JPH07302942A - Laser oscillator and laser processing device using it - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a laser oscillator where laser ray is stabilized in quality and a laser machining device which is protected against deterioration in machining precision and set free from machining failures. CONSTITUTION:A laser oscillator is equipped with a resonator composed of a total reflection mirror 8 and a mirror holder 15 which fixes the mirror 8, a control plate 14 equipped with a cooling water path 14a through which cooling water is fed to cool down the total reflection mirror 8 or the mirror holder 15, and an elbow 17A which is fixed to the inlet/outlet of the cooling water path 14a and set freely rotatable in optional directions. By this setup, even after the elbow 17A is completely fixed to the control plate 14, it can be rotatable in a required direction, and furthermore a mirror-polished surface 18 of the control plate 14 and the total reflection mirror 8 are prevented from being distorted owing to the rotation of the elbow 17A.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a laser oscillator which is excellent in stability of laser light quality and prevents processing precision and processing defects, and a laser processing apparatus using the laser oscillator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, as a prior art document relating to a laser oscillator, one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-254684 is known. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the laser oscillator. In FIG. 9, 1 is a housing for enclosing a laser medium gas, 2 is a pair of discharge electrodes, 3 is a heat exchanger, 4 is a blower, 5 is a partial reflection mirror, 6 and 7 are total internal reflection mirrors, and 8 is a total reflection mirror. A reflecting mirror 9 is a laser beam. Reference numeral 11 denotes a laser light reflecting portion including the total reflection mirror 8 and the internal total reflection mirror 6. FIG. 10 shows a detailed sectional view of the laser light reflecting portion 11. Further, FIG. 11A is a detailed view of a mounting portion including the total reflection mirror 8, and FIG. 11B is CC of FIG. 11A.
It is sectional drawing which follows the line.

Next, the operation will be described. Case 1
Has a pair of discharge electrodes 2 for generating a discharge to excite the laser medium gas, a blower 4 for circulating the laser medium gas, and a heat exchanger 3 for cooling the laser medium gas. The gas passes between the pair of discharge electrodes 2 and is excited into a state where laser oscillation is possible, then enters the heat exchanger 3, is cooled, and is circulated in the direction of arrow A through the blower 4. The light emitted from the excited laser medium gas is amplified by the partial reflection mirror 5, the internal total reflection mirrors 6, 7 and the total reflection mirror 8 arranged in the longitudinal direction of the housing 1, and oscillates the laser light 9.

In FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, 8 is a total reflection mirror, 14 is an adjustment plate having the total reflection mirror 8 side as a mirror-finished surface 18, and 15 is an adjustment plate 1 with the total reflection mirror 8 via an elastic member 16.
The mirror holder protects the total reflection mirror 8 from the surrounding atmosphere while pressing and positioning it on the mirror-finished surface 18 of No. 4. Further, 14a is a cooling water passage which is formed in the adjusting plate 14 and through which cooling water passes. 17 is a cooling water channel 1 of the adjusting plate 14.
This is an elbow that is connected and fixed to the entrance and exit of 4a using its taper screw. The cooling water passage 14a is connected to a pipe such as a tube (not shown) via the elbow 17. Furthermore, reference numeral 18 denotes a mirror-finished mirror-finished surface of the adjusting plate 14, which is worked so that the total reflection mirror 8 is not distorted. Furthermore, the adjusting plate 14 is indirectly cooled by the cooling water passing through the drilled cooling water passage 14a so that the total reflection mirror 8 does not partially absorb the laser light and deform it. Here, the elbow 17 is clamped and fixed to the adjusting plate 14 by a taper screw in order to prevent water leakage from the connection port.

When the pipe joint is tightened with a taper screw to the adjusting plate 14 after the mirror finishing, the female screw portion 19 on the adjusting plate 14 side is widened due to the taper. Therefore, the mirror-finished surface 18 near the upper portion of the female screw 19 may be distorted, and in order to prevent this phenomenon, the order of machining such as mirror-finishing after fixing the pipe joint has been specified.

