A laser pipe cutting machine and a laser pipe cutting method

Abstract

This invention provides a laser tube cutting machine and method, relating to the field of laser cutting. The solution includes a machine bed with two chucks, one of which is movably mounted on the bed. A gantry is movably mounted on the bed along the X-axis, with a range of motion greater than that of the two chucks. A cutting assembly is movably mounted on the gantry along the Y-axis. At least two loading / unloading devices are provided, arranged on the same side of the machine bed along its length, with the arrangement range of the multiple loading / unloading devices overlapping the range of motion of the gantry. Each loading / unloading device includes a lifting support that moves along the Z-axis, with a swaying support frame mounted on the lifting support. This invention can reduce the equipment footprint and improve space utilization.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of laser cutting, and more particularly to a laser tube cutting machine and a laser tube cutting method. Background Technology

[0002] Laser pipe cutting machines are widely used in pipe processing industries such as steel structures, oil pipelines, environmental protection equipment, and engineering machinery due to their advantages such as non-contact processing, small heat-affected zone, smooth and burr-free cuts, high processing precision, and good flexibility.

[0003] In the prior art, Chinese utility model patent CN214684740U discloses a three-chuck automatic loading and unloading laser tube cutting machine. Its specific structure includes a bed, a first chuck, a second chuck, and a third chuck slidably connected to one side of the bed, and a cutting mechanism located on the other side of the bed. The bed has a loading device at its loading end and an unloading device at its unloading end. This solution, by setting three movable chucks and independent loading and unloading devices, achieves automatic loading, cutting, and unloading of tubes, reducing manual operation to a certain extent.

[0004] However, in the aforementioned prior art, the loading and unloading devices are independently located on the outer ends of the machine bed, resulting in a three-section serial layout of the entire machine: loading area – machine bed – unloading area. In this layout, the loading device occupies the material storage and waiting space on one end of the machine bed, while the unloading device occupies the finished product buffer and conveying space on the other end of the machine bed. Since they are independent and cannot overlap, the total length of the machine is significantly greater than the processing length of the machine bed itself. This spatial layout results in an excessively large footprint, placing high demands on the user's factory space, and is particularly unfavorable for space-constrained workshop layouts. Furthermore, the floor space occupied by the loading and unloading areas remains exclusively occupied during equipment operation, unable to be released for other processes or equipment, leading to a structural waste of factory space. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the issue of the large footprint of existing laser tube cutting machines, this invention provides a laser tube cutting machine and a laser tube cutting method that can reduce the equipment footprint and improve space utilization.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a laser tube cutting machine to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, including a bed, on which a chuck one and a chuck two are provided, the chuck two being movably disposed on the bed, and further including: a gantry frame, which is movably disposed on the bed along the X direction, the maximum travel of the gantry frame being greater than the maximum travel of the chuck two; a cutting assembly, which is movably disposed on the gantry frame along the Y direction; and a loading and unloading device, of which at least two loading and unloading devices are provided, the plurality of loading and unloading devices being disposed on the same side of the bed and arranged along the length direction of the bed, the arrangement range of the plurality of loading and unloading devices being adapted to the travel range of the gantry frame, the loading and unloading device including a lifting support that moves along the Z direction, a material support frame that is oscillatingly disposed on the lifting support, the material support frame being oscillating in a vertical plane, the material support frame being in a horizontal state during loading and in an inclined state during unloading.

[0007] This invention effectively eliminates the redundancy in overall machine length caused by independently setting up loading and unloading devices at both ends, by centrally arranging at least two loading and unloading devices on the same side of the machine bed and making their arrangement range overlap with the movement range of the gantry. This significantly reduces the equipment's footprint. By utilizing the gantry's wide range of movement in the X direction to cover multiple loading and unloading stations, and in conjunction with the cutting components that can move along the Y direction and the movable chuck, the invention enables parallel operation of the entire process of loading, cutting, and unloading within the same area on the same side. This allows for the sharing of the loading and unloading areas, avoiding the long-term exclusive occupation of ground space by the loading and unloading areas, and greatly improving the utilization rate of factory space.

[0008] Furthermore, the loading and unloading device also includes a base frame, which is disposed on one side of the bed. The base frame is movably mounted on the lifting support along the Z-direction. A tilting cylinder is hinged to one side of the lifting support. The piston rod of the tilting cylinder is hinged to the unloading end of the material support frame. The middle part of the material support frame is hinged to the top of the lifting support frame. The loading end of the material support frame extends out of the lifting support frame and extends towards the bed.

[0009] Furthermore, the material support end is provided with a material support groove, the cross-section of the material support groove is V-shaped, and the bottom included angle of the material support groove is α, 165°≤α≤175°.

[0010] This invention employs a material-supporting groove with a large angle, which ensures sufficient lateral restraint to prevent rolling after the pipe is placed.

[0011] Furthermore, the loading and unloading device also includes a centering component, which includes a lifting seat. The lifting seat is movably disposed at one end of the base frame, and two clamping members are movably disposed on the lifting seat along the Y direction. The two clamping members can move synchronously towards each other and away from each other.

[0012] This invention enables the pipe axis to be precisely aligned with the chuck rotation axis by setting an alignment component, thus avoiding the tilting of the cutting end face or the chuck clamping eccentricity caused by the initial position deviation of the pipe.

