JPH05110161A - Gas laser oscillation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a gas laser oscillation device which does not cause laser output to be reduced, enables cost to be reduced owing to mass-production, and is highly reliable even if parts related to a vacuum container of a gas laser oscillation device are manufactured by metal die cast. CONSTITUTION:An aluminum die cast is used as a material constituting parts such as a main flange 3 which constitutes a vacuum container part of a gas laser oscillation device, an aggregate block 4, a folded block 7, an output mirror holder 2 which holds an output mirror 1, and a terminator mirror holder 8 which retains a terminator mirror 9 and a diameter of porosity on a seal surface of the aluminum die cast parts is set to 300mum or less and then a density of porosity on the seal surface is set to 200 pieces/cm<2> or less.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a low-cost and highly reliable gas laser oscillator used for cutting, welding, heat treatment, etc. of metal or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional technique will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a typical schematic configuration of a gas laser oscillator called a high-speed axial flow type. In FIG. 1, 1 is an output mirror, 2 is an output mirror holder, 3 is a main flange, 4 is an assembly block, 5 is a discharge tube, 6 a and 6 b are paired metal electrodes provided at both ends of the discharge tube 5, and 7 Is a folding block, 8 is a terminal mirror holder, 9 is a terminal mirror, 10
Is a heat exchanger, 11 is a gas pipe for laser medium gas, and 12 is a blower.

The operation of the high-speed axial-flow type gas laser oscillator having the above-mentioned structure will be described with reference to FIG. The blower 12 is filled with a laser medium gas in a vacuum container constituted by the main flange 3, the assembly block 4, the discharge tube 5, the folding block 7, the heat exchanger 10, the pipe 11 and the blower 12 while maintaining a constant pressure. To circulate the laser medium gas. A high voltage power supply (not shown) provided externally applies a high voltage between the electrodes 6a and 6b to generate a discharge between the electrodes 6a and 6b. The discharge excites a laser medium gas to generate laser light. Let The generated laser light is amplified by an optical resonator composed of the output mirror 1, the folding block 7 and the terminal mirror 9, and a part of the laser light is taken out from the output mirror 1 and used as laser light for processing or the like.

In such a gas laser oscillator, the main flange 3, the assembly block 4, the folding block 7, the output mirror holder 2 for holding the output mirror 1 and the terminal mirror holder 8 for holding the terminal mirror 9 which constitute the vacuum container portion. Many parts such as are manufactured by cutting a cutout material (hereinafter referred to simply as an aluminum cutout material) from an aluminum ingot.

[0005]

The main flange 3, the collecting block 4, the folding block 7, the output mirror holder 2 for holding the output mirror 1 and the terminal mirror 9 which constitute the vacuum container portion of the gas laser oscillator as described above. It takes a lot of time to manufacture cutting parts from many aluminum cutouts such as the end mirror holder 8 for holding the metal, and these parts are manufactured by metal die casting to mass-produce them in order to reduce costs. Attempts have been made to do. However, when the above-mentioned vacuum container-related parts are manufactured by metal die casting such as normal aluminum die casting, since many porosities are contained in those metal die castings used, impurities due to vacuum leak from the porosity. There is a problem that the gas is mixed with the laser medium gas in the vacuum container, the laser output is reduced, and the output required for the gas laser oscillator cannot be obtained.

The present invention is intended to solve this problem. Even if the above-mentioned parts related to the vacuum container are manufactured by metal die casting, there is no reduction in the laser output, the cost can be reduced by mass production, and the reliability is high. An object of the present invention is to provide a highly efficient gas laser oscillator.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the gas laser oscillator of the present invention comprises a vacuum die portion of a gas laser oscillator which is conventionally made of aluminum cut-out parts made of metal die cast. The sealing surface of the metal die-cast component has a porosity of 300 μm or less in diameter and a porosity density of 200.
The number of pieces / cm ² or less.

