 10, a cutting torch 11 for thermally cutting a steel material W as a metal material, and a state in which the cutting torch 11 is in a preheating position. It includes a detection means 12 for detecting and a cutting torch tilting mechanism 14 (14A to 14C) for tilting the cutting torch 11.

Specifically, the cutting torch 11 is supported by a cutting torch tilting mechanism 14 so as to be movable in the cutting direction D of the steel material W and tiltable in the cutting direction D. The cutting torch tilting mechanism 14 rotates the cutting torch 11 around a rotation axis X1 located below the lower end of the cutting torch 11 (see FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b)), thereby tilting the steel material W. It is configured to be tilted relative to the

2(a) and 2(b) show the operation of the detection means 12 and the cutting torch tilting mechanism 14 in the metal material thermal cutting apparatus 1 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), in the metal material thermal cutting apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the detection means is comprised of a contact type probe 12. Further, the cutting torch tilting mechanism is constituted by a link mechanism 14 mechanically linked to the probe 12. The link mechanism 14 constituting the cutting torch tilting mechanism includes a probe rotation gear 14A, a transmission gear 14B, and a torch rotation gear 14C.

The probe rotation gear 14A is rotatably supported by a probe rotation guide 10a provided in the apparatus main body 10 of the thermal cutting apparatus 1 for metal materials, and rotates around a rotation axis X0 at a predetermined height from the upper surface W1 of the steel material W. It moves in the cutting direction D of the steel material W together with the device main body 10 while rotating. Similarly, the torch rotation gear 14C is rotatably supported by a torch rotation guide 10b provided in the apparatus main body 10, and rotates around the rotation axis X1 at approximately the same height as the upper surface W1 of the steel material W. It moves in the cutting direction D of the steel material W together with the main body 10.

The apparatus main body 10 of the thermal cutting apparatus 1 for metal materials is mounted on a cart (not shown) that travels along the cutting direction D of the steel material W, and thus moves along the cutting direction D of the steel material W. The apparatus main body 10 of the apparatus 1 for thermally cutting metal materials may be configured integrally with a trolley to form a gate-shaped apparatus or the like that runs on rails. The thermal cutting device 1 for metal materials may be configured as a portable device, and the device body 10 may be mounted on a trolley and moved.

Alternatively, the apparatus main body 10 may be moved in the cutting direction D of the steel material W by a robot arm (not shown) or the like. Alternatively, the device main body 10 of the thermal cutting device 1 for metal materials may be moved relatively in the cutting direction D of the steel material W by moving the steel material W without moving the device main body 10.

The cutting torch 11 is fixed to the torch rotation gear 14C so that its lower end faces the rotation axis X1 of the torch rotation gear 14C, and tilts (rotates) around the rotation axis X1 together with the torch rotation gear 14C. while moving in the cutting direction D of the steel material W.

Further, the probe 12 is fixed to the probe turning gear 14A so that its lower end is at a height that allows it to come into contact with the end surface W0 of the steel material W, and at a position further advanced in the cutting direction D than the cutting torch 11. It moves in the cutting direction D of the steel material W while tilting (rotating) about the rotation axis X0 together with the probe turning gear 14A.

In the initial state before contacting the end surface W0 of the steel material W, the probe 12 is tilted in the opposite direction (negative direction) to the cutting direction D with respect to the vertical direction by a biasing means (not shown) such as a spring. It is biased to and held at an initial angle (not shown). As a result, the cutting torch 11, which operates in conjunction with the probe 12, is also held at an initial angle (not shown) different from that of the probe 12. Then, as shown in FIG. 2(a), when the main body 10 of the thermal cutting device 1 for metal materials moves in the cutting direction D of the steel material W and approaches the steel material W, the lower end of the probe 12 touches the steel material W. It comes into contact with the end surface W0. At this time, since the probe 12 tilts slightly, a sensor (not shown) that detects the movement of the probe 12 detects that the lower end of the probe 12 has come into contact with the end surface W0 of the steel material W, that is, the cutting torch 11 is in contact with the end surface W0 of the steel material W. It is detected that the preheating position is a predetermined distance away from the end surface W0 of the steel material W.

In the thermal cutting device 1 for metal materials of this embodiment, the probe 12 contacts the end surface W0 of the steel material W and tilts slightly, so that the cutting torch 11 is preheated from the initial angle in conjunction with this. Tilt to angle θ1. That is, simultaneously with the detection of the end surface W0 of the steel material W by the probe 12, the cutting torch 11 is tilted to the preheating angle θ1.

