JP7425713B2 - laser processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a laser processing device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a laser processing device that moves a laser head that emits laser light above a workpiece by winding up an endless wrapping member.

Conventionally, a laser processing device has been proposed that cuts a plate material into a desired shape to produce a blank material by moving a laser head that irradiates a laser beam in a plane above the plate material sent out by a conveyance device. In such a laser processing apparatus, it is preferable to reduce the weight of the laser head as much as possible in order to suppress vibrations due to inertia of the laser head during movement.

Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose that a laser head is supported slidably along the extending direction of the guide member by a guide member suspended above the workpiece, and the laser head is driven by a belt to extend the guide member. A laser processing device is shown that is moved along the current direction. According to the laser processing apparatuses disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the weight of the laser head can be reduced by moving the laser head using a belt without providing the laser head with a driving source.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 07-202488 JP2013-862921A

However, in the laser processing devices shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the laser head is supported by a guide member in a cantilevered manner, which causes twisting and shaking when the laser head is moved at high speed, reducing processing accuracy. There is a risk that it will decrease. In addition, the edges of the plate may, in rare cases, be curved toward the laser head. When such a plate material is conveyed from the upstream side along the conveyance direction by a conveying device, the belt may be cut by the end of the plate material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a laser processing apparatus that can suppress shaking of a processing tool during movement and damage to an endless wrapping member for moving the processing tool.

(1) A laser processing apparatus according to the present invention (for example, a laser processing apparatus 1 described below) is a workpiece transporter that transports a workpiece (for example, a workpiece W described later) along a transport direction (for example, a transport direction Y described later). A device (for example, a workpiece conveyance device 2 described later), a processing tool (for example, a laser head unit 3 described later) that processes the workpiece by irradiating the workpiece with a laser beam from above, and a processing tool that processes the workpiece by irradiating the workpiece with a laser beam from above. An upstream guide member (for example, an upstream guide member 531 described below) that extends along a width direction (for example, the width direction X described below) that intersects the ) and a downstream guide member (for example, the downstream guide member 532 described below), and an endless wrapping member (for example, the downstream guide member 532 described below) that extends over the workpiece along the width direction and is fixed at least in part to the processing tool. For example, the processing tool includes a belt 54 (described later) and a moving mechanism (for example, a moving mechanism 55 described below) that moves the processing tool along the width direction by winding up the endless winding member. is disposed between the upstream guide member and the downstream guide member in plan view, is disposed above the workpiece among the endless wrapping members, and is a first fixing portion for the processing tool (for example, A first section (for example, a first transverse section 541 to be described later), which is a portion including a first fixing section 543), is disposed between the upstream guide member and the downstream guide member in plan view, and A lower end surface (for example, a lower end surface 541a described below) of the first section on the work side is arranged higher than a lower end surface (for example, a lower end surface 531b described below) of the upstream guide member in side view. It is characterized by

(2) In this case, the laser processing device includes a counterweight (for example, The counterweight further includes a counterweight 4), which is disposed above the workpiece of the endless wrapping member and is located in a second section that is different from the first section (for example, a second transverse section described later). 542) at a second fixing section (for example, a second fixing section 544 to be described later), the second section is arranged downstream of the downstream guide member in the conveyance direction in plan view, and The lower end surface of the section on the work side (for example, the lower end surface 542a described below) may be arranged above the lower end surface of the downstream guide member (for example, the lower end surface 532b described below) in side view. preferable.

(3) In this case, the center of gravity of the processing tool (for example, the center of gravity P described below) is located between the upper end surfaces (for example, the upper end surfaces 531a and 532a described below) and the lower end surfaces of the upstream and downstream guide members when viewed from the side. (For example, it is preferable to arrange it between lower end surfaces 531b and 532b described later).

