JPH05237673A - Laser marking device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable the marking operation of another kind without degrading the appearance in edge parts after marking and without an operation for replacing a mask. CONSTITUTION:A laser beam oscillated from a pulse laser oscillator 1 is enlarged by an optical system 2 for beam shaping to such a size at which the laser beam transmission part of the mask 5 is covered by several tens shots. This beam is set in an arbitrary position on the mask 5 by a galvanometer 3 for selecting the mask and a collimator lens 4. The laser beam masked by the mask 5 is set and irradiated to the processing position on a processing surface 9 by a galvanometer 6 for positioning and an objective lens 7.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a laser marking device, and more particularly to a laser marking device for marking a key top with a laser beam.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a laser marking apparatus of this type, a car audio button 11-as shown in FIG.
When marking the key tops 1 to 11-n, as shown in FIG. 6, one pattern is created on one mask 12. The mask 12 shown in FIG. 6 includes a laser beam reflecting surface 12a and a laser beam transmitting portion 12b,
The laser beam transmitting portion 12b forms a pattern corresponding to the key top of the button 11-1. When the mask 12 is irradiated with the processing laser light, the laser light hitting the laser light reflecting surface 12 a is reflected and absorbed by the laser light receiver, and the laser light hitting the laser light transmitting portion 12 b passes through the mask 12. Then proceed to the processing surface.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the mask 12
The diameter of the laser beam b is greatly expanded and fixed at the same position so that all the laser beam transmitting portions 12b of the laser beam b enter the laser beam b, and the laser beam b is irradiated for 1 to 10 shots. As a result, the pattern of the mask 12 is marked on the processed surface. In the above method, since the laser power per unit area on the processed surface is reduced by enlarging the diameter of the laser beam b significantly,
Marking is done by repeatedly irradiating a little on shots. In this method, a pulse laser is used as the laser light source.

On the other hand, there is also a method of marking using a continuous wave laser light source. That is, there is also a method in which the key top of the button 11-1 is directly irradiated with laser light without using a mask to perform marking with one stroke. In this method, as shown in FIG. 8, it is possible to independently scan in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction so that the locus c of the laser beam for edge removal and the locus d of the laser beam for internal filling can be obtained. This is a method in which a laser beam is scanned on a key top by a galvanometer.

In such a conventional laser marking device, when the key tops of the buttons 11-1 to 11-n are marked by the former method, the buttons 11-1 to 11-
Since it is necessary to replace the mask 12 having the pattern corresponding to each of the n key tops, the buttons 11-1 to 11-1 are replaced.
It is difficult to repeatedly mark 1-n key tops as one set. Therefore, for the key top of the button 11-1, only the button 11-1 is processed together, and the button 11-
The key top 2 has only the button 11-2 processed together.

In this case, the same mask 12 is continuously irradiated with the laser beam during the working operation, and there is a problem that the mask 12 is likely to be damaged by the effect of heat by the repeatedly irradiated laser beam. Since there is a limit to the expansion of the laser beam b in the above method, all the mask patterns that are large enough to process the key tops of the buttons 11-1 to 11-n shown in FIG. It is difficult to increase the diameter.

The latter method allows the buttons 11-1 to 11-1 to be operated.
When the key tops of each 1-n are marked, the trajectory of the laser beam can be changed by software without using a mask.
-N key tops can be repeatedly marked as one set. However, there is a problem that the appearance of the edge portion after marking becomes worse than in the case where a mask is used.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to eliminate the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and does not make the edge portion look bad after marking and does not require mask replacement work to mark other types. It is an object of the present invention to provide a laser marking device that enables work.

[0009]

The laser marking device according to the present invention comprises:
A mask member having a plurality of laser light transmitting portions each having a different shape, and the laser light so that the laser light emitted from the laser light source passes through one of a plurality of regions forming the shape of the laser light transmitting portion. Shaping means for shaping, and means for moving at least one of the laser light and the mask member so that the laser light shaped by the shaping means passes through one of the plurality of laser light transmitting portions, And a means for irradiating a laser beam transmitted through one of the plurality of laser beam transmitting portions to a position on the workpiece corresponding to the laser beam.

[0010]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, when the laser light oscillated from the pulse laser oscillator 1 passes through the beam shaping optical system 2, an expander (not shown) in the beam shaping optical system 2 is shown.
It is expanded to about 1-10 mmφ.

The laser beam shaped by the beam shaping optical system 2 is scanned by the mask selection galvanometer 3 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction and is emitted to the collimator lens 4 in order to position it at an arbitrary position on the mask 5. It The laser light scanned by the mask selection galvanometer 3 is collimated by the collimator lens 4 and the mask 5
Is emitted to.

