Method and system for deeply cutting hard and brittle materials by butting optical fibers under assistance of paraxial water beam

Abstract

The invention discloses a method and a system for deeply cutting hard and brittle materials by butting optical fibers under the assistance of paraxial water beams. Comprising a laser focusing module, an optical fiber butt joint coupling module, a paraxial water beam cooling module, a liquid supply module and an outer frame. In the laser focusing module, laser output from a laser device determines the light beam position through the upper end of a focusing cylinder, and then is coupled into a double-end optical fiber through a lens in the focusing cylinder. In the optical fiber butt joint coupling module, laser energy transmitted by a double-end optical fiber is in butt joint with a lower end plug-in optical fiber through an optical fiber butt joint coupler. In the paraxial water beam cooling module, gas and cooling water are coupled through a customized nozzle, and then water jet with a certain pressure and angle acts on a kerf, so that a heat affected zone is reduced, and waste chip discharge is assisted. The liquid supply module provides gas and liquid required by cooling in real time through a sensor. According to the invention, an optical fiber straight-leading deep processing mode is adopted, and when large-depth processing is carried out, the optical fiber can continuously go deep into a small area to complete high-quality processing under the assistance of a paraxial water beam.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of laser processing technology, and in particular to a method and system that utilizes paraxial water beam cooling for effective cooling assistance, wherein a coupling module couples laser into a docking optical fiber, and can complete deep processing of optical fiber into materials according to different environments and requirements, thereby achieving low damage and high aspect ratio when laser cutting hard and brittle materials. Background Art

[0002] When deep processing hard and brittle materials, the current mainstream diamond wire cutting and EDM often cannot meet the dual requirements of processing depth and processing accuracy at the same time. In addition, due to the special physical properties of the processed materials, traditional processing methods consume a lot of materials and are costly. Therefore, people are in urgent need of new processing equipment for deep processing of hard and brittle materials.

[0003] Research has found that laser ablation of hard and brittle materials has the characteristics of low cost, simple operation and high efficiency. Among them, pulse laser processing materials has the advantage of small heat-affected zone, which lays a theoretical foundation for improving processing accuracy.

[0004] In the early days, when people used lasers to process hard and brittle materials, the divergence angle of the light beam directly output by the optical fiber was large and the beam quality was poor, which led to unsatisfactory processing accuracy and depth of the materials, such as deep cutting. Later, with the development of the research on optical fiber microlenses, lenses were made at the end of the output optical fiber. Since a microlens matching the optical fiber core is used and made directly on the end face of the optical fiber, the subsequent assembly problem of the lens and the optical fiber is avoided and the insertion loss of the device is reduced. When the material is processed deeply, the lens is fixed at the end of the optical fiber. While ensuring the quality of the beam, it can follow the optical fiber to continuously penetrate into the narrow gap to complete further processing, but the lens is expensive to make and permanently acts on the end face of a single optical fiber. In addition, when the optical fiber processes the material deeply, the splash of the material will inevitably contaminate the optical fiber. Even in the case of underwater processing, the jet caused by the material vapor makes it easier for the molten liquid to splash out. In a high aspect ratio environment, due to the small internal space of laser ablation, cooling water is not easy to be evenly transmitted to the deep processing area. The waste chips at deeper parts are easily heated unevenly, resulting in internal accumulation. In addition, uneven heat dissipation will cause heat to be transferred to the surrounding of the workpiece by convection, causing thermal damage, thereby affecting the processing quality of the workpiece.

[0005] Therefore, the core issues of deep processing of optical fiber deep into the kerf are: how to adapt different types of laser output optical fibers to meet different processing environments and processing requirements while ensuring the dual requirements of processing accuracy and processing depth; how to protect the optical fiber so that it can safely penetrate into the kerf to complete high-quality processing. Summary of the invention

[0006] This patent designs a paraxial water beam assisted fiber optic deep cutting system for hard and brittle materials. Combining fiber optic docking technology with laser processing technology, the laser energy emitted by the laser is first coupled into the double-ended optical fiber through a plano-convex lens, and then the energy is transmitted to the plug-in optical fiber through the fiber optic docking coupler. The plug-in optical fiber can greatly improve the processing efficiency because the end face has been specially treated. As the optical fiber continues to go deeper, the nozzle moves accordingly, and the paraxial water beam is controlled to act on the processing area at a certain angle and speed, which can not only protect the optical fiber from damage, but also reduce the heat-affected zone and assist in the discharge of waste chips.

