Laser machining equipment and automatic replacement device

Abstract

This laser machining equipment (100) comprises: a machining head (1) that irradiates a workpiece (7) with a laser beam; a focusing lens (2) provided inside the machining head (1) to focus the laser beam; a protective glass (3) provided inside the machining head (1), between the focusing lens (2) and the workpiece (7), to protect the focusing lens (2); and an automatic replacement device (4) having a storage container (4a) that can store a used protective glass (3A) and an unused protective glass (3B) before use, and a conveyance mechanism (4b) that conveys the protective glasses (3A, 3B) between the interior of the machining head (1) and the interior of the storage container (4a). The conveyance mechanism (4b) has a rotation mechanism (41) that rotates the protective glass (3) about a horizontal axis. The rotation mechanism (41) can change the orientation of the protective glass (3) so that the angle between a glass surface (3c) of the protective glass (3) and the vertical direction changes.

Description

Laser processing machines and automatic exchange devices

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a laser processing machine and an automatic exchange device capable of automatically exchanging a protective glass.

[0002] Conventionally, laser processing machines have been known in which a protective glass is provided between the focusing lens and the workpiece to protect the focusing lens provided inside the processing head from foreign matter such as fumes and spatters generated during laser processing.

[0003] Although the protective glass prevents foreign matter from adhering to the focusing lens, foreign matter still adheres to the protective glass. If the protective glass becomes dirty due to foreign matter adhering to the protective glass, the transmittance of the laser beam through the protective glass decreases, causing a decrease in the output of the laser beam and resulting in processing defects. For this reason, the protective glass must be replaced periodically.

[0004] To replace the protective glass, laser processing must be temporarily interrupted. Manual replacement of the protective glass by an operator requires a significant amount of time, which results in a longer interruption of laser processing and a decrease in productivity of the workpiece. To address this issue, laser processing machines equipped with an automatic replacement device that can automatically replace the protective glass have been developed and are now in practical use.

[0005] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a laser processing machine including a processing head, a focusing lens provided inside the processing head, a movable clamp that is movable in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the processing head and holds the protective glass, a collection box that collects used protective glass, and a storage rack that stores unused protective glass. The movable clamp, collection box, and storage rack constitute an automatic exchange device. The processing head, collection box, and storage rack are arranged in a row in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the processing head.

[0006] When replacing the protective glass, first, a used protective glass provided inside the processing head is held by a movable clamp, and then the movable clamp is moved to a collection box, and the used protective glass is transferred from the movable clamp to the collection box. Next, the movable clamp is moved to a storage rack, and the movable clamp receives the used protective glass from the storage rack. Finally, the movable clamp holding the used protective glass is moved into the processing head, and the used protective glass is positioned on the optical axis of the focusing lens, thereby completing the replacement of the protective glass. In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the glass surface (transmitting surface) of the used protective glass stored in the storage rack is perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0007] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-124718

[0008] When a foreign object enters the interior of the storage rack, the foreign object gradually falls due to gravity. As disclosed in Patent Document 1, if unused protective glass is stored in the storage rack with its glass surface perpendicular to the vertical, the falling foreign object will adhere to the glass surface. Having foreign objects already adhering to the glass surface of unused protective glass increases the frequency with which the protective glass must be replaced, which in turn increases the number of interruptions to laser processing, resulting in a problem of reduced productivity of the processed workpieces.

[0009] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and has an object to provide a laser processing machine that can suppress adhesion of foreign matter to the glass surface of a protective glass before use.

[0010] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the laser processing machine according to the present disclosure includes a processing head, a focusing lens, a protective glass, and an automatic exchange device. The processing head irradiates a laser beam toward a workpiece. The focusing lens is provided inside the processing head and focuses the laser beam. The protective glass is provided inside the processing head between the focusing lens and the workpiece and protects the focusing lens. The automatic exchange device has a storage container and a transport mechanism. The storage container is capable of storing used and unused protective glasses. The transport mechanism transports the protective glass between the inside of the processing head and the inside of the storage container. The transport mechanism has a rotation mechanism that rotates the protective glass around a horizontal axis. The rotation mechanism is capable of changing the attitude of the protective glass so that the angle formed by the glass surface of the protective glass and the vertical direction changes.

[0011] The laser processing machine according to the present disclosure has the effect of being able to suppress adhesion of foreign matter to the glass surface of the protective glass before use.

