WO2016158740A1

WO2016158740A1 - Beam machining apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2016158740A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/059604
Authority: WO
Inventors: 成彦橋本; 幸喜古川
Original assignee: ブラザー工業株式会社
Priority date: 2015-03-31
Filing date: 2016-03-25
Publication date: 2016-10-06
Also published as: JP2016193445A; JP6269554B2

Abstract

Provided is a beam machining apparatus capable of performing desired machining based on machining details while maintaining an energy density per unit distance. According to the present invention, a laser machining apparatus in a laser machining system includes a laser oscillation unit and a galvano scanner, and is connected to a laser controller, a power source unit, and a PC. The CPU of the PC performs a machining point setting process (S3) to change, according to the element length of an element to be machined, pitches of machining points arranged on each element to be machined in machining data. The CPU adjusts, according to the element length of the element to be machined in machining data, the energy density per unit distance, so as to become adjusted energy density and be identical to that before the pitches have been changed, in an area where the reference pitches have been adjusted to adjusted pitches.

Description

Beam processing equipment

The present invention relates to a beam processing apparatus for processing a workpiece by irradiating an energy beam.

Conventionally, as one of the beam processing equipment that processes a workpiece by irradiating an energy beam, the workpiece, which is a workpiece, is cut or drilled using a pulsed laser beam emitted from a YAG laser having a Q switch. A laser processing apparatus that performs such processing is known.

The invention described in Patent Document 1 is known as an invention related to such a beam processing apparatus. The laser processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 sets a workpiece on an XY table, and moves each pulse-shaped laser to the workpiece while moving the workpiece in a direction crossing the irradiation direction of the pulse-shaped laser light for each processing element. It is configured to continuously irradiate light.

The laser light irradiation in Patent Document 1 is performed so as to maintain a constant pitch between the processing points. And in patent document 1, by changing the pitch between each process point according to the length of a process element, the length of a process element and the pitch between each process point can be made to respond | correspond. The processing of the processing element is realized with a length of.

JP 2003-010987 A

However, the laser processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 adjusts the pitch between the processing points in accordance with the length of the processing element. When the lengths of the elements are different, the pitch between the machining points in one machining element is different from the pitch between the machining points in the other machining elements.

If the pitch between machining points in one machining element is different from the pitch between machining points in another machining element, the energy density per unit distance for one machining element and the energy per unit distance for other machining elements The density will be different. That is, in Patent Document 1, the energy density per unit distance may be different for each machining element constituting a certain machining content, which leads to a reduction in machining quality as a whole machining content.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and relates to a beam processing apparatus that processes a workpiece by irradiating a beam, and performs desired processing based on the processing content while maintaining an energy density per unit distance. It is an object to provide an executable beam processing apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, a beam processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes an irradiation position moving unit that relatively moves an irradiation position of the beam emitted from the beam emitting unit on the workpiece, and a beam from the beam emitting unit. A machining data acquisition unit that acquires machining data indicating machining content using a beam, a machining condition acquisition unit that acquires machining conditions related to machining of the workpiece using the beam, and a machining condition acquired by the machining condition acquisition unit And an output condition determination unit for determining an emission condition of the beam emitted from the beam emission unit, and a line segment constituting the processing content of the processing data based on the processing data acquired by the processing data acquisition unit On the other hand, corresponding to the processing content of the processing data, the processing point arrangement portion for arranging the processing points irradiated with the beam for each predetermined pitch, the processing data Irradiation of the beam with respect to the processing point of the beam at the portion where the pitch is changed by the processing point changing unit and the processing point changing unit that changes the pitch of a part of the processing point arranged by the processing point arranging unit And an emission condition adjusting unit that adjusts the emission condition determined by the emission condition determining unit so that the energy density per unit distance given by is the same as the energy density before the pitch change. To do.

The beam processing apparatus includes a beam extraction unit, an irradiation position moving unit, a processing data acquisition unit, a processing condition acquisition unit, an extraction condition determination unit, a processing point arrangement unit, a processing point change unit, and an extraction condition adjustment. The workpiece is processed by the beam according to the processing content of the processing data by relatively moving the irradiation position of the beam emitted from the beam emitting portion on the workpiece by the irradiation position moving portion. Can be done. And since the said beam processing apparatus changes the pitch of a part of the said processing point arrange | positioned by the said processing point arrangement | positioning part according to the processing content of the said processing data by a processing point change part, A desired machining can be performed on the workpiece according to the machining content. Then, the beam processing apparatus adjusts the emission condition determined by the emission condition determination unit by the emission condition adjustment unit, so that the beam processing point in the portion where the pitch is changed by the processing point change unit. Thus, the energy density per unit distance given by the beam irradiation can be changed to be the same as before the pitch change, and the energy density per unit distance can be maintained. That is, according to the beam processing apparatus, desired processing according to the processing content of the processing data can be realized, and at the same time, deterioration of processing quality due to change in the pitch of processing points can be suppressed.

A beam processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is the beam processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing point arrangement unit sets a reference point on a line segment constituting the processing content of the processing data. The processing points are arranged at predetermined pitches based on the reference point, and the processing point changing unit changes the pitch of the processing points in a part of the line segment according to the processing content of the processing data. It is characterized by doing.

According to the beam processing apparatus, the processing point arrangement unit arranges the processing points at predetermined pitches with reference to a reference point set on a line segment constituting the processing content of the processing data, and the processing points The changing unit changes the pitch of the machining point in a part of the line segment according to the machining content of the machining data so that the energy density per unit distance is the same as before the pitch change. It is possible to suppress the degradation of machining quality due to the change of the pitch of the machining point, and to clarify the area where the pitch is not changed near the reference point and the part of the area where the pitch is changed, and control the influence on the machining. it can.

A beam processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is the beam processing apparatus according to

claim

1 or 2, wherein the processing point arrangement unit is provided at one end of a line segment constituting the processing content of the processing data. A reference point is set, the processing points are arranged at predetermined pitches with reference to the reference point, and the processing point changing unit sets the pitch of the processing points on the other end side of the line segment to the processing data. It is characterized by changing according to the processing content.

According to the beam processing apparatus, the processing point arrangement unit sets a reference point at one end of a line segment constituting the processing content of the processing data, and sets the processing point at a predetermined pitch with reference to the reference point. The processing point changing unit changes the pitch of the processing point on the other end side of the line segment according to the processing content of the processing data, and the energy density per unit distance is the same as before the pitch change. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the degradation of machining quality due to the change in the pitch of the machining point, and to clarify the one end area where the pitch is not changed and the other end area where the pitch is changed, thereby affecting the machining. Can be controlled.

A beam processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is the beam processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the emission condition adjusting unit is configured to adjust the processing point by the processing point arranging unit. In proportion to the ratio of the pitch and the pitch of the machining point changed by the machining point changing unit, the energy density per unit distance given to the part where the pitch is changed is the same as before the pitch change. The emission condition is adjusted.

According to the beam processing apparatus, the emission condition adjustment unit is proportional to the ratio of the processing point pitch by the processing point arrangement unit and the processing point pitch changed by the processing point change unit, In order to adjust the emission conditions so that the energy density per unit distance given to the part where the pitch is changed is the same as before the pitch change, even if there is a part where the pitch is changed, The energy density per unit distance can be maintained.

A beam processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is the beam processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the emission condition adjusting unit is configured such that an energy density per unit distance is a pitch change. The peak energy of the beam as the emission condition is adjusted according to the changed pitch so as to be the same as before.

According to the beam processing apparatus, by adjusting the peak energy of the beam as the emission condition by the emission condition adjustment unit, the energy density per unit distance is changed before the pitch change according to the changed pitch. The energy density per unit distance in the line segment can be reliably maintained.

A beam processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is the beam processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the beam emitting unit emits a pulse laser as the beam, The emission condition adjusting unit adjusts the number of pulses of the pulse laser as the emission condition according to the changed pitch so that the energy density per unit distance is the same as before the pitch change. To do.

According to the beam processing apparatus, the energy density per unit distance is changed by adjusting the number of pulses of the pulse laser emitted from the beam emitting unit as the emitting condition by the emitting condition adjusting unit. Depending on the pitch, the energy density before the pitch change can be made the same, and the energy density per unit distance in the line segment can be reliably maintained.