(1) In the present invention, a processing tool that irradiates a workpiece with a laser beam is slid along the width direction by an upstream guide member and a downstream guide member that are arranged on the upstream and downstream sides of the conveyance direction in plan view. It is freely supported and moved along the width direction by winding up an endless winding member fixed to the processing tool. That is, in the present invention, by supporting the processing tool from both the upstream side and the downstream side in the conveyance direction, it is possible to suppress the shaking of the processing tool during movement. Further, in the present invention, the first section, which is the part of the endless wrapping member that is disposed above the workpiece and includes the first fixing part for the processing tool, is located between the upstream guide member and the downstream guide member in plan view. Further, the lower end surface of the first section is arranged above the lower end surface of the upstream guide member in side view. Therefore, according to the present invention, even when a workpiece that is warped toward the processing tool is transported by the transport device, the workpiece contacts the upstream guide member before contacting the endless wrapping member, so that the endless wrapping member It is also possible to suppress damage to

(2) In the present invention, the counterweight is slidably supported in the width direction by the downstream guide member on the downstream side of the conveyance direction from the downstream guide member, and is defined in the second section of the endless wrapping member. It is fixed to the second fixing part. Thereby, the counterweight moves in a direction opposite to the processing tool in conjunction with the movement of the processing tool along the width direction. Further, by providing the counterweight at such a position, it is possible to suppress shaking of the processing tool when the upstream guide member and the downstream guide member are moved along the conveyance direction together with the processing tool and the counterweight. Further, in the present invention, the second section of the endless wrapping member is arranged downstream of the downstream guide member in the conveying direction in plan view, and the lower end surface of this second section is arranged below the downstream guide member in side view. Place it above the end face. Therefore, according to the present invention, even if the end of the workpiece after being processed by the laser beam is bent back toward the processing tool, the end of the workpiece can be moved toward the downstream side before it comes into contact with the second section of the endless wrapping member. Since it contacts the guide member, damage to the endless wrapping member can be further suppressed.

(3) In the present invention, the center of gravity of the processing tool is located between the upper and lower end surfaces of the upstream and downstream guide members when viewed from the side. Thereby, it is possible to further suppress shaking of the processing tool during movement.

1 is a perspective view of a laser processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a head drive mechanism in a plan view. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the laser head unit has been moved toward the first Y-axis guide member along the width direction. It is a figure showing the state where the laser head unit was moved to the downstream side along the conveyance direction. 3 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2. FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A laser processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a laser processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The laser processing device 1 cuts the workpiece W into a desired shape by irradiating the workpiece W transported along the transporting direction Y with a laser beam from above the workpiece W.

The laser processing device 1 includes a workpiece transport device 2 that transports the workpiece W along the transport direction Y, a laser head unit 3 that cuts the workpiece W by irradiating the workpiece W with laser light from above, and a laser head. A head drive mechanism 5 that moves a unit 3 and a counterweight 4, which will be described later, above the workpiece W in a horizontal plane formed by the transport direction Y and the width direction X perpendicular to this, and the laser head unit 3 and the supply of laser light. It includes a flexible cable 6 that connects to a laser oscillator (not shown) that is a source, and a cable support mechanism 7 that supports this cable 6. The workpiece W is, for example, an aluminum alloy plate or a steel plate, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Note that, hereinafter, walking perpendicular to the transport direction Y and the width direction X will be referred to as the height direction Z.

The workpiece conveyance device 2 is a belt conveyor, and includes a plurality of belt rollers (not shown) that are rotatable around an axis parallel to the width direction X, an endless belt B stretched around these belt rollers, and By rotationally driving the belt roller, the belt B and the workpiece W placed on the belt B are sent from the upstream side (the left side in FIG. 1) to the downstream side (the right side in FIG. 1) along the conveyance direction Y. A roller drive device (not shown).

The cable support mechanism 7 includes a support frame 8 provided above the belt B, a first holder 61, a second holder 62, and a third holder 63 that hold a part of the cable 6, and a third holder that supports the cable 6. A first support unit 71, a second support unit 72, a third support unit 73, and a fourth support unit 74 are provided.

The support frame 8 is constituted by a plurality of pillar members arranged so as to surround the processing range of the laser head unit 3 (that is, the processing range of the laser head unit 3) in plan view.