[0013] Furthermore, all the clamping components are L-shaped structures, each including a clamping part and a driving part. The driving part is movably mounted on the lifting seat. One of the driving parts is connected to the piston rod of the centering cylinder, which is mounted on the lifting seat. The driving part connected to the centering cylinder is provided with a first synchronous rack, which meshes with a synchronous gear rotatably mounted on the lifting seat. The synchronous gear meshes with a second synchronous rack on the other clamping part, which is parallel to the first synchronous rack.

[0014] This invention designs the clamping component as an L-shaped structure and utilizes a rigid synchronous transmission mechanism composed of synchronous gears and parallel synchronous racks one and two, which ensures clamping stability while achieving synchronous centering and self-centering functions of the two clamping components.

[0015] Furthermore, the material support frame located at the farthest end of the bed in the X direction has the longest X-direction dimension.

[0016] This invention utilizes the longest X-axis dimension of the material support frame located at the farthest X-axis end of the bed, which can provide the maximum span of rigid support for the finished pipe at the corresponding position, preventing the finished pipe from bending or sagging at the end due to excessive cantilever length, thus ensuring the accuracy and quality of cutting.

[0017] Furthermore, it also includes at least one chuck three, which is movably disposed on the bed and located between the chuck one and the chuck two.

[0018] This invention establishes a multi-point support and clamping system by setting up a chuck, which effectively solves the problems of deflection, deformation and vibration caused by excessive span during high-speed rotational cutting or movement of long pipes.

[0019] Furthermore, the chuck is movably mounted on the bed along the X direction.

[0020] This invention achieves a fully adjustable layout of chuck one, chuck two, and intermediate chuck three by setting chuck one to move along the X direction. This allows for optimization of the spacing and support position of the clamping points according to the actual length of the pipe, while also significantly expanding the processing length range of the equipment.

[0021] Secondly, the present invention also provides a method for operating a laser tube cutting machine, which, using the aforementioned laser tube cutting machine, includes the following steps: S01: During loading, the first chuck, the second chuck, the gantry frame, and the third chuck all move to the clearance position of the bed; S02: Based on the length of the pipe material, select at least one of the multiple loading and unloading devices that matches the length of the pipe material, and control the selected loading and unloading device to perform loading and receiving actions and centering actions; S03: Based on the length of the pipe material and the length of the finished pipe, determine the chuck combination involved in clamping and their respective clamping positions, and control the determined chucks to move to the corresponding clamping positions and clamp the pipe material; wherein, the chuck combination is selected from at least two of the first chuck, the second chuck, and multiple third chucks; S04: The gantry crane moves along the X direction to the cutting position; S05: The cutting component performs cutting. During the cutting process, the chuck that participates in clamping remains in a clamping state and does not perform X-axis feeding movement, but only rotates the pipe. S06: The loading and unloading device corresponding to the finished pipe is switched to the unloading working state to perform material receiving and unloading actions; S07: Cycle through S03 to S06.

[0022] This invention dynamically selects the optimal loading and unloading device based on the length of the pipe material, and its chuck clamping strategy allows for flexible combinations, achieving adaptive, high-precision clamping and support from short pipes to ultra-long pipes. This effectively suppresses the bending deformation of long cantilever pipes. At the same time, the chuck's "rotate-only, no-feed" operation mode during the cutting process makes the cutting path and the pipe feeding path independent of each other. This not only significantly reduces the control complexity and cumulative error of multi-chuck coordinated movement, but also significantly improves the response speed and contour accuracy of the cutting trajectory. While ensuring processing accuracy, it solves the bottleneck of space waste in traditional equipment.

[0023] Furthermore, in S03, the number M of chucks involved in clamping and their spatial distribution are determined according to the following method: S031: Determine the total number of chucks M1 to participate in clamping based on the length of the pipe material or the length range of the remaining pipe material. M1 increases with the increase of the length of the pipe material. When the length of the pipe material is less than the first preset threshold, M1 takes the minimum value. When the length of the pipe material is greater than the second preset threshold, M1 takes the maximum value. The length of the pipe material and the corresponding number of chucks to participate in clamping are preset. S032: Determine the number of chucks M2 required to clamp the finished pipe section based on the maximum value of the finished pipe length or the maximum value of the finished pipe length in the remaining processing content. The finished pipe length and the corresponding number of chucks to be clamped are preset. Then, the total number of chucks to be clamped is M = M1 + M2. S033: Determine the maximum allowable distance D1 between adjacent clamping points based on the minimum length of the finished pipe or the minimum length of the finished pipe in the remaining processing content, and adjust the spatial distribution of the chucks involved in clamping so that the distance between any two adjacent chucks involved in clamping is ≤ D1. D1 is calculated based on at least one parameter among the diameter, wall thickness and material of the finished pipe.

[0024] This invention optimizes the clamping point layout, improves clamping strength, and ensures cutting accuracy by establishing a dual-parameter superposition decision mechanism of M1 and M2 and introducing the maximum allowable span D1 calculated based on pipe diameter, wall thickness and material as a forced physical constraint.