A beam processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is the beam processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the beam emitting unit emits a pulse laser as the beam, The emission condition adjustment unit adjusts the frequency of the pulse laser as the emission condition according to the changed pitch so that the energy density per unit distance is the same as before the pitch change. .

According to the beam processing apparatus, the energy density per unit distance is changed by adjusting the frequency of the pulse laser emitted from the beam emitting unit as the emitting condition by the emitting condition adjusting unit. It can be made the same as the energy density before the pitch change according to the pitch, and the energy density per unit distance in the line segment can be reliably maintained.

A beam processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is the beam processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a processing point in one processing element constituting the processing content of the processing data, A determination unit that determines whether or not a processing point in another processing element constituting the processing content of the processing data is located within a predetermined range, and a processing point in the one processing element by the determination unit, When it is determined that a machining point in the other machining element is within a predetermined range, emission of the beam to one of the machining point in the one machining element and the machining point in the other machining element is stopped. And a processing point exclusion section.

The beam processing apparatus includes a determination unit and a processing point exclusion unit, and the determination unit determines that a processing point in the one processing element and a processing point in the other processing element are within a predetermined range. In this case, the emission of the beam to one of the machining point in the one machining element and the machining point in the other machining element is stopped. Here, if the machining point in one machining element and the machining point in another machining element are within the predetermined range, if both of the machining points are irradiated with a beam, the workpiece is damaged too much by the beam irradiation. In some cases, the processing quality may be degraded. In this respect, according to the beam processing apparatus, since the emission of the beam to one of the processing point in the one processing element and the processing point in the other processing element is stopped, the beam is excessively applied to the workpiece. Damage can be suppressed, and deterioration in processing quality can be suppressed.
be able to.

A beam processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is the beam processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and is included in each processing point arranged for the processing content of the processing data. Each machining point arranged with respect to the machining content of the machining data so that the distance between the one machining point to be machined and the machining point machined next to the one machining point is equal to or greater than a reference distance. It has the processing order determination part which determines the processing order of this.

The beam processing apparatus has a processing order determination unit, and is processed after the one processing point included in each processing point arranged for the processing content of the processing data and the one processing point. The processing order of the processing points arranged for the processing content of the processing data is determined so that the distance between the processing points is equal to or greater than the reference distance. In the beam processing apparatus, when a processing point is processed by irradiating the workpiece with a beam, heat remains around the processing point, and if the vicinity of the processing point is continuously processed, damage to the work is significant. It may become. In this regard, according to the beam processing apparatus, the processing data is processed so that the distance between one processing point and the processing point processed next to the one processing point is equal to or greater than a reference distance. In order to determine the processing order of each processing point arranged for the contents, processing based on the processing data can be executed while minimizing damage to the workpiece.

The beam processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is the beam processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the processing condition acquisition unit acquires information on a configuration of the workpiece as the processing condition, and the processing condition It has a reference distance setting part which sets the reference distance based on information about composition of the work acquired by the acquisition part.

The beam processing apparatus includes a reference distance setting unit, and sets the reference distance based on information (for example, thickness, material, etc.) on the workpiece configuration acquired by the processing condition acquisition unit. Here, since the reference distance is used as a reference for determining the processing order in the processing order determination unit, according to the beam processing apparatus, the processing order of each processing point is determined according to the information regarding the configuration of the workpiece. Therefore, machining based on the machining data can be executed while minimizing damage to the workpiece in an appropriate manner according to the configuration of the workpiece.

claim

9 or 10, wherein an arbitrary processing point is selected from the processing points arranged for the processing content of the processing data. And a machining order setting unit that accepts a machining order setting for the selected machining point, and the machining order determination unit includes the machining points arranged for the machining content of the machining data. The processing order of the processing points in the processing content of the processing data is determined except for the processing points and processing orders for which the processing order is set by the processing order setting unit.

The beam processing apparatus includes a processing order setting unit that receives selection of an arbitrary processing point from processing points arranged for processing contents of the processing data and receives setting of a processing order for the selected processing point. The processing order determination unit, except for the processing points and processing orders in which the processing order is set by the processing order setting unit, among the processing points arranged for the processing content of the processing data, The processing order of the processing points in the processing content is determined. That is, according to the beam processing apparatus, the processing points set by the processing order setting unit can be set in the processing order desired by the user, so that the processing desired by the user can be realized. Further, since the processing order is determined by the processing order determination unit except for the processing points set by the processing order setting unit, the beam processing apparatus can minimize damage to the workpiece.

A beam processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is the beam processing apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein two consecutive beams are processed in the processing order determined by the processing order determination unit. When the determination unit that determines whether or not the distance between the processing points is less than a predetermined distance and the determination unit determines that the distance between the two consecutive processing points is less than the predetermined distance, A cooling period setting unit that sets a cooling period for cooling the workpiece when the beam irradiation position moves between the two consecutive machining points.

The beam processing apparatus includes a determination unit and a cooling period setting unit, and when the determination unit determines that the distance between two processing points continuous in the processing order is less than a predetermined distance, A cooling period for cooling the workpiece is set when the beam irradiation position moves between the two consecutive machining points. That is, at two consecutive machining points, when the influence of heat caused by beam irradiation on the previous machining point can affect the machining on the next machining point, the beam machining apparatus provides a cooling period. In addition, since the workpiece can be cooled, damage to the workpiece can be suppressed, and deterioration in machining quality can be suppressed.

It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the laser processing apparatus 1 regarding this embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structure of the laser head part in a laser processing apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of a laser processing system. It is a flowchart of the process data processing program regarding this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the process data regarding this embodiment. It is a flowchart of a processing point setting process program. It is explanatory drawing regarding arrangement | positioning of the process point with respect to each process element of process data. It is explanatory drawing which shows the content of the process point setting process with respect to a process element. It is a flowchart of a duplication process point exclusion processing program. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a work information input window. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a reference distance setting table. It is a flowchart of a processing order determination processing program. It is a flowchart of a cooling period setting process program.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a beam processing apparatus according to the present invention is embodied as a laser processing system 100 including a laser processing apparatus 1 capable of performing cutting using a pulse laser L as a beam will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. To do. Note that the cutting process here includes not only a process of simply dividing the object to be processed but also a wide range of processes by partially removing the object to be processed, such as a trimming process and a drilling process.

(Schematic configuration of the laser processing system 100)
First, a schematic configuration of the laser processing system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The laser processing system 100 includes a laser processing apparatus 1 and a PC 7, and controls the laser processing apparatus 1 in accordance with the processing data DW created by the PC 7, so that the surface of the processing object (for example, the workpiece W). On the upper side, the laser beam is configured to be cut by two-dimensionally scanning a pulse laser L as a beam.

(Schematic configuration of laser processing equipment)
Next, a schematic configuration of the laser processing apparatus 1 constituting the laser processing system 100 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the laser processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a laser processing apparatus main body 2, a laser controller 5, and a power supply unit 6.

The laser processing apparatus main body 2 irradiates a processing target (for example, a workpiece W) with a pulse laser L, performs two-dimensional scanning with the pulse laser L, and cuts the processing target. The laser controller 5 is configured by a computer, is connected to the PC 7 so as to be capable of bidirectional communication, and is electrically connected to the laser processing apparatus main body 2 and the power supply unit 6. The PC 7 is configured by a personal computer, and is used when creating machining data DW when cutting a workpiece, setting control parameters according to machining conditions, and the like. The laser controller 5 drives and controls the laser processing apparatus main body 2 and the power supply unit 6 based on the processing data DW transmitted from the PC 7, control parameters, various instruction information, and the like. The workpiece W corresponds to an example of the workpiece W that is a workpiece.

In addition, since FIG. 1 shows schematic structure of the laser processing system 100 and the laser processing apparatus 1, the laser processing apparatus main-body part 2 is shown typically. Therefore, a specific configuration of the laser processing apparatus main body 2 will be described later.

(Schematic configuration of the laser processing apparatus main body 2)
Next, a schematic configuration of the laser processing apparatus main body 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the description of the laser processing apparatus main body 2, the left direction, the right direction, the upper direction, and the lower direction in FIG. 1 are the front direction, the rear direction, the upper direction, and the lower direction, respectively. Therefore, the emission direction of the pulse laser L of the laser oscillator 21 is the forward direction. The direction perpendicular to the main body base 11 and the pulse laser L is the vertical direction. And the direction orthogonal to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction of the laser processing apparatus main body 2 is the left-right direction of the laser processing apparatus main body 2.