As described above, when it is detected that the cutting torch 11 is in the preheating position, the movement of the main body 10 of the thermal cutting apparatus 1 for metal materials is stopped, and the end face W0 of the steel material W is removed from the cutting torch 11. A preheating flame is ejected toward the upper preheating point P (see FIG. 1) at a preheating angle θ1 for a predetermined preheating time. Thereby, the preheating point P on the end surface W0 of the steel material W can be preheated.

After the preheating is completed, cutting of the steel material W can be started by restarting movement of the apparatus body 10 in the cutting direction D of the steel material W and switching the preheating flame emitted from the cutting torch 11 to a cutting flame. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2(b), the lower end of the probe 12 rides on the upper surface W1 from the end surface W0 of the steel material W, so that the probe 12 further tilts. The probe rotation gear 14A to which the probe 12 is fixed also rotates by the same angle as the probe 12.

The rotation of the probe rotation gear 14A is transmitted to the torch rotation gear 14C through the transmission gear 14B, so that the cutting torch 11 fixed to the torch rotation gear 14C moves in the cutting direction D of the steel material W while changing the preheating angle. It gradually tilts from θ1 to a predetermined cutting angle θ2 different from the preheating angle θ1.

At this time, as shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), while the cutting torch 11 is tilted from the preheating angle θ1 to the cutting angle θ2, the cutting flame ejected from the cutting torch 11 It is preferable not to hit the cut surface. In this way, cutting can be performed efficiently and the properties of the cut surface will not be impaired.

In the thermal cutting device 1 for metal materials according to the present embodiment, the cutting torch 11 is able to cut the steel material W by using three gears, the probe rotation gear 14A, the transmission gear 14B, and the torch rotation gear 14C, which have mutually different gear ratios. I try to tilt it. By changing the gear ratio and arrangement of the probe rotation gear 14A, transmission gear 14B, and torch rotation gear 14C, the amount of tilting of the cutting torch 11 relative to the amount of tilting of the probe 12 and the angle of the cutting torch 11 relative to the angle of the probe 12 can be adjusted. Can be adjusted.

Further, if a margin is allowed in setting the angles of the probe 12 and the cutting torch 11, the probe swing gear 14A, the transmission gear 14B, and the torch swing gear 14C may not be used. For example, the probe 12 and the cutting torch 11 are rotatably supported by the probe rotation guide 10a and the torch rotation guide 10b, respectively, and the probe 12 and the cutting torch 11 are connected by a connecting member (not shown), so that the probe 12 is connected to the steel W It is also possible to have a structure in which the cutting torch 11 is pulled and tilted when it contacts and tilts.

When the device main body 10 moves further in the cutting direction D of the steel material W and the lower end of the probe 12 completely rides on the upper surface W1 of the steel material W, as shown in FIG. 2(b), the probe 12 cannot be tilted any further. First, the tilting of the cutting torch 11 also stops at the cutting angle θ2. Then, the cutting torch 11 is moved in the cutting direction D of the steel material W while being held at the cutting angle θ2, and cutting of the steel material W is continued.

As described above, in the thermal cutting device 1 for metal materials according to the present embodiment, the cutting torch 11 and the probe 12 are configured to interlock with each other by the link mechanism 14. Therefore, when cutting the steel material W, the link mechanism 14 can automatically tilt the cutting torch 11 from the preheating angle θ1 during preheating to the cutting angle θ2 during cutting.

Here, it is preferable that the cutting torch 11 is fixed to the torch turning gear 14C so that its lower end is located close to the rotation axis X1 of the torch turning gear 14C.

When the cutting torch 11 tilts, its lower end portion moves along an arcuate trajectory centered on the rotation axis X1 of the torch rotation gear 14C. Therefore, if the lower end of the cutting torch 11 is away from the rotation axis X1 of the torch rotation gear 14C, the radius of the arc-shaped locus that the lower end of the cutting torch 11 passes becomes larger, and the lift amount L( The distance between the upper surface of the steel material W and the lower end of the cutting torch 11 increases. Then, while the cutting torch 11 is tilted from the preheating angle θ1 to the cutting angle θ2, the lift amount L of the cutting torch 11 becomes excessive, and there is a possibility that good cutting conditions will not be achieved.