[0012] 3 is a perspective view showing a laser processing machine according to the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a front view of the glass surface of the protective glass in the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an automatic exchange device in the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a series of operations for exchanging the protective glass by the automatic exchange device in the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a series of operations for exchanging the protective glass by the automatic exchange device in the first embodiment; 2A and 2B are perspective views showing a series of operations for replacing protective glass by the automatic exchanger according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a series of operations for replacing protective glass by the automatic exchanger according to the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a series of operations for replacing protective glass by the automatic exchanger according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a view showing protective glass stored in a storage container of an automatic exchanger according to a comparative example, the view corresponding to the cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2; FIG. 1 is a view showing protective glass stored in a storage container of an automatic exchanger according to the first embodiment, the view corresponding to the cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2;

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A laser processing machine and an automatic exchange device according to an embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] First Embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a laser processing machine 100 according to a first embodiment. Hereinafter, when describing the directions of the components of the laser processing machine 100, the left-handed XYZ coordinate system shown in FIG. 1 will be used. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are three mutually perpendicular axes. The direction of the arrow on each axis is designated as the + direction, and the direction opposite to the arrow is designated as the - direction. The direction of rotation around the X-axis is referred to as the rotation direction RX. The direction along the X-axis (X-axis direction) and the direction along the Y-axis (Y-axis direction) are directions included in the horizontal direction. The direction along the Z-axis (Z-axis direction) coincides with the vertical direction. Hereinafter, the direction along the Z-axis may also be referred to as the vertical direction. Furthermore, the + direction of the Z-axis is designated as upward, and the - direction of the Z-axis is designated as downward. Gravitational acceleration acts in the - direction of the Z-axis.

[0015] The laser processing machine 100 is a device that processes a workpiece 7 by irradiating the workpiece 7 with a laser beam. Processing includes, for example, cutting, welding, and drilling. The workpiece 7 is, for example, a metal plate or a substrate. The laser processing machine 100 includes a processing head 1, a focusing lens 2, a protective glass 3, an automatic changer 4, a bed 5, and a column 6.

[0016] The bed 5 is a rectangular parallelepiped member extending in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. A workpiece 7 is placed on the bed 5.

[0017] The column 6 is a gate-shaped member installed on the bed 5. The column 6 is installed so as to straddle the workpiece 7. The column 6 is movable along the bed 5 in the X-axis direction (the direction of arrow A) by driving a drive mechanism (not shown). The column 6 has two vertical portions 6a and one horizontal portion 6b. Each of the two vertical portions 6a is a rectangular prism-shaped portion extending upward in the Z-axis direction from the top surface of the bed 5. The two vertical portions 6a are arranged at a distance from each other in the Y-axis direction. The horizontal portion 6b is a rectangular prism-shaped portion spanning the upper ends of the two vertical portions 6a. The horizontal portion 6b extends in the Y-axis direction.

[0018] The processing head 1 is a component that irradiates a laser beam toward a workpiece 7. The extension direction of the processing head 1 is parallel to the vertical direction. The processing head 1 is attached to the horizontal portion 6b of the column 6. The processing head 1 is movable along the horizontal portion 6b of the column 6 in the Y-axis direction (the direction of arrow B) and the Z-axis direction (the direction of arrow C) by driving a drive mechanism (not shown). The processing head 1 can also move in the X-axis direction in conjunction with movement of the column 6 in the X-axis direction. The laser processing machine 100 performs laser processing by moving the processing head 1 and the workpiece 7 relative to each other. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the position of the workpiece 7 is fixed, and laser processing is performed by moving the processing head 1 along the XYZ coordinate system. The processing head 1 has a head-side housing 1a. A focusing lens 2, a mirror (not shown), and the like are arranged inside the head-side housing 1a. Hereinafter, the interior of the head-side housing 1a will be referred to as the interior of the processing head 1.

[0019] The focusing lens 2 is an optical component provided inside the processing head 1 to focus the laser beam.