The cable 6 includes a plurality of wire members connected to the laser head 31, such as an optical cable that transmits laser light generated by a laser oscillator, a sensor signal line, a hose that allows cooling water or gas to flow, and a power line that carries current. Consisted of.

The three holders 61, 62, and 63 each hold the cable 6 with multi-packing and clamps. A cable 6 extending from the laser head unit 3 to a laser oscillator (not shown) is provided with a first holder 61, a second holder 62, and a third holder 63 in order from the laser head unit 3 side toward the laser oscillator side. It is being

The four support units 71 to 74 are each fixed to the support frame 8. The first support unit 71 and the second support unit 72 swingably support the portion of the cable 6 that is held by the first holder 61. The third support unit 73 swingably supports a portion of the cable 6 that is held by the second holder 62. The fourth support unit 74 supports the portion of the cable 6 held by the third holder 63 in a slidable manner above the belt B along the conveyance direction Y. That is, these support units 71 to 74 swingably support the cable 6 and move the cable 6 in accordance with the movement of the laser head 31.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the head drive mechanism 5 in a plan view. In FIG. 2, the left side is the upstream side in the transport direction Y, and the right side is the downstream side in the transport direction Y.

The head drive mechanism 5 includes a first Y-axis guide member 51 and a second Y-axis guide member 52 that extend parallel to each other along the conveyance direction Y on both sides of the belt B, and the first Y-axis guide member 51 and the second Y-axis guide member 52. an X-axis guide member 53 that spans between and supports the laser head unit 3 and counterweight 4; The belt 54 is an endless winding member that is stretched along the laser head unit 3 and the counterweight 4 at least in part and is fixed to the laser head unit 3 and the counterweight 4 by winding up the belt 54. A moving mechanism 55 that moves along a horizontal plane including the transport direction Y and the width direction X is provided.

The first Y-axis guide member 51 extends along the conveyance direction Y on the left side of the belt B when viewed from the upstream side of the conveyance direction Y. The second Y-axis guide member 52 extends along the conveyance direction Y on the right side of the belt B when viewed from the upstream side of the conveyance direction Y. These Y-axis guide members 51 and 52 each support both ends of the X-axis guide member 53 along the width direction X so as to be slidable along the conveyance direction Y.

The X-axis guide member 53 includes an upstream guide member 531 that extends along the width direction a downstream guide member 532 extending along the width direction The second connecting portion 534 extends along the transport direction Y and connects the ends of the upstream guide member 531 and the downstream guide member 532 on the second Y-axis guide member 52 side. The upstream guide member 531 and the downstream guide member 532 are connected by a first connecting part 533 and a second connecting part 534 in a state where they are parallel to each other in plan view and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval along the conveyance direction Y. The first connecting portion 533 is slidably supported by the first Y-axis guide member 51 along the conveying direction Y, and the second connecting portion 534 is slidably supported by the second Y-axis guide member 52 along the conveying direction Y. is supported by Therefore, the upstream guide member 531 and the downstream guide member 532 are slidable above the workpiece W along the transport direction Y with respect to the Y-axis guide members 51 and 52.

As shown in FIG. 2, the laser head unit 3 is disposed between an upstream guide member 531 and a downstream guide member 532 in a plan view, and the counterweight 4 is arranged in a transport direction from the downstream guide member 532 in a plan view. Located downstream of Y.

A first X-axis guide rail 535 extending along the width direction X is formed at the downstream end of the upstream guide member 531 in the transport direction Y. Further, a second X-axis guide rail 536 extending along the width direction X is formed at the upstream end of the downstream guide member 532 in the transport direction Y. The upstream end of the laser head unit 3 in the transport direction Y is slidably supported along the first X-axis guide rail 535, and the downstream end of the laser head unit 3 in the transport direction Y is supported along the first X-axis guide rail 535. It is supported slidably along a second X-axis guide rail 536. Therefore, the laser head unit 3 is supported between the upstream guide member 531 and the downstream guide member 532 by the upstream guide member 531 and the downstream guide member 532.