On the other hand, if the lower end of the cutting torch 11 is located close to the rotation axis X1 of the torch rotation gear 14C, the radius of the arc-shaped trajectory through which the lower end of the cutting torch 11 passes becomes small, and the cutting torch 11 is lifted. The change in the amount L (distance between the upper surface of the steel material W and the lower end of the cutting torch 11) becomes smaller. Therefore, while the cutting torch 11 is tilted from the preheating angle θ1 to the cutting angle θ2, the change in the lift amount L of the cutting torch 11 is small, and good cutting conditions can be maintained.

When the lift amount L of the cutting torch 11 during gas cutting is small, as shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), the height of the rotation axis It is sufficient if the height is close to W1.

Further, in FIGS. 1, 2(a), and 2(b), examples are shown in which the rotation axis X0 of the probe rotation gear 14A (probe 12) and the rotation axis X1 of the torch rotation gear 14C (cutting torch 11) are different from each other. It shows. However, by replacing the transmission gear 14B that transmits the rotation of the probe rotation gear 14A to the torch rotation gear 14C with another gear (group) and changing the arrangement and configuration of the link mechanism, the probe rotation gear 14A (probe 12) The rotation axis X0 of the torch rotation gear 14C (cutting torch 11) may be aligned with the rotation axis X1 of the torch rotation gear 14C (cutting torch 11).

Next, the above-mentioned preheating angle θ1 and cutting angle θ2, which are conditions for thermal cutting, will be explained.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the relationship between the preheating angle of thermal cutting (the angle of ejection of the preheating flame from the cutting torch 11 during preheating) θ1 and the preheating limit plate thickness (the upper limit of the plate thickness that can be preheated). Here, the preheating angle θ1 is based on the angle at which the cutting torch 11 faces vertically downward (0 degree), and the angle at which the upper end of the cutting torch 11 tilts forward in the cutting direction D is defined as positive.

The preferable preheating angle θ1 varies depending on the thickness and type of the steel material W, and other cutting conditions, but as shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable to set the preheating angle θ1 in the range of -30 degrees to 0 degrees. In this way, when the end surface of the steel material W is vertical, the preheating flame can be reliably applied to the end surface W0 of the steel material W, and the entire end surface W0 can be efficiently preheated. Further, it is more preferable to set the preheating angle θ1 in the range of -20 degrees to -5 degrees. When the preheating flame is injected obliquely to the end surface W0 of the steel material W, the positional accuracy of the preheating point P on the end surface W0 of the steel material W can be varied. In addition, by applying the preheating flame to the end surface W0 of the steel material W at an angle, the heating effect during preheating is higher than when applying the preheating flame parallel to the end surface W0 of the steel material W, and the time required for preheating and cutting is increased. It is possible to shorten the time. If the thickness of the steel material W is small and the preheating flame can be spread over the entire end face W0, the preheating angle θ1 may be tilted to -45 degrees to shorten the preheating time.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the relationship between the cutting angle of thermal cutting (the angle of ejection of the cutting flame from the cutting torch 11 during cutting) θ2 and the height of the slag attached to the lower surface W2 of the steel material W. Here, similarly to the preheating angle θ1, the cutting angle θ2 is based on the angle at which the cutting torch 11 faces vertically downward (0 degrees), and the angle at which the upper end of the cutting torch 11 is inclined forward in the cutting direction D is set as the standard. It is said that

As shown in FIG. 4, it is preferable to set the cutting angle θ2 in the range of −10 degrees to +30 degrees. In this way, it is possible to prevent slag from adhering to the lower surface W2 of the steel material W during cutting, and to reduce the need for maintenance in post-processes. Further, it is more preferable to adjust the cutting angle θ2 according to the actual state of slag adhesion during cutting.

As a method of adjusting the inclination angle θ2 of the cutting torch 11 according to the state of slag adhesion during cutting, for example, the method of adjusting the inclination angle θ2 of the cutting torch 11 is as follows: As in the thermal cutting device 1', there is a method of providing dial mechanisms 14D to 14F in addition to the link mechanism 14 (14A to 14C) as a cutting torch tilting mechanism.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), the dial mechanisms 14D to 14F include internal teeth 14D formed on the torch rotating gear 14C and a moving piece that moves on the torch rotating gear 14C. 14E, and an adjustment dial 14F for adjusting the position of the moving piece 14E with respect to the torch rotation gear 14C.