[0020] The protective glass 3 is a member provided between the focusing lens 2 and the workpiece 7 inside the processing head 1 to protect the focusing lens 2. The protective glass 3 serves to prevent foreign matter such as spatter and fumes generated during laser processing from adhering to the focusing lens 2. Note that FIG. 1 shows a state in which the processing head 1 has moved to a position where the protective glass 3 can be automatically replaced when the protective glass 3 is replaced, so the protective glass 3 is not provided between the focusing lens 2 and the workpiece 7, but during laser processing the protective glass 3 is provided between the focusing lens 2 and the workpiece 7.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a front view of the glass surface 3c of the protective glass 3 in embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the protective glass 3 has a glass body 3a and a glass frame 3b that holds the periphery of the glass body 3a. As shown in FIG. 3, the glass body 3a has a glass surface 3c exposed from the glass frame 3b. There is one glass surface 3c on the front and one on the back of the glass body 3a. The glass frame 3b is composed of two divided bodies that are separated in the thickness direction of the glass body 3a, and the two divided bodies sandwich and hold the periphery of the glass surface 3c. The material of the glass frame 3b is a metal such as aluminum.

[0022] The automatic exchanger 4 shown in FIG. 1 is a device for automatically exchanging protective glasses 3. The automatic exchanger 4 is disposed apart from the bed 5 and the column 6 in the X-axis direction. The processing head 1 can move toward and away from the automatic exchanger 4. When exchanging the protective glasses 3, the processing head 1 and the automatic exchanger 4 are disposed adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction. The automatic exchanger 4 includes a storage container 4a capable of storing used and unused protective glasses 3, a transport mechanism 4b that transports the protective glasses 3 between the interior of the processing head 1 and the interior of the storage container 4a, and an apparatus-side housing 4c that houses the storage container 4a and the transport mechanism 4b. To make the protective glasses 3 and the transport mechanism 4b easier to see, the storage container 4a and the apparatus-side housing 4c are indicated by two-dot chain lines. Hereinafter, the used protective glasses 3 may be referred to as protective glasses 3A, and the unused protective glasses 3 may be referred to as protective glasses 3B.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the automatic exchanger 4 in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the automatic exchanger 4 holds a used protective glass 3A provided inside the machining head 1 (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 4, the storage container 4a is shaped like a hollow box that can accommodate the protective glasses 3A and 3B. The storage container 4a has an opening 4d for inserting and removing the protective glasses 3A and 3B, and an opening / closing mechanism (not shown) that is openable and closes the opening 4d when closed. The storage container 4a is movable in the Y-axis direction (the direction of arrow E). The movement of the storage container 4a is achieved by using a pneumatic system, a solenoid, a motor, or the like.

[0024] A storage container 4a stores a plurality of unused protective glasses 3B. The plurality of protective glasses 3B are arranged in a line in the Y-axis direction. When none of the protective glasses 3 have been replaced, only the unused protective glasses 3B are stored in the storage container 4a, as shown in the figure. On the other hand, when the protective glasses 3 have already been replaced, the storage container 4a stores both the used protective glasses 3A and the used protective glasses 3B, or only the used protective glasses 3A. The glass surfaces 3c of the unused protective glasses 3B stored in the storage container 4a are parallel to the vertical direction. Although not shown, the glass surfaces 3c of the used protective glasses 3A stored in the storage container 4a are also parallel to the vertical direction. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the glass surfaces 3c of the protective glasses 3 provided inside the processing head 1 are perpendicular to the vertical direction. The glass surfaces 3c of the protective glasses 3 provided inside the processing head 1 are perpendicular to the extension direction of the processing head 1.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, the transport mechanism 4b includes a linear motion mechanism 40, a rotation mechanism 41, and a holding mechanism .

[0026] The linear motion mechanism 40 is a mechanism for linearly moving the protective glasses 3A, 3B between the interior of the processing head 1 (see FIG. 1 ) and the interior of the storage container 4a. The linear motion direction (the direction of arrow D) coincides with the X-axis direction in this embodiment. The linear motion mechanism 40 has a guide 40a extending in the X-axis direction and a linear motion moving body 40b that moves in the X-axis direction along the guide 40a. The linear motion moving body 40b is, for example, a pressure-type linear motion actuator.

[0027] The rotation mechanism 41 is a mechanism for rotating the protective glasses 3A and 3B around a horizontal axis. In this embodiment, the rotation mechanism 41 rotates the protective glasses 3A and 3B around the X axis near the storage container 4a. That is, the rotation mechanism 41 rotates the protective glasses 3A and 3B in the rotation direction RX. The rotation mechanism 41 can change the orientation of the protective glasses 3A and 3B so as to change the angle between the glass surfaces 3c of the protective glasses 3A and 3B and the vertical direction. The rotation mechanism 41 has a drive source 41a and a rotating body 41b.

