JPH10156568A - Laser beam cutting equipment for sheet and method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cut off a product from sheet so as to leave no joint part in the product and to eliminate a finishing process, and to improve circumstances in which damages on the product are prevented, heavy labor is improved and noises and the like are eliminated. SOLUTION: In this device, in a state that the sheet 100 is carried above the rollers 16 of conveyor F and its positioning is fixed there, the conveyor F is lowered to a prescribed position, and, on the way of the downward motion, the sheet 100 is placed on cylindrical pieces equipped on a pallet and is fixed there by positioning cramps 18. The lens unit 3 is, as necessary, shifted in the direction of Y-axis, and at the same time the lens 6 of the lens unit 3 is, as necessary, shifted in the direction of Z-axis and is tilted so as to make the laser beam have a prescribed inclined angle to sheet 100, and then the joint part is cut.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a process for separating and dropping products in a process of processing a plurality of products from one sheet by performing turret punching or laser cutting using a sheet material in sheet metal processing. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a laser cutting apparatus for a sheet and a laser cutting method for cutting a material that connects (joints) a sheet and a product with a small dimension in order to prevent the occurrence.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 6 shows a state in which a product 102 is processed by punching or laser processing, but is not separated from a sheet (sheet metal sheet) 100 yet. When the sheet 100 before product separation is processed by a punch, there is a punch punching portion 101 surrounding the product 102, and a process of leaving a small amount of the joint portion 103 so that the product 102 does not fall off is performed. Similarly, the laser cutting section 105 is provided with a joint section 106 so that the product 104 does not fall off.

[0003] As a method of separating the products 102 and 104 processed into the sheet 100 as described above, mechanical vibration by a person or mechanical equipment is applied to the joints 103 and 1.
Generally, a method of disconnecting 06 is used.

FIG. 7 shows a product 10 according to a conventional vibration method.
Joint part 10 generated when separating 2 and 104
3 and 106, the product 102 is provided with the remaining portion 103A of the joint portion 103 at the time of processing.
4 shows the remaining portion 106A of the joint 106 during laser processing.
After the product is separated, it is necessary to reduce it with a file or the like for the purpose of use of the product and for safety measures by the protrusions of the remaining portions 103A and 106A of the joint portions 103 and 106.

[0005] Further, when a product is processed by a turret punch press or a laser compound machine, the joints 103, 1
Although there is a method of processing without providing 06, since the product is left behind in the processing equipment, it is difficult to continuously operate the processing equipment unattended.

[0006]

As described above, in sheet metal processing, turret punching or laser cutting is performed using the sheet 100, and in the process of processing a plurality of products 102, 104 from one sheet 100, Product 10
Joint part 10 connecting sheet 100 and products 102 and 104 to prevent separation and dropping of sheets 2 and 104
Since the remaining portions 103A and 106A of 3 and 106 remain on the product side, finishing work such as file sanding is required for each product. In addition, in the case of product separation by a vibration method using humans and mechanical equipment, heavy labor and products are required. There was a problem that generation of scratches and generation of noise were involved.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a first object of the present invention is to cut and separate a product from a sheet so that there is no joint on the product side. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet laser cutting apparatus capable of eliminating a finishing step, preventing damage to products, improving heavy labor, eliminating noise and the like, and improving the environment.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a laser cutting method capable of easily cutting and separating a product from a sheet so that there is no joint on the product side, and eliminating a finishing step. To provide.

[0009]

In order to achieve the first object, a laser cutting apparatus for a sheet according to the first aspect of the present invention provides a laser cutting apparatus for a sheet before a product is connected and separated via a joint. A processing table on which the processed sheet is placed and moved in the sheet conveying direction, and a lens which moves up and down and which can be tilted by a fixed amount with respect to the sheet, and which moves on the processing table in the sheet conveying direction A lens unit that moves in a direction perpendicular to the lens unit, and a laser oscillation unit that is connected to the lens of the lens unit via an optical cable, wherein a laser is used to cut the joint portion in the sheet. And

With this configuration, the conveying unit is lowered to a predetermined position in a state where the sheet is carried on the rollers of the conveying unit and positioned, and the sheet is placed on a piece member provided on the pallet for receiving the sheet during the lowering. The sheet is fixed by a positioning clamp, and the lens unit is moved in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction as needed, and the lens of the lens unit is moved up and down as necessary, and tilted. By tilting the laser beam at a predetermined angle with respect to the sheet, the joint portion of the sheet can be cut.