The moving piece 14E has an arcuate shape and is arranged to face internal teeth 14D formed on the torch rotation gear 14C. The moving piece 14E is attached to the torch turning gear 14C so as to be movable (rotating around the rotation axis X1 of the torch turning gear 14C) in a direction along the internal teeth 14D of the torch turning gear 14C. The cutting torch 11 is fixed to the movable piece 14E so that its lower end faces the rotation axis X1 of the torch rotation gear 14C.

External teeth are provided on the side of the moving piece 14E that faces the internal teeth 14D. The adjustment dial 14F is arranged between the internal teeth 14D of the torch rotation gear 14C and the moving piece 14E, and meshes with the internal teeth 14D of the torch turning gear 14C and the external teeth of the moving piece 14E. When this adjustment dial 14F is rotated, the movable piece 14E moves in a direction along the internal teeth 14D of the torch rotation gear 14C, and the angle of the cutting torch 11 fixed to the movable piece 14E can be adjusted. By using such dial mechanisms 14D to 14F, it is possible to finely adjust the angle of the cutting torch 11 with respect to the angle of the probe 12.

Furthermore, in the thermal cutting apparatus 1 for metal materials according to the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the cutting torch 11 is in an inclined state both when the angle of the cutting torch 11 is the preheating angle θ1 and the cutting angle θ2. Of course, any of these angles may be set to 0 degrees (vertical).
<Second embodiment>
FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) show the configuration and operation of a thermal cutting device 2 for metal materials according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), in the metal material thermal cutting apparatus 2 of this embodiment, the detection means detects the position of the end surface W0 of the steel material W by irradiating the steel material W with a laser. It is composed of a laser sensor 13 for detection. Further, the cutting torch tilting mechanism includes an actuator 15A electrically linked to the laser sensor 13, a drive gear 15B rotated by the actuator 15A, and a torch rotation gear 15C meshing with the drive gear 15B.

The torch rotation gear 15C of this embodiment is rotatably supported by a torch rotation guide (not shown) provided in the main body of the apparatus, similarly to the torch rotation gear 14C of the first embodiment. It moves in the cutting direction D of the steel material W together with the device main body while rotating around the rotation axis X1 which is approximately at the same height as W1.

Similar to the first embodiment, the cutting torch 11 of this embodiment is fixed to the torch rotation gear 15C so that its lower end is higher than the upper surface W1 of the steel material W by a predetermined lift amount L. It moves in the cutting direction D of the steel material W while tilting (rotating) about the rotation axis X1 together with the torch rotation gear 15C.

Further, the laser sensor 13 is fixed to the apparatus main body so as to be at a position further advanced in the cutting direction D than the cutting torch 11, and is movable in the cutting direction D of the steel material W together with the apparatus main body.

In other respects, the metal material thermal cutting device 2 of this embodiment is configured similarly to the metal material thermal cutting device 1 of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), in the thermal cutting device 2 for metal materials of this embodiment, the cutting torch 11 can be automatically tilted from the initial position to the preheating angle θ1 during preheating, and from the preheating angle θ1 to the cutting angle θ2 during cutting. That is, the laser sensor 13 detects the end surface W0 of the steel material W, which is the preheating point P, and the actuator 15A is driven by this detection signal. Then, the drive gear 15B is rotated by the actuator 15A, and the torch rotation gear 15C is further rotated by the drive gear 15B, so that the cutting torch 11 is tilted.

In the thermal cutting device 2 for metal materials of this embodiment, the angle of the cutting torch 11 can be freely tilted by the actuator 15A according to the detection result of the laser sensor 13. For example, during preheating, it is possible to perform preheating while finely adjusting the preheating angle θ1 of the cutting torch 11 in units of several degrees.
<Method for thermal cutting of metal materials>
With reference to FIG. 7, an embodiment of a method for thermally cutting a metal material in which a steel material W is thermally cut using the thermal cutting device 1 for metal materials according to the first embodiment will be described.

The method for thermally cutting a metal material according to the present embodiment includes a detection step S1, a preheating step S2, a cutting step S3, and an initialization step S4.