Further, a third X-axis guide rail 537 extending along the width direction X is formed at the downstream end of the downstream guide member 532 in the transport direction Y. The upstream end of the counterweight 4 in the transport direction Y is supported slidably along the third X-axis guide rail 537.

The belt 54 is endless, that is, annular and band-shaped. Although a case will be described below in which the belt 54 is used as an endless wrapping member, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a chain may be used as the endless wrapping member.

The moving mechanism 55 includes a first motor 56, a second motor 57, a first pulley 58, and a second pulley 59, around which a belt 54 is stretched.

The first motor 56 and the second motor 57 are provided on both sides of the belt B in the width direction X, respectively. In other words, the first motor 56 and the second motor 57 are provided at opposing positions along the width direction X with the belt B interposed therebetween. The first motor 56 and the second motor 57 are each capable of independently winding the belt 54 clockwise or counterclockwise in plan view according to commands from a control device (not shown).

The first pulley 58 and the second pulley 59 are provided on both sides of the belt B along the width direction X, respectively, on the downstream side in the conveyance direction Y with respect to the first motor 56 and the second motor 57. In other words, the first pulley 58 and the second pulley 59 are provided at positions opposite to each other along the width direction X with the belt B sandwiched therebetween on the downstream side of the first motor 56 and the second motor 57 in the conveying direction Y. ing. These first pulley 58 and second pulley 59 follow the movement of the belt 54 and rotate clockwise or counterclockwise in plan view.

The belt 54 is connected to the first motor 56, the second motor 57, and the first pulley 58 so that it has an H-shape along the extending direction of the Y-axis guide members 51, 52 and the X-axis guide member 53 in plan view. , and the second pulley 59. By winding the endless belt 54 in an H-shape in a plan view, the belt 54 can cross the workpiece in two sections: a first transverse section 541 and a second transverse section 542 different from the first transverse section 541. It traverses above W along the width direction X. Below, of these two crossing sections 541 and 542, the one that crosses the upstream side of the conveyance direction Y (that is, the motor 56 and 57 side) is referred to as a first crossing section 541, and with respect to this first crossing section 541, The section that crosses the downstream side (that is, the pulleys 58 and 59 side) of the transport direction Y is referred to as a second crossing section 542.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first transverse section 541 of the belt 54 extends above the workpiece W along the width direction X, and is arranged between the upstream guide member 531 and the downstream guide member 532 in plan view. ing. As described above, the laser head unit 3 disposed between the upstream guide member 531 and the downstream guide member 532 is fixed to the belt 54 at the first fixing portion 543 within the first transverse section 541.

Further, the second transverse section 542 of the belt 54 extends above the workpiece W along the width direction X, and is disposed on the downstream side of the downstream guide member 532 in the conveyance direction Y in plan view. As described above, the counterweight 4 disposed on the downstream side of the downstream guide member 532 in the transport direction Y is fixed to the belt 54 at the second fixing portion 544 within the second transverse section 542. More specifically, the distance along the belt 54 between the first fixing part 543 and the second fixing part 544 is the same as the distance along the belt 54 between the first motor 56 and the first pulley 58, and the second motor 57 and the second pulley 58. The path following the two pulleys 59 is approximately the same. Therefore, when the laser head unit 3 is arranged at the center in the width direction X between the first Y-axis guide member 51 and the second Y-axis guide member 52 as shown in FIG. are opposed along the transport direction Y with the downstream guide member 532 in between.

In the laser processing apparatus 1, the laser head unit 3 can be moved along a horizontal plane above the workpiece W by controlling the rotations of the motors 56 and 57 in combination by a control device (not shown).

FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a state in which the laser head unit 3 is moved toward the first Y-axis guide member 51 along the width direction X. When moving the laser head unit 3 toward the first Y-axis guide member 51 along the width direction Wind up 54 counterclockwise. As a result, the laser head unit 3 fixed to the first crossing section 541 moves to the first Y-axis guide member 51 side, and the counterweight 4 fixed to the second crossing section 542 moves to the second Y-axis guide member 52 side. Move to. At this time, by rotating the first motor 56 and the second motor 57 at the same speed, the speed of the belt 54 sent from the first motor 56 to the first crossing section 541 and the speed of the belt 54 sent from the second pulley 59 to the second crossing section Since the speed of the belt 54 sent to the belt 542 becomes equal, the laser head unit 3 and the counterweight 4 can be moved along the width direction X while the position of the X-axis guide member 53 along the conveyance direction Y is fixed. Can be done.

Although not shown, by rotating both the first motor 56 and the second motor 57 clockwise at the same speed in plan view and winding the belt 54 clockwise, the laser head unit 3 is moved in the width direction X. The counterweight 4 can be moved along the width direction X toward the second Y-axis guide member 52 side, and the counterweight 4 can be moved along the width direction X toward the first Y-axis guide member 51 side.

FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a state in which the laser head unit 3 is moved downstream along the transport direction Y. When moving the laser head unit 3 downstream along the conveyance direction Y, the first motor 56 is rotated counterclockwise in plan view, the belt 54 is wound counterclockwise by the first motor 56, and the first motor 56 is rotated counterclockwise in a plan view. The second motor 57 is rotated clockwise in plan view at the same speed as the first motor 56, and the belt 54 is wound clockwise by the second motor 57. Thereby, the X-axis guide member 53, laser head unit 3, and counterweight 4 move downstream along the conveyance direction Y. At this time, by rotating the first motor 56 and the second motor 57 in opposite directions and at the same speed, the speed of the belt 54 sent from the first motor 56 to the first crossing section 541 and the speed of the belt 54 sent from the second motor 57 to the first crossing section 541 are adjusted. Since the speed of the belt 54 sent out to one crossing section 541 becomes equal, the positions of the laser head unit 3 and the counterweight 4 relative to the X-axis guide member 53 along the width direction X are fixed, and the X-axis guide member 53, The laser head unit 3 and the counterweight 4 can be moved downstream along the transport direction Y.

Although not shown, the first motor 56 is rotated clockwise in a plan view, the belt 54 is wound clockwise by the first motor 56, and the second motor 57 is rotated counterclockwise in a plan view. By winding the belt 54 counterclockwise by the second motor 57, the positions of the laser head unit 3 and counterweight 4 relative to the X-axis guide member 53 in the width direction X are fixed, and the X-axis guide member 53 is , the laser head unit 3, and the counterweight 4 can be moved upstream along the transport direction Y.

In the laser processing apparatus 1, the laser head unit 3 is controlled by combining the operations of the motors 56 and 57 as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, that is, by independently controlling the rotation direction and speed of the motors 56 and 57. can be moved in a horizontal plane including the transport direction Y and the width direction X.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. More specifically, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along the transport direction Y including the first fixing part 543 for the laser head unit 3 and the second fixing part 544 for the counterweight 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, the upstream guide member 531 and the downstream guide member 532 have a rectangular shape when viewed in cross section. The lengths of the upstream guide member 531 and the downstream guide member 532 in the height direction Z in a cross-sectional view are approximately equal. Further, the heights of the upper end surface 531a of the upstream guide member 531 and the upper end surface 532a of the downstream guide member 532 along the height direction Z are approximately equal, and the lower end surface 531b of the upstream guide member 531 and the lower end surface 532a of the downstream guide member 532 are approximately equal in height. The heights of the lower end surfaces 532b along the height direction Z are substantially equal.

The first X-axis guide rail 535 has an upwardly convex shape in cross-sectional view, and is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction Y of the upper end surface 531a of the upstream guide member 531. The second X-axis guide rail 536 has an upwardly convex shape in cross-sectional view, and is provided on the upstream side of the upper end surface 532a of the downstream guide member 532 in the transport direction Y. Therefore, the heights of these guide rails 535 and 536 along the height direction Z are approximately equal. Further, the third X-axis guide rail 537 has an upwardly convex shape in cross-sectional view, and is provided on the downstream side of the lower end surface 532b of the downstream guide member 532 in the transport direction Y. Therefore, the height of the third X-axis guide rail 537 along the height direction Z is lower than the height of the guide rails 535 and 536 along the height direction Z.