The laser beam collimated by the collimator lens 4 is masked by the mask 5 and then positioned at the processing position on the processing surface 9 by the positioning galvanometer 6 for positioning.
The light beam is scanned in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction by and emitted to the objective lens 7. The laser beam scanned by the positioning galvanometer 6 is applied to the processing position on the processing surface 9 via the objective lens 7.

The computer control unit 8 is composed of a CPU and software for controlling the pulse laser oscillator 1, the mask selection galvanometer 3 and the positioning galvanometer 6, respectively, and controls the series of operations and timings.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the mask 5 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a view showing a processing example using the mask 5 of FIG. In these figures, the mask 5 comprises a laser light reflecting surface 5a and a plurality of laser light transmitting portions 5b each having a different shape. The laser light reflecting surface 5a is formed by vapor-depositing a metal such as copper that reflects laser light on a glass plate, and the laser light transmitting portion 5b remains the glass plate. That is, a metal that reflects the laser beam is vapor-deposited on the mask 5 except for the portion having the pattern.

The mask 5 has a size of about 70 mm square, a pattern portion is about 50 mm square, and a thickness of about several mm.
The size of the pattern of the mask 5 is such that the laser beam transmitting portion 5b is covered with several tens of shots of the laser beam a shaped by the beam shaping optical system 2.

That is, since the laser beam transmitting portion 5b is larger than the diameter of the laser beam a, as shown in FIG. 3, the mask selecting galvanometer 3 is used so as to fill the laser beam transmitting portion 5b with several tens of shots of the laser beam a. Scanned by. In this case, the mask selection galvanometer 3 scans only the minimum area necessary to fill the laser beam transmitting portion 5b in order to shorten the processing time.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another example of the mask of FIG. In the figure, a mask 10 is a laser beam reflecting surface 10.
a, a laser beam transmitting portion 10b filled with a laser beam a of several tens of shots, and a laser beam transmitting portion 10c filled with a laser beam a of one shot.
The laser beam transmitting portion 10c provided under the mask 10 shows a pattern of alphanumeric characters and English symbols, and has a size that can be filled with the laser beam a of one shot.

In this way, the laser light oscillated from the pulse laser oscillator 1 is enlarged by the beam shaping optical system 2 to a size so as to cover the laser light transmitting portions 5b and 10b of the masks 5 and 10 with several tens of shots. Scanning with the mask selection galvanometer 3 to position at arbitrary positions on the masks 5 and 10, and scanning the laser light passing through the masks 5 and 10 with the positioning galvanometer 6 to position at the processing position on the processing surface 9. Thus, even if the masks 5 and 10 have large patterns, it is possible to perform marking while scanning the laser beam shaped by the beam shaping optical system 2.

Since the diameter of the laser beam a is smaller than that of the patterns on the masks 5 and 10, it is possible to arrange the laser beam a close to the adjacent pattern. As shown in FIGS. A plurality of laser light transmitting parts 5b, 10b, 10c can be provided on the parts 5, 5, 10. As a result, it is possible to perform marking work for other types without changing the masks 5 and 10 without deteriorating the appearance of the edge portion after marking.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the masks 5 and 10 are used.
The mask selection galvanometer 3 is used for positioning to the arbitrary position above, and the positioning galvanometer 6 is used for positioning to the processing position on the processing surface 9, but the masks 5, 10 and the processing surface 9 are moved for positioning. You may go. Further, the patterns on the masks 5 and 10 may be arranged in the processing order, and the invention is not limited to these.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, the laser light from the laser light source is transmitted through one of the plurality of regions forming the plurality of laser light transmitting portions of different shapes of the mask member. The laser light is shaped into a laser beam, and at least one of the shaped laser light and the mask member is moved so as to pass through one of the plurality of laser light transmitting portions. By irradiating the position corresponding to the laser beam on the work piece with the laser beam transmitted through one of them, the appearance of the edge part after marking does not deteriorate and other types of masks can be used without mask replacement work. This has the effect of enabling marking work.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the mask of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a processing example using the mask of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another example of the mask of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a workpiece.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional mask.

7 is a diagram showing a processing example using the mask of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a processing example of a conventional example.

[Description of Reference Signs] 1 pulse laser oscillator 2 beam shaping optical system 3 mask selection galvanometer 5,10 mask 5a, 10a laser light reflecting surface 5b, 10b, 10c laser light transmitting portion 6 positioning galvanometer 8 computer control portion 9 processing surface a Laser beam

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Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A mask member having a plurality of laser light transmitting portions each having a different shape, and laser light emitted from a laser light source passes through one of a plurality of regions forming the shape of the laser light transmitting portion. Shaping means for shaping the laser light, and moving at least one of the laser light and the mask member so that the laser light shaped by the shaping means passes through one of the plurality of laser light transmitting portions. And a means for irradiating a laser beam transmitted through one of the plurality of laser beam transmitting portions to a position on the workpiece corresponding to the laser beam.