The laser processing apparatus main body 2 includes a laser head 3 (see FIG. 2) that emits the pulse laser L and the visible laser light M coaxially from the fθ lens 20, and a substantially box body on which the laser head 3 is fixed to the upper surface. And a cylindrical processing container (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the laser head unit 3 includes a main body base 11, a laser oscillation unit 12 that emits a pulse laser L, an optical shutter unit 13, an optical damper 14, a half mirror 15, and a guide light unit 16. And a reflection mirror 17, an optical sensor 18, a galvano scanner 19, an fθ lens 20, and the like, and is covered with a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing cover (not shown).

The laser oscillation unit 12 includes a laser oscillator 21, a beam expander 22, and a mounting base 23. The laser oscillator 21 has a fiber connector, a condenser lens, a reflecting mirror, a laser medium, a passive Q switch, an output coupler, and a window in a casing. An optical fiber F is connected to the fiber connector, and pumping light emitted from the pumping semiconductor laser unit 40 constituting the power supply unit 6 enters through the optical fiber F.

The condensing lens condenses the excitation light incident from the fiber connector. The reflecting mirror transmits the excitation light collected by the condenser lens and reflects the laser light emitted from the laser medium with high efficiency. The laser medium is excited by excitation light emitted from the excitation semiconductor laser unit 40 and oscillates laser light. Examples of the laser medium include a neodymium-added gadolinium vanadate (Nd: GdVO4) crystal to which neodymium (Nd) is added as a laser active ion, a neodymium-added yttrium vanadate (Nd: YVO4) crystal, and a neodymium-added yttrium aluminum garnet. (Nd: YAG) crystal or the like can be used.

The passive Q switch is a crystal having a property that the transmittance increases when the light energy stored inside exceeds a certain value. Therefore, the passive Q switch functions as a Q switch that oscillates the laser beam oscillated by the laser medium as a pulsed pulse laser L. As the passive Q switch, for example, a chrome-added YAG (Cr: YAG) crystal, Cr: MgSiO4 crystal, or the like can be used.

The output coupler constitutes a reflecting mirror and a laser resonator. The output coupler is, for example, a partial reflecting mirror constituted by a concave mirror whose surface is coated with a dielectric multilayer film, and has a reflectance of 80% to 95% at a wavelength of 1064 nm. The window is made of synthetic quartz or the like, and transmits the laser light emitted from the output coupler to the outside. Therefore, the laser oscillator 21 oscillates a pulse laser through the passive Q switch, and outputs a pulse laser L as a laser beam for cutting the workpiece W.

The beam expander 22 changes the beam diameter of the pulse laser L and is provided coaxially with the laser oscillator 21. The mounting base 23 is attached so that the laser oscillator 21 can adjust the optical axis of the pulse laser L, and is fixed to the upper surface on the rear side of the main body base 11 in the front-rear direction by a mounting screw 25.

The optical shutter unit 13 includes a shutter motor 26 and a flat shutter 27. The shutter motor 26 is composed of a stepping motor or the like. The shutter 27 is attached to the motor shaft of the shutter motor 26 and rotates coaxially. When the shutter 27 rotates to a position that blocks the optical path of the pulse laser L emitted from the beam expander 22, the shutter 27 reflects the pulse laser L to the optical damper 14 provided in the right direction with respect to the optical shutter unit 13. . On the other hand, when the shutter 27 rotates so as not to be positioned on the optical path of the pulse laser L emitted from the beam expander 22, the pulse laser L emitted from the beam expander 22 is placed on the front side of the optical shutter unit 13. It enters the arranged half mirror 15.

The optical damper 14 absorbs the pulse laser L reflected by the shutter 27. The heat generated by the optical damper 14 is thermally conducted to the main body base 11 and cooled. The half mirror 15 is arranged so as to form an angle of 45 degrees obliquely in the lower left direction with respect to the optical path of the pulse laser L. The half mirror 15 transmits almost all of the pulse laser L incident from the rear side. The half mirror 15 reflects a part of the pulse laser L incident from the rear side to the reflection mirror 17 at a reflection angle of 45 degrees. The reflection mirror 17 is arranged in the left direction with respect to a substantially central position of the rear side surface on which the pulse laser L of the half mirror 15 is incident.

The guide light unit 16 includes, for example, a visible semiconductor laser 28 that emits red laser light as visible laser light, and a lens group (not shown) that converges the visible laser light M emitted from the visible semiconductor laser 28 into parallel light. It consists of and. The visible laser light M has a wavelength different from that of the pulse laser L emitted from the laser oscillator 21. The guide light unit 16 is arranged in the right direction with respect to a substantially central position where the pulse laser L of the half mirror 15 is emitted. As a result, the visible laser beam M is incident at an incident angle of 45 degrees with respect to the reflection surface corresponding to the front side surface of the half mirror 15 at a substantially central position where the pulse laser L of the half mirror 15 is emitted, and reflected by 45 degrees. Reflected on the optical path of the pulsed laser L at the corners. That is, the visible semiconductor laser 28 emits visible laser light M onto the optical path of the pulse laser L.

The reflection mirror 17 is disposed so as to form an angle of 45 degrees obliquely in the lower left direction with respect to the front-rear direction parallel to the optical path of the pulse laser L. The reflection mirror 17 reflects the pulse laser L reflected on the rear side surface of the half mirror 15. A part of the light is incident at an incident angle of 45 degrees with respect to a substantially central position of the reflecting surface. The reflection mirror 17 reflects the pulse laser L incident on the reflection surface at an incident angle of 45 degrees toward the front side at a reflection angle of 45 degrees.

The optical sensor 18 is composed of a photodiode or the like that detects the light emission intensity of the pulse laser L, and is disposed in the front direction in FIG. 2 with respect to a substantially central position where the pulse laser L of the reflection mirror 17 is reflected. . As a result, the optical sensor 18 receives the pulse laser L reflected by the reflection mirror 17 and detects the output intensity of the incident pulse laser L. Therefore, the intensity of the pulse laser L output from the laser oscillator 21 via the optical sensor 18 can be detected.

The galvano scanner 19 is attached to the upper side of a through hole 29 formed at the front end of the main body base 11, and the pulse laser L emitted from the laser oscillation unit 12 and the visible laser light M reflected by the half mirror 15 Is two-dimensionally scanned downward. The galvano scanner 19 includes a galvano X-axis motor 31, a galvano Y-axis motor 32, and a main body 33. The galvano X-axis motor 31 and the galvano Y-axis motor 32 are configured such that their motor axes are orthogonal to each other. Are attached to the main body 33 by being fitted and held in the respective mounting holes from the outside. Therefore, in the galvano scanner 19, the scanning mirrors attached to the tip portions of the motor shafts face each other inside. Then, the rotation of the galvano X-axis motor 31 and the galvano Y-axis motor 32 is controlled to rotate the respective scanning mirrors, whereby the pulse laser L and the visible laser light M are two-dimensionally scanned downward. The two-dimensional scanning direction is a front-rear direction (X direction) and a left-right direction (Y direction).

The fθ lens 20 concentrically condenses the pulse laser L and the visible laser light M that are two-dimensionally scanned by the galvano scanner 19 on the surface of a workpiece (work W or the like) disposed below. The fθ lens 20 corrects the focal point where the pulse laser L, the visible laser beam M, and the like are converged to a flat focal plane, and the scanning speed of the pulse laser L and the visible laser beam M is constant. To do. Therefore, by controlling the rotation of the galvano X-axis motor 31 and the galvano Y-axis motor 32, the pulse laser L and the visible laser light M are moved in the front-rear direction (X direction) and left and right in a desired processing pattern on the surface of the workpiece W. Two-dimensional scanning is performed in the direction (Y direction).

(Schematic configuration of the power supply unit)
Next, a schematic configuration of the power supply unit 6 in the laser processing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the power supply unit 6 includes a pumping semiconductor laser unit 40, a laser driver 51, a power supply unit 52, and a cooling unit 53 in a casing 55. The power supply unit 52 supplies a driving current for driving the pumping semiconductor laser unit 40 to the pumping semiconductor laser unit 40 via the laser driver 51. Based on the drive information input from the laser controller 5, the laser driver 51 drives the pumping semiconductor laser unit 40 on and off with a direct current.

