High-quality and high-efficiency ultrafast laser cleaning drilling auxiliary equipment and using method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses high-quality and high-efficiency ultrafast laser cleaning drilling auxiliary equipment and a using method thereof, and relates to the ultrafast laser cleaning drilling auxiliary equipment and the using method thereof. The invention aims to solve the technical problems that the economy of the production process cannot be considered while the high quality of a final processing surface is ensured by single shielding gas during current ultrafast laser processing, and the efficiency of a traditional non-integrated external dust removal mode is low. Negative pressure is formed in the sleeve, smoke dust, chippings and plasmas generated by laser processing are directly pumped away from a generation source before diffusion, the cleanliness of a processing environment is guaranteed, the service life of an optical element is prolonged, and the product yield is increased; in addition, through the height-adjustable sleeve, an operator can flexibly optimize the distance between a suction opening of the sleeve and the surface of the workpiece according to the thickness, the type and the process requirements of specific machining materials, so that the optimal suction effect and the optimal gas protection effect are obtained, and the adaptability of the device to various machining scenes is enhanced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to an ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary device and a method of using the same. BACKGROUND

[0002] Ultrafast laser (such as picosecond, femtosecond laser) processing is a core technology in the field of advanced manufacturing. Due to its "cold processing" characteristics, extremely high peak power and extremely short energy action time, it can achieve ultra-fine, low thermal damage processing of various materials, and is widely used in precision drilling, cutting and surface treatment in the industries of semiconductors, consumer electronics, medical devices, etc. In the process of ultrafast laser processing, the use of protective gas is crucial to ensure the quality of processing. Protective gas mainly plays the role of preventing material oxidation, assisting in discharging molten material and inhibiting plasma shielding effect, etc.

[0003] At present, the industry generally adopts a single protective gas scheme in the process of ultrafast laser drilling or cutting. The commonly used protective gas is compressed air, high-purity nitrogen or inert gas. Compressed air is low in cost and easy to obtain, but it contains about 21% oxygen. When the laser acts on the material, especially metal material, the local high temperature will cause the oxygen to chemically react with the molten metal, forming an oxide layer on the processing surface, which will cause the processing edge to turn black, produce slag, and change the chemical composition of the material, seriously affecting the electrical performance, mechanical strength and appearance yield of the product. To avoid oxidation problems, operators who pursue high-quality processing results usually choose high-purity nitrogen or inert gas as the protective gas, at which time the oxygen is effectively isolated, thus obtaining a clean, non-oxidized, and non-slag processing surface. However, the cost of high-purity nitrogen or inert gas is significantly higher than that of compressed air. For thick plate material processing that requires high power and long time to penetrate, if nitrogen or inert gas is used throughout the process, it will cause huge gas consumption and a sharp rise in production costs, making it less economical. Therefore, the single gas scheme forces producers to make a difficult choice between "processing quality" and "economic cost", and cannot have both.

[0004] A large amount of metal vapor, plasma smoke and micron / nanometer level particle debris will be generated in the process of ultrafast laser processing. These debris not only deposit on the workpiece surface, pollute the processing area, and cause product defects, but also splash upwards and adhere to the lower surface of the expensive focusing mirror, reducing the transmittance and service life of the lens, increasing the equipment maintenance cost and downtime. The existing dust removal method mostly uses a lateral suction pipe or a smoke nozzle independently set near the processing area. This method has obvious defects: there is a certain distance between the suction port and the laser action point, which causes the suction force to be dispersed and the dust removal efficiency to be low; the additional pipeline may interfere with the movement path of the nozzle, limiting the processing freedom; its installation position is fixed and cannot be optimized and adjusted according to different processing materials and processes, which has insufficient adaptability.