For this reason, the product can be cut and separated from the sheet so that there is no joint on the product side, and the finishing step can be eliminated. In addition, since laser cutting does not involve vibration or noise, it prevents damage to products,
The improvement of the environment becomes possible by the improvement of heavy labor and the elimination of noise.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet laser cutting apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention.
The laser oscillation means is a YAG laser.

With this configuration, not only can the same effect as the above-described invention of claim 1 be obtained, but also the use of a YAG laser cuts a small amount, does not require high energy, and requires a laser. The beam can be guided by an optical cable, and the equipment can be simplified and the cost can be reduced so that the laser optical axis can be adjusted and the number of bender mirrors can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laser cutting apparatus for a sheet according to the first or second aspect of the present invention. A conveying means comprising a plurality of rollers arranged at predetermined intervals in a sheet conveying direction on a roller frame, the conveying means descending to a predetermined position in a state where the sheet is carried on the rollers, and an upper surface of the bottom plate member A large number of escape holes for assist gas at the time of laser irradiation are provided in a portion separated by a lattice-shaped bar of the section, and the sheet is placed on the upper surface of the bottom plate member by the lowering of the conveying means and the laser cutting is performed. And a clamp for positioning and fixing the sheet while the piece member of the receiving pallet receives the sheet. It was constructed from.

According to this configuration, not only can the same effect as the above-mentioned invention of claim 1 be obtained, but also by using the bridge member as the receiver at the time of laser cutting, stable reception of the product and ventilation of the assist gas can be achieved. It can be made favorable and can be easily installed and replaced at any position.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet laser cutting apparatus according to the first or second or third aspect. The laser beam axis of the laser is inclined to cut the joint portion of the sheet.

With this configuration, not only can the same function as the above-described invention of claim 1 be obtained, but also the application of a YAG laser having a lower output than a CO2 laser by cutting the laser optical axis at an angle. Make it possible.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laser cutting method according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, wherein the conveying means is moved to a predetermined position while the sheet is carried on rollers of the conveying means and positioned. Position, the sheet is placed on a piece member provided on a pallet for receiving the sheet, and the sheet is fixed by a positioning clamp.The lens unit is moved to a predetermined position, and the lens of the lens unit is moved. The laser beam is tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the sheet by tilting, and a joint portion of the sheet is cut.

Therefore, the product can be easily cut and separated from the sheet so that there is no joint on the product side, and the finishing step can be omitted.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a front view of a laser cutting device for a sheet according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the laser cutting device for a sheet partially omitted, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a receiving pallet in the laser cutting device for a sheet. .

The laser cutting apparatus for a sheet according to the present invention includes a base 1 on which a processing table 2 movable in the X-axis direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1).
And an X-axis moving unit 30 for moving the processing table 2 in the X-axis direction which is the sheet conveying direction.

The processing table 2 has a plurality of rollers 16 for conveying a sheet 100 which has been processed by punch punching or laser cutting and the product has not yet been separated from the sheet. And a clamp 18 for positioning and fixing the sheet 100.

A plurality of rollers 16 are attached to roller frame 20 by X.
They are rotatably mounted at predetermined intervals in the axial direction, and constitute the above-described transport means F. These transport means F are arranged in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) as shown in FIG.
Is movable by a predetermined amount W. And roller 1
The receiving pallet 17 is arranged between the six pallets.

The receiving pallet 17 has the bars 23 arranged on the upper surface of the bottom plate member 24 in a grid pattern.
A cylindrical piece, which is a stainless steel piece member, which is provided with a large number of escape holes 22 for assist gas at the time of laser irradiation in the area divided by 3 and which can efficiently ventilate the assist gas at the time of laser cutting on the upper surface of the bottom plate member 24. 21 are arranged. Note that the cylindrical piece 21 is not mounted on the upper surface of the bottom plate member 24 but is merely mounted so that replacement and change of position can be easily performed.

