JPH09277074A - Laser beam processing head - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily and rapidly execute the inspection and exchange of lenses and windows by mounting a handle for opening and closing at a mount freely detainably with the main body of a laser beam processing machine. SOLUTION: The processing head 15 of the laser beam processing machine may be easily opened and closed by means of a hinge and the handle and therefore, the easy and rapid execution of the replacement of the window 1 is made possible. Since a pin for prohibiting the relative movement of the main body of the laser beam processing machine and the processing head 15 and a taper shank 11 are used, the exact reproduction of the positioning before and after the replacement of the window 1 is made possible and, therefore, the working efficiency is more improved. Since taper shank 11 is disposed on the handle side, the working efficiency for inserting and removing the taper shank is extremely high. The holding of the lens or the window 1 is executed at a seat part 6 formed with a recessed part capable of clamping the circumferential edge thereof in an opposite direction and, therefore, the window 1 is easily attached and detached.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing head which facilitates replacement of a lens or a window used for laser welding or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, laser processing machines using laser light for welding, cutting, drilling, trimming, and the like have been used. In these laser processing machines, a substantially parallel laser beam is irradiated by a lens or a parabolic mirror. The light is condensed on one point on the workpiece by using light. Lens 21 as shown in FIG.
Even when a parabolic mirror or the like is used instead of a lens, a flat plate called a window made of the same material as the lens is often installed in the optical path. In the case of a carbon dioxide gas laser, zinc selenide is used for this window because it absorbs little laser light. The reason for providing the window is to separate the gas system into a terminal portion (most of the processing head) downstream of the window and a light guide portion (substantially the main body of the processing machine) upstream of the window. An object of the present invention is to prevent the flow of gas from flowing back to the light guide portion, to easily control the gas flow rate blown out from the terminal nozzle to the workpiece, and to reduce the gas consumption. When the light is condensed by the lens, the lens itself also serves to separate the gas system.

[0003] Sputters and fumes generated from a workpiece and dust and the like that fall and flow from a light guide system adhere to the surface of the lens or the window with use time. These foreign substances adhering to the surface of the optical component absorb the energy of the laser and become high temperature, which reduces its performance and life. Therefore, it is important to inspect and clean the optical parts at an appropriate frequency from the viewpoint of maintenance of processing performance and running cost.
For this reason, it is preferable that the replacement work of the lens and the window can be performed in a short time.

In order to facilitate the removal / attachment, inspection, and cleaning work of several peripheral parts when attaching / detaching, as shown in FIG.
No. 82, “Processing head for laser beam machine” has been proposed. That is, the lens 21 is the primary holder 2
2 is prepared. Reference numeral 29 denotes a handle for attaching and detaching the primary holder 22 to and from the storage holder 26.
When the lens 21 with the primary holder 22 is inserted from the lens insertion opening 27 of the storage holder 26 and the alignment is completed, it is fixed by a primary holder holder (not shown) using a thumb screw or the like. Storage holder 26 and primary holder 22
Is fixed via an O-ring (not shown), thereby preventing leakage of assist gas and the like. Reference numeral 23 denotes a protective cylinder of the laser processing machine main body, reference numeral 24 denotes a position adjusting mechanism, and reference numeral 25 denotes a processing nozzle.

The "working head for laser beam machine" also has the following problems. When applied to a high-power laser that requires water cooling, the “primary holder” and the O-ring are interposed between the “storage holder” that forms the cooling water passage and the lens (or window). The cooling effect is reduced and therefore the life of the lens or window is reduced. To replace the lens (or window), first loosen the "primary holder holder", take out the "primary holder" from the "storage holder", and then take out the lens (or window) from the "primary holder". That is, it is necessary to take out twice. Unless a lid or the like is provided, a gap is formed in the “lens entrance” of the “storage holder”, and gas outflow may increase. If a lid is provided, a lens (or window)
At the time of inspection, etc., it is necessary to remove it. The "O-ring" of the "storage holder" slides while the bottom surface is in contact when the "primary holder" is inserted and removed.
High wear. Further, the replacement of the “O-ring” is an operation in the “storage holder”, and requires a dedicated tool or the like for performing this in a narrow place.