[0028] The driving source 41a is, for example, a motor. The driving source 41a is provided on the linear moving body 40b. The rotating body 41b is, for example, a pressure-type rotary actuator. The rotating body 41b is rotatably attached to a drive shaft (not shown) of the driving source 41a. The rotating body 41b is positioned closer to the machining head 1 (see FIG. 1) than the linear moving body 40b and the driving source 41a. The rotating body 41b rotates in a rotation direction RX when driven by the driving source 41a. The rotation range of the rotating body 41b is 90 degrees from the horizontal to the vertical direction.

[0029] Rotation of the rotor 41b changes the orientation of the protective glasses 3A and 3B so that the angle between the glass surfaces 3c of the protective glasses 3A and 3B and the vertical direction varies within a range of 0 degrees to 90 degrees. In this embodiment, the rotation mechanism 41 can change the orientation of the protective glasses 3A and 3B so that the angle between the glass surfaces 3c of the protective glasses 3A and 3B and the vertical direction is 0 degrees, i.e., the glass surfaces 3c are parallel to the vertical direction. The rotation mechanism 41 can also change the orientation of the protective glasses 3A and 3B so that the angle between the glass surfaces 3c of the protective glasses 3A and 3B and the vertical direction is 90 degrees, i.e., the glass surfaces 3c are perpendicular to the vertical direction. Note that, hereinafter, the direction of rotation RX from the horizontal to the vertical direction is referred to as −RX, and the direction of rotation RX from the vertical to the horizontal direction is referred to as +RX.

[0030] The holding mechanism 42 is a mechanism for holding the protective glasses 3A and 3B. In this embodiment, the holding mechanism 42 is an air hand that grips the protective glasses 3A and 3B and includes a support portion 42a and two arm portions 42b. The support portion 42a is attached to a portion of the rotating body 41b that faces the processing head 1 (see FIG. 1). The two arm portions 42b are attached to portions of the support portion 42a that face the processing head 1. The two arm portions 42b are arranged so that they can move toward and away from each other. The protective glasses 3 can be gripped by bringing the two arm portions 42b toward each other. On the other hand, the protective glasses 3 can be separated by moving the two arm portions 42b away from each other. The movement of the two arm portions 42b is achieved by using air pressure, a solenoid, a motor, or the like. Although not shown, each of the head-side housing 1a and the device-side housing 4c shown in Figure 1 is provided with an opening for inserting and removing the holding mechanism 42 and the protective glass 3A, 3B, and an opening / closing mechanism that can be opened and closed and that covers the opening when closed.

[0031] The rotation mechanism 41, the holding mechanism 42, and the protective glasses 3A and 3B move linearly in the X-axis direction in response to the movement of the linearly moving body 40b. The holding mechanism 42 and the protective glasses 3A and 3B rotate in the rotation direction RX in response to the rotation of the rotating body 41b. The rotation mechanism 41 can change the linear trajectory along which the protective glasses 3A and 3B are transported. That is, the linear trajectory (transport path) of the protective glasses 3A and 3B between the interior of the processing head 1 and the interior of the storage container 4a is determined by the rotational position (angle) of the rotating body 41b. Therefore, by adjusting the rotational position of the rotating body 41b, the linear trajectory along which the protective glasses 3A and 3B are transported can be changed. The transport mechanism 4b inserts the unused protective glasses 3B into the processing head 1 with the glass surface 3c perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0032] Next, the operation of the automatic exchange device 4 in this embodiment when automatically exchanging the protective glass 3 will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 13. Figures 5 to 13 are perspective views showing a series of operations for exchanging the protective glass 3 by the automatic exchange device 4 in embodiment 1.

[0033] First, as shown in Figure 4, the used protective glass 3A is gripped by the two arms 42b inside the processing head 1 (see Figure 1). At this time, the glass surface 3c of the used protective glass 3A is perpendicular to the vertical direction. The linear moving body 40b, the rotation mechanism 41, and the holding mechanism 42 move linearly in the negative direction of the X-axis, and are closest to the processing head 1. The rotating body 41b and the holding mechanism 42 are rotated the most in the +RX direction of the rotation direction RX.