[0006]

According to the above processing sequence, it is effective for a pipe joint such as a nipple having no directivity in shape. However, when it is necessary to use the elbow 17 due to the relationship between the adjusting plate 14 and the surroundings, when the mirror surface processing is performed after tightening in the desired direction, it may interfere with the machine tool and the processing may not be possible. In such a case, it is temporarily tightened in a direction in which work can be performed, and after processing, it is finally tightened in a desired direction. Therefore, the mirror-finished surface 18 may be distorted even if the processing order is defined.

Since the conventional laser oscillator is constructed as described above, when the mirror-finished surface 18 is distorted, the total reflection mirror 8 may be distorted via the contact surface of the mirror-finished surface 18. The distortion of the total reflection mirror 8 sometimes deteriorates the quality of the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator.

FIG. 12 is a detailed view of a mounting portion including the total internal reflection mirror 6. The relative position of the pair of discharge electrodes 2 is indicated by a dotted line, and the laser beam 9 is indicated by hatching. A capacitor is used as an equivalent circuit of the pair of discharge electrodes 2 that excite the laser medium gas into a state in which laser oscillation is possible. Therefore, the capacitance is inversely proportional to the electrode gap 20, and the electrode gap 20 needs to be as narrow as possible. Therefore, the distance 21 between the upper and lower laser beams 9 must be narrowed. However, in the conventional laser oscillator, the diameter of the hole 22 of the mirror presser 12 through which the laser light 9 passes is set to be large with respect to the diameter of the laser light 9 so that the laser light 9 does not interfere with the mirror presser 12. Then, the mirror retainer 12 is provided so that it can be easily processed and assembled.
The center of the hole 22 was aligned with the center of the mirror presser 12 and the center of the internal total reflection mirror 6. for that reason,
The contact between the internal total reflection mirror 6 and the mirror presser 12 was reduced.

The internal total reflection mirror 6 is indirectly cooled by heat conduction when it comes into contact with the mirror presser 12. However, in the case of such a configuration, the internal total reflection mirror 6 is not sufficiently cooled by heat input by the laser light 9, and distortion due to heat may occur. The distortion of the internal total reflection mirror 6 sometimes deteriorates the quality of laser light emitted from the laser oscillator.

Further, in the factory where the laser processing apparatus is installed, a large amount of oil mist and dust are contained in the atmosphere. For this reason, oil mist
Dust or the like may be attached, and the absorptivity of the partial reflection mirror 5 may be significantly increased, and the partial reflection mirror 5 may be cracked or broken due to the absorption of the laser beam.

When the partial reflecting mirror 5 is cracked or the partial reflecting mirror 5 is broken as described above, the quality of the laser beam may be deteriorated or the output of the laser oscillator may be reduced.

Further, if the partial reflecting mirror 5 is cracked, or the partial reflecting mirror 5 is broken to deteriorate the quality of the laser light, or if the processing is continued in the state where the output of the oscillator is lowered, the processing accuracy becomes high. It may fall off and cause defective processing.

By the way, since the conventional laser oscillator is constructed as described above, there is a problem that the quality of the laser beam is deteriorated due to mechanical or thermal distortion of the mirror. Further, even when the quality of the laser beam is deteriorated or the output of the oscillator is reduced, there is no means for detecting it, so that the processing is continued and the processing accuracy becomes unstable.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and a laser oscillator and a laser oscillator therefor which can stabilize the quality of laser light and prevent deterioration of processing accuracy and processing defects. It is an object to provide a laser processing device using the.

[0015]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laser oscillator for outputting a laser beam by exciting a laser medium, the resonance comprising a plurality of sets of mirrors and a fixing member for fixing the mirrors. And a cooling member having a cooling water passage for passing cooling water for cooling the mirror or the fixing member of the resonator, and an inlet / outlet of the cooling water after being fixed to an inlet / outlet of the cooling water passage of the cooling member It is provided with a pipe joint which is rotatable in only an arbitrary direction.

A laser oscillator according to a second aspect of the present invention outputs laser light by exciting a laser medium, and comprises a resonator comprising a plurality of sets of mirrors and a fixing member for fixing the mirrors. The center of gravity of at least one set of the mirrors of the resonator is deviated from the center of the hole of the fixing member through which the laser light passes.

