JPH11778A - Laser cutting equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To achieve a smooth operation by cooling a laser oscillator of a laser cutting device and sucking dust rationally, and reducing the weight of the entire device. A frame 2 is formed by arranging two garters 2a, 2b in a direction orthogonal to a rail 1a and connecting them by a plurality of connecting members 2c.
Wheels 3b and side wheels 3c at positions corresponding to the rails 1a
Is attached. The laser oscillator 5 is mounted on the upper surface of the frame 2, and the dust collector 13 and the cooling unit 14 are arranged at positions corresponding to one of the rails on the emission port 5b side. A laser beam path 6 having a reversing mirror 7 is formed by connecting a laser torch 9 mounted on a carriage 10 that can traverse along the garter 2a.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a laser cutting device capable of exhibiting stable dust collecting performance and cooling performance by mounting a dust collecting device and a cooling unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A laser cutting apparatus for irradiating a material to be cut by irradiating a laser beam to cut the material can be cut regardless of the material of the material to be cut. The cutting capability has increased with the increase in the output of the laser oscillator, and is being adopted by manufacturers who cut relatively thick plates. At present, a plurality of laser cutting devices are operating.

[0003] The structure of a laser cutting device using a laser oscillator having a large output will be briefly described. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a typical laser cutting device. In the figure, a pair of rails 51a and 51b are laid in parallel, and a laser cutting device is movably mounted on the rails 51a and 51b.

[0004] The laser cutting device connects a trolley 52a disposed on a rail 51a, a garter 52b having one end connected to the trolley 52a and the other end reaching the rail 51b, and connecting the trolley 52a and the garter 52b. Rigid member to increase rigidity
52c. Trolley 52
a has a sufficiently rigid body by itself and has a frame with an open lower surface, and this frame has two wheels.
53 and a drive motor (not shown) are attached. A similar wheel 53 is attached to the end of the garter 52b.

[0005] A laser oscillator 54 is mounted on an upper part of a carriage 52a, and a carriage 56 is mounted on a garter 52b, which carries a laser torch 55 and moves along the garter 52b. A laser beam path 57 is formed by connecting the laser oscillator 54 and the laser torch 55. Reference numeral 58 denotes an operation panel.

In the above-mentioned laser cutting apparatus, the carriage 52a has a function to bear the load of the laser oscillator 54 and the garter 52b.
A function of supporting one of these loads and transmitting a driving force by fixing one end of the rigid member 52c and one end of the rigid member 52c. The rail 51a is formed with a sufficiently long dimension along the rail 51a. It also has a function to guarantee the accuracy of the moving direction by using as a guide. For this reason, the vertical and horizontal forces act on the carriage 52a, and the carriage 52a is configured with high rigidity.

While the laser beam is emitted from the laser oscillator 54 to cut the material to be cut, the laser oscillator 54
Is cooled by cooling water. The cooling water is returned to a cooling unit installed on the floor via a hose, and after performing heat exchange in the unit, is supplied again to the laser oscillator. In addition, since dust and smoke are generated along with the cutting of the material to be cut, there is a configuration in which a duct is provided along the rail and a dust collecting device is installed on the floor to suck the dust and smoke. .

[0008]

In the laser cutting apparatus constructed as described above, the laser oscillator and the cooling unit are connected by a plurality of hoses. For this reason, the hose is dragged by the laser cutting device, and there is a problem that the hose becomes a resistance to the cutting device and affects the driving force and accuracy. In particular, when the output of the laser oscillator increases, the cooling capacity of one cooling unit is insufficient, and it becomes necessary to cool the laser oscillator by using two cooling units. In this case, the number of hoses increases with an increase in the number of cooling units installed, which causes various problems associated with pulling the hoses by the laser cutting device.

When collecting dust and the like generated at the time of cutting, it is essential to increase the capacity of the dust collecting fan with the increase in the laying length of the rail. There is a problem in that the loss of the duct changes according to the change in the distance, and it is difficult to maintain a constant dust collection performance.

[0010] It is an object of the present invention to provide a laser cutting device in which a cooling unit and a dust collecting device are arranged on a frame, so that it is not necessary to pull a hose and a constant dust collecting performance can always be exhibited. is there.

[0011]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a laser cutting apparatus according to the present invention travels on a pair of rails laid in parallel and having a rack fixed to a side surface, and a laser beam is applied to a material to be cut. A laser cutting device that cuts by irradiating the garter with a frame configured by arranging two garters in a direction orthogonal to the rail and connecting the garters with a plurality of connecting members. A laser oscillator is arranged on the connecting member constituting so that the emission port of the laser light is shifted from the center of the garter to the end side by approaching one garter, and a laser torch is mounted on the other garter. A traversable carriage is arranged along the garter, and in the same direction as the traversing direction of the carriage and 1 / of the traversing distance of the carriage.
A reversing member having a pair of mirrors moving by a distance of 2 is arranged to form a laser light path along the other mirror, and further, at a position on the frame corresponding to the rail on the exit side of the laser oscillator. A dust collector is arranged, and a cooling unit is arranged adjacent to the dust collector.