The pumping semiconductor laser unit 40 is optically connected to the laser oscillator 21 by an optical fiber F. The pumping semiconductor laser unit 40 emits pumping light, which is laser light having an output wavelength proportional to the current value exceeding the threshold current for generating laser light, with respect to the pulsed driving current input from the laser driver 51. The light is emitted into the optical fiber F. Therefore, the pumping light from the pumping semiconductor laser unit 40 is incident on the laser oscillator 21 via the optical fiber F. For example, a bar-type semiconductor laser using GaAs can be used for the pumping semiconductor laser unit 40.

The cooling unit 53 is a unit for adjusting the power supply unit 52 and the pumping semiconductor laser unit 40 within a predetermined temperature range. For example, the cooling unit 53 is cooled by an electronic cooling method, so that the temperature of the pumping semiconductor laser unit 40 is increased. Control is performed, and the oscillation wavelength of the pumping semiconductor laser unit 40 is finely adjusted. The cooling unit 53 may be a water cooling type cooling unit, an air cooling type cooling unit, or the like.

(Control system of laser processing system 100)
Next, the control system configuration of the laser processing apparatus 1 constituting the laser processing system 100 will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 3, the laser processing apparatus 1 includes a laser controller 5 that controls the entire laser processing apparatus 1, a laser driver 51, a galvano controller 56, a galvano driver 57, a visible light laser driver 58, and the like. Configured. A laser driver 51, a galvano controller 56, an optical sensor 18, a visible light laser driver 58, and the like are electrically connected to the laser controller 5.

The laser controller 5 includes an arithmetic unit that performs overall control of the laser processing apparatus 1, a CPU 61 as a control unit, a RAM 62, a ROM 63, a timer 64 that measures time, and the like. The CPU 61, RAM 62, ROM 63, and timer 64 are connected to each other by a bus line (not shown), and exchange data with each other.

The RAM 62 is for temporarily storing various calculation results calculated by the CPU 61, XY coordinate data of each processing point D in the processing data DW, and the like. The ROM 63 stores various programs. Based on the machining data DW transmitted from the PC 7, the XY coordinate data of each machining point D constituting the machining element DC is calculated and stored in the RAM 62. The various programs are stored. The ROM 63 stores, for each font type, data such as the font start point, end point, focus, and curvature of each character composed of straight lines and elliptical arcs.

The CPU 61 performs various calculations and controls based on various control programs stored in the ROM 63. For example, the CPU 61 outputs XY coordinate data, galvano scanning speed information, and the like of each machining point D in the machining element DC to the galvano controller 56 based on the machining data DW input from the PC 7. The CPU 61 also supplies the laser driver 51 with information such as drive current supply control to the pumping semiconductor laser unit 40 input from the PC 7, pumping light output from the pumping semiconductor laser unit 40, and pumping light output period. Output. Further, the CPU 61 outputs XY coordinate data of each processing point D, a control signal for instructing ON / OFF of the galvano scanner 19, and the like to the galvano controller 56.

The laser driver 51 is based on the control parameters (for example, current value of driving current, pumping light output, pumping light output period, etc.) regarding the pumping semiconductor laser unit 40 input from the laser controller 5. 40 is driven and controlled. Specifically, the laser driver 51 generates a pulsed drive current based on a control parameter related to the current value of the drive current input from the laser controller 5 and supplies the pulsed drive current to the pumping semiconductor laser unit 40. As a result, the pumping semiconductor laser unit 40 supplies pumping light having an intensity corresponding to the current value of the drive current into the optical fiber F during a predetermined supply period.

The galvano controller 56 calculates drive angles, rotation speeds, and the like of the galvano X-axis motor 31 and the galvano Y-axis motor 32 based on the XY coordinate data, galvano scanning speed information, and the like of each processing point D input from the laser controller 5. Then, motor drive information representing the drive angle and rotation speed is output to the galvano driver 57.

The galvano driver 57 drives and controls the galvano X-axis motor 31 and the galvano Y-axis motor 32 based on the motor drive information representing the drive angle and rotation speed input from the galvano controller 56, and two-dimensionally scans the pulse laser L. To do.

The visible light laser driver 58 controls the guide light unit 16 including the visible semiconductor laser 28 based on the control signal output from the laser controller 5. For example, the visible light laser driver 58 is emitted from the visible semiconductor laser 28 based on the control signal. The light emission timing and the light amount of the visible laser beam M are controlled.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a PC 7 is connected to the laser controller 5 so as to be capable of two-way communication. Processing data DW indicating processing contents transmitted from the PC 7, control parameters of the laser processing apparatus main body 2. It is configured to be able to receive various instruction information from the user.

(PC control system)
Next, the control system configuration of the PC 7 constituting the laser processing system 100 will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 3, the PC 7 includes a control unit 70 that controls the entire PC 7, an input operation unit 76 composed of a mouse, a keyboard, and the like, a liquid crystal display 77, various data, programs, and the like for the CD-ROM 79. It consists of a CD-R / W78 for writing and reading.

The control unit 70 controls the entire PC 7 and measures the CPU 71, the RAM 72, the ROM 73, and the time as a calculation device and a control device for controlling the entire laser processing system 100 via the laser controller 5. A timer 74 and an HDD 75 are provided. The CPU 71, the RAM 72, the ROM 73, and the timer 74 are connected to each other via a bus line (not shown) to exchange data with each other. The CPU 71 and the HDD 75 are connected via an input / output interface (not shown), and exchange data with each other.

The RAM 72 is for temporarily storing various calculation results and the like calculated by the CPU 71. The ROM 73 stores various control programs and data tables.

The HDD 75 is a storage device for storing various application software programs and various data files. In this embodiment, the HDD 75 is a machining data processing program (see FIG. 4) and various subroutines (see FIG. 4) for creating the machining data DW. 6, 9 and 12) and various data tables such as a reference distance setting table (see FIG. 11) which is referred to when setting a reference distance which will be described later is stored.

The CD-R / W 78 reads or writes data groups such as application programs and various data tables from the CD-ROM 79. That is, the PC 7 reads the machining data processing program and subroutine (see FIG. 4 and the like) and the reference distance setting table (see FIG. 11) from the CD-ROM 79 via the CD-R / W 78 and stores them in the HDD 75.

The machining data processing program and subroutine (see FIG. 4 and the like) and the reference distance setting table (see FIG. 11) may be stored in the ROM 73 or may be read from a storage medium such as the CD-ROM 79. . Alternatively, it may be downloaded via a network (not shown) such as the Internet.

The PC 7 is electrically connected to an input operation unit 76 composed of a mouse, a keyboard, etc., and a liquid crystal display 77, etc. via an input / output interface (not shown). Accordingly, the PC 7 uses the input operation unit 76 and the liquid crystal display 77 to set work information (for example, the material of the work W, the thickness of the work W, etc.) and to give an instruction to start laser processing. It is used when performing etc.

(Processing content of processing data processing program)
Subsequently, processing contents of the machining data processing program executed in the PC 7 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The machining data processing program is an application program that is executed when creating machining data, and is executed by the CPU 71.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the execution of the machining data processing program is started, the CPU 71 first executes machining data generation processing to generate machining data DW indicating the content to be cut by cutting (S1). After storing the processed data DW in the RAM 72, the CPU 71 shifts the process to S2.

(Configuration of machining data DW)
Here, the machining data DW generated in the machining data generation process (S1) will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the processing data DW includes contents to be cut by the pulse laser L with respect to the surface of the workpiece W, and control parameters such as a processing order when cutting according to the cutting contents. Yes. The cutting content in the machining data DW is expressed by combining one or a plurality of machining elements DC. One processing element DC shows the content which can be cut | disconnected by one stroke drawing, such as a circle, a straight line, and a polygon, as shown in FIG.
In the present embodiment, the user can set the cutting content in the machining data DW by appropriately arranging and combining desired machining elements DC by operating the input operation unit 76 of the PC 7 or the like.

In S2, the CPU 71 arranges a plurality of machining points D according to the cutting contents in order to express the cutting contents of the machining data DW by executing the machining point setting process. In the processing point setting process (S2), the CPU 71 reads out and executes a processing point setting process program (see FIG. 6) from the HDD 75.

(Processing contents of machining point setting processing program)
Here, the processing content of the processing point setting processing program executed in the processing point setting processing (S2) will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, when the execution of the machining point setting process program is started, the CPU 71 executes a machining point arrangement process (S11).

