JPH0647555A - Plasma type cutting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To optimally display the performance of a plasma cutting torch in a cutting device of which a tracer profiles a figure. CONSTITUTION:An x-rack 1a is fixed to an x-rail 1 and a y-rack 5a is arranged in parallel to a cross rail 5. An x-motor 10 having a pinion which is engaged with the x-rack is mounted on the frame 2 of main body. A carriage 6 and a sub-carriage 6a to which a y-motor 13 having a pinion which is engaged with the y-rack 5a is attached are mounted on the cross rail and are connected with a square bar 6b on which the tracer 7 and a torch 8 are attached. At the time of profiling the figure, the tracer is worked, signals in the x- and y-directions that are outputted from the tracer are stored in the control part as graphic information and, at the time of cutting, the graphic information that is stored in the control part is read out and the x- and y-motors are driven.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plasma type cutting apparatus capable of copying a figure at high speed and capable of cutting a corner portion of a material to be cut in a good condition by a plasma cutting torch.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The plasma cutting method can improve the cutting speed as compared with the gas cutting method. Therefore, it is generally popular to cut a steel plate or a stainless steel plate using a plasma cutting torch.

On the other hand, a so-called optical profile cutting device has been widely used, which optically copies a figure and moves a cutting torch along with the pattern to cut a material to be cut. This cutting device uses an optical copying device to make two directions (x, y) orthogonal to each other.
Direction) signals are generated, and the cutting torch is moved by driving the motors arranged according to the two directions orthogonal to each other by the signals.

In the above-mentioned copying cutting apparatus, a gas cutting torch is generally adopted, and the maximum speed of the machine body is 1 m / min to 3
It is set to about m / min. In order to realize the above speed, in this profile cutting apparatus, each motor arranged in two directions drives a roller that comes into contact with a rail or a cross girder, and a so-called torch configured to drive the cutting torch by the contact friction of the rollers. The friction system is adopted.

[0005]

When a material to be cut such as a steel plate or a stainless steel plate is cut using a plasma cutting torch, it depends on conditions such as material and plate thickness. For example, when cutting a thin plate of a stainless steel plate. The cutting speed is about 6 m / min. Therefore, when the plasma cutting torch is mounted on the profile cutting device, there is a problem that the performance of the cutting torch cannot be sufficiently exhibited.

Further, in the above-mentioned friction type copying cutting device, when the speed is increased by increasing the response of the servo gain of the copying device, if there is a corner portion having a right angle or less than the figure, When the copying direction is suddenly changed at the corner, there is a problem that the rollers slip and accurate copying cannot be performed. Therefore, the speed must be reduced at the corners.
However, since the plasma temperature of the plasma cutting torch is extremely high, there is a problem that the amount of heat input to the material to be cut per unit time is extremely increased due to the reduction in speed, and melting damage occurs at the corners.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a plasma type cutting apparatus capable of performing an operation of copying a figure and an operation of cutting a material to be cut by a plasma cutting torch at appropriate speeds.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a plasma type cutting apparatus according to the present invention is provided with an x rail laid in one direction and having a rack fixed over the entire length, and movably mounted on the x rail. And a main body frame having a cross rail arranged in the y direction orthogonal to the x rail, and mounted transversely on the cross rail and optically detecting a figure at a predetermined position to divide the figure into two orthogonal components. A carriage to which a plasma cutting torch is attached while fixing a copying device that outputs the signal, a rack arranged in parallel with the cross rail, and an x motor having a pinion that meshes with the rack fixed to the x rail,
A y-motor having a pinion that meshes with a rack arranged along the cross rail, and the x-motor and y-motor.
A controller for controlling a motor, and when a pattern is copied by the copying device, signals in two orthogonal directions output from the copying device are stored in the control device as graphic information, and the plasma cutting torch When cutting the material to be cut, the x motor and the y motor are controlled based on the graphic information stored in the control device.

[0009]

According to the plasma-type cutting device (hereinafter simply referred to as "cutting device"), when a copying device (tracer) traces a graphic, signals in two orthogonal directions generated from the tracer are controlled as graphic information. Can be stored in the device. Further, when the material to be cut is cut by the plasma cutting torch (hereinafter referred to as "torch"), the graphic information stored in the control device can be read and the x motor and the y motor can be driven based on the information.
Therefore, when tracing a figure with a tracer, it becomes possible to set the speed of the cutting device to a tracing speed at which the tracer can accurately trace the figure, and when cutting a material to be cut with a torch, It is possible to set the speed of the cutting device to an optimum cutting speed according to the material of the material to be cut and the plate thickness. Therefore, the figure can be copied in a good state and the material to be cut can be cut in a good state.