According to a third aspect of the laser oscillator, in addition to the means of the second aspect, the center of gravity determined from the outer shape of the fixing member and the center of the hole through which the laser light of the fixing member passes. It is out of sync.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a laser oscillator outputs laser light by exciting a laser medium, the resonator comprising a plurality of sets of mirrors and a fixing member for fixing the mirrors, and the resonator. A conductor provided on the transmissive mirror so as to surround the laser light at a position where the laser light transmitted through the transmissive mirror does not interfere, and a conduction detecting means for detecting an electrical conduction state of the conductor. It is equipped with.

According to a fifth aspect of the laser oscillator, in addition to the means of the fourth aspect, the conductor is embedded in the transmissive mirror, and is formed by painting, vapor deposition or adhesion.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laser processing apparatus in which a resonator comprising a plurality of sets of mirrors of a laser oscillator for outputting a laser beam by exciting a laser medium and a fixing member for fixing the mirrors, and a resonator of the resonator. A conductor provided on the transmissive mirror so as to surround the laser light at a position where the laser light transmitted through the transmissive mirror does not interfere with the other of the mirrors; and a conduction detecting means for detecting an electric conduction state of the conductor, An interlock mechanism that disables laser oscillation by detecting the cut state of the conductor by the continuity detection means, and a processing stop means that stops the laser processing by operating the interlock mechanism during laser processing. It is equipped with.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the means provided in the sixth aspect, when the laser processing is interrupted by the operation of the interlock mechanism, the laser processing apparatus performs the previous processing after the restoration is performed. It is provided with reprocessing means for reprocessing from the point.

[0022]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the pipe joint has the inlet / outlet of the cooling water even after being fixed to the inlet / outlet of the cooling water passage of the cooling member for cooling the mirror or the fixing member constituting the resonator of the laser oscillator. The part is rotatable in any direction. For this reason, it is possible to adopt a processing sequence in which the mirror mounting surface of the cooling member is machined without being disturbed by the pipe joint even after the pipe joint is fixed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the center of gravity of at least one set of mirrors of the resonator comprising the mirror and the fixing member of the laser oscillator is displaced from the center of the hole through which the laser light of the fixing member passes, and The center of the light flux of the laser light passing through the center of the hole is made to substantially match. For this reason, the size of the hole can be made substantially equal to the luminous flux of the laser light, so that the contact area for the fixing member to press and fix the mirror can be increased.

In the laser oscillator of claim 3, in addition to the function of claim 2, the center of gravity determined from the outer shape of the fixing member and the center of the hole through which the laser light of the fixing member passes are deviated. The center of the light flux of the laser light passing through the center of the hole is made to substantially match. For this reason, the size of the hole can be made substantially equal to the luminous flux of the laser light, so that the contact area for the fixing member to press and fix the mirror can be increased.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the conductor surrounds the laser light at a position where the laser light passing through the transmissive mirror of the resonator constituting the resonator of the laser oscillator or the resonator formed of the fixed member does not interfere. It is provided on a transmissive mirror. Then, based on the electrically conductive state of the conductor detected by the conduction detecting means, when the cut state of the conductor is detected, it is detected that the transmissive mirror is abnormal.

According to the laser oscillator of claim 5, in addition to the operation of claim 4, the conductor is embedded in the transmissive mirror, and is formed by painting, vapor deposition or adhesion so as to be integrated with the mirror surface or formed on the mirror surface. Since they are in close contact with each other, the abnormality of the transmissive mirror can be reliably detected by detecting the cut state of the conductor.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the conductor surrounds the laser light at a position where the laser light passing through the transmissive mirror does not interfere with the mirror constituting the resonator of the laser oscillator or the resonator formed of the fixed member. It is provided on the transmissive mirror. Then, based on the electrical conduction state of the conductor detected by the conduction detecting means, when the cut state of the conductor is detected, laser oscillation is disabled by the interlock mechanism. At the same time when the interlock mechanism is operated, the laser processing is stopped by the processing stopping means.

According to the laser processing apparatus of claim 7, in addition to the operation of claim 6, the reprocessing means stores the processing position even if the laser processing is interrupted by the operation of the interlock mechanism, After the cause of the operation of the lock mechanism is repaired, the machining is resumed from the machining point where the machining was interrupted.

[0029]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A laser oscillator of the present invention and a laser processing apparatus using the laser oscillator will be described below with reference to specific embodiments.