The laser head unit 3 includes a columnar laser head 31 extending along the height direction Z, a columnar head support portion 32 that supports the laser head 31, and a cable 6 extending from the base end 31a of the laser head 31. It includes a cylindrical cable guide 33 that is inserted, a belt fixing part 34 to which the first fixing part 543 of the belt 54 is fixed, and a guide support part 35 that supports the cable guide 33.

The laser head 31 collects laser light transmitted from the laser oscillator via the cable 6, and irradiates the workpiece W along the height direction Z from its tip 31b. The length of the laser head 31 along the height direction Z is longer than the length of the guide members 531 and 532 along the height direction Z in a cross-sectional view. The height of the base end 31a of the laser head 31 along the height direction Z is higher than the upper end surfaces 531a, 532a of the guide members 531, 532, and the height of the base end 31b of the laser head 31 along the height direction Z is higher than the upper end surfaces 531a, 532a of the guide members 531, 532. The height is lower than the lower end surfaces 531b, 532b of the guide members 531, 532.

The head support section 32 supports the laser head 31 in a slidable manner along the height direction Z. The distance from the tip 31b of the laser head 31 to the workpiece W along the height direction Z is adjusted as appropriate by a focusing process (not shown). Further, an upstream runner 321 that engages with the first X-axis guide rail 535 is provided on the upstream side of the head support section 32 in the transport direction Y. The upstream runner 321 has a downwardly concave shape when viewed in cross section, and is slidably engaged with the first X-axis guide rail 535 along the extending direction. The upstream side of the laser head unit 3 in the transport direction Y is slidably supported along the width direction X relative to the upstream guide member 531 by fitting the upstream runner 321 to the first X-axis guide rail 535. Ru.

The cable guide 33 has a conical cylindrical shape in which the inner diameter of the distal end portion 33a is smaller than the inner diameter of the proximal end portion 33b. The cable 6 is inserted through the cable guide 33 so that the tip 33a is substantially coaxial with the laser head 31 and the tip 33a is on the laser head 31 side. As shown in FIG. 4, the inner wall surface 33c of the cable guide 33 is a curved surface curved with a predetermined radius of curvature when viewed in cross section. By inserting the cable 6 through such a cable guide 33, it is possible to prevent the cable 6 from being bent at a radius of curvature smaller than the radius of curvature of the inner wall surface 333c as the laser head 31 moves. Therefore, the radius of curvature of the inner wall surface 33c is designed so as not to exceed the amount of bending allowed for the cable 6. Note that the cable guide 33 is not fixed to the cable 6 and the laser head 31. Therefore, movement of the laser head 31 and the cable 6 along the height direction Z is not restricted by the cable guide 33.

The belt fixing part 34 is fixed to the downstream side of the head support part 32 in the transport direction Y. The first transverse section 541 of the belt-shaped belt 54 is disposed between the upstream guide member 531 and the downstream guide member 532 with its width direction parallel to the height direction Z. Further, the belt 54 is fixed to the belt fixing section 34 at a first fixing section 543 defined within the first transverse section 541 . Therefore, when the belt 54 is moved, the laser head unit 3 is also moved together with the belt 54. As shown in FIG. 4, the lower end surface 541a of the first transverse section 541 of the belt 54 on the workpiece W side is higher than the lower end surface 531b of the upstream guide member 531 and the lower end surface 532b of the downstream guide member 532 in side view. placed on the side.