[0034] 5, the used protective glass 3A is moved by the linear motion mechanism 40 from inside the processing head 1 to a position below the opening 4d of the storage container 4a. Specifically, by moving the linear motion moving body 40b along the guide 40a in the positive direction of the X axis, the used protective glass 3A connected to the linear motion moving body 40b via the holding mechanism 42 and the rotation mechanism 41 is moved to a position below the opening 4d of the storage container 4a. At this time, the glass surface 3c of the used protective glass 3A is perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0035] 6, the used protective glass 3A is rotated by the rotation mechanism 41 to a position at the same height as the opening 4d of the storage container 4a. Specifically, the drive source 41a is driven to rotate the rotor 41b in the rotation direction RX (-RX), thereby rotating the used protective glass 3A connected to the rotor 41b via the holding mechanism 42 to a position at the same height as the opening 4d of the storage container 4a. At this time, the glass surface 3c of the used protective glass 3A is parallel to the vertical direction.

[0036] Next, as shown in FIG. 7 , the linear motion mechanism 40 moves the used protective glass 3A into the storage container 4a. Specifically, by moving the linear motion moving body 40b along the guide 40a in the negative X-axis direction, the used protective glass 3A connected to the linear motion moving body 40b via the holding mechanism 42 and the rotation mechanism 41 is moved into the storage container 4a. Then, the distance between the two arms 42b is widened, and the used protective glass 3A is released from the two arms 42b and transferred to the storage container 4a. This allows the used protective glass 3A to be stored in the storage container 4a. At this time, the glass surface 3c of the used protective glass 3A is parallel to the vertical direction.

[0037] 8, the holding mechanism 42 is moved to the outside of the storage container 4a by the linear motion mechanism 40. Specifically, by moving the linear motion moving body 40b along the guide 40a in the positive direction of the X-axis, the holding mechanism 42 connected to the linear motion moving body 40b via the rotation mechanism 41 is moved to the outside of the storage container 4a. At this time, the holding mechanism 42 is at the same height as the opening 4d of the storage container 4a.

[0038] 9, the storage container 4a is moved so that the unused single protective glass 3B faces the holding mechanism 42. Specifically, the storage container 4a is moved in the positive Y-axis direction so that the unused single protective glass 3B faces the holding mechanism 42 in the X-axis direction. In other words, the unused single protective glass 3B and the holding mechanism 42 are aligned in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction.

[0039] Next, as shown in FIG. 10 , the linear motion mechanism 40 moves the holding mechanism 42 into the storage container 4a. Specifically, by moving the linear motion moving body 40b along the guide 40a in the negative X-axis direction, the holding mechanism 42, which is connected to the linear motion moving body 40b via the rotation mechanism 41, is moved into the storage container 4a. Then, the distance between the two arms 42b is narrowed, and the two arms 42b grip the unused protective glass 3B. At this time, the glass surface 3c of the unused protective glass 3B is parallel to the vertical direction.

[0040] 11 , the unused protective glass 3B is moved to the outside of the storage container 4a by the linear motion mechanism 40. Specifically, by moving the linear motion moving body 40b along the guide 40a in the positive direction of the X axis, the unused protective glass 3B connected to the linear motion moving body 40b via the holding mechanism 42 and the rotation mechanism 41 is moved to the outside of the storage container 4a. At this time, the unused protective glass 3B is at the same height as the opening 4d of the storage container 4a.

[0041] Next, as shown in FIG. 12 , the rotation mechanism 41 rotates the unused protective glass 3B to a position below the opening 4d of the storage container 4a. Specifically, the drive source 41a is driven to rotate the rotor 41b in the +RX direction, thereby rotating the unused protective glass 3B, which is connected to the rotor 41b via the holding mechanism 42, to a position below the opening 4d of the storage container 4a. At this time, the glass surface 3c of the unused protective glass 3B is perpendicular to the vertical direction. Furthermore, the unused protective glass 3B and the opening (not shown) of the processing head 1 (see FIG. 1 ) face each other in the X-axis direction. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 12 , when the rotation mechanism 41 rotates the protective glasses 3A and 3B, the transport mechanism 4b is disposed in a space other than between the processing head 1 and the storage container 4a.

[0042] Next, as shown in FIG. 13 , the linear motion mechanism 40 moves the unused protective glass 3B into the processing head 1 (see FIG. 1 ). Specifically, by moving the linear motion moving body 40b along the guide 40a in the negative X-axis direction, the unused protective glass 3B, which is connected to the linear motion moving body 40b via the holding mechanism 42 and the rotation mechanism 41, is moved into the processing head 1. Then, with the unused protective glass 3B positioned on the optical axis of the focusing lens 2 (see FIG. 1 ), the distance between the two arms 42b is widened, and the unused protective glass 3B is released from the two arms 42b and handed over to the processing head 1. As a result, the unused protective glass 3B is positioned in an appropriate location inside the processing head 1. At this time, the glass surface 3c of the unused protective glass 3B is perpendicular to the vertical direction. In the series of replacement operations described above, the glass surface 3c of the unused protective glass 3B is parallel to the vertical direction inside the storage container 4a. That is, before use, the protective glass 3B is in a state where the glass surface 3c is not perpendicular to the vertical direction inside the storage container 4a.