Example 1. 1 is a detailed view showing a laser light reflecting portion including a total reflection mirror of a laser oscillator according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 (a) is a view seen from a direction perpendicular to the laser light. 1B is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. For the overall configuration of the laser oscillator, refer to FIG. 9 showing the above-described conventional configuration, and those having the same configuration or corresponding portions are designated by the same reference numerals and symbols.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 8 is a total reflection mirror, 14 is an adjusting plate as a cooling member having a mirror-finished surface 18 on the side of the total reflection mirror 8, and 15 is an adjusting plate 1 via the elastic member 16 for the total reflection mirror 8.
4 is a mirror holder as a fixing member for pressing and positioning the mirror-finished surface 18 of No. 4 and protecting the total reflection mirror 8 from the ambient atmosphere. Further, 14a is a cooling water passage which is formed in the adjusting plate 14 and through which cooling water passes. Reference numeral 17A is an elbow as a pipe joint which is connected and fixed to the inlet / outlet of the cooling water passage 14a of the adjusting plate 14 by using the taper screw.
The cooling water passage 14a is connected to a pipe such as a tube (not shown) via the elbow 17A. Furthermore, reference numeral 18 denotes a mirror-finished mirror-finished surface of the adjusting plate 14, which is worked so that the total reflection mirror 8 is not distorted. Furthermore, the total reflection mirror 8
Adjustment plate 1 to prevent the laser from partially absorbing the laser light and deforming it.
4 is indirectly cooled by the cooling water passing through the drilled cooling water passage 14a. Here, the elbow 17A is clamped and fixed to the adjusting plate 14 by a taper screw in order to prevent water leakage from the connection port.

FIG. 2 is a detailed partial sectional view showing the internal structure of the elbow 17A of FIG. In this embodiment, the structure of the elbow 17A in the laser light reflecting portion including the total reflection mirror 8 is different from that of the conventional one. The elbow 17A has a structure in which an O-ring 25 is arranged between the main body 23 and its screw portion 24, and the main body 23 is rotatable in any direction with respect to the screw portion 24 without causing water leakage.

As described above, the laser oscillator of this embodiment is
A laser beam is outputted by exciting a laser medium, and a plurality of sets of partial reflection mirrors 5 and total reflection mirrors 6,
A resonator comprising mirrors 7 and 8 and mirror holders 13 and 15 as fixing members for fixing the mirrors, and a cooling water passage 14a for passing cooling water for cooling the mirrors or the fixing members of the resonators. A pipe joint consisting of a cooling member achieved by an adjusting plate 14 having the above, and an elbow 17A that is fixed to the inlet / outlet of the cooling water passage 14a of the cooling member and is rotatable only in the inlet / outlet portion of the cooling water in an arbitrary direction. And an embodiment including

Therefore, the elbow 17A can be rotated in a desired direction even after being completely fixed to the adjusting plate 14. Therefore, the mirror-finished surface 18 of the adjusting plate 14 and the total reflection mirror 8 are not distorted by the rotation of the elbow 17A.

FIG. 3 is a detailed view showing a first modification of the laser light reflecting portion including the total reflection mirror of the laser oscillator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 (a) is perpendicular to the laser light. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 3A when viewed from the direction. It should be noted that the overall configuration of the laser oscillator is shown in FIG. 9 showing the above-described conventional configuration, and FIG. 2 is shown in detail for the elbow 17A, and those having the same configuration or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals and symbols. Indicate.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 26 is a mirror holder that also serves as a cooling member, 27 is a mirror-finished surface of the mirror holder 26, and 2 is a mirror-finished surface.
Reference numeral 8 is a mirror presser, and 29 is a mirror-finished surface of the mirror presser 28. The mirror holder 26 presses the total reflection mirror 8 against the mirror-finished surface 29 of the mirror retainer 28 via the elastic member 16 to position and fix it, and protects the total reflection mirror 8 from the surrounding atmosphere. Further, reference numeral 26a is a cooling water passage which is formed in the mirror holder 26 and through which cooling water is passed. Reference numeral 17A is an elbow as a pipe joint that is connected and fixed to the inlet / outlet of the cooling water passage 26a of the mirror holder 26 by using the taper screw. The cooling water passage 26a is connected to a pipe such as a tube (not shown) via the elbow 17A. Further, the mirror holder 26 is indirectly cooled by the cooling water passing through the cooling water passage 26a in which the mirror holder 26 is formed so that the total reflection mirror 8 does not partially absorb the laser light and deform. Where elbow 1
7A is clamped and fixed to the mirror holder 26 with a taper screw in order to prevent water leakage from the connection port.