In the above-mentioned laser cutting apparatus, a frame is formed by connecting two garters with a plurality of connecting members, and one of the garters constituting the frame is brought close to the garter. By arranging the laser oscillator so as to be biased to the side, and arranging the carriage equipped with the laser torch on the other garter so that it can traverse, and arranging the reversing member, the laser optical path between the laser oscillator and the other garter Can be configured,
Furthermore, when the laser oscillator is arranged, the exit of the laser beam is biased toward the end of the garter, so that the movement of the reversing member can be guaranteed. That is, since the reversing member moves in the same direction as the traversing direction of the carriage and at a distance of １ ／ of the moving distance of the carriage, the emission port of the laser light is biased to one end side, so that the reversing member is moved. The travel distance can be guaranteed.

Further, since the dust collecting device is arranged on the frame at a position corresponding to the rail on the side of the laser light emitting port of the laser oscillator, and the cooling unit is arranged adjacent to the dust collecting device. Regardless of the running position of the laser cutting device, the distance from the dust collector to the laser torch is constant, stable dust collection performance can be achieved, and cooling of the laser oscillator and laser torch is completed on the frame. There is no need to drag the hose because it can do.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the above laser cutting apparatus will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a plan view of the laser cutting apparatus according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a front view, FIG. 1 is a view taken along the line II-II, FIG. 3 is a side view, and FIG. It is.

In the figure, a laser cutting device A is constructed so as to be mounted on a pair of rails 1a laid in parallel and having a rack 1b fixed to an outer surface thereof, and can travel. The laser cutting device A includes two garters 2a, 2
b is arranged in a direction orthogonal to the rail 1a and connected by a plurality of connecting members 2c to form a ladder-shaped frame 2 according to the position of the frame 2 corresponding to the rail 1a. The driving wheel unit 3 is attached, the drive motor 4 is attached at a position corresponding to the rack 1b, and the laser oscillator 5, the dust collector 13
And a cooling unit 14.

Two garters 2 constituting the frame 2
The components a and 2b do not need to have the same specifications, and are formed with dimensions according to the load to be borne and the dimensions of the parts to be attached. In the present embodiment, the garter 2a has a larger dimension than the garter 2b. The number of connecting members 2c connecting the garters 2a, 2b is not particularly limited.

In the frame 2, each garter 2a, 2
The length in the rail 1a direction set by the width dimension of the b and the length dimension of the connecting member 2c is determined by the width dimension of the laser oscillator 5 mounted on the frame 2 and the reversing mirror 7 provided in the laser optical path 6 described later. Are set in consideration of the dimensions of the control panel 8 and the like. Furthermore, the frame 2 is configured to prevent or absorb vibrations that may occur during high-speed running, and have sufficient rigidity to support the load of the laser oscillator 5.

The driven wheel unit 3 includes the garters 2a, 2
It is attached to a position corresponding to the rail 1a of b.
That is, the driven wheel units 3 are attached to the four positions of the frame 2 respectively. The driven wheel unit 3 includes a bracket 3a fixed to a predetermined position of each garter 2a, 2b.
A wheel 3b rotatably supported by the bracket 3a and in contact with the upper surface of the rail 1a; and a side wheel 3c rotatably supported by the bracket 3a and in contact with the side surface of the rail 1a. The side wheel 3c sandwiches the rail 1a. Are provided as a pair.

Driven wheel unit 3 for each garter 2a, 2b
Is mounted on the frame 2 on each side surface of the pair of rails 1a, and the side wheels 3c come into contact with positions sufficiently separated in the direction along the rails 1a, thereby realizing smooth and highly accurate traveling. It is possible.

The drive motor 4 is provided between the garters 2a and 2b and at a position corresponding to the rack 1b fixed to the rail 1a. A pinion 4a is fixed to the drive motor 4, and the pinion 4a meshes with the rack 1b. Therefore, by controlling the rotation of the drive motor 4, the frame 2 (laser cutting device A) can run along the rail 1a.

The longitudinal direction of the laser oscillator 5 is the rail 1a.
And the main body 5a is placed on the connecting member 2c, and the laser light emission port 5b is deviated in any direction from the center of the effective cutting width in the laser cutting device A. It is arranged so that it is in a position.

A laser beam path 6 is formed starting from the emission port 5b of the laser oscillator 5. The laser beam path 6 is formed between the laser oscillator 5 and the laser torch 9, and is provided in the frame 2.
Is provided with a reversing mirror 7 for maintaining a constant distance between the torch 9 and the laser oscillator 5 irrespective of the position.

The laser torch 9 is mounted on a carriage 10 which can be traversed along a garter 2a constituting the frame 2. Therefore, by controlling the rotation of the lateral drive motor 11 provided on the carriage 10, the carriage 10 can be traversed along the garter 2a in a direction perpendicular to the rail 1a.