In the machining point arrangement process (S11), the CPU 71 arranges a large number of machining points D at a predetermined reference pitch P for each machining element DC in the machining data DW. For example, in the case of the machining data DW shown in FIG. 5, the CPU 71 executes the machining point arrangement process (S11), thereby arranging a plurality of machining points D for each machining element DC in the machining data DW (see FIG. 7). ).

The processing point arrangement processing (S11) will be specifically described. First, the CPU 71 sets one processing element DC in the processing data DW as a processing target, sets a reference point on the line of the processing element DC, The processing points D are arranged for each predetermined reference pitch P with reference to the reference point. In the present embodiment, the CPU 71 sets a reference point at one end of the machining element DC, and arranges the machining points D for each reference pitch P with the reference point as a reference (see FIG. 8A). By arranging the machining points D for each reference pitch P with respect to the machining element DC, the CPU 71 can set the energy density E per unit distance. Thus, after arrange | positioning the process point D for every reference pitch P with respect to each process element DC in the process data DW, CPU71 transfers a process to S12.

When proceeding to S12, the CPU 71 extracts one machining element DC as a processing target from the machining data DW in which the machining points D are arranged for each reference pitch P by the machining point arrangement process (S11). After extracting one machining element DC as a processing target, the CPU 71 shifts the processing to S13.

In S13, the CPU 71 determines whether or not the machining element length LC of the machining element DC extracted as the processing target is N times the reference pitch P (N = 1, 2, 3,... N). That is, in the determination process in S13, it is determined whether or not the machining element length LC of the machining element DC is divisible by the reference pitch P. When the machining element length LC of the machining element DC is not N times the reference pitch P (S13: YES), the CPU 71 shifts the process to S14. On the other hand, when the machining element length LC of the machining element DC is N times the reference pitch P (S13: NO), the CPU 71 shifts the process to S16.

In S14, the CPU 71 executes a machining point adjustment process on the machining element DC extracted as a processing target. The processing element DC which is the processing mode in this case is in a state in which the processing element length LC is not N times the reference pitch P and a deviation occurs. Accordingly, in the processing point adjustment process (S14), the CPU 71 performs processing point D on the end side at the end of the processing element DC where the end of the processing element DC is shifted from the position of the processing point D. Is adjusted to coincide with the end of the machining element DC.

Here, the processing content of the processing point adjustment processing (S14) will be described with a specific example. As a specific example, a case where a machining element DC that forms a straight line is extracted as a processing target from the machining data DW shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 is used. Here, as shown in FIG. 8A, in the processing point arrangement process (S11), a reference point is set at one end located on the left side in FIG. A processing point D is arranged for each pitch P. At this time, an energy density E per unit distance is set corresponding to a predetermined reference pitch P.

As shown in FIG. 8A, in the linear machining element DC in this case, the machining element disposed at every other pitch (on the right side in FIG. 8) of the machining element length LC of the machining element DC and the reference pitch P. There is a shift in the position of the point D.

Therefore, the machining point adjustment process (S14) is executed for the linear machining element DC to be processed. In this case, on the other end side (right side in FIG. 8) of the machining element DC in a straight line shape, the other end portion so that the position of the machining point D on the other end side coincides with the end portion of the machining element DC. The reference pitch P between the processing points D on the side is adjusted to the adjustment pitch PA (see FIG. 8B). Thereby, the some processing point D in the said processing element DC is arrange | positioned so that it may correspond with the processing element length LC of the processing element DC.

As described above, the machining point adjustment process (S14) is performed on the machining element DC extracted as the processing target, and the machining point D on the other end side of the machining element DC is changed to the machining element length LC of the machining element DC. The CPU 71 stores information on the adjustment pitch PA in the RAM 72, and proceeds to S15.

In S15, the CPU 71 executes an energy density adjustment process to adjust the energy density per unit distance for the portion adjusted from the reference pitch P to the adjustment pitch PA. Specifically, the CPU 71 sets the ratio of the adjustment pitch PA to the reference pitch P (that is, the adjustment pitch PA / reference pitch P) to the energy density E per unit distance for the portion adjusted from the reference pitch P to the adjustment pitch PA. ) To calculate and set the adjustment energy density EA per unit distance. By setting in this way, the energy density per unit distance with respect to the adjustment pitch PA can be adjusted to be the same as the energy density E before the pitch adjustment.

In this case, as a method for adjusting the energy density E per unit distance to the adjusted energy density EA, the CPU 71 sets the number of pulses of the pulse laser L emitted from the laser oscillation unit 12 by increasing or decreasing. The CPU 71 sets the energy density per unit distance (adjusted energy density EA) as the energy density E before the pitch change as the emission condition of the pulse laser L for the portion adjusted from the reference pitch P to the adjusted pitch PA. Further, the number of pulses of the pulse laser as the emission condition is set and defined in the machining data DW. When the energy density adjustment process (S15) related to the machining element DC extracted as the process target is completed, the CPU 71 shifts the process to S16.

After shifting to S16, the CPU 71 determines whether or not the processing (S12 to S15) for all the machining elements DC included in the machining data DW has been completed. When the processes for all the machining elements DC have not been completed (S16: NO), the CPU 71 returns the process to S12 and executes the processes (S12 to S15) related to other machining elements DC included in the machining data DW. On the other hand, when the processing for all the machining elements DC has been completed (S16: YES), the CPU 71 ends the machining point setting processing program and shifts the processing to S3 of the machining data processing program.

In S3, the CPU 71 executes a duplicate machining point exclusion process, and a part where a plurality of machining points D are located within a predetermined overlapping range from all the machining points D set in the machining point setting process (S2). And the processing point D is appropriately excluded from the overlapping range. In the duplicate machining point exclusion setting process (S3), the CPU 71 reads out the duplicate machining point exclusion processing program (see FIG. 9) from the HDD 75 and executes it.

(Processing content of the duplicate machining point exclusion processing program)
Here, the processing content of the duplicate machining point exclusion processing program executed in the duplicate machining point exclusion processing (S3) will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, when the execution of the duplicate machining point exclusion processing program is started, the CPU 71 starts processing from the machining points D set in the machining data DW in the machining point setting process (S2) as one processing object. A point D (hereinafter, a target machining point) is extracted (S21). After extracting the target machining point from the machining data DW, the CPU 71 shifts the process to S22.

In S <b> 22, the CPU 71 determines, based on the XY coordinate data related to each machining point D, whether another machining point D exists within the overlapping range set with the extracted target machining point as a reference. . The overlapping range is set to a circle with the target processing point as the center and a predetermined distance as the radius. When another machining point D exists within the overlapping range related to the target machining point (S22: YES), the CPU 71 shifts the process to S23. On the other hand, when another machining point D does not exist within the overlapping range related to the target machining point (S22: NO), the CPU 71 shifts the process to S24.

In S23, the CPU 71 reads the machining data DW stored in the RAM 72, and excludes all other machining points D existing within the overlapping range related to the target machining point from the machining data DW. After excluding all other machining points D from the overlapping range related to the target machining point, the CPU 71 shifts the process to S24.

After shifting to S24, the CPU 71 completes the processing (S21 to S23) related to the exclusion of other machining points within the overlapping range for all the machining points D in the machining data DW (excluding the machining points D that have already been excluded). Judge whether or not. When the processing for all the machining points D has been completed (S24: YES), the CPU 71 ends the duplicate machining point exclusion processing program and shifts the processing to S4 of the machining data processing program. On the other hand, when the processing for all the processing points D has not been completed (S24: NO), the CPU 71 returns the processing to S21, and processing for other processing points D that have not yet been extracted as target processing points (S21 to S21). S23) is executed.

In S4, the CPU 71 executes a reference distance setting process, and sets the reference distance used for determining the machining order of all machining points D in the machining data DW as the physical properties of the workpiece W (for example, the constituent material of the workpiece W, It is determined according to the thickness of the workpiece W). Specifically, in the reference distance setting process (S4), the CPU 71 displays a work information input window 80 on the liquid crystal display 77, and inputs work information indicating the physical properties of the work W based on an operation by the input operation unit 76. Accept. Thereafter, the CPU 71 sets a reference distance used for determining the processing order based on the workpiece information received through the workpiece information input window 80 and a later-described reference distance setting table (see FIG. 11). After setting the reference distance corresponding to the physical property of the workpiece W, the CPU 71 ends the reference distance setting process (S4) and shifts the process to S5 of the machining data processing program.