[0007] In order to achieve the above technical objectives, the present invention solves the above problems through the following technical solutions:

[0008] A paraxial water beam assisted docking optical fiber deep cutting hard and brittle material system comprises a laser focusing module, an optical fiber docking coupling module, a paraxial water beam cooling module, an outer frame and a liquid supply module from outside to inside and from top to bottom.

[0009] The laser focusing module includes a focusing tube, a plano-convex focusing lens, a focusing tube bracket, an optical fiber flange, bolts, and nuts. The relative position of the laser external connector is fixed by the focusing tube, and the output laser is shaped to the double-ended optical fiber by the plano-convex focusing lens; the upper end of the focusing tube ensures that the laser connector, the lower end and the focusing tube bracket are fixed by threaded fit. Since the lens focusing has a certain error, the focal distance after the lens focusing can be controlled by the lower end thread to ensure that the maximum laser energy enters the double-ended optical fiber. The lower end of the focusing tube bracket is fixed to the external bracket by bolts and nuts; the optical fiber flange is fixed inside the focusing tube, the outer end of the flange and the inner wall of the focusing tube are coaxially matched, and the inner end fixes the double-ended optical fiber.

[0010] The fiber optic docking coupling module includes a double-ended optical fiber, a fiber optic docking coupler, a fiber optic connector, a spiral clamp, and a plug-in optical fiber. The upper end of the double-ended optical fiber is inserted into the fiber optic flange, so that the focused laser is coupled into the inside of the double-ended optical fiber through the lens, and the lower end is inserted into the fiber optic docking coupler; the upper end of the fiber optic docking coupler fixes the double-ended optical fiber, and the lower end is inserted into the fiber optic connector, and the plug-in optical fiber is clamped inside the fiber optic connector by a spiral clamp. The plug-in optical fiber is installed inside the fiber optic connector through the spiral clamp, and the upper end surface transmits the laser through the fiber optic coupler contact-type docking double-ended optical fiber.

[0011] The side-axle water jet module comprises a side dovetail groove, a side-axle water jet sheet metal, a sheet metal fixing bolt, a nozzle fixing part, a nozzle, a nozzle fixing bolt, and a nozzle fixing nut. The side-axle water jet sheet metal is mounted on the side dovetail groove through the sheet metal fixing bolt; the nozzle fixing part is mounted on the lower end of the side-axle water jet sheet metal through the nozzle fixing bolt and the nozzle fixing nut, and the nozzle fixing part and the nozzle are connected to each other; the two holes at the rear end of the nozzle respectively input gas and liquid to ensure high-quality water jets.

[0012] The outer frame includes a main end dovetail groove, a fixed sheet metal part, and a fixed bolt. The fixed sheet metal part is installed in the main end dovetail groove through the fixed bolt. The fixed sheet metal part provides support for the focusing tube bracket and the optical fiber coupler respectively.

[0013] The liquid supply module includes a flow sensor, a flow regulating valve, a hydraulic pump, an accumulator, a liquid level sensor, a water tank, and a filter. The hydraulic pump stabilizes the pressure through the accumulator, pumps the cooling water in the water tank out stably through the filter, and adjusts the water flow through the flow regulating valve. At the same time, there is a liquid level sensor at the water tank to detect the water capacity in the water tank. The liquid level sensor in the water tank can prevent insufficient cooling water from affecting the ablation effect.

[0014] A method and system for deep cutting of hard and brittle materials by paraxial water beam-assisted butt-jointed optical fiber, comprising the following steps:

[0015] 1. Start the liquid supply module. The liquid supply module obtains the required water flow rate and generates a stable water flow by adjusting the flow control valve. After being transmitted through the pipeline, it enters the side-axis water jet system. In the side-axis water jet module, the side-axis water jet is obtained through nozzle coupling. After adjusting a certain angle, it reaches the area to be ablated. Before turning on the laser, the side-axis water jet can play a role in cleaning the ablation area.

[0016] 2. Start the laser, the laser emits a laser, the relative position of the laser connector is fixed by the focusing tube, the laser beam is coupled into the double-ended optical fiber after a large-angle transformation by the focusing plano-convex lens, and the fiber coupler and the plug-in optical fiber are butt-coupled, and the end of the plug-in optical fiber is close to the processing area; while the laser is processing the material, the rectified paraxial water beam reaches the processing area, and timely and effective cooling is obtained to protect the surrounding non-target areas.