Further, a downstream runner 341 that engages with the second X-axis guide rail 536 is provided on the downstream side of the belt fixing portion 34 in the conveyance direction Y. The downstream runner 341 is downwardly concave in cross-sectional view, and is slidably engaged with the second X-axis guide rail 536 along the extending direction. The downstream side of the laser head unit 3 in the transport direction Y is slidably supported along the width direction X relative to the downstream guide member 532 by fitting the downstream runner 341 to the second X-axis guide rail 536. Ru. As described above, the laser head unit 3 is supported by the upstream guide member 531 and the downstream guide member 532 provided on both sides of the laser head unit 3 from the upstream and downstream sides in the transport direction Y.

The guide support part 35 has an arm shape extending along the height direction Z, and connects the upper part of the belt fixing part 34 and the tip part 33a of the cable guide 33 to prevent the cable guide 33 from swinging relative to the laser head 31. suppress.

As described above, the laser head unit 3 is configured by combining a plurality of parts such as the laser head 31, the head support section 32, the cable guide 33, the belt fixing section 34, and the guide support section 35. The shape and weight of these parts constituting the laser head unit 3 are such that the center of gravity P of the laser head unit 3 is located between the upper end surfaces 531a, 532a and the lower end surfaces 531b, 532b of the guide members 531, 532 in side view. designed to be placed.

The counterweight 4 includes a columnar weight 41 and a weight support section 42 that supports the weight 41.

The weight support portion 42 has a plate shape extending along the width direction X. A weight 41 is fixed to the downstream side surface of the weight support section 42 in the conveyance direction Y, and a runner 43 that engages with the third X-axis guide rail 537 is provided on the upstream side surface of the weight support section 42 in the conveyance direction Y. It is being The runner 43 has a downwardly concave shape when viewed in cross section, and is slidably engaged with the third X-axis guide rail 537 along the extending direction. The upstream side of the counterweight 4 in the transport direction Y is slidably supported along the width direction X with respect to the downstream guide member 532 by fitting the runner 43 to the third X-axis guide rail 537.

The weight of the weight 41 is set so that the weight of the entire counterweight 4 and the weight of the entire laser head unit 3 are approximately equal. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the shaking of the laser head unit 3 when the X-axis guide member 53 is moved along the conveyance direction Y together with the laser head unit 3 and counterweight 4 supported by the X-axis guide member 53.

The second transverse section 542 of the belt-shaped belt 54 is disposed on the downstream side of the downstream guide member 532 in the conveyance direction Y, with its width direction parallel to the height direction Z. The belt 54 is also fixed to the weight support 42 at a second fixing portion 544 defined within the second transverse section 542 . Therefore, when the belt 54 is moved, the counterweight 4 is also moved together with the belt 54. As shown in FIG. 4, the lower end surface 542a of the second transverse section 542 of the belt 54 on the workpiece W side is higher than the lower end surface 531b of the upstream guide member 531 and the lower end surface 532b of the downstream guide member 532 in side view. placed on the side.

According to the laser processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the following effects are achieved.
(1) In the laser processing apparatus 1, the laser head unit 3 that irradiates the workpiece W with a laser beam is connected to an upstream guide member 531 and a downstream guide member 532 disposed on the upstream and downstream sides of the conveyance direction Y in plan view. The laser head unit 3 is supported slidably along the width direction X, and is moved along the width direction X by winding up the belt 54 fixed to the laser head unit 3. That is, in the laser processing apparatus 1, by supporting the laser head unit 3 by supporting it from both the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction Y, it is possible to suppress the shaking of the laser head unit 3 during movement. In addition, in the laser processing apparatus 1, the first transverse section 541, which is a portion of the belt 54 that is disposed above the workpiece W and includes the first fixing part 543 to the laser head unit 3, is connected to the upstream guide member 531 in a plan view. The lower end surface 541a of the first transverse section 541 is arranged above the lower end surface 531b of the upstream guide member 531 in side view. Therefore, according to the laser processing device 1, even when the workpiece W1 (see the broken line in FIG. 4) that is bent toward the laser head unit 3 is transported by the workpiece transport device 2, before the workpiece W1 comes into contact with the belt 54. Since the belt 54 contacts the upstream guide member 531 at the same time, damage to the belt 54 can also be suppressed.