(Structure of work information input window)
The workpiece information input window 80 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 77 in the reference distance setting process (S4), and the workpiece information indicating the physical properties of the workpiece W in the current cutting process is performed by performing an operation using the input operation unit 76. Used for input. As shown in FIG. 10, the workpiece information input window 80 includes a workpiece thickness setting unit 82, a workpiece material setting unit 81, and a setting completion button 83.

The workpiece material setting unit 81 receives an input of the material (constituent material) of the workpiece W as one piece of workpiece information in the current cutting process. The workpiece material setting unit 81 is configured to be able to select the material of the workpiece W used for the current cutting process from a plurality of different workpiece W materials (for example, aluminum, iron, etc.) by an operation using the input operation unit 76. ing. This is because when the material of the workpiece W is different, the light absorptivity, thermal conductivity, and the like are different for each material, which affects the processing quality of the workpiece W by the pulse laser L. Therefore, the user can specify the material of the workpiece W used for the current cutting process by performing an operation on the workpiece material setting unit 81, and set the material of the workpiece W as one piece of workpiece information.

The workpiece thickness setting unit 82 accepts input of the thickness (plate thickness) of the workpiece W as one piece of workpiece information in the current cutting process. The workpiece thickness setting unit 82 is configured to be able to select the thickness of the workpiece W used for the current cutting process from the thicknesses of a plurality of different workpieces W by an operation using the input operation unit 76. Therefore, the user can specify the thickness of the workpiece W used for the current cutting process by performing an operation on the workpiece thickness setting unit 82, and set the thickness of the workpiece W as one piece of workpiece information.

The setting completion button 83 is used for an operation when input to each setting unit in the work information input window 80 is completed. When the setting completion button 83 is input, the CPU 71 sets the conditions received by each setting unit of the work information input window 80 as work information in the current cutting process.

(Contents of reference distance setting table)
Next, the reference distance setting table referred to when setting the reference distance in the reference distance setting process (S4) will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the reference distance setting table is for determining the processing order of each processing point D in the processing data DW with respect to the material (constituent material) of the workpiece W and the thickness (plate thickness) of the workpiece W. A reference distance is associated with each other.

Specifically, in the reference distance setting table, since the light absorptivity, thermal conductivity, and the like are different for each material of the workpiece W, there are different reference distances for each material of the workpiece W (for example, aluminum, iron, etc.). It is associated. Further, in the reference distance setting table, the smaller the thickness of the workpiece W, the smaller the maximum heat input that the workpiece W can tolerate in the cutting process. Therefore, the smaller the thickness of the workpiece W, the larger the reference distance is associated. Yes.

Therefore, in the reference distance setting process (S4), the CPU 71 performs the cutting process D on the basis of the work information input in the work information input window 80 and the reference distance setting table (see FIG. 11). It is possible to set a reference distance that can appropriately suppress the influence of machining in between. After the reference distance corresponding to the work information is stored in the RAM 72, the CPU 71 shifts the process to S5.

When the process proceeds to S5, the CPU 71 determines the machining order of all the machining points D included in the machining data DW at the time when the process proceeds to S5 by executing a machining order determination process. In the processing order determination process (S5), the CPU 71 reads a processing order determination process program (see FIG. 12) from the HDD 75 and executes it.

(Processing content of processing order decision processing program)
Next, the processing contents of the processing order determination processing program executed in the processing order determination processing (S5) will be described in detail with reference to FIG. When the execution of the machining order determination process program is started, the CPU 71 executes a machining order designation process (S31).

In the processing order designation process (S31), the CPU 71 selects an arbitrary processing point D from all the processing points D included in the processing data DW at the time of shifting to S5 based on the operation of the input operation unit 76 in the PC 7. And accepts the input of the processing order desired by the user for the selected processing point D. After the selected machining point D and the machining order input to the machining point D are stored in the RAM 72, the CPU 71 shifts the process to S32.

In the following description, the machining point D for which the user-desired machining order is designated in the machining order designation process (S31) is referred to as “designated machining point”, and the user-desired machining point in the machining order designation process (S31). The machining point D for which the order is not designated is referred to as “undesignated machining point”.

In S32, the CPU 71 randomly extracts one undesignated machining point from the undesignated machining points included in the machining data DW as a processing target. An undesignated processing point extracted as a processing target is referred to as an “extracted processing point”. After extracting one unspecified processing point and using it as the extracted processing point, the CPU 71 shifts the processing to S33.

When the process proceeds to S33, the CPU 71 determines the reference processing distance from the extracted processing point based on the XY coordinate data relating to the extracted processing point and other unspecified processing points and the reference distance set by the reference distance setting process (S4). It is determined whether there are unspecified machining points that are separated. When there is an undesignated machining point that is separated from the extracted machining point by a reference distance or more (S33: YES), the CPU 71 shifts the process to S34. On the other hand, when there is no undesignated machining point that is separated from the extracted machining point by the reference distance or more (S33: NO), the CPU 71 returns the process to S32 and extracts other undesignated machining points.

In S34, the CPU 71 randomly extracts one undesignated machining point from undesignated machining points that are separated from the extracted machining point by a reference distance or more. After extracting one unspecified machining point, the CPU 71 shifts the process to S35.

In S35, the CPU 71 sets a temporary processing order for one undesignated processing point that is separated from the extracted processing point by a reference distance or more and extracted in S34. The temporary processing order is set by assigning numbers in ascending order every time the process of S35 is executed. After the temporary processing order of one unspecified processing point extracted in S34 is stored in the RAM 72, the CPU 71 shifts the processing to S36. At the time of ending S35, the CPU 71 sets the undesignated machining point extracted in S34 as the next extracted machining point.

After shifting to S36, the CPU 71 has completed the processing for all undesignated machining points included in the machining data DW based on the processing result of the machining order designation process (S31) stored in the RAM 72 and the temporary machining order. Judge whether or not. When the process for all unspecified machining points included in the machining data DW has been completed (S36: YES), the CPU 71 shifts the process to S37. On the other hand, when the process for all unspecified machining points included in the machining data DW has not been completed (S36: NO), the CPU 71 returns the process to S33.

In S37, the CPU 71 inserts the machining order related to each designated machining point designated in the machining order designation process (S31) with respect to the temporary machining order set based on the processes in S32 to S36, and the machining data DW The processing order related to all the processing points D included in is determined. By determining the machining order in this way, it is possible to reflect the user's wishes in the machining order while suppressing damage to the workpiece W accompanying the execution of the cutting process. After storing the determined processing order in the RAM 72, the CPU 71 ends the processing order determination processing program, and shifts the processing to S6 of the processing data processing program.

When the process proceeds to S6, the CPU 71 executes the cooling period setting process so that the machining point D in the machining data DW is cut according to the machining order determined in the machining order determination process (S6). In the process of scanning between D, a cooling period for waiting for irradiation of the pulse laser L and scanning by the galvano scanner 19 is appropriately set according to the distance between the processing points D. In the cooling period setting process (S6), the CPU 71 reads out and executes a cooling period setting process program (see FIG. 13) from the HDD 75.

(Processing contents of cooling period setting processing program)
Next, processing contents of the cooling period setting process program executed in the cooling period setting process (S6) will be described in detail with reference to FIG. When the execution of the cooling period setting processing program is started, the CPU 71 first reads information about the processing order determined in the processing order determination processing (S6) from the RAM 72 (S41). After reading the information related to the processing order from the RAM 72, the CPU 71 shifts the process to S42.

In S42, the CPU 71 specifies processing points D corresponding to two consecutive processing orders in order from the earliest processing order based on the information related to the processing order read in S41, and XY related to the two specified processing points D. Read coordinate data. After extracting the two processing points D having the continuous processing order, the CPU 71 shifts the processing to S43.

In S43, the CPU 71 calculates the distance between the two machining points D extracted from the XY coordinate data of the two machining points D extracted in S42, and the distance between the two machining points D is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. It is determined whether or not. When the distance between the two extracted processing points D is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (S43: YES), the CPU 71 shifts the process to S44. On the other hand, when the distance between the two extracted processing points D is smaller than the predetermined value (S43: NO), the CPU 71 shifts the process to S45.