[0025] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, the present invention has the following advantages: This invention provides a laser tube cutting machine and a laser tube cutting method. By centrally arranging at least two loading and unloading devices on the same side of the machine bed, and ensuring their arrangement overlaps with the movement range of the gantry, the redundancy in overall machine length caused by independently setting loading and unloading devices at both ends is effectively eliminated, significantly reducing the equipment's footprint. The gantry's wide-range movement in the X-direction covers multiple loading and unloading stations. Combined with a cutting component that can move along the Y-direction and a movable chuck, parallel operation of the entire process of loading, cutting, and unloading is achieved within the same side area. This allows for the sharing of the loading and unloading areas, avoiding... The long-term exclusive use of ground space by the loading and unloading areas has greatly improved the utilization rate of factory space. The use of large-angle material support grooves ensures sufficient lateral restraint to prevent rolling after the pipes are placed. The centering component ensures precise alignment of the pipe axis with the chuck's rotation axis, avoiding tilting of the cutting end face or chuck misalignment caused by initial pipe position deviation. By designing the clamping components with an L-shaped structure and utilizing a rigid synchronous transmission mechanism consisting of synchronous gears and parallel synchronous racks one and two, synchronous transmission of the two clamping components is achieved while ensuring clamping stability. The machine features centering and self-centering functions; by using the longest X-axis dimension for the material support bracket located at the farthest X-axis end of the bed, it can provide rigid support for the corresponding pipe product with the maximum span, preventing bending deformation or end sagging of the pipe product due to excessive cantilever length, thus ensuring cutting accuracy and quality; by setting up chuck three to construct a multi-point support and clamping system, it effectively solves the problem of deflection deformation and vibration caused by excessive span during high-speed rotary cutting or movement of long pipes; by setting chuck one to a structure that moves along the X-axis, it realizes a fully adjustable layout of chuck one, chuck two, and intermediate chuck three, thereby... It can optimize the spacing and support position of clamping points according to the actual length of the pipe, and also significantly expand the processing length range of the equipment; it selects the optimal loading and unloading device according to the length of the raw pipe material, and the chuck clamping strategy can be flexibly combined to achieve adaptive, high-precision clamping and support from short pipes to ultra-long pipes, effectively suppressing the bending deformation of long cantilever pipes; by establishing a dual-parameter superposition decision mechanism of M1 and M2, and introducing the maximum allowable span D1 calculated based on the pipe diameter, wall thickness and material as a forced physical constraint, the clamping point layout is optimized, the clamping strength is improved and the cutting accuracy is guaranteed. Attached Figure Description

[0026] To more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the bed structure in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the gantry and cutting assembly in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the loading and unloading device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 1 .

[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the loading and unloading device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 2 .

[0032] In the diagram: 1. Bed; 2. Cutting assembly; 201. Slide; 202. Laser cutting head; 3. Gantry frame; 301. Crossbeam; 302. Support column; 303. Drive motor; 4. Pipe material; 5. Loading and unloading device; 501. Base frame; 502. Lifting support; 503. Material support frame; 504. Material support groove; 505. Lifting cylinder; 506. Lifting motor; 507. Clamping component; 508. Lifting seat; 509. Centering cylinder; 510. Synchronous gear; 511. Drive unit; 512. Clamping unit; 513. Synchronous rack one; 514. Synchronous rack two; 515. Tilting cylinder; 6. Chuck two; 7. Chuck three; 8. Chuck one. Detailed Implementation

[0033] To make the objectives, features, and advantages of this invention more apparent and understandable, the technical solutions of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the specific embodiments. Obviously, the embodiments described below are only some embodiments of this invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0034] Example 1 Existing laser tube cutting machines employ a layout where the loading and unloading devices are located at opposite ends of the machine bed 1. This results in a large footprint and low space utilization. Furthermore, long tubes are prone to deflection and deformation, as well as insufficient cutting precision. To address these technical issues, such as... Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, this embodiment provides a laser tube cutting machine, including a bed 1, a first chuck 8, a second chuck 6, a loading and unloading device 5, and a gantry frame 3. The bed 1 is typically welded from high-strength steel and undergoes aging treatment to eliminate internal stress, ensuring sufficient rigidity and stability. The bed 1 is equipped with a first chuck 8 and a second chuck 6, both of which are rotary chucks used to clamp tubes, such as pneumatically or hydraulically driven three-jaw or four-jaw self-centering chucks. In this embodiment, the second chuck 6 is mounted on the bed 1 in a manner that allows it to move along the X-axis. Specifically, the second chuck 6 can slide along guide rails. The block is connected to the bed 1 and driven by a servo motor and a rack and pinion mechanism, enabling it to move precisely along the length of the bed 1 (defined as the X-axis). The gantry 3 is movably mounted on the bed 1 along the X-axis, with a maximum travel greater than the maximum travel of the chuck 6. Setting the gantry 3 to have a larger range of motion means it can cover a longer X-axis travel. The gantry 3 itself is a straddle structure, with its crossbeam 301 spanning above the bed 1. Specifically, the gantry 3 has an inverted L-shaped structure and includes a support column 302 and a crossbeam 301. The cutting assembly 2 is... The support column 302 is movably mounted on the bed 1 and placed on the crossbeam 301. The support column 302 of the gantry 3 is connected to the bed 1 via a guide rail slider pair and driven by a servo motor via a screw nut pair or a gear rack mechanism, enabling it to move precisely along the length direction of the bed 1 (defined as the X-direction). In this embodiment, a drive motor 303 is provided at the bottom of the support column 302, and the drive motor 303 is connected to a gear that meshes with a rack on one side of the bed 1. The cutting assembly 2 is movably mounted on the gantry 3 along the Y-direction, which is perpendicular to the X-direction in the horizontal plane. The cutting assembly 2 is connected to the bed 1 via a guide rail slider pair and driven by a servo motor via a screw nut pair or a gear rack mechanism. The guide rail slider pair is connected to the crossbeam 301 of the gantry 3, and can be driven by a servo motor through a screw nut pair or a gear rack mechanism to enable it to move precisely in the Y direction. Specifically, in this embodiment, the cutting component 2 includes a slide block 201, which is connected to the crossbeam 301 through the guide rail slider pair. A servo motor is provided on the slide block 201, and the servo motor is connected to a gear. The gear meshes with the rack on the crossbeam 301. A lifting plate is connected to the slide block 201 through the motor and the screw nut pair. A laser cutting head 202 is provided on the lifting plate, which ultimately realizes the three-dimensional movement of the laser cutting head 202.At least two loading / unloading devices 5 are located on the same side of the bed 1 and arranged along the length (X-direction) of the bed 1. The arrangement range of the multiple loading / unloading devices 5 is adapted to the movement range of the gantry 3. This means that the gantry 3 can cover the working area of ​​each loading / unloading device 5 during movement, ensuring that each finished pipe can be unloaded through the loading / unloading device 5. Each loading / unloading device 5 includes a lifting support 502 that moves along the Z-direction (vertical direction). A material support frame 503 is oscillating on the lifting support 502. The material support frame 503 can swing in the vertical plane. When performing the loading operation, the material support frame 503 is controlled to be in a horizontal state to receive the pipe raw material 4 transmitted from the previous process (such as a feeding robot arm, manual loading, or hoisting device). When performing the unloading operation, the material support frame 503 switches to an inclined state, so that the finished pipe placed on it can automatically slide down to the collection basket or conveyor belt by its own weight.

