A high-speed beam splitting cutting and welding system for strip materials

Abstract

This invention discloses a high-speed beam splitting cutting and welding system for strip materials, comprising a laser, a first collimator arranged along the laser's optical path, a high-speed beam splitting device, and a laser fiber coupling device. The high-speed beam splitting device splits the laser beam output from the first collimator according to the cutting and welding requirements. The cutting laser beam is coupled into a first transmission fiber, and the welding laser beam is coupled into a second transmission fiber. This invention is used for cutting and welding strip materials such as copper, aluminum, and stainless steel, which have high laser reflectivity and are relatively thick. By switching the optical path, this invention can cut phosphor bronze, stainless steel, and most metal alloys with a thickness of 0.5mm or more. This invention solves the problems of deformation, tearing, and non-perpendicular cuts caused by traditional cutters, while greatly improving the quality and efficiency of the welding process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of laser processing technology, specifically a high-speed beam splitting cutting and welding system for strip materials. Background Technology

[0002] In connector manufacturing, stamping dies are used to stamp connector terminals. To accelerate production and achieve mass production, the dies are typically designed to be suitable for assembly line operations. Connectors are designed as strips, and as the strip passes through the die, one connector terminal is formed in a single stamping operation. In existing technologies, because connectors have multiple terminal sections and component forming sections, multiple stamping and forming operations are required at the same location, or different locations require different stamping and forming operations. Therefore, multiple production workshops and lines are needed. Changing strip reels requires manual re-threading and shutdown of production equipment, severely impacting efficiency and capacity. The entire connector manufacturing process also generates a large amount of waste strip, resulting in significant waste.

[0003] Chinese patent "Strip Laser Welding Device", publication number CN103934570A, publication date 2014.07.23, discloses a strip laser welding device aimed at solving the problem of how to splice waste strips for reuse. This strip laser welding device is installed on a workbench to splice a first strip and a second strip positioned opposite the first strip. It includes a first positioning mechanism, a second positioning mechanism, a shearing mechanism, a first driving mechanism, a second driving mechanism, and a laser welding head. The shearing mechanism simultaneously shears the sheared ends of the first and second strips. The patented technical solution involves first fixing the two strips separately with clamps, cutting them separately with a mechanical cutter, and then welding them using a laser head moving under the mechanism. For phosphor bronze strips thicker than 0.5mm, stainless steel, and most metal alloys, deformation, tearing, and non-perpendicular cuts can occur during mechanical cutting, affecting welding accuracy and strength. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the problems existing in the background technology of how to continuously produce in automated production lines and splice waste strips for reuse, the purpose of this invention is to provide a high-speed light-dispersing cutting and welding system for strips with good consistency and high welding quality.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a high-speed beam splitting cutting and welding system for strips, comprising a laser and a first collimator arranged along the laser's optical path.

[0006] Left and right fixture assemblies for positioning the strip of material to be processed;

[0007] A two-dimensional worktable is used to transport the strip cut by the laser cutting head to the welding station;

[0008] A high-speed beam splitter is used to split the laser beam output from the first collimator according to the cutting and welding requirements.

[0009] A laser fiber coupling device couples a cutting laser beam split from a high-speed beam splitter into a first transmission fiber and a welding laser beam split from a high-speed beam splitter into a second transmission fiber.

[0010] The first transmission optical fiber is connected to the second collimator, and the output end of the second collimator is connected to the laser cutting head for cutting the material strip. The laser cutting head is located at the cutting station.

[0011] The second transmission fiber is connected to the third collimator;

[0012] A laser galvanometer is used to adjust the position and trajectory of the laser spot output from the third collimator.

[0013] A beam combiner is used to combine the beams output from a laser galvanometer.

[0014] The focusing lens focuses the combined laser beam, after being combined by the beam combining device, to output the welding material strip;

[0015] The first to third collimators are used to adjust the diverging laser light into collimated parallel light.

[0016] Preferably, the laser output wavelength range of the laser is 800 to 1200 nm.

[0017] Preferably, the core diameter of the first and second transmission optical fibers is 200–800 μm.

[0018] Preferably, the numerical aperture of the first and second transmission optical fibers is 0.15 to 0.23.

[0019] Preferably, it also includes a first beam splitter and a second beam splitter; the laser output from the third collimator passes through the first beam splitter and the second beam splitter in sequence before being output to the laser galvanometer.

[0020] More preferably, it also includes an image acquisition device, which is used to acquire images of the solder joint locations reflected by the first beam splitter.

[0021] Further preferably, it also includes a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature at the solder joint location reflected by the second beam splitter.

[0022] The beneficial effects of this invention are: This invention uses a fiber laser for laser cutting and welding via a high-speed beam splitter, and maintains constant temperature control of the fiber laser, keeping its operating temperature between 24℃ and 26℃; the laser exhibits good stability, resulting in consistent cutting and welding quality. This invention is used for cutting and welding strips of copper, aluminum, stainless steel, etc., which have high laser reflectivity and are relatively thick.