In S44, the CPU 71 sets the length of the cooling period in the process of scanning between the two extracted processing points D (that is, two processing points D in the sequential processing order) to the distance between the processing points D. Set the length accordingly. Specifically, the CPU 71 performs extraction by multiplying a ratio of a predetermined value to a distance between the two extracted processing points D (that is, a predetermined value / a distance between the two processing points D) in the reference cooling period. The cooling period corresponding to the distance between the two processed points D is calculated and set, and stored in the RAM 72. Here, the reference cooling period means an initial value of the cooling period that is set when the distance between the two processing points D is smaller than a predetermined value. After setting the cooling period for the two extracted processing points D, the CPU 71 shifts the process to S45.

When the process proceeds to S45, the CPU 71 refers to the cooling period stored in the RAM 72 and determines whether or not the processes (S42 to S44) regarding all the machining points D included in the machining data DW have been completed. When the processing for all the processing points D in the processing data DW has been completed (S45: YES), the CPU 71 ends the cooling period setting processing program and shifts the processing to S7 of the processing data processing program. On the other hand, when the processing for all the processing points D in the processing data DW has not been completed (S45: NO), the CPU 71 returns the processing to S42, and the processing between the two processing points D in the next processing order (S42). To S44).

In S7, the CPU 71 executes the machining execution process, and sends the machining data DW created through S1 to S6 to the laser controller 5 together with the machining start instruction for instructing to start the cutting process on the workpiece W. To do. The processing data DW is set in the processing order determined in the processing order determination process (S5) and the cooling period setting process (S6) in addition to the XY coordinate data and laser intensity data of each processing point D indicating the cutting content. It is configured to include information on the cooling period. After transmitting the machining start instruction and the machining data to the laser controller 5, the CPU 71 ends the machining data processing program.

When the machining start instruction and the machining data transmitted from the PC 7 are received in the machining execution process (S7), the CPU 61 of the laser controller 5 controls the laser driver 51 and the galvano driver 57 according to the received machining data, A cutting process for W is performed. Thereby, according to the laser processing system 100 which concerns on this embodiment, the desired cutting process according to the process content of the process data DW is implement | achieved, and the fall of the process quality accompanying the change of the pitch of the process point D is suppressed. be able to.

As described above, in the laser processing system 100 according to the present embodiment, the laser processing apparatus 1 includes the laser oscillation unit 12 and the galvano scanner 19, and the laser controller 5, the power supply unit 6, and the PC 7. Connected with. According to the laser processing apparatus 1, the surface of the workpiece W can be processed by scanning the pulse laser L from the laser oscillation unit 12 with the galvano scanner 19.

The laser machining system 100 executes the machining point setting process (S3), thereby corresponding the pitch of each machining point D arranged in each machining element DC of the machining data DW to the machining element length LC of the machining element DC. Therefore, the cutting process based on each machining element DC of the machining data DW can be performed on the workpiece W (S14). Then, according to the laser processing system 100, as shown in FIG. 8, per unit distance of the portion adjusted from the reference pitch P to the adjustment pitch PA according to the processing element length LC in the processing element DC of the processing data DW. Is adjusted from the energy density E to the adjusted energy density EA so as to be the same as before the pitch change (S15). That is, according to the laser processing system 100, each processing element DC in the processing data DW is arranged by changing a part of pitches among the plurality of processing points D corresponding to the processing element length LC ( S14) The cutting process according to each machining element DC can be realized, and at the same time, the energy density adjustment process (S15) can be executed, and the degradation of the machining quality due to the change in the pitch of the machining point D can be suppressed.

And according to the said laser processing system 100, in the process point arrangement | positioning process (S11), the process point D is arrange | positioned for every reference pitch P on the basis of the one end part in the process element DC (refer FIG. 8 (A)), Thereafter, the pitch of the machining point D at the other end of the machining element DC is adjusted from the reference pitch P to the adjustment pitch PA (S14), so that the energy density per unit distance in the part is the same as before the pitch change. In order to adjust to (S15), one end side area where the pitch is not changed in the vicinity of the reference point, and the other end side area where the pitch is changed are suppressed. Can be clarified and the influence on processing can be controlled.

In the energy density adjustment process (S15), the ratio of the adjustment pitch PA to the reference pitch P (that is, the adjustment pitch PA /) is added to the energy density E per unit distance for the portion adjusted from the reference pitch P to the adjustment pitch PA. By multiplying by the reference pitch P), the energy density per unit distance with respect to the adjustment pitch PA can be adjusted to be the same as the energy density E before the pitch adjustment, and thus the pitch of the machining point D is adjusted. Before and after, the energy density per unit distance in the machining element DC can be maintained.

In the energy density adjustment process (S15), the laser processing system 100 adjusts the number of pulses of the pulse laser L emitted from the laser oscillation unit 12 when adjusting from the energy density E to the adjustment energy density EA. The energy density per unit distance can be made the same as the energy density before the pitch change according to the adjustment from the reference pitch P to the adjustment pitch PA. In the laser processing system 100, since the adjustment regarding the number of pulses of the pulse laser L can be performed relatively easily, the energy density per unit distance in the processing element DC is adjusted before and after the adjustment of the pitch of the processing point D. Can be kept, sure.

And in the said laser processing system 100, CPU71 is. By executing the duplicate machining point exclusion process (S3), it is determined whether or not another machining point D exists within the overlapping range set based on one machining point D from all the machining points D in the machining data DW. Is determined (S22), and other machining points D located within the range are excluded from the machining data DW (S23). Here, when a plurality of machining points D are within the overlapping range, if the cutting process is performed by irradiating the plurality of machining points D with the pulse laser L, damage to the workpiece W due to the irradiation with the pulse laser L is performed. May become too large, and the processing quality may be degraded. In this regard, according to the laser processing system 100, the pulse laser L is irradiated only to one processing point D among the plurality of processing points D located within the overlapping range, and the other processing points D are applied to the pulse laser. Since it is excluded from the irradiation target of L, excessive damage to the workpiece W due to the pulse laser L can be suppressed, and degradation of processing quality can be suppressed.

According to the laser processing system 100, the processing data DW is set so that the processing point D in the processing data DW is greater than or equal to the reference distance by executing the processing order determination process (S5). The processing order concerning all the processing points D in can be determined. Here, when the workpiece W is irradiated with the pulse laser L and the machining point D is cut, heat remains around the machining point D, and when the vicinity of the machining point D is continuously machined, The damage to W may become enormous. In this regard, according to the laser processing system 100, since the processing order of each processing point D in the processing data is determined so that the distance between the two processing points D is equal to or greater than the reference distance, damage to the workpiece W is minimized. The cutting process based on the processing data DW can be executed while keeping the limit.

Further, according to the laser processing system 100, the reference distance corresponding to the material of the workpiece W and the thickness of the workpiece W is set by executing the reference distance setting processing (S4) prior to the processing order determination processing (S5). (See FIGS. 10 and 11). Since the reference distance is used as a reference for determining the processing order in the processing order determination process (S5) (S33), according to the laser processing system 100, according to the physical properties of the workpiece W (depending on the constituent material and plate thickness, Since the processing order of each processing point D can be determined, cutting processing based on the processing data DW can be executed while minimizing damage to the workpiece W in an appropriate manner according to the configuration of the workpiece W. .

Further, according to the laser processing system 100, an arbitrary processing point D is selected from the processing points D in the processing data DW by executing the processing order designation processing (S31) in the processing order determination processing (S5). Thus, the processing order for the selected processing point D can be set in the processing order desired by the user, and the cutting processing desired by the user can be realized. Furthermore, in the processing order determination process (S5), for the unspecified processing point, the laser processing system is used to determine the processing order related to the processing point D so that the distance between the two processing points D is greater than or equal to the reference distance. 100 can minimize damage to the workpiece W.

Furthermore, according to the laser processing system 100, the cooling period setting process (S6) is executed to cool the workpiece W when moving between two processing points D in a continuous processing order. The cooling period can be set according to the distance between the two processing points D. That is, when the influence of heat caused by the irradiation of the pulse laser L on the previous processing point D can affect the processing on the next processing point D at two consecutive processing points D, the laser processing system 100. Since the work W can be cooled by providing an appropriate cooling period, it is possible to suppress damage to the work W and to suppress deterioration in processing quality.