First, in a detection step S1, it is detected that the cutting torch 11 is at a preheating position a predetermined distance away from the end surface W0 of the steel material W. As shown in FIG. 7(a), before thermal cutting is started, the probe 12 is not yet in contact with the end surface W0 of the steel material W, and is moved vertically by a biasing means (not shown) such as a spring. The cutting direction is biased to an initial angle (not shown) inclined in the opposite direction (negative direction) to the cutting direction D, and is held at this initial angle. Then, as shown in FIG. 7(b), when the apparatus main body 10 of the thermal cutting apparatus 1 for metal materials moves in the cutting direction D of the steel material W and approaches the steel material W, the lower end of the probe 12 touches the steel material W. comes into contact with the end surface W0 of. At this time, since the probe 12 tilts slightly, a sensor (not shown) that detects the movement of the probe 12 detects that the lower end of the probe 12 has come into contact with the end surface W0 of the steel material W, that is, the cutting torch 11 is in contact with the end surface W0 of the steel material W. It is detected that the steel material W is at a preheating position a predetermined distance away from the end surface W0.

In this way, in the detection step S1, when it is detected that the cutting torch 11 is at the preheating position, the process proceeds to the preheating step S2. In the preheating step S2, the angle of the cutting torch 11 relative to the steel material W is tilted from the initial angle to a predetermined preheating angle θ1, and the steel material W is preheated by the cutting torch 11.

When using the thermal cutting device 1 for metal materials according to the first embodiment, the probe 12 contacts the end surface W0 of the steel material W, and the probe 12 is slightly tilted. 11 is tilted from the initial angle to the preheating angle θ1. That is, simultaneously with the detection of the end surface W0 of the steel material W by the probe 12, the cutting torch 11 is tilted to the preheating angle θ1.

At the start of the preheating process S2, movement of the apparatus main body 10 of the apparatus 1 for thermally cutting metal materials is stopped. As a result, the tilting of the probe 12 is also stopped, and the cutting torch 11 interlocked with this is held at the preheating angle θ1. Then, preheating is started in which a preheating flame is ejected from the cutting torch 11 toward the preheating point P on the end surface W0 of the steel material W, and at the same time, counting of the preheating time is started. After the predetermined preheating time has elapsed, the process proceeds to cutting step S3.

At the start of the cutting process S3, the apparatus main body 10 of the metal material thermal cutting device 1 restarts movement in the cutting direction D, and the preheating flame ejected from the cutting torch 11 is switched to a cutting flame to cut the steel material W. Start.

At this time, the movement of the apparatus main body 10 of the thermal cutting apparatus 1 for metal materials in the cutting direction D is resumed, so that the lower end of the probe 12 is moved as shown in FIGS. 7(c) to 7(e). By climbing onto the upper surface W1 from the end surface W0 of the steel material W, the probe 12 moves in the cutting direction D of the steel material W while further tilting. The probe rotation gear 14A to which the probe 12 is fixed also rotates by the same angle as the probe 12.

The rotation of the probe rotation gear 14A is transmitted to the torch rotation gear 14C through the transmission gear 14B, so that the cutting torch 11 fixed to the torch rotation gear 14C moves in the cutting direction D of the steel material W while changing the preheating angle. It gradually tilts from θ1 to a predetermined cutting angle θ2 different from the preheating angle θ1.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7E, when the lower end of the probe 12 completely rides on the upper surface W1 of the steel material W, the probe 12 does not tilt any further. As a result, the tilting of the cutting torch 11 also stops at the cutting angle θ2 and moves in the cutting direction D of the steel material W while maintaining the cutting angle θ2 to continue cutting the steel material W.

Then, in the initialization step S4, the angle of the cutting torch 11 with respect to the steel material W is returned to a predetermined initial angle after the cutting step S3. Specifically, when the cutting of the steel material W is completed, the lower end portion of the probe 12, which had been riding on the upper surface W1 of the steel material W, comes off from the upper surface W1 of the steel material W, as shown in FIG. 7(f). At this time, the probe 12 is urged in the opposite direction (negative direction) to the cutting direction D by the above-mentioned urging means, and the probe 12 automatically returns to its initial angle. Accordingly, the cutting torch 11 that operates in conjunction with the probe 12 also returns to its initial angle. In this way, the cutting torch 11 can not only be automatically tilted to the preheating angle θ1 during preheating and to the cutting angle θ2 during cutting, but also automatically returned to the initial angle when cutting is completed.