The X-axis moving unit 30 includes a ball screw 10 screwed to a female screw member (not shown) fixed to the processing table 2 and rotatably supported by the base 1. And a ball screw 1
It comprises a drive motor 11 for rotating the motor 0 forward and backward, and a guide 12 provided on the base 1 for guiding the processing table 2 in the X-axis direction.

A support frame 4 is erected on the base 1 so as to straddle the processing table 2, and the lens unit 3 is mounted on the support frame 4 in a Y-axis direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. (In the front-rear direction) and a Y-axis moving unit 26 for moving the lens unit 3 in the Y-axis direction.
Is provided.

The lens unit 3 is composed of a Z-axis drive unit 5 that moves a small amount in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) and a cam mechanism unit 7 that tilts the lens 6 by a predetermined amount in the θ direction. The lens 6 is connected to a YAG laser oscillator 9 as laser oscillation means by an optical cable 8 having a degree of freedom. The Z-axis drive unit 5 is rotatably supported by a holding member 3A that holds the lens unit 3 and is screwed to a female screw member (not shown) fixed to the lens unit 3; The driving motor 52 is provided on the holding member 3A and rotates the ball screw 51 forward and backward.

The Y-axis drive unit 26 is rotatably supported by the support frame 4 and is screwed to a female screw member (not shown) fixed to a holding member 3A for holding the lens unit 3. The support frame 4
And a drive motor 14 that rotates the ball screw 13 in the forward and reverse directions, and a guide 15 that is provided on the support frame 4 and guides the lens unit 3 in the Y-axis direction.

The drive control of the drive motors 11, 14, and 52, the control of the laser irradiation position, and the control of the laser output are as follows.
Both are performed by the NC device 19.

Next, a laser cutting method according to the present invention will be described. Sheet 100 to be laser cut
Is a sheet 100 before the product is separated as described above. When the sheet is processed by a punch, there is a punching portion 101 surrounding the product 102, and a process of leaving a small amount of the joint portion 103 so that the product 102 does not fall off. Have been. The sheet 100 has two or three positioning holes 107 as shown in FIG. The positioning holes 107 are formed in advance at a position correlated with the product position when the sheet 100 is processed.

The working table 2 can be moved in the X-axis direction by driving the X-axis moving unit 30. That is, for example, by rotating the drive motor 11 forward, the ball screw 10 is rotated forward, and the working table 2 is moved to the left by the screw feed of the female screw member fixed to the working table 2. 11
Is reversed to move the processing table 2 rightward.

The lens unit 3 can be moved in the Y-axis direction by driving the Y-axis moving unit 26. That is, the ball screw 13 is rotated forward by, for example, rotating the drive motor 14 in the forward direction, and the female screw member fixed to the lens unit 3 is fed by screwing.
The lens unit 3 is moved in the forward direction, and the lens unit 3 is moved in the backward direction by reversing the drive motor 14.

The lens unit 3 can be moved in the Z-axis direction by driving the Z-axis drive unit 5. That is, the ball screw 51 is rotated forward by, for example, rotating the drive motor 52 forward, and the lens unit 3 is moved upward by the screw feed of the female screw member fixed to the lens unit 3. 5
The lens unit 3 is moved downward by reversing 1.

By operating the cam mechanism 7 of the lens unit 3, the lens 6 can be tilted by a certain amount in the θ direction.

Then, as shown in FIG.
Is a roller 1 rotatably mounted on a roller frame 20.
6 and is lowered downward by a predetermined amount while being positioned by the clamp 18. During this lowering, the sheet 100 is received by the upper surface of the cylindrical piece 21 provided on the receiving pallet 17 and stopped. Laser cutting is for processing the sheet 100 on the cylindrical piece 21. And
The sheet 100 placed on the cylindrical piece 21 of the receiving pallet 17 is fixed by the positioning clamp 18.