In the above-described embodiment, the laser processing system 100 and the laser processing apparatus 1 are examples of the beam processing apparatus in the present invention. The laser oscillation unit 12 is an example of a beam emitting unit in the present invention, and the galvano scanner 19 is an example of an irradiation position moving unit in the present invention. Further, the PC 7 and the control unit 70 are a processing data acquisition unit, an extraction condition determination unit, a processing point arrangement unit, a processing point change unit, an extraction condition adjustment unit, a determination unit, a processing point exclusion unit, a processing order determination unit, It is an example of a reference distance setting part, a determination part, and a cooling period setting part. The control unit 70, the input operation unit 76, and the work information input window 80 are examples of the processing condition acquisition unit in the present invention, and the control unit 70, the input operation unit 76, and the liquid crystal display 77 are examples of the processing order setting unit. It is. The pulse laser L is an example of a beam in the present invention, and the reference pitch P is an example of a predetermined pitch in the present invention. The processing data DW is an example of processing data in the present invention, and the processing point D is an example of processing points in the present invention.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the laser processing apparatus 1 and the laser processing system 100 that emit the pulse laser L to perform cutting processing, trimming processing, or drilling processing are used. It is not limited to an aspect, It can be used for marking process etc. As long as processing on the workpiece W is possible, not only the pulse laser L but also various beams can be used.

In the embodiment described above, in the energy density adjustment process (S15), when the energy density E is set to the adjustment energy density EA, the adjustment is performed by changing the number of pulses of the pulse laser L. However, the present invention is limited to this mode. It is not something. For example, by increasing or decreasing the frequency of the pulse laser L, the energy density E applied to the workpiece W by the pulse laser L can be increased or decreased to be adjusted to the adjustment energy density EA. Similarly, by adjusting the peak power of the beam (for example, the pulse laser L), the energy density E applied to the workpiece W can be increased or decreased to be adjusted to the adjusted energy density EA.

In the case described above, the energy density E is adjusted to the adjusted energy density EA by individually using the number of pulses in the pulse laser L, the frequency of the pulse laser L, and the peak power of the beam. It is also possible to adjust the adjustment energy density EA by increasing / decreasing the energy density E by adjusting a combination of a plurality of items in the number of pulses, beam peak power, and frequency of the pulse laser L.

In the processing order determination process (S5) of the above-described embodiment, the processing order related to each processing point D of the processing data DW is determined using the reference distance set in the reference distance setting process (S4). It is not limited to this aspect. For example, in the machining order determination process (S5), after the unused machining point is extracted in S32, one unused machining point farthest from the extracted unused machining point in the machining data DW is extracted. It is also possible to extract so that the processing order is determined. Even in this case, it is possible to execute the cutting process based on the machining data DW while minimizing damage to the workpiece W.

In the processing point arrangement process (S11) in the above-described embodiment, the CPU 71 sets a reference point at one end of the processing element DC in the processing data DW, and arranges the processing point D for each reference pitch P. In S14 and S15, the pitch between the processing points D and the energy density are adjusted for the other end of the processing element DC, but the present invention is not limited to this mode. For example, the reference point related to the arrangement of the machining points D in the machining point arrangement process (S11) may not be the end of the machining element DC as long as it is on the machining element DC, and can be set to an appropriate position. In S14 and S15 in this case, adjustment of the pitch and energy density between the processing points D is performed at both ends of the processing element DC.

In the above-described embodiment, the optical shutter unit 13 is configured to open and block the optical path of the pulse laser L by rotating the shutter 27 together with the motor shaft of the shutter motor 26. Various modes can be adopted as long as the configuration allows the optical path of the pulse laser L to be opened and closed by being moved. For example, the shutter 27 may be rotated by a solenoid. Moreover, the structure which slides the shutter 27 with a solenoid may be sufficient.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Laser processing apparatus 2 Laser processing apparatus main-body part 3 Laser head part 5 Laser controller 6 Power supply unit 7 PC
12 Laser oscillation unit 19 Galvano scanner 70 Control unit 71 CPU
72 RAM
73 ROM
76 Input operation section 77 Liquid crystal display 100 Laser processing system L Pulse laser DW Processing data DC processing element P Reference pitch PA Adjustment pitch E Energy density EA Adjustment energy density

Claims

A beam emitting section for emitting a beam for processing a workpiece;
An irradiation position moving unit that relatively moves an irradiation position of the beam emitted from the beam emitting unit on the workpiece;
A processing data acquisition unit for acquiring processing data indicating processing content using a beam from the beam emitting unit;
A processing condition acquisition unit that acquires processing conditions related to processing of the workpiece using the beam;
Based on the processing conditions acquired by the processing condition acquisition unit, an emission condition determination unit that determines the emission conditions of the beam emitted from the beam emission unit;
Based on the processing data acquired by the processing data acquisition unit, a processing point placement unit that arranges processing points to be irradiated with the beam at predetermined pitches with respect to line segments constituting the processing content of the processing data;
In accordance with the processing content of the processing data, a processing point changing unit that changes the pitch of a part of the processing points arranged by the processing point arrangement unit,
The energy density per unit distance given by irradiation of the beam with respect to the processing point of the beam in the part where the pitch is changed by the processing point changing unit is the same as the energy density before the pitch change. A beam processing apparatus comprising: an emission condition adjusting unit that adjusts the emission condition determined by the emission condition determining unit.
The processing point arrangement part is
A reference point is set on a line segment constituting the machining content of the machining data, the machining points are arranged at predetermined pitches based on the reference point,
The processing point changing unit is
The beam processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a pitch of the processing points in a part of the line segment is changed according to a processing content of the processing data.
The processing point arrangement part is
A reference point is set at one end of a line segment constituting the processing content of the processing data, the processing points are arranged at predetermined pitches based on the reference point,
The processing point changing unit is
The beam processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a pitch of the processing point on the other end side of the line segment is changed according to a processing content of the processing data.
The emission condition adjusting unit is
The energy density per unit distance given to the portion where the pitch is changed in proportion to the ratio of the pitch of the processing point by the processing point arrangement unit and the pitch of the processing point changed by the processing point change unit. The beam processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the emission condition is adjusted so that is equal to that before the pitch change.
The emission condition adjusting unit is
The peak energy of the beam as the emission condition is adjusted according to the changed pitch so that the energy density per unit distance is the same as before the pitch change. 4. The beam processing apparatus according to any one of 4 above.
The beam emitting unit emits a pulse laser as the beam,
The emission condition adjusting unit is
The number of pulses of the pulse laser as the emission condition is adjusted according to the changed pitch so that the energy density per unit distance is the same as before the pitch change. Item 6. The beam processing apparatus according to any one of Items 5 to 6.
The beam emitting unit emits a pulse laser as the beam,
The emission condition adjusting unit is
The frequency of the pulse laser as the emission condition is adjusted according to the changed pitch so that the energy density per unit distance is the same as before the pitch change. 7. The beam processing apparatus according to any one of 6 above.
A determination unit that determines whether or not a machining point in one machining element constituting the machining content of the machining data and a machining point in another machining element constituting the machining content of the machining data are located within a predetermined range. When,
When the determination unit determines that the processing point in the one processing element and the processing point in the other processing element are within a predetermined range, the processing point in the one processing element and the other processing The beam processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a processing point exclusion unit that stops emission of the beam with respect to any one of the processing points in the element.
A distance between one machining point included in each machining point arranged for the machining content of the machining data and a machining point machined next to the one machining point is equal to or greater than a reference distance. The beam processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a processing order determination unit that determines a processing order of each processing point arranged for the processing content of the processing data. .
The machining condition acquisition unit acquires information on the configuration of the workpiece as the machining condition,
The beam processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a reference distance setting unit that sets the reference distance based on information on the configuration of the workpiece acquired by the processing condition acquisition unit.
A processing order setting unit that receives selection of an arbitrary processing point from processing points arranged for the processing content of the processing data and receives setting of a processing order for the selected processing point,
The processing order determination unit
Machining of machining points in the machining content of the machining data except for machining points and machining orders set by the machining order setting unit among the machining points arranged for the machining content of the machining data. 11. The beam processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the order is determined.
A determination unit that determines whether or not a distance between two consecutive processing points is less than a predetermined distance in the processing order determined by the processing order determination unit;
When the determination unit determines that the distance between the two consecutive machining points is less than a predetermined distance, when the irradiation position of the beam moves between the two consecutive machining points, the workpiece The beam processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: a cooling period setting unit that sets a cooling period for cooling the laser beam.