[0035] In the actual operation of this embodiment, multiple loading and unloading devices 5 are arranged on the same side of the bed 1, and their arrangement range overlaps with the movement range of the gantry 3. This means that the gantry 3 can move with the cutting assembly 2 to the location of any loading and unloading device 5 for cutting operations. During loading, the loading and unloading device 5 located in the idle station adjusts its support frame 503 to a horizontal state to receive the externally fed pipe material 4. The chuck 1 8 and the movable chuck 2 6 work together to clamp the pipe and feed it to the cutting start position. The gantry 3 moves above the station, the cutting assembly 2 performs cutting, and after cutting is completed, the loading and unloading device 5 at the station switches the support frame 503 to an inclined state, and the finished pipe automatically slides down, completing the unloading. This embodiment effectively eliminates the redundancy in the overall length caused by independently setting up loading and unloading devices at both ends by centrally arranging at least two loading and unloading devices 5 on the same side of the bed 1, and making their arrangement range overlap with the movement range of the gantry 3. This significantly reduces the equipment's footprint. By utilizing the gantry 3's large-scale movement capability in the X direction to cover multiple loading and unloading stations, and in conjunction with the cutting component 2 that can move along the Y direction and the movable chuck, the entire process of loading, cutting, and unloading can be completed in parallel within the same side area. This enables the sharing of the loading and unloading areas, avoids the long-term exclusive occupation of the ground space by the loading and unloading areas, and greatly improves the utilization rate of the factory space.

[0036] like Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, in this embodiment, the loading and unloading device 5 can adopt the following specific structure: The loading and unloading device 5 includes a base frame 501, which is usually welded from structural steel and fixed to the ground by anchor bolts, and is set close to one side of the bed 1. On the base frame 501, the lifting support 502 is movably installed in the Z direction via a guide rail slider pair. The lifting movement of the lifting support 502 can be realized by a lead screw mechanism driven by a servo motor or a gear and rack mechanism driven by a servo motor. In this embodiment, since the loading and unloading device 5 needs to provide follow-up support for the tube during cutting, the lifting support 502 adopts a lifting motor 506 (lifting motor 506...). A servo motor drives a rack and pinion mechanism for lifting. The rack is vertically mounted on the lifting support, and the servo motor is mounted on the base frame 501, connected to the gear via a reducer and coupling. When the gear rotates, it drives the rack to rise and fall. A tilting cylinder 515 is hinged to one side of the lifting support 502 via a hinge seat. The piston rod end of the tilting cylinder 515 is hinged to the unloading end of the material support 503. The middle part of the material support 503 is hinged to the top of the lifting support 502 via another hinge seat, forming a lever mechanism. The loading end of the material support 503 extends out of the lifting support 502 and towards the bed 1, so as to be closer to the chuck when receiving materials. This hinge structure allows the extension and retraction of the tilting cylinder 515 to precisely control the swing of the material support 503 around its central hinge point, thereby reliably achieving the switching between horizontal and inclined working states. To ensure the stability of the pipe on the support frame 503, in this embodiment, the feeding end of the support frame 503 is provided with a support groove 504. The cross-section of the support groove 504 is V-shaped. The two inclined surfaces of the V-shaped groove can provide automatic centering and lateral constraint for round pipes of different diameters or square pipes of different side lengths. The bottom angle of the V-shaped groove is α, which ranges from 165° to 175°. The larger angle makes the V-shaped groove more gentle and can adapt to larger diameter or heavy pipes. When the pipe falls into the V-shaped groove, the angle of 165° to 175° can provide sufficient lateral support to prevent the pipe from rolling on the support frame 503. At the same time, when the pipe is clamped and rotated by the chuck, the sliding friction between the pipe and the support frame 503 can prevent scratches on the surface of the pipe.Furthermore, to improve the positioning accuracy of the pipe during loading, the loading / unloading device 5 also includes a centering component. This centering component includes a lifting seat 508, which is movably mounted at one end of the base frame 501. Its lifting action is independently driven by a lifting cylinder 505. Two clamping members 507 are movably mounted on the lifting seat 508 along the Y direction. These two clamping members 507 can move synchronously towards and away from each other. When the pipe is placed on the support frame 503, the lifting seat 508 rises, positioning the two clamping members 507 on both sides of the pipe. Subsequently, the two clamping members 507 move synchronously towards each other, pushing the pipe from both sides. The alignment is completed when the center axis of the pipe is substantially coincident with the center axis of the chuck. Each clamping member 507 has an L-shaped structure, including a clamping part 512 for contacting and pushing the pipe and a driving part 511 for driving and connecting. The driving part 511 is movably mounted on the lifting seat 508 via a guide rail slider. One of the driving parts 511 is directly connected to the piston rod of an alignment cylinder 509, which is fixedly mounted on one side of the lifting seat 508. The driving part 511 connected to the alignment cylinder 509 is equipped with a synchronous rack 513, which is connected to a piston rod via a rotating shaft. The bearing is rotatably mounted on the lifting seat 508 and engages with the synchronous gear 510. The synchronous gear 510 also engages with the synchronous rack 514 on another clamping part 512. The synchronous rack 514 is arranged parallel to the synchronous rack 513, but facing opposite directions. When the centering cylinder 509 pushes the active side clamping member 507 and its synchronous rack 513 to move to one side, the synchronous rack 513 drives the synchronous gear 510 to rotate. The synchronous gear 510 then drives the synchronous rack 514 to move in the opposite direction, thereby forcing the driven side clamping member 507 and the active side clamping member 507 to move synchronously at the same speed but in opposite directions. This rigid synchronization mechanism based on gears and racks requires only one cylinder to achieve precise centering of the two clamping parts 507. This simplifies control logic and reduces manufacturing costs. Furthermore, due to the rigid mechanical connection, it offers high centering accuracy and synchronization. The L-shaped design lowers the center of force of the clamping part 512 when force is applied, allowing it to more stably resist the deflection torque generated by the weight of the pipe, ensuring a smooth and reliable centering process. Synchronous movement guarantees precise calibration of the axial position of the pipe material 4, thus avoiding problems such as cutting end face tilting or chuck clamping eccentricity caused by initial position deviations. This significantly improves the first-piece cutting pass rate and processing accuracy. In this embodiment, six loading and unloading devices 5 are provided.