[0017] 3. After the processing is completed, turn off the laser first, and then turn off the water outlet in the side-axis water jet module. After ensuring that there is no excess water in the processing area, collect waste residues and waste water, and classify and treat them regularly.

[0018] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0019] 1. The method and system of the present invention for deep cutting of hard and brittle materials by using a side-axis water-beam-assisted optical fiber docking adopts a 1064nm infrared laser, which is coupled into the plug-in optical fiber through a laser focusing module and an optical fiber docking coupling module. In the face of complex and changeable processing environments and processing requirements, the processing task can be completed by changing the type of plug-in optical fiber, thereby greatly improving the scope of application.

[0020] 2. The method and system of the present invention for deep cutting of hard and brittle materials by using a paraxial water beam-assisted docking optical fiber can effectively increase the processing depth by utilizing the characteristics of deep processing of optical fiber. The deep processing method of optical fiber can also complete partial surface processing, while also avoiding problems such as real-time focusing of traditional lasers.

[0021] 3. The present invention provides a method and system for deep cutting of hard and brittle materials by using a paraxial water beam to assist the docking of optical fibers. A stable water beam is generated by a paraxial water beam cooling module, which acts on the processing area by adjusting the angle. This can not only protect the optical fiber from deep cutting to achieve deep processing, but also reduce the heat-affected area and assist in the discharge of waste chips, thereby achieving high aspect ratio and low damage processing.

[0022] 4. The method and system of the present invention for deep cutting of hard and brittle materials by using a side-axis water-beam-assisted docking optical fiber adopts the method of plugging and unplugging the optical fiber to transmit laser energy to the processing surface. During the process of continuous in-depth processing of the optical fiber, it can be replaced in time when burning, breakage or contamination occurs, thus avoiding the maintenance of the entire equipment, reducing maintenance costs and ensuring the cleanliness and safety of the processing equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a paraxial water beam assisted docking optical fiber deep cutting hard and brittle material system in the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the explosion of the laser focusing module in the present invention

[0025] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the explosion of the optical fiber docking coupling module in the present invention

[0026] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the explosion of the side-axle water jet cooling module in the present invention

[0027] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the explosion of the inner and outer frames of the present invention

[0028] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the liquid supply module in the present invention

[0029] Description of Reference Numerals

[0030] 1-Laser focusing module, 1.1-focusing tube, 1.2-focusing tube bracket, 1.3-plano-convex focusing lens, 1.4-fiber flange, 1.5-focusing bolt, 1.6-focusing nut, 2-fiber docking coupling module, 2.1-double-ended optical fiber, 2.2-fiber docking coupler, 2.3-fiber connector, 2.4-screw clamp, 2.5-plug-in optical fiber, 3-paraxial water beam module 3.1-side dovetail groove, 3.2-paraxial water beam sheet metal , 3.3-sheet metal fixing bolts, 3.4-nozzle fixing parts, 3.5-nozzle, 3.6-nozzle fixing bolts, 3.7-nozzle fixing nuts, 4-outer frame, 4.1-main end dovetail groove, 4.2-fixed sheet metal, 4.3-fixed bolts, 5-liquid supply module, 5.1-flow sensor, 5.2-flow regulating valve, 5.3-hydraulic pump, 5.4-accumulator, 5.5-liquid level sensor, 5.6-water tank, 5.7 filter DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following is a clear and complete description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. The specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0032] Example 1

[0033] This embodiment is a paraxial water beam assisted docking optical fiber deep cutting hard and brittle material system, such as Figure 1 As shown, from top to bottom, it includes a laser focusing module 1, an optical fiber docking coupling module 2, a paraxial water beam cooling module 3, an outer frame 4, and a liquid supply module 5.

