JPH04300087A - Laser beam machining for fiber alley - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To machine the arbitrary shape with irradiation of one time by passing the laser beam radiating from the laser oscillator to the fiber alley of plural pieces bound of the optical fiber. CONSTITUTION:The beam 2 radiated from the laser oscillator 1 is made incident on the fiber alley 9, and transmitted in one by one of the optical fiber 9a. The beam 2a radiated from the fiber alley whose shape is resticted with the fixing frame 10b at the emitting side of the fiber alley 9 is made to the almost same with the holes shape of the fixing frame 10b regarded as the light source. The machining of request shape is executed by one time of the beam irradiation by irradiating this beam 2a having some shape as the beam 4 converged with the beam converging system 3 to the material 5 to be machined. And the beam 2 radiated from the laser oscillator isused without leaking. Further, the arbitrary shape can be worked by changing the shape of beam 2a with the changing of the fixing frame 10b or by changing the hole shape with the outer side pressing force.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] This invention applies to laser processing.
The present invention relates to a processing method for processing a workpiece into a shape different from the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axial direction of a laser beam.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 3 and 4 are conceptual diagrams illustrating conventional laser processing methods. FIG. 3 shows a scan-type laser processing method, and FIG. 4 shows a mask-based laser processing method. In FIG. 3, 1 is a laser oscillator, and 2 is a laser beam emitted from 1. In FIG. 3 is a beam condensing system using a lens or the like, and 3 may be unnecessary depending on the beam intensity, the processing strength of the workpiece, etc. 4 is a beam focused by 3; If 3 is not required, 4 is the same as 2. 5 is a workpiece, and 6 is a processing table. In FIG. 4, 7 is a mask, and its position is generally in front of the beam condensing system 3, but it may also be inside 3 or after 3. 8 is a beam after passing through the mask 7 and the beam focusing system 3. Otherwise, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 3 indicate the same parts or parts.

Next, a conventional machining method for machining a certain shape on the workpiece 6 will be explained. In the scanning method shown in FIG. 3, the processed shape is obtained by continuously changing the relative position of the beam 4 and the workpiece 5 and moving the processing point. Specifically, the beam 4 is fixed and the processing table 6 is
There are a method of moving the workpiece 5 by moving the workpiece 5, a method of fixing the workpiece 5 and moving the beam 4, and a method of combining both. In the mask method shown in Fig. 4, by passing the beam 2 through a mask 7 that has a hole similar to the shape to be processed, the beam that is unnecessary for processing that does not pass through the hole is discarded, and the desired processing that is in the shape of the hole is Only beams with similar shapes are allowed to pass through. This beam is focused by a beam focusing system 3, and the workpiece 5 is irradiated with the focused beam 8 to obtain a processed shape.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In conventional scanning laser processing, it is necessary to move the processing point in order to obtain a certain processing shape, and the desired shape cannot be obtained with one processing, so it takes a long time to process. It takes. In addition, in mask-based laser processing, the laser beam used for processing is a part of the beam emitted from the laser oscillator, which has poor beam utilization efficiency, and furthermore, there is the problem that the mask itself may be damaged by the beam blocked by the mask. there were.

The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a laser processing method that shortens the processing time, has high beam utilization efficiency, and is free from damage caused by the beam. shall be.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The laser processing method according to the present invention has the following features: 1. A laser processing method that uses a fiber array that bundles multiple optical fibers. 2. 1. The laser processing method described in , which is characterized in that the arrangement of the fiber arrays is changed, and the shape of the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of the fiber array is changed between the input side and the output side of the fiber array. 3. 2. The laser processing method described in 1. is characterized in that a fixed frame is provided that defines a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axial direction of the fiber array. 4.2. In the laser processing method described in , a plurality of fiber arrays are used and the laser beam is passed through only a specific fiber array using a beam distributor and a beam concentrator. 5. 2. 2. The laser processing method described in 2., characterized in that a mask is provided on the input side or output side of the fiber array. It is.