[0005] In summary, existing technologies suffer from two prominent and long-standing core problems that have remained unresolved: First, a single protective gas mode cannot simultaneously guarantee high-quality (oxidation-free) final processed surfaces while maintaining economic efficiency in the production process. Second, traditional non-integrated external dust removal methods are inefficient and cannot effectively maintain the cleanliness of the processing area and optical system. These issues have become bottlenecks restricting the development of ultrafast laser processing technology towards greater efficiency, economy, and precision. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention aims to solve the technical problems of the current ultrafast laser processing, where a single protective gas cannot guarantee the high quality of the final processed surface while taking into account the economy of the production process, and the low efficiency of traditional non-integrated external dust removal methods. The invention provides a high-quality and high-efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary device and its usage method.

[0007] The high-quality and high-efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary equipment of the present invention includes a nozzle body 1, a sleeve 2, a first valve 3, a second valve 4, a dust removal device 5, a first gas cylinder 6, a second gas cylinder 7, an air extraction pipe 8, a locking nut 9, a first air supply pipe 10, and a second air supply pipe 11.

[0008] The upper outer wall of the nozzle body 1 is threadedly connected to a sleeve 2. Multiple locking nuts 9 are horizontally arranged on the sleeve 2. The locking nuts 9 are threadedly connected to the sleeve 2. The bottom end of the sleeve 2 is lower than the bottom end of the nozzle body 1.

[0009] A first air supply pipe 10 and a second air supply pipe 11 are connected to the side wall of the nozzle body 1, and both the first air supply pipe 10 and the second air supply pipe 11 pass through the sleeve 2 and communicate with the beam channel of the nozzle body 1; a first valve 3 is provided on the first air supply pipe 10, and the other end of the first air supply pipe 10 is connected to the first gas cylinder 6, which is filled with compressed air; a second valve 4 is provided on the second air supply pipe 11, and the other end of the second air supply pipe 11 is connected to the second gas cylinder 7, which is filled with nitrogen or inert gas; an exhaust pipe 8 is connected to the side wall of the sleeve 2, and the other end of the exhaust pipe 8 is connected to the suction port of the dust removal equipment 5, and the exhaust pipe 8 is connected to the inner cavity of the sleeve 2.

[0010] The method of using the high-quality and high-efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary equipment of the present invention is as follows:

[0011] 1. Depending on the type and thickness of the material being processed, manually rotate the sleeve 2 so that the bottom end of the sleeve 2 reaches the expected distance from the workpiece surface and the bottom end of the sleeve 2 is lower than the bottom end of the nozzle body 1. Then, manually rotate the locking nut 9 to lock it against the outer wall of the nozzle body 1 to fix the sleeve 2. The expected distance between the bottom end of the sleeve 2 and the workpiece surface is 0.5mm to 15mm.

[0012] II. Set the machining parameters in the control system, the first stage adopts a higher laser power, specifically 5W~30W, at the same time, close the second valve 4 and open the first valve 3 to input compressed air into the nozzle body 1, the air pressure is set to 0.1MPa~0.6MPa, and the oxygen in the air is used to accelerate the drilling process; at the same time, start the dust removal equipment 5, the negative pressure is-0.02MPa~-0.08MPa, the processing diameter is 60%~90% of the required diameter, and the processing of the through hole is completed;

[0013] III. The second stage adopts a lower laser power, which is 30%~80% of the first stage laser power, and the processing time is 80%~120% of the first stage; at the same time, close the first valve 3 and open the second valve 4 to input nitrogen or inert gas into the nozzle body 1 to inhibit oxidation and improve drilling quality, and the air pressure is set to 0.1MPa~0.4MPa; at the same time, start the dust removal equipment 5, the negative pressure is-0.01MPa~-0.05MPa, the processing diameter is the required diameter, and the processing of the through hole is completed;

[0014] IV. After the processing is completed, the laser is turned off, the nitrogen or inert gas is continuously input, and the dust removal equipment 5 is operated for 1s~2s, and then the dust removal equipment 5 and the second valve 4 are closed.