If necessary, the processing table 2 is moved in the X-axis direction by driving the X-axis moving unit 30, and the lens unit 3 is moved in the Y-axis direction by driving the Y-axis moving unit 26. The lens unit 3 is moved in the axial direction, and further, the lens unit 3 is moved in the Z-axis direction by the driving of the Z-axis driving unit 5 so that the lens unit 3 faces the cut portion of the sheet 100. By operating the cam mechanism 7 of FIG. 3, the laser beam 200 is tilted by θ with respect to the seat 100, and as shown in FIG.
3, 106 is cut.

Usually, the width of the joints 103 and 106 in the thin sheet 100 is 0.5 mm to 0.9 m.
m, and by cutting the laser beam 200, cutting with a YAG laser having a lower output than a CO2 laser becomes possible.

The products 102 and 104 cut by the YAG laser and separated are collected on the receiving pallet 17. The sheet 100 from which the products 102 and 104 have been removed is removed from above the roller 16 with the roller frame 20 and the roller 16 shown in FIG.

According to the above embodiment, the sheet 1
00 is transported onto the rollers 16 of the transporting means F and positioned, the transporting means F is lowered to a predetermined position, and the sheet 100 is received on the cylindrical piece 21 of the pallet 17 during the descent, and the sheet 100 is placed thereon. Positioning clamp 1
8, the lens unit 3 is moved in the Y-axis direction as needed, and the lens 6 of the lens unit 3 is moved in the Z-axis direction as needed, and the laser beam 200 is tilted to move the laser beam 200. Inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the seat 100,
106 can be cut.

For this purpose, the joint part 10 is provided on the product side.
The product 100 from the sheet 100 so that there is no
104 can be cut off and the finishing step can be eliminated. In addition, since the laser cutting does not involve vibration and noise, the products 102 and 104 are prevented from being damaged.
The improvement of the environment becomes possible by the improvement of heavy labor and the elimination of noise.

Also, by using a YAG laser, the cut portion is a small amount, does not require high energy, and the laser beam 200 can be guided by the optical cable 8. The equipment can be simplified and the price can be reduced so that the number of mirrors can be reduced.

Further, by using the cylindrical piece 21 as the receiver at the time of laser cutting, it is possible to stably receive the products 102 and 104 and to improve the ventilation of the assist gas, and install the product at an arbitrary position.
Exchange can be facilitated.

[0043]

As described above, according to the laser cutting apparatus for a sheet according to the first aspect of the present invention, the processed sheet before the product is connected and separated via the joint portion is placed. A processing table that moves in the sheet conveying direction, and a lens that moves up and down and that can be tilted by a fixed amount with respect to the sheet, and moves on the processing table in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. A lens unit, and a laser oscillating unit connected to the lens of the lens unit via an optical cable, and by using a laser to cut the joint portion of the sheet, the sheet is placed on a roller of a conveying unit. In a state where the pallet is carried in and positioned, the conveying means is lowered to a predetermined position, and a piece provided on the pallet for receiving the sheet during the lowering. Place the sheet on a material and fix the sheet with a positioning clamp, move the lens unit in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction as necessary, and move the lens of the lens unit in the vertical direction as necessary, In addition, the laser beam can be tilted to incline the laser beam at a predetermined angle with respect to the sheet, and a joint portion of the sheet can be cut.

For this reason, the product can be cut and separated from the sheet so that there is no joint on the product side, and the finishing step can be eliminated. In addition, since laser cutting does not involve vibration or noise, it prevents damage to products,
The improvement of the environment becomes possible by the improvement of heavy labor and the elimination of noise.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet laser cutting apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the laser oscillation means is a YAG laser. In addition to achieving the same effect as the effect of the invention of the present invention, the use of a YAG laser makes it possible to cut a small amount of a small amount, does not require high energy, and guides a laser beam with an optical cable. Therefore, the equipment can be simplified and the price can be reduced so that the adjustment of the laser optical axis and the reduction of the bender mirror can be performed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the sheet laser cutting apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the processing table is
A conveying means comprising a plurality of rollers arranged at predetermined intervals in a sheet conveying direction on a roller frame, the conveying means descending to a predetermined position in a state where the sheet is carried on the rollers, and an upper surface portion of the bottom plate member A large number of relief holes for assist gas at the time of laser irradiation are provided in the area separated by the lattice-shaped bar,
On the upper surface of the bottom plate member, a receiving pallet configured by providing a piece member on which the sheet is placed by lowering of the transporting means and through which an assist gas at the time of laser cutting is passed, and the piece member of the receiving pallet, A clamp for positioning and fixing the sheet in a state where the sheet is received, not only can provide the same effect as the effect of the invention of the above-mentioned claim 1, but also can receive the laser cutting piece member. By doing so, the product can be stably received and the assist gas can be well ventilated, and can be easily installed and replaced at an arbitrary position.