[0007]

[Operation] By passing a laser beam emitted from a laser oscillator through a fiber array made up of a plurality of optical fibers, the laser beam is divided in a plane perpendicular to the beam axis. Each optical fiber transmits a laser beam with an intensity that is a fraction of the original laser beam, and since each fiber is independent, any beam cross-sectional shape can be created by rearranging the fibers. can get. By focusing this beam on the processing surface, the desired shape can be processed with one beam irradiation, the beam is not wasted, and there is no damage caused by the beam.

[0008]

[Example] Example 1. An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In Figure 1, 1 is a laser oscillator, 2 is 1
This is a laser beam emitted from the 9 is a fiber array in which a plurality of optical fibers 9a are bundled. 2a is a laser beam after passing through the fiber array 9. 3 is a beam condensing system using a lens or the like, and 4 is a beam condensed by 3. If 3 is unnecessary, 4 is the same as 2, as in the prior art example. 5 is a workpiece, and 6 is a processing table. Reference numeral 10a denotes a fixed frame that defines the cross-sectional shape of the incident side of the fiber array, and has a shape that completely captures the beam 2 emitted from the laser oscillator 1. For example, when the cross-sectional shape of the beam emitted from the laser oscillator is circular, the fixed frame 10a has circular holes in order to make the cross-sectional shape of the fiber array circular. Note that before the beam 2 is incident on the fiber array 9, an optical system such as a lens may be arranged for the purpose of changing the cross-sectional shape, size, direction, etc. of the beam 2. 10b
is a fixed frame that defines the cross-sectional shape of the output side of the fiber array, and has a shape as shown in FIG. 2, for example. As shown in FIG. 2, it is the same as the mask 7 shown in FIG. 4 described in the example of the prior art that it has a hole that is generally plate-shaped and has a similar shape to the shape to be processed. If you want to change the processed shape, replace the entire fixed frame 10b, or if the amount of change in shape is small, make the fixed frame 10b made of a soft material and apply pressure from the outside of the frame to change the hole shape while holding the fiber array 9 in your mouth. may be changed.

The beam 2 emitted from the laser oscillator 1 is incident on the fiber array 9 and transmitted through each optical fiber 9a. The beam 2a emitted from the fiber array 9 whose shape is defined by the fixed frame 10b on the output side of the fiber array 9 has approximately the same shape as the hole in the fixed frame 10b when viewed as a light source. This beam 2a having a certain shape becomes a beam 4 that is focused by a beam focusing system 3, and is irradiated onto a workpiece 5, whereby a desired shape is processed by one beam irradiation. Also, the beam 2 emitted from the laser oscillator is used without fail. Furthermore, the shape of the beam 2a can be changed by replacing the fixed frame 10b or changing the hole shape by external pressure, and it is possible to process the beam 2a into an arbitrary shape.

Example 2. Although only one fiber array was used in this example, multiple fiber arrays whose shapes had been defined in advance using fixed frames of various shapes were lined up, and a beam splitter was used to select the fiber array with the desired shape and direct the beam only to that shape. It is also possible to transmit. Furthermore, by arranging the mask described in the example of the prior art on the incident side or output side of the fiber array, it is possible to process a shape that is synthesized by the hole shape of the fixed frame and the hole shape of the mask.

[0011]

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, an arbitrary shape can be processed with one irradiation, so the processing time is short, the beam is used efficiently, and the laser processing method is free from damage caused by the beam. Obtainable.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a laser processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an output side fixed frame 10b shown in this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a scanning laser processing method according to the prior art.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a mask-based laser processing method according to the prior art.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Laser oscillator 2 Laser beam 3 Beam focusing system 4 Focused beam 5 Work material 6 Processing table 7 Mask 8 Beam after passing 9 Fiber array 10a, 10b Fixed frame

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A laser processing method for processing a workpiece with a laser beam, using a fiber array in which a plurality of optical fibers are bundled.