[0006]

The cooling efficiency of the window or the lens should not be lower than that of the structure shown in FIG. Further, in the processing head for large output, it is necessary to cool the optical part by flowing cooling water to the mounting part of the optical part so that the temperature of the optical part does not rise excessively. Minimize the number of steps required to attach and detach the window or lens. It is necessary to have a structure with little gas leakage. In particular, there are no consumable parts. No special tools are required. The position reproducibility of the processing head with respect to the workpiece after the window (or lens) has been removed must be maintained. The head fixing operation after storage can be performed from the same direction as the window or lens attaching / detaching operation. Is an issue. Therefore, the inventors have conducted various studies in order to enable easy and quick inspection and replacement of lenses and windows associated with the above-described problems, and as a result,
The present invention has been accomplished.

[0007]

A laser beam machine equipped with a lens or a window according to the present invention is as described below. That is, in a laser processing head using a lens or a window, the lens or the window that is connected to the laser processing machine main body by a hinge and transmits laser light is held and a water-cooled jacket is built in, and the laser processing machine main body is A mount fixed by positioning means at the time of close contact, a processing head fixed to the mount and guiding laser light, and an opening / closing operation handle attached to the mount so as to be latchable to the laser processing machine main body; The holding of the lens or the window is performed by a seat portion on the upper surface side of the mount, in which the lens or the window is fitted and a concave portion capable of gripping a peripheral portion of the lens or the window is provided in a diagonal direction. It is like that.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In a laser processing head using a lens or a window, the lens or the window, which is connected to a laser processing machine main body by a hinge and which transmits laser light, has a water-cooled jacket built therein and the laser A mount fixed by a positioning means when in close contact with the processing machine main body, a processing head fixed to the mount and guiding a laser beam, and a handle for opening and closing operation mounted on the mount so as to be latchable to the laser processing machine main body And a laser processing head comprising: Further, the opening / closing operation handle is located on the opposite side of the side where the hinge is provided with the laser path therebetween, and usually projects a protrusion near the laser path,
The projection is locked in a recess provided in the laser processing machine main body, and the projection is retracted by pulling the laser path away from the hinge so as to release the projection and release the engagement with the recess. doing. Further, the positioning means includes a pin for preventing the relative movement of the laser beam machine body and the mount, and a taper shank penetrating the convex portion of the laser beam machine body and the mount on both sides so as to sandwich the laser path. Do with. Still further, the holding of the lens or the window is provided on the upper surface side of the mount, and a seat portion in which the lens or the window is fitted and a concave portion capable of gripping a peripheral portion of the lens or the window is provided in a diagonal direction. It is done in.

[0009]

FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show a window mounting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a connecting member 3 is integrally fixed to a laser processing machine main body (not shown). The mount 2 is connected to the mount 2 via a hinge 10 so as to be openable and closable, and the mount 2 is further provided with a handle 8 on the opposite side across the laser path 14. The handle 8 can move integrally with the projection 9, and is normally urged by a built-in spring (not shown) to protrude toward the laser path 14 side and engage with the concave portion 5 of the connecting member 3 to engage with the mount 2. Are fixed to the connecting member 3 in a temporarily fixed state. The mount 2 is provided with a seat 6 for arranging the window 1 at a predetermined position directly or via a cushion material (not shown) having good heat conductivity, and a water-cooling jacket 4 for flowing water for cooling. It is provided integrally to improve the performance. The seat 6 has a recess (not shown) at a diagonal position on a part of the periphery of the window 1 so that the window 1 can be easily picked. Further, a processing head 15 having a parabolic mirror 12 and a reflecting mirror 13 for focusing the laser light 16 to one point is fixed to the mount 2. Processing head 15 is mounted 2
When the window 1 is fixed, a high degree of reproducibility of the position before and after the replacement of the window 1 is required. That is, at least one pin 7 that fits into the hole 7 ′ provided in the connecting member 3 is embedded in the mount 2. Pin 7 is hinge 10
As a result, the mount 2 rotates to engage with the hole 7 'provided in the connecting member 3, but the hole diameter needs to be slightly larger than the pin diameter in order to absorb the radial displacement during rotation. The clearance determines the effective height of the pin and the distance from the hinge so that the positioning accuracy is not hindered. By the way, in this embodiment, the diameter of the pin is 4 mmφ, the tolerance is -0.02 to -0.028, and the parallel portion is 1 mm long. The inner diameter of the hole 7 'is 4 mm and the tolerance is +0.022 to +0.01. The pin 7 and the hinge 10
Is 116.5 mm. The protrusions 1 of the mount 2 are provided on both sides of the laser path 14.
7 and the projecting portion 18 of the connecting member 3 are combined so as to fit each other, and the tapered portion 19 of the tapered shank 11 is
9 are fitted so as to penetrate in a skewered manner. The tapered shank 11 has a threaded portion 11 ′
And a head 11 ″ having a square cross section is provided. By screwing the taper shank 11 on both sides, an accurate position is set together with the pin 7.