Since the carriage 10 is configured to be able to traverse along the garter 2a, the laser beam path 6 is also formed using the garter 2a. That is, the laser light path 6 returns from the emission port 5b of the laser oscillator 5 along the garter 2a in the opposite direction to the oscillator 5, is inverted by the inverting mirror 7, and is again directed along the garter 2a toward the emission port 5b of the laser oscillator 5. The direction is changed so that the laser torch 9 can be incident. The reversing mirror 7 is configured to be able to move along the garter 2a by a movement amount of の of the movement amount of the carriage 10.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show two laser torches 9.
Although this is drawn, it is described for the sake of convenience to show the position of the reversing mirror 7 when one laser torch 9 is located at both ends of the effective cutting for the material to be cut. The laser cutting device A is configured using one laser torch 9.

Therefore, by controlling the rotation of the drive motor 4 provided on the frame 2 and the horizontal drive motor 11 provided on the carriage 10, the laser torch 9 mounted on the carriage 10 is moved two-dimensionally. By irradiating a laser beam from the torch 9 toward a workpiece (not shown) and injecting an assist gas, the workpiece can be cut into a desired shape.

An NC control device for numerically controlling (NC) the laser cutting device A is incorporated in the control panel 8, and information such as the material and thickness of a material to be cut and information of a figure to be cut by the operation panel 8a. After the material is input and the drive is started, the emission of laser light by the motor 4 and the lateral drive motor 11 and the laser oscillator 5 are appropriately controlled, thereby cutting the material to be cut. Is done.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 12 denotes a cloth cover for covering the laser beam path 6.

The dust collecting device 13 is for improving the working environment by sucking dust generated by cutting the material to be cut.
The frame 2 is arranged at a position corresponding to the rail 1 a on the side of the emission port 5 b of the laser oscillator 5. This dust collector 13
Has an apparatus main body 13a fixed on a garter 2b constituting the frame 2, and a duct 13b extending along the frame 2 from the main body 13a, and a suction port 13c is provided at a tip of the duct 13b. Is provided so as to face the laser torch 9.

As described above, by arranging the dust collecting device 13 on the frame 2, the distance from the dust collecting device 13 to the laser torch 9 becomes constant. It is possible to always perform a stable suction with a constant loss in the suction.

The cooling unit 14 supplies cooling water to the laser oscillator 5 and exchanges heat generated when the oscillator 5 operates. The cooling unit 14 is arranged on the garter 2 b constituting the frame 2 and adjacent to the dust collector 13. Therefore, the cooling unit 14 is disposed on the emission port 5b side of the laser oscillator 5, and a plurality of hoses 14a for supplying and returning cooling water are connected to the cooling unit 14.

As described above, the cooling unit 14 is mounted on the frame 2.
The distance between the unit 14 and the laser oscillator 5 is extremely short, and the loss in the hose 14a is constant and small. Therefore, the cooling efficiency by the cooling unit 14 can be improved.

[0032]

As described above in detail, in the laser cutting apparatus according to the present invention, the laser cutting device is disposed in a direction perpendicular to the rail.
A garter is arranged and connected by a plurality of connecting members to form a frame, and a driven wheel unit is mounted at a position corresponding to a rail of each garter. For this reason, the side wheels constituting the driven wheel unit contact and guide the side surfaces of the rail at four positions corresponding to the separation distance of each garter, so that the laser cutting device can realize smooth running.

Further, on the frame, a laser oscillator is arranged in parallel with the garter, the emission port is deviated to one side from the center of the garter, and a dust collector is arranged on the emission port side. Since the cooling unit is disposed next to the laser, the laser oscillator, the dust collector, and the cooling unit are dispersed and arranged in the longitudinal direction of the frame, and these loads can be rationally borne by the entire frame. . Therefore, although it is necessary to increase the rigidity of the frame, there is no need to provide a carriage as in a conventional frame, and it is possible to reduce the weight of the laser cutting apparatus as a whole.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a laser cutting device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view, taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view, and is a view taken in the direction of arrows III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a conventional laser cutting device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List A laser cutting device 1a rail 1b rack 2 frame 2a, 2b garter 2c connecting member 3 driven wheel unit 3a bracket 3b wheel 3c side wheel 4 drive motor 4a pinion 5 laser oscillator 5a main body 5b emission port 6 laser beam path 7 reversing mirror 8 control Panel 8a Operation panel 9 Laser torch 10 Carriage 11 Lateral drive motor 12 Cover 13 Dust collector 14 Cooling unit

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A laser cutting apparatus which runs on a pair of rails which are laid in parallel and has a rack fixed to a side surface, and irradiates a material to be cut with a laser beam to cut the material, and is orthogonal to the rails. A garter arranged in two directions and connecting the garters with a plurality of connecting members, and emitting a laser beam on the connecting members constituting the frame and approaching one garter. The laser oscillator is arranged so that the mouth is deviated from the center of the garter toward the end, and a laser torch is mounted on the other garter, and a carriage that can traverse along the garter is arranged, and the traverse direction of the carriage is the same. A reversing member having a pair of mirrors that move in the direction and by a distance equal to one-half the traversing distance of the carriage, and a laser is arranged along the other mirror. Forming an optical path, further comprising a dust collector disposed at a position on the frame corresponding to the rail on the side of the emission port of the laser oscillator, and a cooling unit disposed adjacent to the dust collector. Laser cutting equipment.