According to the laser cutting apparatus for a sheet according to the invention of claim 4, in the laser cutting apparatus for sheet according to claim 1, 2 or 3, the laser beam axis of the laser is inclined. By cutting the joint portion of the sheet, not only the same effect as the effect of the first aspect of the present invention described above can be obtained, but also by cutting the laser optical axis at an angle, CO2
This makes it possible to apply a YAG laser having a lower output than a laser.

According to the laser cutting method according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the conveying means is lowered to a predetermined position in a state where the sheet is carried on the rollers of the conveying means and positioned, and during the descent. The sheet is placed on a piece member provided on a pallet that receives the sheet, and the sheet is fixed by a positioning clamp.The lens unit is moved to a predetermined position, and the lens included in the lens unit is tilted to apply a laser beam to the sheet. By tilting the sheet at a predetermined angle to cut the joint portion of the sheet, the product can be easily cut and separated from the sheet without the joint portion on the product side, and the finishing step can be eliminated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a sheet laser cutting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially omitted plan view of the laser cutting apparatus for a sheet.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a receiving pallet in the laser cutting apparatus for a sheet.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view at the time of sheet movement and laser cutting.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of cutting a laser optical axis while tilting it.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a product and a sheet having a sheet joint portion thereof.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of the remaining joint piece of the product.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 sheet 2 working table 3 lens unit 4 Y-axis drive unit 5 Z-axis drive unit 6 lens 7 cam mechanism unit 8 optical cable 9 YAG laser oscillator (laser oscillation means) 17 receiving pallet 21 cylindrical piece (piece member) 102 punched Product 103 Joint part at the time of punching 104 Laser processed product 106 Joint part at the time of laser processing 103A Remaining part 106A Remaining part 200 Laser beam F Conveying means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H01S 3/00 H01S 3/00 B

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A processing table on which a processed sheet before a product is connected and separated via a joint portion is placed and moved in a sheet conveying direction; A lens unit having a lens tiltable by a predetermined amount with respect to the processing table and moving in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction on the processing table; and a laser oscillation unit connected to the lens of the lens unit via an optical cable Wherein a laser is used to cut the joint portion of the sheet. 2. A sheet laser cutting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said laser oscillation means is a YAG laser. 3. The processing table comprises a plurality of rollers arranged at predetermined intervals in a sheet conveying direction on a roller frame, and is lowered to a predetermined position in a state where the sheet is carried on the rollers. Conveying means, a large number of escape holes for assist gas at the time of laser irradiation are provided on a portion of the upper surface of the bottom plate member separated by a lattice-shaped bar, and the sheet is lowered on the upper surface of the bottom plate member by lowering the conveying device. A receiving pallet on which a piece member is provided and through which an assist gas at the time of laser cutting is ventilated, and a clamp for positioning and fixing the sheet while the piece member of the receiving pallet receives the sheet 3. The laser cutting device for a sheet according to claim 1, wherein the laser cutting device comprises: 4. The laser beam axis of the laser is tilted,
The laser cutting device for a sheet according to claim 1, wherein the joint portion of the sheet is cut. 5. The transporting means is lowered to a predetermined position in a state where the sheet is carried on rollers of a transporting means and positioned, and the sheet is placed on a piece member provided on a pallet for receiving the sheet during the lowering. Is fixed by a positioning clamp, while moving the lens unit to a predetermined location, tilting the lens of the lens unit to tilt the laser beam at a predetermined angle with respect to the sheet,
A laser cutting method, wherein a joint portion of the sheet is cut.