[0015] The purpose of the present application is to provide a kind of can be in ultrafast laser drilling process by realizing the controllable switching of compressed air and nitrogen or inert gas on the same nozzle, to improve the chip removal efficiency in drilling stage (first stage), reduce oxidation and improve the quality of cut in finishing stage (second stage);

[0016] The present application forms negative pressure in the coaxial sleeve 2, and the smoke, debris and plasma generated by laser processing are directly removed from the source before diffusion, effectively preventing secondary pollution of the workpiece surface and damage to the laser focusing mirror, ensuring the cleanliness of the processing environment, prolonging the service life of the optical element and improving the product yield;

[0017] The present application can adjust the height of the coaxial sleeve 2, so that the operator can flexibly optimize the distance between the bottom suction port of the sleeve 2 and the workpiece surface according to the thickness, type and process requirements of the specific processing material, so as to obtain the best suction effect and gas protection effect, and enhance the adaptability of the device to various processing scenes.

[0018] The beneficial effects of the present application are as follows:

[0019] First, the processing economy is significantly improved: the "compressed air penetration + nitrogen or inert gas finishing" step-by-step gas supply strategy is adopted, and only high-purity nitrogen or inert gas is used in the key finishing stage (second stage), which greatly reduces the consumption of expensive gas and reduces production costs, solving the traditional contradiction between high-quality processing and high cost;

[0020] Second, ensuring the processing quality: the oxygen-free environment of the second stage effectively eliminates the oxidation reaction in the processing area, resulting in clean, slag-free, and oxidation-free high-quality hole walls, significantly improving the product yield and processing quality;

[0021] Third, efficient dust removal at the source: the unique coaxial adjustable sleeve 2 brings the suction port (the bottom end of the sleeve 2) close to the processing point, quickly removing the smoke before it spreads, greatly improving the dust removal efficiency, prolonging the equipment life, and maintaining the cleanliness of the working environment;

[0022] Fourth, enhancing the intelligence and adaptability of the process: through the integrated control system, the laser parameters and the double gas are switched synchronously, ensuring the consistency and reliability of the process; the manually adjustable sleeve 2 provides flexibility, which can adapt to the processing needs of different materials and thicknesses.

[0023] In summary, the technology of the present application achieves the synergistic optimization of quality, cost, and efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a high-quality and high-efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary device in the first embodiment;

[0025] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an ultrafast laser processing system in Test 1;

[0026] Figure 3 is an entrance topography of a micro-hole processed by an ultrafast laser in Test 1;

[0027] Figure 4 is a sidewall topography of a micro-hole processed by an ultrafast laser in Test 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Embodiment 1: This embodiment is a high-quality and high-efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary device, as shown in Figure 1 , including a nozzle body 1, a sleeve 2, a first valve 3, a second valve 4, a dust removal device 5, a first gas cylinder 6, a second gas cylinder 7, a suction pipe 8, a locking nut 9, a first gas supply pipe 10, and a second gas supply pipe 11;

[0029] The upper end of the nozzle body 1 is externally threaded with the sleeve 2, and the sleeve 2 is horizontally provided with a plurality of locking nuts 9, which are threadedly connected with the sleeve 2, and the bottom end of the sleeve 2 is lower than the bottom end of the nozzle body 1;

[0030] The side wall of the nozzle body 1 is connected with the first gas pipe 10 and the second gas pipe 11, and the first gas pipe 10 and the second gas pipe 11 both pass through the sleeve 2 and communicate with the light beam passage of the nozzle body 1; the first gas pipe 10 is provided with the first valve 3, the other end of the first gas pipe 10 communicates with the first gas cylinder 6, and the first gas cylinder 6 is filled with compressed air; the second gas pipe 11 is provided with the second valve 4, the other end of the second gas pipe 11 communicates with the second gas cylinder 7, and the second gas cylinder 7 is filled with nitrogen or inert gas; the side wall of the sleeve 2 is connected with the exhaust pipe 8, the other end of the exhaust pipe 8 communicates with the air inlet of the dust removal equipment 5, and the exhaust pipe 8 communicates with the inner cavity of the sleeve 2.

[0031] Specific embodiment two: the difference between this embodiment and the specific embodiment one is that the nozzle body 1 is a coaxial nozzle. The others are the same as the specific embodiment one.

[0032] Specific embodiment three: the difference between this embodiment and the specific embodiment one or two is that the outer wall of the sleeve 2 is a cylindrical structure. The others are the same as the specific embodiment one or two.