As described above, the laser oscillator of this embodiment is
A resonator for outputting a laser beam by exciting a laser medium, the resonator including a mirror including a plurality of sets of total reflection mirrors 8 and a mirror holder 26 as a fixing member for fixing the mirror, and the resonance. After being fixed to the cooling member achieved by a mirror holder 26 or the like having a cooling water passage 16 for passing cooling water for cooling the mirror or the fixing member of the container, and the inlet / outlet of the cooling water passage 26a of the cooling member, An embodiment in which only the inlet / outlet portion of the cooling water is provided with a pipe joint formed of an elbow 17A rotatable in an arbitrary direction can be used.

Therefore, the elbow 17A can be rotated in a desired direction even after being completely fixed to the mirror holder 26. Therefore, the mirror-finished surface 27 of the mirror holder 26 is prevented from being distorted by the rotation of the elbow 17A, and the distortion can be prevented from spreading in a chain with the mirror-finished surface 29 of the mirror retainer 28 and the total reflection mirror 8.

Here, FIG. 4 shows that the elbow 17A is connected and fixed on the same surface as the mirror-finished surface 27 of the mirror holder 26.
It is a modified example of. Also in this case, the same effect as that of the embodiment of FIG. 3 can be expected. Further, the fixing surface of the elbow 17A in the mirror holder 26 may be the surface opposite to that in FIG. In the above embodiment, the elbow 17 is used as the pipe joint.
Although A is used, the same effect can be expected when using a pipe joint other than a straight shape such as a tee or a union Y.

Example 2. FIG. 5 is a detailed view showing a mounting portion including an internal total reflection mirror of a laser oscillator according to a second embodiment of the present invention. For the overall configuration of the laser oscillator, refer to FIG. 9 showing the above-described conventional configuration, and those having the same configuration or corresponding portions as those of the first embodiment described above are designated by the same reference numerals and symbols. .

The relative positions of the pair of discharge electrodes 2 are indicated by dotted lines, and the laser light 9 is indicated by hatching. A pair of discharge electrodes 2 for exciting the laser medium gas into a state in which laser oscillation is possible
Uses a capacitor as its equivalent circuit. Therefore, the capacitance is inversely proportional to the electrode gap 20, and the electrode gap 20 needs to be as narrow as possible. Therefore, the distance 21 between the upper and lower laser beams 9 must be narrowed. For this reason, the diameter of the hole 22 of the mirror presser 12 through which the laser light 9 passes is narrowed to a size as small as the laser light 9 does not interfere with the mirror presser 12. Further, the center 30 of the hole 22 of the mirror presser 12, the center 31 of the mirror presser 12 and the center 32 of the internal total reflection mirror 6 are displaced from each other to increase the contact area between the internal total reflection mirror 6 and the mirror presser 12.

As described above, the laser oscillator of this embodiment is
Laser light is output by exciting a laser medium, and includes a resonator including a mirror including a plurality of sets of internal total reflection mirrors 6 and the like, and a mirror presser 12 as a fixing member that fixes the mirrors. , An example in which the center of gravity (center) 32 of at least one set of total internal reflection mirrors 6 of the resonator and the center 30 of the hole 22 through which the laser beam 9 of the mirror holder 12 as a fixing member passes are deviated. can do. Further, the laser oscillator of the present embodiment has a center of gravity (center) 32 determined from the outer shape of the fixing member,
It is also possible to adopt an embodiment in which the center 30 of the hole 22 through which the laser light 9 of the fixing member passes is deviated.

Therefore, the contact area of the mirror presser 12 with the internal total reflection mirror 6 is increased. Therefore, the cooling efficiency of the internal total reflection mirror 6 by the mirror presser 12 can be improved.