Further, in the above cutting device, since the torch is driven by the engagement of the rack and the pinion, it is possible to change the direction while maintaining the high speed state at the corner portion. Therefore, it is not necessary to reduce the cutting speed at the corners, and it is possible to perform cutting while maintaining the amount of heat input to the material to be cut at a substantially constant state, thereby preventing melting damage at the corners. Good cutting can be performed.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the above cutting device will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a front view of the cutting device, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cutting device, FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a drive system in the x direction, and FIG.
Is a diagram for explaining a drive system in the y direction, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control system. In the cutting device according to the present invention, an operation of copying a figure and an operation of cutting a material to be cut are separate operations, and when copying a figure, the copying operation is performed at a low speed to improve the copying accuracy and control the graphic information. Further, when the material to be cut is cut, the torch can be cut at a speed at which the performance of the torch can be best exhibited based on the stored graphic information.

In the figure, a pair of x rails 1 are laid in parallel along the x direction, and x extends over the entire length of the rail 1.
The rack 1a is fixed. A body frame 2 configured to be able to travel along the rail 1 is mounted on the x-rail 1. One x rail 1 of the body frame 2
A traveling saddle 3 is provided at a position corresponding to (the left x-rail in FIG. 1), and an operating panel 4 incorporating a control unit 20 serving as a control device is attached to the traveling saddle 3.

The body frame 2 has a gate-shaped portion corresponding to the x-rail 1, and a cantilever-shaped portion corresponding to one side (the left side in FIG. 1) of the traveling saddle 3. There is. The body frame 2 is arranged in the y direction which is orthogonal to the laying direction of the x rail 1. Body frame 2
The cross rails 5 are fixed along the y direction over substantially the entire length of, and the y racks 5a are fixed to the portions corresponding to the width direction of the pair of x rails 1 in parallel with the arrangement direction of the cross rails 5. .

A carriage 6 and a sub-carriage 6a which can traverse in the y direction along the rail 5 are mounted on the cross rail 5. The carriage 6 and the sub-carriage 6a are connected by a square bar 6b. The square bar 6b is configured to have a length longer than the widthwise spacing of the x-rail 1, one end of which is disposed between the pair of x-rails 1 and the other end of which is the main body frame 2. Is arranged so as to reach the cantilevered part.

A torch support 7a, to which a tracer 7 is fixed, is movably and fixedly attached to the corner bar 6b in the vicinity of the end of the corner bar 6b on the x-rail 1 side. A torch support 8a, to which the torch 8 is attached so as to be vertically movable, is movably and fixedly attached to the corner bar 6b in the vicinity of the end portion on the holding portion side.

The tracer 7 detects the direction of the contour of the figure to be copied and outputs an electric signal (analog signal) in two orthogonal directions (x, y directions). As such a tracer, for example, Canadian Westin is used. It is possible to use HL type tracer manufactured by Guhaus.

Between the x-rails 1 is arranged a drawing table 9 which is movable in the x-direction and can be fixed at a desired position. The drawing table 9 has a function of placing a drawing on which a drawing to be cut is drawn.

Next, a drive system for driving the main body frame 2 in the x direction will be described with reference to FIG. X-motor through a follow-up mechanism 11 having a spring 11a at a predetermined position of the direction saddle 3.
10 is installed. A pinion 12 is connected to the x motor 10 via a gear box 10a. The pinion 12 meshes with the x-rack 1a fixed to the x-rail 1, and the x-motor 10 rotates to rotate the body frame 2 to the x-axis.
Drive in the direction.

The x motor 10 is driven by a signal output from the tracer 7 in the x direction and also driven by a drive signal output from the controller 20 in the x direction.

A drive system for driving the carriage 6 in the y direction is constructed as shown in FIG. That is, the carriage 6
The y motor 13 is attached to a predetermined position of the above, and the pinion 14 is attached to the motor 13 via the gear box 13a. The pinion 14 meshes with the y-rack 5a fixed to the main body frame 2 in parallel with the cross rail 5, and the carriage 6 is driven by the y-motor 5 as the y-motor 13 rotates.
Make it traverse in the direction.

The y motor 13 is driven by a signal output from the tracer 7 in the y direction and driven by a drive signal output from the controller 20 in the y direction.

Next, the control system of the cutting device will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, the control unit 20 is an arithmetic unit 20a such as a microprocessor, and x, y output from the tracer 7.
A RAM 20b for temporarily storing information such as the scanning speed information and the cutting speed information input from the input device 21 while temporarily storing the direction signal as graphic information, a copying operation program by the tracer 7 and a cutting operation by the torch 8 in advance. It is composed of a ROM 20c in which programs and the like are written.