[0033] Specific embodiment four: the difference between this embodiment and any one of the specific embodiments one to three is that the nozzle body 1 is made of brass or stainless steel, and the internal passage is polished. The others are the same as any one of the specific embodiments one to three.

[0034] Specific embodiment five: the difference between this embodiment and the specific embodiment four is that the sleeve 2 is made of brass or stainless steel. The others are the same as the specific embodiment four.

[0035] Specific embodiment six: the difference between this embodiment and the specific embodiment five is that the first valve 3 is an electromagnetic valve. The others are the same as the specific embodiment five.

[0036] Specific embodiment seven: the difference between this embodiment and the specific embodiment six is that the second valve 4 is an electromagnetic valve. The others are the same as the specific embodiment six.

[0037] Specific embodiment eight: the difference between this embodiment and the specific embodiment seven is that the dust removal equipment 5 is a smoke purifier. The others are the same as the specific embodiment seven.

[0038] Specific embodiment nine: the difference between this embodiment and the specific embodiment eight is that the equipment also has a controller, and the signal output end of the controller is connected with the first valve 3, the second valve 4, the dust removal equipment 5 and the laser respectively. The others are the same as the specific embodiment eight.

[0039] Specific embodiment ten: this embodiment is the use method of the high-quality and high-efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary equipment of the specific embodiment one, and the specific process is:

[0040] 1. Depending on the type and thickness of the material being processed, manually rotate the sleeve 2 so that the bottom end of the sleeve 2 reaches the expected distance from the workpiece surface and the bottom end of the sleeve 2 is lower than the bottom end of the nozzle body 1. Then, manually rotate the locking nut 9 to lock it against the outer wall of the nozzle body 1 to fix the sleeve 2. The expected distance between the bottom end of the sleeve 2 and the workpiece surface is 0.5mm to 15mm.

[0041] 2. Set the processing parameters in the control system. In the first stage, use a relatively high laser power, specifically 5W~30W. At the same time, close the second valve 4 and open the first valve 3 to input compressed air into the nozzle body 1. The air pressure is set to 0.1MPa~0.6MPa to use the oxygen in the air to accelerate the drilling process. At the same time, start the dust removal equipment 5 with a negative pressure of -0.02MPa~-0.08MPa. The processing diameter is 60%~90% of the required diameter to complete the processing of the through hole.

[0042] Third, in the second stage, a lower laser power is used, which is 30% to 80% of the laser power in the first stage, and the processing time is 80% to 120% of that in the first stage. At the same time, the first valve 3 is closed and the second valve 4 is opened to introduce nitrogen or inert gas into the nozzle body 1 to suppress oxidation and improve drilling quality. The gas pressure is set to 0.1MPa to 0.4MPa. At the same time, the dust removal equipment 5 is started, with a negative pressure of -0.01MPa to -0.05MPa. The processing diameter is the required diameter, and the through hole processing is completed.

[0043] 4. After processing is completed, turn off the laser, continue to introduce nitrogen or inert gas and dust removal equipment 5 for another 1 to 2 seconds, then turn off dust removal equipment 5 and the second valve 4.

[0044] The invention was verified using the following experiments:

[0045] Experiment 1: This experiment involves a high-quality and high-efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary device, such as... Figure 1 As shown, it includes a nozzle body 1, a sleeve 2, a first valve 3, a second valve 4, a dust removal device 5, a first gas cylinder 6, a second gas cylinder 7, an air extraction pipe 8, a locking nut 9, a first air delivery pipe 10, and a second air delivery pipe 11.

[0046] The nozzle body 1 is a coaxial nozzle made of brass, and the internal channel is polished.

[0047] The outer wall of the sleeve 2 is a cylindrical structure made of brass;

[0048] The first valve 3 is a solenoid valve, and the second valve 4 is a solenoid valve;

[0049] The dust removal equipment 5 is a fume purifier;

[0050] The upper outer wall of the nozzle body 1 is threadedly connected to a sleeve 2. Multiple locking nuts 9 are horizontally arranged on the sleeve 2. The locking nuts 9 are threadedly connected to the sleeve 2. The bottom end of the sleeve 2 is lower than the bottom end of the nozzle body 1.