[0037] like Figure 1As shown, in this embodiment, the farthest loading and unloading device 5 is often used to process the longest pipe raw material 4 or to unload the longest finished pipe. In order to ensure the support capacity for the longer pipe, the material support frame 503 of this station has the longest dimension in the X direction (i.e., the length direction of the bed 1), which can provide a rigid support surface with a larger span for the long pipe. This effectively prevents the long pipe from bending or sagging at the end due to the excessive cantilever length while waiting for unloading or during unloading, and ensures the straightness and cutting surface quality of the finished pipe.

[0038] To further enhance the processing capabilities for long pipes, such as Figure 1 As shown, this laser tube cutting machine also includes at least one chuck three 7, which is movably mounted on the bed 1 and positioned between chuck one 8 and chuck two 6. The structure of chuck three 7 is similar to that of chuck two 6; it is also a rotary chuck that can move along the X-axis and is driven by an independent servo motor. When processing particularly long tubes, relying solely on chucks one 8 and chuck two 6 at both ends for clamping causes the middle of the tube to bend downwards due to its own weight. High-speed rotation also generates severe vibrations, seriously affecting cutting accuracy. The introduction of chuck three 7 solves this problem. Chuck three 7 can automatically move to an optimal middle support point to provide auxiliary clamping or support for the tube. Multiple chucks working together form a multi-point support system, significantly reducing the support span of long tubes, greatly improving the rigidity and rotational accuracy of the tube during rotation, effectively suppressing deflection and vibration, and ensuring... This ensures dimensional consistency and cross-sectional perpendicularity during long-distance cutting, thereby significantly expanding the processing range of the equipment. Simultaneously, the introduction of chuck three 7 enables the equipment to cut ultra-long pipes in segments, allowing for continuous processing of the entire long pipe without manual flipping or secondary clamping. This significantly expands the equipment's processing range and improves the processing efficiency and yield of complex pipe fittings. In this embodiment, one chuck three 7 is provided. Chuck one 8, chuck two 6, and chuck three 7 are selected according to different working conditions, using different specifications and types (including but not limited to barrel-type chucks, square-round chucks, and twin chucks).

[0039] As a further optimization of the above solution, the chuck 8 is also movably mounted on the bed 1 along the X-direction. In this embodiment, the chuck 8 is also designed to be movable, combined with the movable chucks 6 and 7, enabling the equipment to achieve a fully adjustable clamping capability. For example, when processing a 12-meter-long pipe, the chuck 8 can be moved to the vicinity of the tail end of the pipe, the chuck 7 to the middle, and the chuck 6 to the front end, forming three fulcrums. When processing a 2-meter-long short pipe, the three chucks can be brought close together, or even just two of them can be used for clamping. This fully movable design allows the equipment to flexibly adapt to the continuous processing needs from short pipes to ultra-long pipes, greatly improving the flexibility of the equipment.

[0040] Example 2 This invention provides a method for operating a laser tube cutting machine, using the laser tube cutting machine described in Embodiment 1, including the following steps: S01: During the material loading preparation stage, before executing the material loading action, the control system will instruct all movable parts to move to the avoidance position. Specifically, chuck 1 8, chuck 2 6 and chuck 3 7 all move along the X direction to the end of bed 1 or the preset standby position, and gantry 3 also moves to the farthest end of bed 1 that does not interfere with the operation of loading and unloading device 5, providing a completely unobstructed working space for loading and unloading device 5, ensuring that the lifting, swinging and centering component movements of the material support 503 will not collide with any chuck or gantry 3, thus ensuring the safety and smoothness of the material loading process.