[0034] The laser focusing module 1 includes a focusing tube 1.1, a focusing tube bracket 1.2, a plano-convex focusing lens 1.3, an optical fiber flange 1.4, a focusing bolt 1.5, and a focusing nut 1.6. The relative position of the laser external connector is fixed by the focusing tube 1.1, and the output laser is shaped to the double-ended optical fiber 2.1 by the plano-convex focusing lens 1.3; the lower end of the focusing tube 1.1 and the focusing tube bracket 1.2 are fixed by threaded matching. Since the lens focusing has a certain error, the focal distance after the lens focusing can be controlled by the lower end thread to ensure that the maximum laser energy enters the double-ended optical fiber 2.1. The lower end of the focusing tube bracket 1.2 is fixed to the fixed sheet metal 4.2 by the focusing bolt 1.5 and the focusing nut 1.6; the optical fiber flange 1.4 is fixed inside the focusing tube 1.1, and the outer end of the optical fiber flange 1.4 is coaxially matched with the inner wall of the focusing tube 1.1, and the inner end fixes the double-ended optical fiber 2.1.

[0035] The fiber optic docking coupling module 2 includes a double-ended optical fiber 2.1, a fiber optic docking coupler 2.2, a fiber optic connector 2.3, a spiral clamp 2.4, and a plug-in optical fiber 2.5. The upper end of the double-ended optical fiber 2.1 is inserted into the fiber optic flange 1.4 so that the focused laser is coupled into the inside of the double-ended optical fiber 2.1, and the lower end is inserted into the fiber optic docking coupler 2.2; the upper end of the fiber optic docking coupler 2.2 fixes the double-ended optical fiber 2.1, and the lower end is inserted into the fiber optic connector 2.3, and the fiber optic connector 2.3 is clamped with the plug-in optical fiber 2.5 by the spiral clamp 2.4. The plug-in optical fiber 2.5 is installed in the fiber optic connector 2.3 through the spiral clamp 2.4, and the upper end surface transmits the laser through the contact-type docking double-ended optical fiber of the fiber optic coupler 2.2.

[0036] The side-axle water jet module 3 comprises a side dovetail groove 3.1, a side-axle water jet sheet metal part 3.2, a sheet metal part fixing bolt 3.3, a nozzle fixing part 3.4, a nozzle 3.5, a nozzle fixing bolt 3.6, and a nozzle fixing nut 3.7. The side-axle water jet sheet metal part 3.2 is mounted on the side dovetail groove 3.1 through the sheet metal part fixing bolt 3.3; the nozzle fixing part 3.4 is mounted on the lower end of the side-axle water jet sheet metal part 3.2 through the nozzle fixing bolt 3.6 and the nozzle fixing nut 3.7, and the nozzle fixing part 3.4 and the nozzle 3.5 are connected to each other; the two holes at the rear end of the nozzle 3.5 are respectively used to input gas and liquid to ensure high-quality water jets.

[0037] The outer frame 4 comprises a main end dovetail groove 4.1, a fixed sheet metal part 4.2, and a fixed bolt 4.3. The fixed sheet metal part 4.2 is installed in the main end dovetail groove 4.1 through the fixed bolt 4.3, and the fixed sheet metal part 4.2 provides support for the focusing tube bracket 1.2 and the optical fiber docking coupler 2.2 respectively.

[0038] The liquid supply module 5 includes a flow sensor 5.1, a flow regulating valve 5.2, a hydraulic pump 5.3, an accumulator 5.4, a liquid level sensor 5.5, a water tank 5.6, and a filter 5.7. The hydraulic pump 5.3 stabilizes the pressure through the accumulator 5.4, stably pumps out the pure water in the water tank 5.6 after being treated by the filter 5.7, and adjusts the water flow through the flow regulating valve 5.2. At the same time, there is a liquid level sensor 5.5 at the water tank 5.6 to detect the size of the water capacity in the water tank 5.6. The liquid level sensor 5.5 in the water tank 5.6 can prevent insufficient cooling water from affecting the processing effect.

[0039] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. Any known variations such as various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations of these embodiments without departing from the principle and spirit of the present invention still fall within the technical scope to be protected by the present invention.

Claims

1. The present invention provides a method and system for deep cutting of hard and brittle materials by paraxial water beam assisted docking of optical fibers. The system comprises a laser focusing module, an optical fiber docking coupling module, a paraxial water beam cooling module, and a liquid supply module. In the laser focusing module, laser light is output from a laser, the position of the light beam is determined by the upper end of the focusing tube, and then coupled into the double-ended optical fiber through the lens in the focusing tube. In the optical fiber docking coupling module, the light beam shaped by the plano-convex lens is first focused onto the fixed double-ended optical fiber, and then the optical fiber is docked and plugged in at the lower end through the optical fiber docking coupler. In the paraxial water beam cooling module, gas and cooling water are coupled through a customized nozzle, and then a water jet with a certain pressure and angle acts on the cut seam to reduce the heat affected zone and assist in the discharge of waste chips. The liquid supply module provides stable and pure gas and liquid required for cooling in real time through sensors. The above modules cooperate with each other to process hard and brittle materials with high aspect ratio and low damage.