In order to prevent the lower end of the probe 12 from scratching the end surface of the steel material W when the probe 12 returns to the initial angle, a stopper for regulating the amount of tilting of the probe 12 is provided on the torch rotation gear 14C, It is preferable that the biasing means is provided with a damping means (not shown) for adjusting the tilting speed of the biasing means.

The method for manufacturing a metal material according to the present embodiment is carried out by including the step of thermally cutting a steel material W using the above-described method for thermally cutting a steel material.

1, 1', 2 Thermal cutting device for metal materials 10 Device main body 10a Probe rotation guide 10b Torch rotation guide 11 Cutting torch 12 Probe (detection means)
13 Laser sensor (detection means)
14 Link mechanism (cutting torch tilting mechanism)
14A Probe rotation gear (cutting torch tilting mechanism)
14B Transmission gear (cutting torch tilting mechanism)
14C Torch rotation gear (cutting torch tilting mechanism)
14D Internal teeth 14E Moving piece 14F Adjustment dial 15A Actuator (cutting torch tilting mechanism)
15B Drive gear (cutting torch tilting mechanism)
15C Torch rotation gear (cutting torch tilting mechanism)
θ1 Preheating angle θ2 Cutting angle D Cutting direction X0 Rotation axis of probe rotation gear X1 Rotation axis of torch rotation gear W Metal material (steel material)
W0 End surface W1 Top surface W2 Bottom surface P Preheating point L Lift amount

Claims (6)

a cutting torch that is movable in the cutting direction of the metal material and tiltable in the cutting direction;
a detection means for detecting that the cutting torch is at a preheated position a predetermined distance from the end surface of the metal material;
a cutting torch tilting mechanism that tilts an angle of the cutting torch with respect to the metal material to a predetermined preheating angle when the detection means detects that the cutting torch is at the preheating position;
A thermal cutting device for metal materials , comprising:
The cutting torch tilting mechanism tilts an angle of the cutting torch with respect to the metal material to a predetermined cutting angle different from the preheating angle when the cutting torch moves from the preheating position in the cutting direction,
When the angle at which the cutting torch points vertically downward is 0 degrees, and the angle at which the upper end of the cutting torch is inclined forward in the cutting direction is positive, the preheating angle is set in a range of -30 degrees to 0 degrees. and the cutting angle is set in a range of -10 degrees to +30 degrees . a cutting torch that is movable in the cutting direction of the metal material and tiltable in the cutting direction;
a detection means for detecting that the cutting torch is at a preheated position a predetermined distance from the end surface of the metal material;
a cutting torch tilting mechanism that tilts an angle of the cutting torch with respect to the metal material to a predetermined preheating angle when the detection means detects that the cutting torch is at the preheating position;
A thermal cutting device for metal materials, comprising:
The detection means is a probe that is movable in the cutting direction of the metal material together with the cutting torch while a lower end thereof is in contact with an end surface or an upper surface of the metal material,
The cutting torch tilting mechanism changes the angle of the cutting torch from the preheating angle to the preheating angle when the lower end of the probe rides from the end surface of the metal material to the top surface and the angle with respect to the metal material changes. A thermal cutting device for metal materials, which is a link mechanism that interlocks the probe and the cutting torch so as to change the cutting angle to a predetermined cutting angle . The detection means is a laser sensor that detects the position of the end surface or top surface of the metal material by irradiating the metal material with a laser,
The cutting torch tilting mechanism is an actuator that changes the angle of the cutting torch from the preheating angle to the cutting angle in accordance with the position of the end surface or top surface of the metal material detected by the laser sensor. Thermal cutting equipment for the metal materials described. A method for thermally cutting a metal material using the metal material cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , comprising:
a detection step of detecting that the cutting torch is at a preheated position a predetermined distance away from the end surface of the metal material;
Preheating of tilting the angle of the cutting torch with respect to the metal material to a predetermined preheating angle when the detection step detects that the cutting torch is at the preheating position, and preheating the metal material with the cutting torch. process and
a cutting step of tilting the angle of the cutting torch with respect to the metal material to a predetermined cutting angle different from the preheating angle after the end of the preheating, and thermally cutting the metal material with the cutting torch;
A method for thermally cutting metal materials. The method for thermally cutting a metal material according to claim 4 , further comprising an initialization step of returning the angle of the cutting torch with respect to the metal material to a predetermined initial angle after the cutting step. A method for manufacturing a metal material, comprising the step of thermally cutting a metal material using the method for thermally cutting a metal material according to claim 4 or 5 .

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