[0043] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0044] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a protective glass 200 stored in a storage container 210a of an automatic exchanger 210 in a comparative example, and corresponds to the cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2 . FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a protective glass 3B stored in a storage container 4a of an automatic exchanger 4 in the first embodiment, and corresponds to the cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2 . FIGS. 14 and 15 show one protective glass 3B, 200. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 , if a foreign object 8 enters the storage container 4a, 210a, the foreign object 8 gradually descends due to gravity. If an unused protective glass 200 is stored in the storage container 210a with the glass surface 200a perpendicular to the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. 14 , the descending foreign object 8 will adhere to the glass surface 200a. Since foreign matter 8 is already attached to the glass surface 200a of the protective glass 200 before use, the protective glass 200 needs to be replaced more frequently, which increases the number of interruptions to laser processing and reduces the productivity of the workpiece 7.

[0045] In this regard, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the automatic exchanger 4 of the laser processing machine 100 includes a storage container 4a capable of storing used protective glass 3A and unused protective glass 3B, and a transport mechanism 4b that transports the protective glass 3A, 3B between the interior of the processing head 1 and the interior of the storage container 4a. Also, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the transport mechanism 4b includes a rotation mechanism 41 that rotates the protective glass 3A, 3B around a horizontal axis. Also, in this embodiment, the rotation mechanism 41 can change the orientation of the protective glass 3A, 3B so as to change the angle between the glass surface 3c of the protective glass 3A, 3B and the vertical direction. With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 15, the unused protective glass 3B can be stored inside the storage container 4a with the glass surface 3c parallel to the vertical direction, making it difficult for falling foreign matter 8 to adhere to the glass surface 3c. In other words, adhesion of foreign matter 8 to the glass surface 3c of the unused protective glass 3B can be suppressed. Therefore, compared to the comparative example shown in FIG. 14, the frequency with which the protective glass 3 needs to be replaced is reduced, and the number of interruptions to laser processing is also reduced, thereby improving the productivity of the workpiece 7.

[0046] Next, a modification of the first embodiment will be described.

[0047] 1, the extension direction of the processing head 1 is parallel to the vertical direction, but it may be inclined relative to the vertical direction. Even in this configuration, the transport mechanism 4b inserts the unused protective glass 3B into the processing head 1 with the glass surface 3c perpendicular to the extension direction of the processing head 1. Therefore, the transport mechanism 4b inserts the unused protective glass 3B into the processing head 1 with the glass surface 3c oblique to the vertical direction.

[0048] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, when replacing the protective glass 3, the processing head 1 and the automatic exchanger 4 are disposed adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction, but they may also be disposed adjacent to each other in a horizontal direction other than the X-axis direction. For example, the processing head 1 and the automatic exchanger 4 may be disposed adjacent to each other in the Y-axis direction. In this configuration, the automatic exchanger 4 is disposed away from the bed 5 and the column 6 in the Y-axis direction.

[0049] 4, the linear motion mechanism 40 is configured by combining a guide 40a and a linear motion moving body 40b, which is a pressure-type linear motion actuator, but is not limited to this. The linear motion mechanism 40 may be configured by combining a guide, a ball screw, and a motor, a rack and pinion, a linear motor, or a belt drive system, for example.

[0050] 4, the holding mechanism 42 is an air hand that grips the protective glass 3 with two arms 42b, but is not limited to this. The holding mechanism 42 may also be, for example, a hole gripper, an electromagnet, or a universal socket.