[0023] Existing methods using traditional cutting tools and laser welding result in edge curling during mechanical cutting of copper, stainless steel, and most metal alloys with a thickness of less than 0.1mm, affecting welding accuracy and strength.

[0024] When using traditional cutting tools with laser welding, deformation occurs during the mechanical cutting process for phosphor bronze strips larger than 0.5mm, stainless steel, and most metal alloys, affecting welding accuracy and strength. This invention, by switching the optical path, can cut phosphor bronze, stainless steel, and most metal alloys larger than 0.5mm. This invention solves the problems of deformation, tearing, and non-perpendicular cuts associated with traditional cutting tools, while significantly improving welding process quality and efficiency.

[0025] The cutting and welding optical path of this invention can cut copper, stainless steel, and most metal alloys with a thickness of 0.5mm or more. It not only solves the problem of edge curling with traditional cutters but also greatly improves the quality and efficiency of the welding process. The QCW fiber infrared laser easily achieves precise control of laser radiation energy by controlling the pulse width and repetition frequency.

[0026] This invention is applicable to terminal strip welding in fields such as stamping, electroplating, secondary forming, secondary stamping, and automated assembly. It improves production efficiency and reduces scrap for customers, making it the preferred choice for high-end terminal strips.

[0027] The equipment is widely used in the ultra-precision machining market, strip welding, communication and consumer electronics, precision metal strip, aluminum welding, new energy lithium batteries, stainless steel and many other fields. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 This is a structural block diagram of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a welding effect diagram of the front side of the material strip of this invention;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a welding effect diagram of the back side of the material strip of this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The technical solutions (including preferred technical solutions) of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and by way of listing some optional embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] like Figure 1 As shown, the high-speed beam splitting cutting and welding system for strip designed in this invention includes a laser 1, a first collimator 2, a high-speed beam splitting device 3, a laser fiber coupling device 4; a left fixture assembly 5 and a right fixture assembly 6 for positioning the strip to be processed; and a two-dimensional worktable 8 for transporting the strip cut by the laser cutting head 7 to the welding station.

[0033] Laser 1 is a QCW fiber laser with an operating temperature of 24℃~26℃. It is a fiber laser with peak energy, wavelength of 800~1200nm, average power of 50~300W, peak power of 50~3000W, maximum single pulse energy of 5~30J, beam quality M2 factor less than or equal to 1.3, and pulse width of 1~30ms.

[0034] The high-speed beam splitter 3 is used to split the laser beam output from the first collimator 2 according to the cutting and welding requirements. It is used to achieve beam splitting in terms of time and energy and can perform multi-beam processing simultaneously. The laser fiber coupling device 4 couples the cutting laser beam split by the high-speed beam splitter 3 to the first transmission fiber 9 and the welding laser beam split by the high-speed beam splitter 3 to the second transmission fiber 10. It can couple the laser energy generated in the laser 1 into the transmission fiber to the maximum extent.

[0035] The first collimator 2 is located in the optical path between the laser 1 and the high-speed beam splitter 3. The first collimator is used to adjust the diverging laser into collimated parallel light.

[0036] In the cutting optical path, the first transmission fiber 9 is connected to the second collimator 11, and the output end of the second collimator 11 is connected to the laser cutting head 7 for cutting the material strip. The laser cutting head 7 is located at the cutting station.

[0037] The second collimator is used to adjust the diverging laser light into collimated parallel light.

[0038] The welding optical path includes a third collimator 12, a laser galvanometer 13, a beam combiner 14, and a focusing lens 15 arranged sequentially along the optical path.

[0039] The second transmission fiber 10 is connected to the third collimator 12; the laser galvanometer 13 is used to adjust the position and trajectory of the laser spot output by the third collimator 12; the beam combiner 14 is used to combine the beam output by the laser galvanometer 13; the focusing lens 15 focuses the combined laser beam after beam combining by the beam combiner 14 to output the welding material strip.

[0040] The third collimator is used to adjust the diverging laser beam into collimated parallel light.

[0041] In the welding optical path, a first beam splitter 16 and a second beam splitter 17 are also provided in the optical path between the third collimator 12 and the laser galvanometer 13; the laser output from the third collimator 12 is sequentially output to the laser galvanometer 13 through the first beam splitter 16 and the second beam splitter 17.

[0042] The first beam splitter 16 and the second beam splitter 17 are 45-degree beam splitters that can transmit 1064nm infrared laser light at 0 degrees and reflect 635nm visible light at 45 degrees.

[0043] The laser spot after focusing by laser 1 is a light spot of 100-700μm.

[0044] The high-speed beam splitting cutting and welding system for strip designed in this invention also includes an image acquisition device 18, which is used to acquire images of the weld point positions reflected by the first beam splitter 16.

[0045] The high-speed beam splitting cutting and welding system for strips designed in this invention also includes a temperature sensor 19, which is used to measure the temperature at the weld point location reflected by the second beam splitter 17.