By the way, in the above embodiment, the center 30 of the hole 22 of the mirror retainer 12 and the center 3 of the mirror retainer 12 are arranged.
1 and the center 30 of the hole 22 of the mirror presser 12 and the center 32 of the internal total reflection mirror 6 are respectively shifted, thereby increasing the contact area between the internal total reflection mirror 6 and the mirror presser 12 and increasing the cooling efficiency of the mirror. However, the hole 22 in the mirror holder 12
Even if the center 30 of the mirror holder 12 and the center 31 of the mirror holder 12 are offset or the center 30 of the hole 22 of the mirror holder 12 and the center 32 of the internal total reflection mirror 6 are independently used, the cooling efficiency of the mirror is reduced. It goes without saying that you can raise.

Example 3. FIG. 6 is a detailed view showing a partial reflector of a laser oscillator according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a laser processing apparatus using the laser oscillator according to the third embodiment of the present invention. For the overall configuration of the laser oscillator, refer to FIG. 9 showing the above-described conventional configuration, and those having the same configuration or corresponding portions are designated by the same reference numerals and symbols. Reference numeral 5 is a partial reflecting mirror as a transmissive mirror, 33 is a conductor provided on the partial reflecting mirror 5, and 35 is an NC device as a conduction detecting means for detecting the electrical conduction state of the conductor 33. The partial reflection mirror 5 is provided by embedding a conductor 33 that can be electrically conducted in the partial reflection mirror 5 so as to surround the laser light 9 at a position where the transmitted laser light 9 does not interfere, thereby forming an electrically closed circuit. To do. This electric circuit is routed through the NC device 35.

As described above, the laser oscillator of this embodiment is
A resonator for outputting laser light by exciting a laser medium, the resonator including a mirror including a plurality of sets of partial reflecting mirrors 5 and the like, and a fixing member that fixes the mirror,
Of the mirror of the resonator, a conductor 33 provided on the transmissive mirror so as to surround the laser beam 9 at a position where the laser beam 9 transmitted through the partial reflection mirror 5 as a transmissive mirror does not interfere, NC for detecting electrical continuity
The embodiment may include a continuity detecting means achieved by the device 35.

Therefore, the power source 40 inside the NC device 35
Then, the conductor 33 is energized, and the NC device 35 detects the conduction. An output terminal 42 is provided at both ends of the resistor 41, and a positive state is set when the continuity is detected. Therefore, the partial reflector 5
When the conductor 33 is cracked or the partial reflecting mirror 5 is broken and the conductor 33 is cut, the above-mentioned electrical closed circuit is cut off, and the NC device 3 cuts the conductor 33 from the electric signal of the output terminal 42.
5, the abnormality of the partial reflecting mirror 5 is detected.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the conductor 33 is embedded in the partial reflecting mirror 5 so as to surround the laser light at a position where the laser light 9 passing therethrough does not interfere.
The conductor 33 is also formed on the surface of the partial reflecting mirror 5 on which the conductor 33 is not formed by painting, vapor deposition, or adhesion afterwards.
Can be easily formed.

As described above, the laser oscillator of this embodiment is
Embedding the conductor 33 in the partial reflecting mirror 5 as a transmissive mirror,
The embodiment can be formed by painting, vapor deposition, or adhesion, and similar effects can be obtained in this embodiment as well.

In the NC device 35 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the disconnection of the conductor 33 is detected as an electric signal from the output terminal 42, this signal is transmitted to a circuit for laser oscillation. This electric signal activates an interlock mechanism for stopping laser oscillation to stop laser oscillation.

As described above, the laser processing apparatus using the laser oscillator of this embodiment is a mirror including a plurality of sets of partial reflecting mirrors 5 and the like of the laser oscillator for outputting the laser beam 9 by exciting the laser medium and the mirror thereof. The resonator is composed of a fixing member for fixing the mirror, and the laser beam 9 that passes through the partial reflection mirror 5 as the transmissive mirror among the mirrors of the resonator does not interfere with the laser beam 9 so as to surround the laser beam 9. Laser oscillation by the conductor 33 provided on the die mirror, the conduction detecting means achieved by the NC device 35 for detecting the electric conduction state of the conductor 33, and the disconnection state of the conductor 33 being detected by the conduction detecting means. NC device 35 that disables
And an interlocking mechanism achieved by the NC device 35 that stops the laser processing by operating the interlocking mechanism during the laser processing. it can.