[0041] S02: Loading and Centering Stage; Based on the length information of the pipe material 4 to be processed, the system selects one or more loading / unloading devices 5 arranged along the bed 1 that match the length of the pipe material 4 to perform loading. For example, for a 3-meter-long pipe, only the two loading / unloading devices 5 closest to the middle of the bed 1 may be needed; while for a 9-meter-long pipe, four loading / unloading devices may need to be activated simultaneously to work together; The selected loading / unloading device 5 controls its lifting support 502 to rise to a predetermined height, the material support 503 is adjusted to a horizontal state by the tilting cylinder 515, and the external feeding mechanism places the pipe material 4 on the V-groove of the multiple material support 503. Subsequently, the centering component of each loading / unloading device 5 participating in the loading rises, and its two L-shaped clamping parts 507 move synchronously towards each other under the drive of the synchronous gear 510 rack mechanism, pushing the pipe material 4 to the center position to complete the centering.

[0042] S03: Clamping strategy formulation and execution stage; The system determines which chucks will participate in clamping and their respective clamping positions based on two key pieces of information—the total length of the pipe material 4 and the length of the finished pipe to be cut. The combination of chucks participating in clamping can be selected from chuck one 8, chuck two 6 and chuck three 7, at least two can be selected at will. The control system calculates the optimal clamping point distribution, and then instructs the selected chucks to move precisely to the calculated clamping position and perform the clamping action to firmly fix the pipe material 4.

[0043] S04: Gantry 3 positioning stage; After the pipe is reliably clamped, the control system instructs the gantry 3 to move rapidly along the X direction to the preset cutting start position corresponding to the length of the finished pipe to be cut.

[0044] S05: Execute the cutting stage; the cutting assembly 2 starts and moves along the Y direction, while the gantry 3 performs micro-motion or interpolation movements in the X direction as needed to achieve complex cutting trajectories; throughout the cutting process, all chucks involved in clamping (such as chuck one 8, chuck three 7, and chuck two 6) maintain their clamping state and do not perform feeding movements along the X direction. Their only function is to clamp the pipe and drive the pipe to rotate around its axis as needed for cutting, so that the cutting assembly 2 can always process the front side of the pipe; this "rotate only, feed not" mode decouples the rotational motion of the pipe from the planar motion of the cutting head, simplifies the motion control model, significantly improves the response speed and contour accuracy of the cutting trajectory, and avoids axial cumulative errors caused by multi-chuck collaborative feeding.

[0045] S06: Unloading stage; After a section of finished pipe is completely cut, the unloading device 5 corresponding to the length and position of the finished pipe section immediately switches from standby or loading state to unloading working state; the device positions the material support frame 503 directly below the finished pipe, and then adjusts it to a horizontal state to receive the pipe. After the chuck releases the finished section, the material support frame 503 switches to an inclined state, and the finished pipe rolls down onto the pre-placed collection trolley or conveyor belt under the action of gravity, completing the automatic unloading.

[0046] S07: Cyclic Operation; The system jumps back to step S03 and repeats steps S03 to S06. At this point, the length of the raw material 4 becomes the length of the remaining raw material, and the length of the finished product in the next cut may also change. The system will re-determine the combination and position of the clamping chuck based on this new information and continue cutting and unloading until the entire raw material pipe is completely processed.

[0047] This embodiment achieves adaptive, high-precision clamping and support from short pipes to ultra-long pipes, effectively suppressing the bending deformation of long cantilever pipes, while significantly reducing control complexity and cumulative errors, and solving the dual bottlenecks of space waste and low processing efficiency of traditional equipment.

[0048] Furthermore, the determination of the number M of chucks involved in clamping and their spatial distribution in S03 is based on the following method: S031: The number of chucks M1 used to clamp the uncut pipe material 4 segment is determined based on the length of the pipe material 4 or the length range of the remaining pipe material 4 (excluding the finished pipe to be cut). The value of M1 increases with the increase of the pipe material 4 length. The length of the pipe material 4 and the corresponding number of chucks used for clamping are preset. For example, it can be set that: when the pipe material 4 length is less than 2 meters (first preset threshold), M takes the minimum value of 2, that is, only chuck 3 7 and chuck 2 6 need to participate in clamping or chuck 2 6 and chuck 3 7 need to participate in clamping; when the pipe material 4 length is between 2 meters and 4 meters, M takes the value of 3, that is, all three chucks participate in clamping; when the pipe material 4 length is greater than 4 meters (second preset threshold), M takes the maximum value. For example, for equipment with more chucks, 4 or more chucks can be used. This hierarchical strategy ensures that clamping resources are not wasted on short pipes and provides sufficient support rigidity for long pipes.

[0049] S032: Determine the number of chucks M2 required to clamp the finished pipe segment based on the maximum value of the finished pipe length or the maximum value of the finished pipe length in the remaining processing content. The finished pipe length and the corresponding number of clamping chucks are set. For example, if the finished pipe to be cut is 3 meters long, 3 meters of pipe requires 2 chucks to be stably clamped, so M2=2. Two chucks are used to clamp the finished pipe segment. Therefore, the total number of chucks involved in clamping is M=M1+M2.