[0008]

According to the above structure, since the porosity of the sealing surface of the metal die-cast part is much smaller than that of a general metal die-cast and the density is low, the vacuum leak of the impurity gas through the porosity contained in the metal die-cast is caused. In addition, the amount of the impurity gas mixed into the laser medium gas is significantly reduced, the influence on the reduction of the laser output is controlled, and it is possible to realize cost reduction by mass production while maintaining high reliability.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a schematic structure of a gas laser oscillator according to the present invention. FIG. 1 also shows the configuration of a conventional gas laser oscillator, and the only difference between the present invention and the conventional example is the difference in the materials used. Therefore, the description of FIG. 1 will be omitted and the difference in the materials used will be described.

In FIG. 2, a main flange 3, an assembly block 4, a folding block 7, an output mirror holder 2 for holding the output mirror 1 and a terminal mirror holder for holding the terminal mirror 9, which constitute the vacuum container portion of the gas laser oscillator. When the material constituting the components such as 8 is aluminum die-cast, the relationship between the magnitude of porosity on the sealing surface of the aluminum die-cast component and the reduction rate of laser output, and the density of porosity and the reduction of laser output on the sealing surface It shows the relationship of the rate, and the density of porosity is 2
If the number is 00 / cm ² , the porosity diameter is 30.
If the laser output reduction rate is 0 μm or less, there is no problem in practical use, and when the porosity diameter is 300 μm, the laser output reduction rate is 200 ps / cm ² or less. It shows that there is no problem in actual use.

As is apparent from FIG. 2, if the diameter of the porosity on the sealing surface of the aluminum die-cast component used for the above-mentioned component is 300 μm or less and the density of the porosity on the sealing surface is 200 / cm ² or less, The vacuum leak of the impurity gas through the porosity contained in the aluminum die-cast parts is small, the contamination of the impurity gas into the laser medium gas is significantly reduced, the influence on the laser output reduction is suppressed, and the laser output reduction is prevented. You can Therefore, in one embodiment of the gas laser oscillator of the present invention, the main flange 3, the assembly block 4, the folding block 7, the output mirror holder 2 for holding the output mirror 1 and the terminal mirror 9 which constitute the vacuum container portion of the gas laser oscillator. Mirror holder 8 for holding
Etc., aluminum die cast is used as the material for forming the parts, and the diameter of the porosity on the sealing surface of the aluminum die cast parts is 300 μm or less,
The density of porosity on the sealing surface is 200 pieces / cm
^You are using less than ^two .

[0012]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the gas laser oscillator of the present invention, the diameter of porosity in the sealing surface of the metal die-cast component used in the portion related to the vacuum container is 300 μm or less, and the sealing surface is Since the density of porosity in the metal is less than 200 pieces / cm ² , the vacuum leak of the impurity gas through the porosity contained in the metal die casting is small, and the mixing of the impurity gas into the laser medium gas is significantly reduced. Thus, the influence on the reduction of the laser output is suppressed, and it is possible to realize cost reduction by mass production while maintaining high reliability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the present invention and a conventional gas laser oscillator.

FIG. 2 is a characteristic diagram showing a relationship between a density of porosity and a laser output reduction on a sealing surface of an aluminum die-cast part of a portion related to a vacuum container and a relationship between a diameter of porosity and a laser output reduction on the sealing surface.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Output Mirror 5 Discharge Tube 6a, 6b Paired Metal Electrode 9 Terminal Mirror 11 Gas Pipe 12 Blower

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A discharge tube made of at least one insulator, a pair of metal electrodes provided for each discharge tube, a high-voltage power supply for applying a high voltage between the pair of metal electrodes, and a discharge. A laser resonator composed of an output mirror and a terminal mirror arranged at both ends of the tube, a blower for flowing a laser medium gas in the discharge tube in the optical axis direction, and a gas pipe connecting the blower and the discharge tube, and a vacuum. The metal part used for the container part is made of metal die-cast, and the diameter of porosity on the sealing surface of the metal die-cast part is 300 μm or less, and the density of porosity on the sealing surface is 200 pieces / cm ² or less. Gas laser oscillator.