Now, if the window 1 is to be replaced,
First, the tool is locked on the head 11 ″ of the taper shank 11 and the tool is twisted up to remove the taper shank 11. Then, the handle 8 is pulled while overcoming the bias of the built-in spring in the direction away from the laser path 14. , Protrusion 9
Is removed from the recess 5, the processing head 15 hangs downward by its own weight around the hinge 10, and as a result, the window 1 appears. The window 1 is used to pick up the used window 1 by inserting a fingertip into a diagonally provided dimple (not shown), load a new window 1 into the seat 6, lift the handle 8, and remove the projection 9. It is engaged with the recess 5 and temporarily fixed. After that, the taper portion 19 of the taper shank 11 is replaced with the taper hole 1 of the protrusions 17 and 18, respectively.
The work for fixing the processing head 15 is completed by inserting the work heads 9 ′ and screwing them into the screw portions 17 ′. When the processing head 15 is fixed by the two taper shanks 11, the taper shank 11 has a gradient, so that there is no backlash and the processing head 1 is fixed by the pins 7.
Needless to say, 5 is set at the same position as before the window 1 was replaced.

[0011]

According to the present invention, a hinge and a handle are used.
Since the processing head of the laser processing machine can be easily opened and closed, the window can be replaced easily and quickly. Further, since the window is directly mounted on the seat of the water-cooled jacket, it can be used for a long time even with a high-power laser beam, and therefore, the work efficiency is improved. Furthermore, since the pin that blocks the relative movement of the laser processing machine body and the processing head and the taper shank are used, the positioning before and after the replacement of the window can be accurately reproduced, which further improves the work efficiency. In addition, since the taper shank is inserted and removed on the handle side, the work efficiency is extremely high. Further, the holding of the lens or the window is performed on a surface of the water-cooled jacket, in which the lens or the window is fitted, and a concave portion capable of holding a peripheral portion of the lens or the window is provided in a diagonal direction. This makes it easy and quick to attach and remove the window for inspection and replacement.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: window 2: mount 3: connecting member 4: water cooling jacket 5: concave portion 6: seat portion 7: pin 8: handle 9: projection 10: hinge 11: taper shank 11 ': screw portion 12: parabolic mirror 13: Reflecting mirror 14: Laser path 15: Processing head 16: Laser beam 17, 18: Projecting portion 19: Tapered portion 19 ': Tapered hole 21: Lens 22: Primary holder 23: Protective cylinder 24: Position adjusting mechanism 25: Processing nozzle 26: Storage holder 27: Lens insertion port 29: Toride

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. In a laser processing head using a lens or a window, the laser processing machine is hingedly connected to the laser processing machine main body, holds the lens or the window that transmits laser light, and incorporates a water cooling jacket. A mount fixed by a positioning means when closely attached to the main body, a processing head fixed to the mount and guiding laser light, and an opening / closing operation handle lockably attached to the laser processing machine main body to the mount. A laser processing head provided with. 2. A handle for opening and closing is located on the opposite side of the hinge side from the laser passage, and usually a protrusion is provided near the laser passage, and the protrusion is provided on the laser processing machine body. 2. The laser according to claim 1, wherein the laser is configured so as to be locked in the recess and to be retracted from the projection by pulling in a direction away from the hinge across the laser path to unlock the recess from the recess. Processing head. 3. The positioning means includes a pin for preventing relative movement of the laser processing machine main body and the mount, and penetrates the convex portions of the laser processing machine main body and the mount on both sides as if sandwiching a laser path. The laser processing head according to claim 1, wherein the laser processing head is a tapered shank. 4. A lens or a window is held on a top surface of a mount, and a concave portion is provided in a diagonal direction in which the lens or the window is fitted and which can grip a peripheral portion of the lens or the window. The laser processing head according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the laser processing head is performed at a seat.