[0050] S032: Based on the minimum length of the finished pipe or the minimum length of the finished pipe in the remaining processing content, determine the maximum allowable distance D1 between adjacent clamping points, and adjust the spatial distribution of the chucks involved in clamping so that the distance between any two adjacent chucks involved in clamping is ≤ D1. D1 is calculated based on at least one parameter among the diameter, wall thickness, and material of the finished pipe. For example, assuming a section of pipe has a small diameter and its maximum allowable overhang is 1 meter (D1=1000mm), when allocating clamping points, the spatial distribution of the chucks involved in clamping will be adjusted to ensure that the distance between any two adjacent chucks involved in clamping is less than or equal to 1000mm. If the distance between chuck 1 (8) and chuck 2 (6) is 1500mm, exceeding D1, the system will instruct chuck 3 (7) located between them to also participate in clamping, thereby shortening the maximum distance to 750mm and meeting the rigidity requirements.

[0051] When cutting the last section, the number of clamping chucks is determined only based on the length of the tail material, and the spacing between clamping points is determined based on the length-to-diameter ratio of the pipe.

[0052] This embodiment establishes a dual-parameter superposition decision mechanism of M1 (number of clamping points for the uncut section based on the raw material length) and M2 (number of clamping points for the finished section based on the finished product length), and introduces the maximum allowable span D1 calculated based on the pipe diameter, wall thickness and material as a mandatory physical constraint, upgrading the clamping point layout from the traditional one-way empirical judgment to constraint optimization: On the one hand, the superposition strategy of M1+M2 ensures that the finished section has obtained a sufficient number of clamping points at the moment of cutting, fundamentally preventing long finished sections from falling or sagging due to single-point clamping; on the other hand, the D1 constraint forces that the distance between any adjacent clamping points does not exceed the suspension limit allowed by the pipe stiffness, and automatically activates the intermediate chuck to shorten the distance when the condition is not met, effectively suppressing the bending deformation and vibration during the cutting process of slender pipes.

[0053] When spatial interference occurs between the unloading action and the chuck clamping point, the system coordinates the dynamic timing release of the clamping point and the phased intervention of the loading and unloading device 5. Specifically, when the previous finished product segment is cut, the control system prioritizes releasing the chuck clamping that is in direct contact with the finished product segment and located on its unloading path, based on the relative positional relationship between the finished product segment and each chuck. The control system then controls the chuck and even the adjacent chuck to move away from the interference area along the X direction after the cutting is completed, while retaining the clamping of the uncut segment or remaining raw material. After the release is completed, the loading and unloading device 5 at the corresponding position immediately switches to the unloading working state (the material support frame 503 tilts) and performs the receiving and unloading actions. At this time, the released chuck can move along the X direction to the avoidance position to make room for the unloading action.

[0054] As can be seen from the above specific embodiments, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. By centrally setting at least two loading and unloading devices 5 on the same side of the bed 1, and making their arrangement range overlap with the movement range of the gantry 3, the redundancy in the overall length caused by independently setting loading and unloading devices at both ends is effectively eliminated, the equipment footprint is significantly reduced, and the gantry 3's large-range movement capability in the X direction is used to cover multiple loading and unloading stations. Combined with the cutting component 2 that can move along the Y direction and the movable chuck, the parallel operation of loading, cutting and unloading is realized in the same side area, realizing the sharing of the loading area and the unloading area, avoiding the long-term exclusive occupation of the ground space by the loading area and the unloading area, and greatly improving the utilization rate of the factory space. 2. By using a larger angle material support groove 504, sufficient lateral restraint can be provided after the pipe is placed to prevent rolling. 3. By setting the centering component, the pipe axis can be precisely aligned with the chuck rotation axis, avoiding the tilting of the cutting end face or the chuck clamping eccentricity caused by the initial position deviation of the pipe. 4. By designing the clamping member 507 as an L-shaped structure and utilizing the rigid synchronous transmission mechanism composed of the synchronous gear 510 and the parallel synchronous rack 513 and synchronous rack 514, the synchronous centering and self-centering functions of the dual clamping members 507 are achieved while ensuring clamping stability. 5. By using the longest X-axis dimension of the material support 503 located at the farthest end of the bed 1X, it can provide the maximum span rigid support for the finished pipe at the corresponding position, preventing the finished pipe from bending or sagging at the end due to excessive cantilever length, and ensuring the accuracy and quality of cutting. 6. By setting up chuck three 7, a multi-point support and clamping system was constructed, which effectively solved the problem of deflection deformation and vibration caused by excessive span during high-speed rotary cutting or movement of long pipes; 7. By setting chuck 18 to move along the X direction, the full-stroke adjustable layout of chuck 18, chuck 26 and intermediate chuck 37 is realized, which can optimize the spacing of clamping points and support positions according to the actual length of the pipe, and also significantly expand the processing length range of the equipment. 8. The optimal loading and unloading device 5 is selected according to the length of the pipe material 4, and the chuck clamping strategy can be flexibly combined to achieve adaptive, high-precision clamping and support from short pipes to ultra-long pipes, effectively suppressing the bending deformation of long cantilever pipes. 9. By establishing a decision-making mechanism that superimposes M1 and M2 as dual parameters, and introducing the maximum allowable span D1 calculated based on the pipe diameter, wall thickness and material as a forced physical constraint, the layout of clamping points is optimized, the clamping strength is improved and the cutting accuracy is guaranteed.