[0051] Second Embodiment Next, an automatic exchanger 4A according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 is a side view showing a storage container 4a, a protective glass 3B, and a holding mechanism 42 of the automatic exchanger 4A according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the arrangement direction of the protective glass 3B inside the storage container 4a differs from that of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, parts that overlap with those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0052] Fig. 16 shows a virtual curve L along the rotation direction RX of the rotation mechanism 41 (see Fig. 4). Fig. 16 also shows, with dashed lines, the rotation positions of the two arm portions 42b that rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the rotation mechanism 41. The rotation position of the arm portions 42b changes in multiple stages along the rotation direction RX, but only three stages are shown here. Fig. 16 also shows a simplified view of the protective glass 3B.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 16 , multiple protective glasses 3B before use are arranged side by side in the rotation direction RX of the rotation mechanism 41. The center of each protective glass 3B in the height direction is located on the virtual curve L. Some of the multiple protective glasses 3B are arranged inside the storage container 4a with their glass surfaces 3c parallel to the vertical direction. The remaining multiple protective glasses 3B are arranged inside the storage container 4a with their glass surfaces 3c oblique to the vertical direction. In the illustrated example, the glass surface 3c of the central protective glass 3B is parallel to the vertical direction. The glass surface 3c of the protective glass 3B located at +RX in the rotation direction is oblique to the vertical direction and is inclined to be positioned at +RX in the rotation direction RX as it moves from bottom to top. The glass surface 3c of the protective glass 3B located at −RX in the rotation direction is inclined to be positioned at -RX in the rotation direction RX as it moves from bottom to top. In this embodiment, the storage container 4a has a generally arch-like shape in side view that is convex upward.

[0054] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0055] Figure 17 is a side view showing the storage container 4a, protective glass 3B, and holding mechanism 42 of the automatic exchanger 4 in embodiment 1. Figure 17 shows an imaginary line M along the Y-axis direction. Also, Figure 17 uses dashed lines to show the rotational positions of the two arms 42b that rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the rotation mechanism 41 (see Figure 4). The rotational position of the arms 42b changes in multiple stages along the rotation direction RX, but only three stages are shown here. Also, Figure 17 shows a simplified representation of the protective glass 3B.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 17 , multiple protective glasses 3B before use are aligned in the Y-axis direction. The height center of each protective glass 3B is located on an imaginary line M. Each protective glass 3B is positioned inside the storage container 4a with its glass surface 3c parallel to the vertical direction. As shown in the figure, if the arrangement direction (Y-axis direction) of the multiple protective glasses 3B before use does not coincide with the rotation direction RX of the rotation mechanism 41, the protective glass 3B can only be held at one location where the positions of the two arms 42b are aligned vertically. Therefore, in order to hold the protective glass 3B with the two arms 42b, it is necessary to move the storage container 4a in the Y-axis direction (the direction of arrow E) using a drive source separate from the rotation mechanism 41, and move the protective glass 3B to a location where the positions of the two arms 42b are aligned vertically.

[0057] 16 , in this embodiment, the multiple protective glasses 3B before use are arranged side by side in the rotation direction RX of the rotation mechanism 41, so that the two arms 42b can be moved to the position of each protective glass 3B simply by controlling the angle of the rotor 41b of the rotation mechanism 41. In other words, the two arms 42b can hold each protective glass 3B at its respective position in the multiple protective glasses 3B stored in the storage container 4a. This eliminates the need for a drive source for moving the storage container 4a in the Y-axis direction.

[0058] Third Embodiment Next, an automatic exchanger 4B according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 18. Fig. 18 is a side view showing a cleaning mechanism 43 and a protective glass 3B of the automatic exchanger 4B according to the third embodiment. This embodiment differs from the first and second embodiments in that the automatic exchanger 4B includes a cleaning mechanism 43. In the third embodiment, parts that overlap with the first and second embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals and will not be described again.

[0059] The cleaning mechanism 43 is installed inside the device-side housing 4c (see FIG. 1). The cleaning mechanism 43 has a fluid generator (not shown) that generates pressurized fluid 43b and a nozzle 43a that sprays the fluid 43b sent from the fluid generator. The cleaning mechanism 43 sprays clean fluid 43b toward a portion of the rotational orbit of the protective glass 3B before use. The clean fluid 43b is fluid 43b that does not contain foreign matter 8. The fluid 43b is, for example, air.

[0060] The rotation mechanism 41 (see FIG. 4 ) can change the orientation of the protective glass 3B in stages. In other words, the rotation mechanism 41 can stop the protective glass 3B at each of a plurality of angles between the horizontal and vertical directions. FIG. 18 shows, as an example, four gradually changing orientations 3B1 to 3B4 of one protective glass 3B. The orientation 3B1 of the protective glass 3B is the orientation when the protective glass 3B is rotated most in the +RX direction of the rotation RX, and in this orientation 3B1, the glass surface 3c is perpendicular to the vertical direction. The orientation 3B4 of the protective glass 3B is the orientation when the protective glass 3B is rotated most in the −RX direction of the rotation RX, and in this orientation 3B4, the glass surface 3c is parallel to the vertical direction. The orientations 3B2 and 3B3 of the protective glass 3B are the orientations when the protective glass 3B is rotated partway in the rotation direction RX, and the glass surface 3c is oblique to the vertical direction.