[0051] A first air supply pipe 10 and a second air supply pipe 11 are connected to the side wall of the nozzle body 1, and both the first air supply pipe 10 and the second air supply pipe 11 pass through the sleeve 2 and communicate with the beam channel of the nozzle body 1; a first valve 3 is provided on the first air supply pipe 10, and the other end of the first air supply pipe 10 is connected to the first gas cylinder 6, which is filled with compressed air; a second valve 4 is provided on the second air supply pipe 11, and the other end of the second air supply pipe 11 is connected to the second gas cylinder 7, which is filled with nitrogen or inert gas; an exhaust pipe 8 is connected to the side wall of the sleeve 2, and the other end of the exhaust pipe 8 is connected to the suction port of the dust removal equipment 5, and the exhaust pipe 8 is connected to the inner cavity of the sleeve 2;

[0052] The device also includes a controller, whose signal output terminals are connected to the first valve 3, the second valve 4, the dust removal device 5, and the laser, respectively.

[0053] The aforementioned high-quality and high-efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary equipment is applied to ultrafast laser processing systems, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the system, arranged in sequence according to the laser's direction of travel, comprises an ultrafast laser 12, a waveplate 13, a beam expander 14, an optical rotation module 15, a reflector 16, a focusing lens 17, a protective lens 18, a protective gas nozzle device 19, a sample to be processed 20, a high-precision electric displacement platform 21, and a control system 22. The protective gas nozzle device 19 is the high-quality and high-efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary equipment used in Experiment 1. Except for the protective gas nozzle device 19, all other components are existing technologies. The ultrafast laser 12 is a picosecond pulsed laser with an output wavelength of 532nm, a pulse width of 12ps, a pulse repetition frequency of 100kHz, and a maximum average power of 15W. For drilling a 0.9mm diameter hole in a 1.5mm thick nickel-based superalloy, the system is used as follows:

[0054] 1. Manually rotate sleeve 2 until its lower end extends downwards until the distance between its lower end face and the upper surface of the sample 20 is 2mm; then, tighten the lock nut 9 to fix the position of sleeve 2.

[0055] Second, in the first stage, a high laser power of 10W is used. At the same time, the second valve 4 is closed and the first valve 3 is opened to input compressed air into the nozzle body 1. The air pressure is set to 0.5MPa to use the oxygen in the air to accelerate the drilling process. At the same time, the dust removal equipment 5 is started with a negative pressure of -0.06MPa. The processing diameter is 0.8mm and the processing time is 20s to form a through hole.

[0056] Three, the second stage uses lower laser power, 4W; at the same time, the first valve 3 is closed, the second valve 4 is opened to input nitrogen into the nozzle body 1 to inhibit oxidation and improve drilling quality, the gas pressure is set to 0.3MPa; at the same time, the dust removal equipment 5 is started, the negative pressure is-0.03MPa, the processing diameter is the required diameter 0.9mm, and the processing time is 20s to complete the processing of the through hole;

[0057] Four, after the processing is completed, the laser is turned off, the nitrogen is continuously input, and the dust removal equipment 5 is continuously operated for 1s, and then the dust removal equipment 5 and the second valve 4 are closed.

[0058] Figure 3 The entrance topography of the micro-hole processed by the ultrafast laser in test one is shown in the figure, from which it can be seen that the micro-hole edge is neat and there is no obvious ablation product, which shows that the method can effectively process micro-holes.

[0059] Figure 4 The side wall topography of the micro-hole processed by the ultrafast laser in test one is shown in the figure, from which it can be seen that the micro-hole side wall has no ablation phenomenon, which shows that the method can effectively inhibit oxidation in the ablation process.