The converters 22 and 23 convert the analog signals in the x and y directions output from the tracer 7 into digital signals and transmit the digital signals to the control unit 20 via the interface 24.

Next, the copying operation procedure and the cutting operation procedure of the cutting apparatus configured as described above will be described in order. When copying a figure to be cut, a drawing depicting the figure to be cut is placed on the drawing table 9, and instruction information for performing a figure copying operation by the input device 21 and information on the copying speed are provided to the control unit 20. To enter. The scanning speed is set lower than the cutting speed in order to collect a large number of signals per unit length of the contour of the figure in order to accurately copy the figure.

Next, the tracer 7 is moved near or on the contour of the figure to start the copying operation. As the copying operation progresses, the tracer 7 outputs analog signals in the x and y directions corresponding to the direction of the contour of the figure. This analog signal is converted into a digital signal by the converters 21 and 22 to drive the x motor 10 and the y motor 13, and at the same time transmitted to the control unit 20 and stored as graphic information.

When the tracer 7 goes around the contour of the figure,
The control unit 20 stores graphic information as digital information corresponding to the x and y directions. When the instruction information for ending the copying operation is input from the input device 21, the operation of the tracer 7 is stopped and the copying operation of the graphic is ended.

Next, a procedure for cutting a material to be cut such as a steel plate or a stainless steel plate on the basis of the figure stored by the copying operation will be described. The material to be cut is carried in below the cantilever portion of the main body frame 2, the cutting speed is set according to the material and plate thickness of the material to be cut, and the control unit is controlled by the input device 21.
Input into 20 and specify the memory order of already stored figures and set the figure to be cut. At this time, the tracer 7 is maintained in the inoperative state.

The torch 8 is moved to a position on the material to be cut, where a previously stored figure can be arranged (nesting) within the size of the material to be cut. The plasma operation switch provided on the operation panel 4 is operated to form a main arc between the torch 8 and the material to be cut and perform piercing work on the material to be cut. When the cutting start command is input after confirming that the piercing work is completed, the control unit 20 reads the stored graphic information and transmits drive signals corresponding to the x and y directions to the x motor 10 and the y motor 13, respectively. To do. The figure can be cut by synchronously rotating the x motor 10 and the y motor 13 according to the drive signal.

In the above cutting process, x motor 10, y
The cutting speed of the torch 8 due to the synthetic rotation of the motor 13 is 6 m
rises to / min. At this time, the x-direction drive system and the y-direction drive system are configured by the engagement of the rack and the pinion.
It is possible to reliably follow up even if there is a sudden change in the moving direction at the corner of the figure. Further, even if there is a sudden change in speed during cutting, it is possible to reliably respond to this change.

[0030]

As described in detail above, in the plasma-type cutting device according to the present invention, the pattern copying operation and the cutting operation can be divided as separate operations. Therefore, when copying a figure, set the speed at which the contour of the figure can be copied with high accuracy, and when cutting the material to be cut, set the speed at which the plasma cutting torch can maximize its performance. It is possible to carry out each operation in an optimum state, and it is possible to obtain a product with improved dimensional accuracy.

Further, since the drive system in two directions orthogonal to each other is a rack and pinion system in which a rack and a pinion are meshed with each other, the speed at which the material to be cut is cut is set to a high speed at which the plasma cutting torch can maximize its performance. Even in this case, the moving direction can be surely changed at the corner of the figure. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a good product without melting damage or the like at the corners.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a cutting device.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a cutting device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an x-direction drive system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a y-direction drive system.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 x rail 1a x rack 2 main frame 3 traveling saddle 4 operation panel 5 cross rail 5a y rack 6 carriage 6b square bar 7 tracer 8 torch 9 drawing table 10 x motor 12, 14 pinion 13 y motor 20 control unit 22,23 conversion vessel

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A body frame having an x-rail laid in one direction and having a rack fixedly attached over the entire length, and a cross rail movably mounted on the x-rail and arranged in a y-direction orthogonal to the x-rail. A carriage that is traversably mounted on the cross rail and that fixes a copying device that optically detects a figure at a predetermined position and outputs a signal divided into two orthogonal components, and a carriage to which a plasma cutting torch is attached, A rack arranged parallel to the cross rail, an x motor having a pinion meshing with the rack fixed to the x rail, and a y motor having a pinion meshing with the rack arranged along the cross rail, A control device for controlling the x motor and the y motor is provided, and when a figure is copied by the copying device, the pattern is output from the copying device. When the signals applied in two orthogonal directions are stored in the control device as graphic information and the material to be cut is cut by the plasma cutting torch, the x motor is based on the graphic information stored in the control device. And a plasma type cutting device characterized by controlling the y motor.