[0061] The rotation mechanism 41 can stop the protective glass 3B at each of the positions 3B1 to 3B4. The cleaning mechanism 43 sprays a fluid 43b toward the stopped protective glass 3B. In this embodiment, the cleaning mechanism 43 sprays the fluid 43b toward the protective glass 3B in the positions 3B2 and 3B3. That is, the cleaning mechanism 43 sprays the fluid 43b toward the protective glass 3B that has stopped partway in the rotation direction RX.

[0062] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0063] 18 , the present embodiment includes a cleaning mechanism 43 that sprays a fluid 43b toward a portion of the rotational orbit of the protective glass 3B before use, and a rotation mechanism 41 that can gradually change the orientation of the protective glass 3B. This configuration makes it possible to remove foreign matter 8 adhering to the glass surface 3c of the protective glass 3B. Furthermore, by controlling the angle of the rotor 41b of the rotation mechanism 41 to gradually change the orientation of the protective glass 3B between an orientation in which the fluid 43b of the cleaning mechanism 43 hits the front glass surface 3c and an orientation in which the fluid 43b hits the back glass surface 3c, it is possible to remove foreign matter 8 adhering to the front and back glass surfaces 3c of the protective glass 3B.

[0064] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be combined with other known technologies, or different embodiments may be combined with each other. It is also possible to omit or modify parts of the configurations as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the invention.

[0065] 1 Processing head, 1a Head side housing, 2 Focusing lens, 3, 3A, 3B, 200 Protective glass, 3a Glass body, 3b Glass frame, 3c, 200a Glass surface, 4, 4A, 4B, 210 Automatic exchange device, 4a, 210a Storage container, 4b Transport mechanism, 4c Device side housing, 4d Opening, 5 Bed, 6 Column, 6a Vertical part, 6b Horizontal part, 7 Workpiece, 8 Foreign object, 40 Linear motion mechanism, 40a Guide, 40b Linear motion moving body, 41 Rotation mechanism, 41a Drive source, 41b Rotating body, 42 Holding mechanism, 42a Support part, 42b Arm part, 43 Cleaning mechanism, 43a Nozzle, 43b Fluid, 100 Laser processing machine.

Claims

1. A laser processing machine comprising: a processing head that irradiates a laser beam toward a workpiece; a focusing lens that is provided inside the processing head and focuses the laser beam; a protective glass that is provided inside the processing head between the focusing lens and the workpiece and protects the focusing lens; a storage container that can store the protective glass after use and before use; and an automatic exchange device that has a transport mechanism that transports the protective glass between the inside of the processing head and the inside of the storage container, wherein the transport mechanism has a rotation mechanism that rotates the protective glass about a horizontal axis, and the rotation mechanism is capable of changing the attitude of the protective glass so that the angle that the glass surface of the protective glass makes with the vertical direction changes.

2. The laser processing machine according to claim 1, wherein the rotation mechanism is capable of changing the linear trajectory along which the protective glass is transported.

3. A laser processing machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the transport mechanism inserts the protective glass before use into the processing head with the glass surface obliquely intersecting the vertical direction.

4. A laser processing machine as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the storage container stores a plurality of sheets of the protective glass before use, and the plurality of sheets of the protective glass before use are arranged side by side in the rotation direction of the rotation mechanism.

5. A laser processing machine as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is provided with a cleaning mechanism that sprays a fluid toward a part of the rotational orbit of the protective glass before use, and the rotation mechanism is capable of changing the position of the protective glass in stages.

6. An automatic exchange device that is provided inside a processing head and automatically exchanges protective glass that protects a focusing lens, comprising: a storage container that can store the protective glass after use and the protective glass before use; and a transport mechanism that transports the protective glass between the inside of the processing head and the inside of the storage container, wherein the transport mechanism has a rotation mechanism that rotates the protective glass around a horizontal axis, and the rotation mechanism is capable of changing the attitude of the protective glass so that the angle formed by the glass surface of the protective glass and the vertical direction changes.

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