[0055] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A laser pipe cutting machine comprising a bed (1) having a chuck one (8) and a chuck two (6) provided thereon, the chuck two (6) being movably provided on the bed (1), characterized in that, Also includes: The gantry (3) is movably mounted on the bed (1) along the X direction, and the maximum travel of the gantry (3) is greater than the maximum travel of the chuck (6); A cutting assembly (2) is movably mounted on the gantry frame (3) along the Y direction; The loading and unloading device (5) is provided in at least two. Multiple loading and unloading devices (5) are arranged on the same side of the bed (1) and along the length of the bed (1). The arrangement range of multiple loading and unloading devices (5) is adapted to the movement range of the gantry (3). The loading and unloading device (5) includes a lifting support (502) that moves along the Z direction. A material support frame (503) is oscillating on the lifting support (502). The material support frame (503) can swing in the vertical plane. When loading, the material support frame (503) is in a horizontal state. When unloading, the material support frame (503) is in an inclined state.

2. The laser tube cutting machine of claim 1, wherein, The loading and unloading device (5) also includes a base frame (501), which is located on one side of the bed (1). The base frame (501) is movably mounted on the lifting support (502) along the Z direction. A tilting cylinder (515) is hinged to one side of the lifting support (502). The piston rod of the tilting cylinder (515) is hinged to the unloading end of the material support frame (503). The middle part of the material support frame (503) is hinged to the top of the lifting support frame (502). The loading end of the material support frame (503) extends out of the lifting support frame (502) and extends toward the bed (1).

3. The laser tube cutting machine of claim 2, wherein, The material support end is provided with a material support groove (504), the cross-section of the material support groove (504) is V-shaped, and the bottom included angle of the material support groove (504) is a, 165°≤a≤175°.

4. The laser pipe cutting machine of claim 2, wherein, The loading and unloading device (5) also includes a centering component, which includes a lifting seat (508). The lifting seat (508) is flexibly disposed at one end of the base frame (501). Two clamping members (507) are movably disposed on the lifting seat (508) along the Y direction. The two clamping members (507) can move synchronously towards each other and away from each other.

5. The laser tube cutting machine of claim 4, wherein, All clamping members (507) have an L-shaped structure. Each clamping member (507) includes a clamping part (512) and a driving part (511). The driving part (511) is movably disposed on the lifting seat (508). One of the driving parts (511) is connected to the piston rod of the centering cylinder (509). The centering cylinder (509) is disposed on the lifting seat (508). The driving part (511) connected to the centering cylinder (509) is provided with a first synchronous rack (513). The first synchronous rack (513) meshes with a synchronous gear (510) rotatably disposed on the lifting seat (508). The synchronous gear (510) meshes with a second synchronous rack (514) on the other clamping part (512). The second synchronous rack (514) is disposed parallel to the first synchronous rack (513).

6. The laser pipe cutting machine of any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The material rack (503) located at the farthest end of the bed (1) in the X direction has the longest X-direction dimension.

7. The laser tube cutting machine of claim 4 wherein, It also includes at least one chuck three (7), which is movably disposed on the bed (1) and located between the chuck one (8) and the chuck two (6).

8. The laser tube cutting machine of claim 7, wherein, The chuck (8) is movably mounted on the bed (1) along the X direction.

9. A method of operating a laser tube cutting machine, characterized by, The laser tube cutting machine as described in claim 8 includes the following steps: S01: When loading, the first chuck (8), the second chuck (6), the gantry (3) and the third chuck (7) are all moved to the clearance position of the bed (1); S02: Based on the length of the pipe material, select at least one of the multiple loading and unloading devices (5) that matches the length of the pipe material, and control the selected loading and unloading device (5) to perform loading and receiving actions and centering actions; S03: Based on the length of the pipe material and the length of the finished pipe, determine the chuck combination to be used for clamping and their respective clamping positions, and control the determined chucks to move to the corresponding clamping positions and clamp the pipe material; wherein, the chuck combination is selected from at least two of the first chuck (8), the second chuck (6), and multiple third chucks (7); S04: The gantry (3) moves along the X direction to the cutting position; S05: The cutting component (2) performs cutting. During the cutting process, the chuck that participates in clamping remains in a clamping state and does not perform X-axis feeding movement, but only rotates the pipe. S06: The loading and unloading device (5) corresponding to the finished pipe is switched to the unloading working state to perform the receiving and unloading actions; S07: Cycle through S03 to S06.

10. The method of operating a laser tube cutting machine of claim 9, wherein, In S03, the total number M of chucks involved in clamping and their spatial distribution are determined according to the following method: S031: Determine the total number of chucks M1 to participate in clamping based on the length of the pipe material or the length range of the remaining pipe material. M1 increases with the increase of the length of the pipe material. When the length of the pipe material is less than the first preset threshold, M1 takes the minimum value. When the length of the pipe material is greater than the second preset threshold, M1 takes the maximum value. The length of the pipe material and the corresponding number of chucks to participate in clamping are preset. S032: Determine the number of chucks M2 required to clamp the finished pipe section based on the maximum value of the finished pipe length or the maximum value of the finished pipe length in the remaining processing content. The finished pipe length and the corresponding number of chucks to be clamped are preset. Then, the total number of chucks to be clamped is M = M1 + M2. S033: Determine the maximum allowable distance D1 between adjacent clamping points based on the minimum length of the finished pipe or the minimum length of the finished pipe in the remaining processing content, and adjust the spatial distribution of the chucks involved in clamping so that the distance between any two adjacent chucks involved in clamping is ≤ D1. D1 is calculated based on at least one parameter among the diameter, wall thickness and material of the finished pipe.

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