2. A method and system for deep cutting of hard and brittle materials by paraxial water beam assisted butt-jointed optical fiber according to claim 1, characterized in that: Through the contact and docking coupling of the plug-in optical fiber and the double-ended optical fiber, different types of plug-in optical fibers can be replaced to cope with different processing environments and processing requirements.

3. According to claim 1, a method and system for deep cutting of hard and brittle materials by using a paraxial water beam to assist butt-joint optical fiber, characterized in that: In this patent, a focusing lens is used in the laser transmission system to couple the laser energy from the scattered external light source into the advanced double-ended optical fiber, and then transmit it to the plug-in optical fiber through the double-ended optical fiber docking. This increases the actual use environment range, improves the service life of the system, and reduces costs.

4. According to claim 1, a method and system for deep cutting of hard and brittle materials by using a paraxial water beam to assist butt-joint optical fibers, characterized in that: In this patent, the double-ended optical fiber and the plug-in optical fiber are contact-coupled by an optical fiber docking coupler, which can realize efficient transmission of laser energy between optical fibers, and the coupling between the laser light source and the double-ended optical fiber is completed by a lens. Without changing the configuration of the laser, only the plug-in optical fiber needs to be replaced.

5. According to claim 1, a method and system for deep cutting of hard and brittle materials by using a paraxial water beam to assist butt-joint optical fiber, characterized in that: The plug-in optical fiber can be plugged in and replaced. During the laser energy transmission or laser ablation process, the optical fiber loss can be replaced in time, or the appropriate plug-in optical fiber length can be selected and replaced according to the required processing depth.

6. A method and system for deep cutting of hard and brittle materials by paraxial water beam assisted butt-jointing optical fibers according to claim 1, characterized in that: Under the protection of cooling water, the optical fiber can continuously penetrate into the tiny slit to process the material, and can always keep the focused light spot at the output end acting on the processing surface, which can effectively improve the processing accuracy.

7. A method and system for deep cutting of hard and brittle materials by paraxial water beam assisted butt-jointing optical fibers according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid supply system is mainly based on a high-stability pump, which can realize water supply at different speeds when combined with a flow regulating valve and a flow sensor. It can also reduce the unstable water pressure caused by the pump when combined with an accumulator, and output a continuous and stable water flow. A liquid level sensor is designed in the liquid supply tank to ensure normal water supply.

8. The method and system for deep cutting of hard and brittle materials by using a paraxial water beam to assist butt-jointed optical fibers according to claim 1, characterized in that: In this patent, the paraxial water jet passes through a special nozzle, and the set gas and water flow enter the nozzle cavity. After internal coupling, the water flow acts on the cutting point at a certain angle and speed to assist in the discharge of waste chips and reduce the heat affected zone.

9. A method and system for deep cutting of hard and brittle materials by paraxial water beam assisted butt-jointing optical fibers according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steps to use are as follows: S1 starts the liquid supply system. The liquid supply system adjusts the flow control valve to obtain the required water flow and generate a stable water flow. After being transmitted through the pipeline, it enters the side-axis water jet cooling module and releases a water jet at a certain angle and speed in the special nozzle cavity. By adjusting the angle and speed, it acts on the surface to be processed. Before turning on the laser, the water can play a role in cleaning the ablation area; S2 starts the control laser, and the laser emits laser light; the laser beam is transformed by the plano-convex focusing lens 1 and coupled into the double-ended optical fiber, and then connected to the plug-in optical fiber through the optical fiber coupler after being transmitted through the double-ended optical fiber. The end of the plug-in optical fiber is close to the ablation area. While the laser is cutting the hard and brittle material, the paraxial water jet reaches the ablation area at the set speed and angle, obtaining timely and effective cooling to protect the surrounding non-target tissues; After S3 ablation is completed, turn off the laser first, then turn off the water outlet in the hydraulic system. After ensuring that there is no excess water in the ablation area, turn off the water suction device to ensure the cleanliness of the ablation area. The filter device and water tank collect waste residue and waste water respectively, and classify and treat them regularly.

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