(2) In the laser processing device 1, the counterweight 4 is slidably supported along the width direction X by the downstream guide member 532 on the downstream side of the conveyance direction Y from the downstream guide member 532, and the belt 54 It is fixed to a second fixing part 544 defined in a second crossing section 542 of. Thereby, the counterweight 4 moves in the opposite direction to the laser head unit 3 in conjunction with the movement of the laser head unit 3 in the width direction X. Further, by providing the counterweight 4 at such a position, the laser head unit when the upstream guide member 531 and the downstream guide member 532 are moved along the conveyance direction Y together with the laser head unit 3 and the counterweight 4 3. The shaking can be suppressed. Further, in the laser processing apparatus 1, the second transverse section 542 of the belt 54 is disposed on the downstream side in the conveying direction Y from the downstream guide member 532 in plan view, and the lower end surface 542a of the second transverse section 542 is arranged on the side surface. When viewed, it is arranged above the lower end surface 532b of the downstream guide member 532. Therefore, according to the laser processing apparatus 1, even if the end of the workpiece W2 (see the dashed line in FIG. 4) after processing with the laser beam is bent toward the laser head unit 3, the end of the workpiece W2 is Since the belt 54 contacts the downstream guide member 532 before contacting the second crossing section 542 of the belt 54, damage to the belt 54 can be further suppressed.

(3) In the laser processing apparatus 1, the center of gravity P of the laser head unit 3 is located between the upper end surfaces 531a, 532a and the lower end surfaces 531b, 532b of the guide members 531, 532 when viewed from the side. Thereby, shaking of the laser head unit 3 during movement can be further suppressed.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this. The detailed structure may be changed as appropriate within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

1... Laser processing device 2... Workpiece conveyance device 3... Laser head unit (processing tool)
31...Laser head 32...Head support part 34...Belt fixing part 4...Counterweight 5...Head drive mechanism 51...First Y-axis guide member 52...Second Y-axis guide member 53...X-axis guide member 531...Upstream side guide member 531a ...Upper end surface 531b...Lower end surface 532...Downstream guide member 532a...Upper end surface 532b...Lower end surface 54...Belt (endless winding member)
541...First crossing section (first section)
541a...Lower end surface 542...Second crossing section (second section)
542a...Lower end surface 543...First fixing part 544...Second fixing part 55...Movement mechanism 56...First motor 57...Second motor 6...Cable W...Workpiece Y...Transportation direction X...Width direction Z...Height direction

Claims (3)

a workpiece conveyance device that conveys the workpiece along the conveyance direction;
a processing tool that processes the workpiece by irradiating the workpiece with a laser beam from above;
an upstream guide member and a downstream guide member that extend above the workpiece in a width direction that intersects with the conveyance direction, and that support the processing tool slidably in the width direction;
an endless wrapping member that extends above the workpiece along the width direction and is fixed at least in part to the processing tool;
A laser processing device comprising: a movement mechanism that moves the processing tool along the width direction by winding up the endless winding member,
The processing tool is arranged between the upstream guide member and the downstream guide member in plan view,
If a first section is defined as a section of the endless wrapping member that is above the workpiece and is located between the upstream guide member and the downstream guide member in plan view, the processing tool fixed at a first fixed part defined within one section ,
The laser processing apparatus is characterized in that a lower end surface of the first section on the workpiece side is arranged above a lower end surface of the upstream guide member in side view. further comprising a counterweight slidably provided along the width direction with respect to the downstream guide member on the downstream side of the conveyance direction from the downstream guide member,
The counterweight is fixed at a second fixing part to a second section of the endless wrapping member that is disposed above the workpiece and is different from the first section,
The second section is arranged downstream in the conveyance direction from the downstream guide member in plan view,
2. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a lower end surface of the second section on the workpiece side is arranged above a lower end surface of the downstream guide member in side view. 3. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the center of gravity of the processing tool is located between upper and lower end surfaces of the upstream and downstream guide members when viewed from the side.

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