Therefore, when the interlock mechanism for disabling laser oscillation is activated by the NC device 35, the NC
The device 35 stops the operation of the processing table 39 and interrupts the processing. The interruption state of the laser processing is notified to the operator of the abnormal laser oscillation on the screen of the NC device 35 or by a warning sound. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the deterioration of the processing accuracy and the occurrence of the processing defect caused by the unstable laser beam which is different from the usual one.

FIG. 8 shows a flowchart executed by the NC device 35. Normal laser processing is performed in steps S101 to S104, and step S
When it is determined that the conductor 33 of 102 is abnormal in conduction, the machining table 39 is stopped (step S105) when the interlock that disables laser oscillation is activated (step S105).
106), the coordinates where the processing is interrupted are stored in the NC device 35 (step S107), and the laser oscillation abnormality is detected by the NC device 3.
The operator is informed on the screen of 5 or by a warning sound (step S108), and the laser is restored so that normal laser oscillation can be performed (step S109).

As described above, in the laser processing apparatus using the laser oscillator of this embodiment, when the laser processing is interrupted by the operation of the interlock mechanism, the laser beam is reprocessed from the previous processing point after the restoration is performed. In this embodiment, the reprocessing means achieved by the NC device 35 can be provided.

Therefore, it is possible to store the processing point at which the processing was interrupted, restore the laser oscillator so that it can normally oscillate, and then rework from that processing point. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform new machining from the beginning, and the machining time can be shortened.

[0056]

As described above, according to the laser oscillator of the first aspect, the pipe joint is fixed to the inlet / outlet of the cooling water passage of the cooling member for cooling the mirror or the fixing member constituting the resonator of the laser oscillator. Even after the opening, the inlet / outlet portion of the cooling water is rotatable in any direction. Accordingly, it is possible to adopt a machining sequence in which the mirror mounting surface of the cooling member is machined without being disturbed by the pipe joint even after the pipe joint is fixed, and mechanical distortion of the mirror can be prevented. .

According to the laser oscillator of the second aspect, the center of gravity of at least one set of mirrors of the resonator and the center of the hole through which the laser light passes through the fixing member, the resonator constituting the laser oscillator. Is shifted so that the center of the luminous flux of the laser light passing through the center of the hole is substantially aligned. As a result, the size of the hole can be made almost equal to the luminous flux of the laser light, so the contact area for the fixing member to press and fix the mirror can be increased, the cooling efficiency of the mirror improves and thermal distortion is prevented. can do.

According to the laser oscillator of the third aspect, in addition to the effect of the second aspect, the center of gravity determined from the outer shape of the fixing member and the center of the hole through which the laser light of the fixing member passes are deviated. Of the laser beam passing through the center of the hole. As a result, the size of the hole can be made almost equal to the luminous flux of the laser light, so the contact area for the fixing member to press and fix the mirror can be increased, the cooling efficiency of the mirror improves and thermal distortion is prevented. can do.

According to the laser oscillator of the fourth aspect, the conductor emits the laser beam at a position where the laser beam transmitted through the transmissive mirror does not interfere with the mirror constituting the resonator of the laser oscillator or the resonator formed of the fixing member. The transmissive mirror is provided so as to surround it. Then, the abnormal state of the transmissive mirror can be detected by detecting the disconnected state based on the electrically conductive state of the conductor detected by the conduction detecting means.

According to the laser oscillator of the fifth aspect, in addition to the effect of the fourth aspect, the conductor is embedded in the transmissive mirror, and is formed by painting, vapor deposition or adhesion to be integrated with the mirror surface or the mirror. It is in close contact with the surface. This makes it possible to reliably detect a change in the transmissive mirror by detecting the cut state of the conductor.

According to the laser processing apparatus of the sixth aspect, the conductor is a laser beam at a position where the laser beam transmitted through the transmissive mirror does not interfere with the mirror constituting the resonator of the laser oscillator or the resonator formed of the fixed member. It is provided on the transmissive mirror so as to surround it. Then, based on the electrical conduction state of the conductor detected by the conduction detecting means, when the cut state of the conductor is detected, laser oscillation is disabled by the interlock mechanism. At the same time when the interlock mechanism is operated, the laser processing is stopped by the processing stopping means. This makes it possible to prevent a reduction in processing accuracy or a processing defect caused by an unstable laser beam which is different from usual, by detecting a change in the transmissive mirror and interrupting the laser processing.