[0046] In some optional embodiments of the present invention, the core diameter of the first transmission fiber 9 and the second transmission fiber 10 is 200-800 μm, and the numerical aperture of the first transmission fiber 9 and the second transmission fiber 10 is 0.15-0.23.

[0047] By adjusting the two-dimensional worktable 8 and the lifting platform, the position with the smallest laser spot when the laser is at its strongest was determined and taken as the focal point, which is also the processing surface. The power density of the laser spot is 10. 4 ~10 6 W / cm 2 The laser spot size is 100–700 μm.

[0048] The working process of this invention will be explained below using a 0.5mm phosphor bronze strip as an example. First, the optical system is adjusted so that the laser focus is the processing surface, and the power density of the laser spot is 10. 4 ~10 6 W / cm 2 The QCW laser spot size is 100–700 μm. Follow these steps:

[0049] S1, at the upper left material position, align the 0.5mm thick phosphor bronze strip on the left with the positioning pin, and place the fixture cover plate to press down the strip. The left fixture assembly is now fixed on the two-dimensional worktable.

[0050] S2 uses a computer control board and integrated laser cutting and welding software. The two-dimensional worktable and lifting platform are adjusted to test the position where the laser spot is the smallest when the laser is strongest, which is taken as the focal point. The laser spot size is 100-700μm.

[0051] S3. Adjust the cutting coordinates in the integrated software according to the product size, and move the two-dimensional worktable to the left cutting position so that the laser can accurately act on the processing position of the phosphor bronze strip on the left.

[0052] S4. Based on the material strip size, prepare the cutting pattern in the integrated software, set the QCW laser parameters as follows: laser power 100W, laser pulse width 3-15ms, frequency 1-6HZ, laser strokes 1, and adjust the galvanometer to make the laser speed 10-500mm / s.

[0053] S5 triggers the laser. Under the action of infrared laser radiation, the fiber optic cutting head completes the cutting of the left strip, and the left strip retreats to the upper left position.

[0054] S6, repeat S1~S5 to complete the cutting of the right strip, and stop the right strip at the right welding position.

[0055] S7, feed the cut left strip to the right welding position to complete the splicing of the left and right strips.

[0056] S8. Based on the splicing dimensions of the left and right strips, prepare the welding pattern in the integrated software, set the QCW laser parameters as follows: laser power 120W, laser pulse width 1-5ms, frequency 1-30HZ, laser number of passes 1-10, and adjust the galvanometer to make the laser speed 30-200mm / s.

[0057] S9 triggers the laser, which performs laser processing on the left and right strips under the action of infrared laser radiation, realizing high-quality fine micro-welding of non-ferrous metal strips.

[0058] S10, laser off, strip cooling, solder joints formed, the 2D worktable remains stationary during laser emission. Solder joint surface free of spatter, solder joint size uniform. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown.

[0059] If there are multiple material strips, the moving two-dimensional worktable platform repeats the above actions.

[0060] It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, combinations, substitutions, improvements, etc., made under the spirit and principles of the present invention are included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A high-speed beam splitting cutting and welding system for strip materials, characterized in that: Includes a laser and a first collimator positioned along the laser's optical path; Left and right fixture assemblies for positioning the strip of material to be processed; A two-dimensional worktable is used to transport the strip cut by the laser cutting head to the welding station; A high-speed beam splitter is used to split the laser beam output from the first collimator according to the cutting and welding requirements. A laser fiber coupling device couples a cutting laser beam split from a high-speed beam splitter into a first transmission fiber and a welding laser beam split from a high-speed beam splitter into a second transmission fiber. The first transmission optical fiber is connected to the second collimator, and the output end of the second collimator is connected to the laser cutting head for cutting the material strip. The laser cutting head is located at the cutting station. The second transmission fiber is connected to the third collimator; It also includes a first beam splitter and a second beam splitter; the laser output from the third collimator passes through the first beam splitter and the second beam splitter in sequence before being output to the laser galvanometer. A laser galvanometer is used to adjust the position and trajectory of the laser spot output from the second beam splitter. A beam combiner is used to combine the beams output from a laser galvanometer. The focusing lens focuses the combined laser beam, after being combined by the beam combining device, to output the welding material strip; The first to third collimators are used to adjust the diverging laser light into collimated parallel light; It also includes an image acquisition device, which is used to acquire images of the solder joint locations reflected by the first beam splitter; It also includes a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature at the solder joint location reflected by the second beam splitter.

2. The high-speed beam splitting cutting and welding system for strips according to claim 1, characterized in that: A high-speed beam splitting cutting and welding system for strip materials, characterized in that the laser output wavelength range is 800-1200nm.

3. The high-speed beam splitting cutting and welding system for strips according to claim 1, characterized in that: The core diameter of the first and second transmission optical fibers is 200–800 μm.

4. The high-speed beam splitting cutting and welding system for strips according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The numerical aperture of the first and second transmission optical fibers is 0.15 to 0.23.

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