Claims

1. A high-quality and high-efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary device, characterized in that The device comprises a nozzle body (1), a sleeve (2), a first valve (3), a second valve (4), a dust removal device (5), a first gas cylinder (6), a second gas cylinder (7), a suction pipe (8), a locking nut (9), a first gas conveying pipe (10) and a second gas conveying pipe (11). The upper end of the nozzle body (1) is externally threadedly connected with the sleeve (2), a plurality of locking nuts (9) are horizontally arranged on the sleeve (2), the locking nuts (9) are threadedly connected with the sleeve (2), and the bottom end of the sleeve (2) is lower than the bottom end of the nozzle body (1). The sidewall of the nozzle body (1) is connected with the first gas conveying pipe (10) and the second gas conveying pipe (11), and the first gas conveying pipe (10) and the second gas conveying pipe (11) both pass through the sleeve (2) and are in communication with the light beam channel of the nozzle body (1); the first gas conveying pipe (10) is provided with the first valve (3), the other end of the first gas conveying pipe (10) is in communication with the first gas cylinder (6), the first gas cylinder (6) is filled with compressed air, the second gas conveying pipe (11) is provided with the second valve (4), the other end of the second gas conveying pipe (11) is in communication with the second gas cylinder (7), the second gas cylinder (7) is filled with nitrogen or inert gas, the sidewall of the sleeve (2) is connected with the suction pipe (8), the other end of the suction pipe (8) is in communication with the air inlet of the dust removal device (5), and the suction pipe (8) is in communication with the inner cavity of the sleeve (2).

2. A high-quality and high-efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that The nozzle body (1) is a coaxial nozzle.

3. A high-quality and high-efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that The outer wall of the sleeve (2) is in a cylindrical structure.

4. A high-quality and high-efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that The nozzle body (1) is made of brass or stainless steel, and the internal channel is subjected to polishing treatment.

5. A high-quality and high-efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary device according to claim 4, characterized in that The sleeve (2) is made of brass or stainless steel.

6. A high quality and high efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that The first valve (3) is an electromagnetic valve.

7. A high-quality and high-efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary device according to claim 6, characterized in that The second valve (4) is an electromagnetic valve.

8. A high-quality and high-efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary device according to claim 7, characterized in that The dust removal device (5) is a smoke purifier.

9. A high quality and high efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling auxiliary equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that The device is further provided with a controller, and the signal output ends of the controller are connected with the first valve (3), the second valve (4), the dust removal device (5) and the laser respectively.

10. The method of using a high quality and high efficiency ultrafast laser clean drilling assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein The use method is as follows: I. According to the type and thickness of the processed material, the sleeve (2) is manually rotated so that the bottom end of the sleeve (2) reaches the expected distance from the surface of the workpiece and the bottom end of the sleeve (2) is lower than the bottom end of the nozzle body (1), and then the locking nuts (9) are manually rotated to be tightly screwed on the outer wall of the nozzle body (1) to fix the sleeve (2); the bottom end of the sleeve (2) reaches the expected distance from the surface of the workpiece, which is 0.5mm-15mm; II. The processing parameters are set in the control system, the first stage adopts a higher laser power, specifically 5W-30W, the second valve (4) is closed, the first valve (3) is opened to input compressed air into the nozzle body (1), the air pressure is set to 0.1MPa-0.6MPa, the oxygen in the air is used to accelerate the drilling process, the dust removal device (5) is started at the same time, the negative pressure is-0.02MPa--0.08MPa, the processing diameter is 60%-90% of the required diameter, and the processing of the through hole is completed. III. The second stage uses a lower laser power, which is 30%~80% of the first stage, and the processing time is 80%~120% of the first stage; at the same time, the first valve (3) is closed, the second valve (4) is opened to input nitrogen or inert gas into the nozzle body (1) to inhibit oxidation and improve drilling quality, the gas pressure is set to 0.1MPa~0.4MPa; at the same time, the dust removal equipment (5) is started, the negative pressure is-0.01MPa~-0.05MPa, the processing diameter is the required diameter, and the processing of the through hole is completed; IV. After the processing is completed, the laser is turned off, the nitrogen or inert gas continues to be input, and the dust removal equipment (5) is operated for 1s~2s, and then the dust removal equipment (5) and the second valve (4) are closed.

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