According to the laser machining apparatus of claim 7, in addition to the effect of claim 6, even if the interlocking mechanism is operated by the remachining means and the laser machining is interrupted, the machining position is stored and the interlocking mechanism is retained. After the cause of operation of the mechanism is repaired, the machining is resumed from the machining point where the machining was interrupted. As a result, it is not necessary to perform re-machining from the beginning, so that the machining time can be shortened.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a detailed view showing a laser light reflecting portion including a total reflection mirror of a laser oscillator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed partial cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of an elbow used in the laser oscillator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a detailed view showing a first modification of the laser light reflecting portion including the total reflection mirror of the laser oscillator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of FIG. 3 in which the elbow of the laser oscillator according to the first embodiment of the present invention is fixed to another surface.

FIG. 5 is a detailed view showing a mounting portion including an internal total reflection mirror of a laser oscillator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a detailed view showing a partial reflecting mirror of a laser oscillator according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a laser processing apparatus using a laser oscillator according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart executed by the NC device of the laser processing device using the laser oscillator according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an entire configuration of a laser oscillator according to the related art and the first to third embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a detailed cross-sectional view showing a laser beam reflecting portion of a conventional laser oscillator.

FIG. 11 is a detailed view showing a mounting portion including a total reflection mirror of a conventional laser oscillator.

FIG. 12 is a detailed view showing a mounting portion including an internal total reflection mirror of a conventional laser oscillator.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 housing, 2 (a pair of) discharge electrodes, 3 heat exchanger, 4
Blower, 5 partial reflection mirrors, 6, 7 total internal reflection mirrors, 8
Total reflection mirror, 9 laser light, 14 adjustment plate, 14a cooling water channel, 15 mirror holder, 17A elbow.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A laser oscillator for outputting laser light by exciting a laser medium, comprising: a resonator comprising a plurality of sets of mirrors and a fixing member for fixing the mirrors; a mirror of the resonator; and a fixing member of the fixing member. A cooling member having a cooling water passage for passing cooling water for cooling one or more; and, after being fixed to an inlet / outlet of the cooling water passage of the cooling member,
A laser oscillator comprising: a pipe joint that is rotatable only in an inlet / outlet portion of the cooling water in an arbitrary direction. 2. A laser oscillator that outputs laser light by exciting a laser medium, comprising a resonator comprising a plurality of sets of mirrors and a fixing member that fixes the mirrors, and at least one set of the resonators. A laser oscillator, wherein a center of gravity of a mirror and a center of a hole through which a laser beam of the fixing member passes are deviated from each other. 3. The laser oscillator according to claim 2, wherein the center of gravity determined from the outer shape of the fixing member is deviated from the center of the hole of the fixing member through which the laser light passes. 4. A laser oscillator for outputting a laser beam by exciting a laser medium, comprising: a resonator comprising a plurality of sets of mirrors and a fixing member for fixing the mirrors; and a transmissive mirror among the mirrors of the resonator. A laser provided with a conductor provided on the transmissive mirror so as to surround the laser light at a position where the laser light passing through the laser does not interfere, and a conduction detecting means for detecting an electric conduction state of the conductor. Oscillator. 5. The conductor is embedded in the transmissive mirror,
The laser oscillator according to claim 4, wherein the laser oscillator is formed by painting, vapor deposition or adhesion. 6. A resonator comprising a plurality of sets of mirrors of a laser oscillator for outputting laser light by exciting a laser medium and a fixing member for fixing the mirrors, and a transmissive mirror among the mirrors of the resonator. A conductor provided on the transmissive mirror so as to surround the laser light at a position where the transmitted laser light does not interfere with it, a conduction detecting means for detecting an electric conduction state of the conductor, and a conductor detecting means for detecting the electric conduction state of the conductor. An interlock mechanism for disabling laser oscillation when a cutting state is detected, and a processing stopping means for stopping the laser processing when the interlock mechanism operates during laser processing are provided. Laser processing equipment. 7. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising reprocessing means for performing reprocessing from a previous processing point after restoration is performed when the interlock mechanism operates and the laser processing is interrupted. A laser processing apparatus comprising: