Self-cleaning laser processing head and laser processing equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of laser processing devices, in particular to a laser processing head capable of achieving self-cleaning and laser processing equipment. The laser processing head comprises a vertical base plate, the vertical base plate is connected with a lens cone through a connecting base, the lower end of the lens cone is connected with a conical head, and the side face of the conical head is provided with an air inlet hole and connected with an air inlet pipe through a connector. The conical head comprises a sleeve connected with the lower end of the lens barrel, the air inlet hole is formed in the sleeve, the sleeve is rotationally connected with a rotary air guide part, the rotary air guide part comprises a conical part located at the lower end and a rotary part located at the upper end, the rotary part is provided with an air rotation structure, and when airflow passes through the rotary part, the rotary part rotates relative to the sleeve; the lower end of the vertical base plate is connected with a cleaning unit, and the cleaning unit is provided with a cleaning part abutting against the conical part. The structure of the conical head is improved, so that the conical head can rotate under airflow, and the lower end of the conical head can be kept clean with the assistance of the cleaning unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of laser processing equipment technology, and in particular to a self-cleaning laser processing head and laser processing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, small and medium-sized laser processing equipment generally consists of a laser processing head, a laser emitter, a laser reflection system, and a moving drive mechanism. The laser emitted by the laser emitter is projected onto the laser processing head through the laser reflection system, and the laser processing head moves under the drive of the moving drive mechanism. Since the working principle of laser is to induce vaporization, melting, or combustion on the surface of the workpiece by injecting high energy in a small area for a short time, a large number of solid particles are easily generated during this process. These particles float near the laser nozzle at the lower end of the laser processing head and tend to accumulate and adhere to the surface of the laser nozzle. Over time, this accumulation can clog the outlet of the laser nozzle, requiring regular cleaning or replacement. However, both cleaning and replacement require disassembly and reassembly of the laser nozzle, which is a cumbersome process and causes inconvenience to users. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing a self-cleaning laser processing head and laser processing equipment.

[0004] One aspect of the present invention provides a laser processing head having a cleaning mechanism that automatically cleans the lower end face of the laser nozzle during operation to prevent solid particles from focusing and affecting subsequent laser processing.

[0005] Another invention provides a laser processing device having the aforementioned laser processing head, which facilitates laser processing and avoids the need for periodic disassembly and reassembly of the laser nozzle.

[0006] A self-cleaning laser processing head, comprising: A vertical substrate is connected to a lens barrel via a connector. A cone is connected to the lower end of the lens barrel. An air inlet is provided on the side of the cone and an air inlet pipe is connected to it via a connector. The cone head includes a sleeve connected to the lower end of the lens barrel, an air inlet is provided in the sleeve, and a rotating air guide is rotatably connected to the sleeve. The rotating air guide includes a cone-shaped part at the lower end and a rotating part at the upper end. The rotating part is provided with a wind-rotation structure. When airflow passes through the rotating part, the rotating part rotates relative to the sleeve. The lower end of the vertical substrate is connected to a cleaning unit, which has a cleaning part that abuts against the conical part.

[0007] Furthermore, the rotating part includes a rotating ring, and a plurality of blades are provided in the middle of the side of the rotating ring. The root of the blades is located on the side of the rotating ring, and the blades extend inward. When the blades are planar, the normal direction of the blades intersects with the airflow direction to form an angle, which is an acute angle or a right angle. When the blades are arc-shaped, the normal direction of each point on the blades intersects with the airflow direction to form an angle, which is also an acute angle.

[0008] Furthermore, the axis of the air intake is offset from the axis of the cone.

[0009] Preferably, the angle between the axis of the air inlet and the surface of the blade is at most 90 degrees.

[0010] Furthermore, the upper end of the sleeve is sleeved with the lens barrel, and the connection is either mating or interference fit.

[0011] Furthermore, the lower side of the sleeve is provided with multiple through holes, and a ball and a positioning rod are provided in the through holes. The upper end of the tapered part is provided with an annular upper groove, which is adapted to the ball. One end of the ball enters the upper groove and abuts against the bottom surface of the upper groove, and the other end of the ball abuts against or is adjacent to the positioning rod.

[0012] Preferably, the positioning rod has an external thread, the through hole has an internal thread, and the positioning rod is threadedly connected to the sleeve.

[0013] More preferably, a spring is provided between the positioning rod and the ball.

[0014] Furthermore, the cleaning unit includes a connecting rod, with a brush connected to the front end of the connecting rod. The connecting rod is L-shaped, and the lower end of the vertical base plate is provided with an insertion hole that matches the connecting rod. The upper end of the connecting rod is inserted into the vertical base plate.

[0015] A laser processing device includes an XY moving mechanism and an air compressor. The XY moving mechanism is connected to the laser processing head described above, and the air compressor is connected to an air inlet pipe.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: By improving the cone structure, the present invention enables the cone to rotate under airflow, and with the assistance of a cleaning unit, the lower end of the cone can be kept clean. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of one structure of the laser processing head in this embodiment.

[0018] Figure 2 This is an exploded structural diagram of the laser processing head in this embodiment.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of one structure of the cone head in this embodiment.

[0020] Figure 4This is an exploded structural diagram of the cone head in this embodiment.

[0021] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the cone head in this embodiment.

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the laser processing equipment in this embodiment.

[0023] Figure label: 1 – Vertical substrate; 2 – Cleaning unit; 3 – Lens barrel; 5 – Conical head; 6 – Positioning rod; 7 – Ball bearing; 8 – Connector; 9 – Connecting seat; 10 – Laser processing head; 21—Connecting rod; 22—Brush; 51—Sleeve; 511—Air inlet; 512—Through hole; 513—Folded edge; 52—Rotating air guide; 521—Rotating part; 5211—Blade; 522—Conical part; 5221—Upper groove. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To make the technical problems, technical solutions, and beneficial effects to be solved by this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0025] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on or indirectly on that other component. When a component is referred to as being "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to or indirectly connected to that other component.

[0026] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0027] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0028] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figures 1 to 4 As shown.

[0029] Example 1: See Figure 1 , Figure 2 A self-cleaning laser processing head 10 includes: a vertical base plate 1, a lens barrel 3 connected to the vertical base plate 1 via a connecting seat 9, a cone head 5 connected to the lower end of the lens barrel 3, an air inlet 511 provided on the side of the cone head 5 and an air inlet pipe connected to a connector 8; the cone head 5 includes a sleeve 5 connected to the lower end of the lens barrel 3, the air inlet 511 is provided in the sleeve 5, the sleeve 5 is rotatably connected to a rotating air guide 52, the rotating air guide 52 includes a cone-shaped part 522 located at the lower end and a rotating part 521 located at the upper end, the rotating part 521 is provided with a wind rotation structure, when airflow passes through the rotating part 521, the rotating part 521 rotates relative to the sleeve 5; the lower end of the vertical base plate 1 is connected to a cleaning unit 2, the cleaning unit 2 is provided with a cleaning part that abuts against the cone part 522.

[0030] This technical solution improves upon the existing cone head 5, which includes a sleeve 5 and a conical part 522. The conical part 522 guides airflow and transmits light. This technical solution divides the cone head 5 into two rotatable components: the sleeve 5 and the rotating air guide 52. The upper end of the rotating air guide 52 is provided with a rotating part 521. When airflow enters the cone head 5 from the air inlet 511 of the sleeve 5, the airflow flows through the rotating part 521 and drives the rotating part 521 to rotate. The rotating part 521 drives the conical part 522 located at the lower end to rotate. Since the cleaning part of the cleaning unit 2 abuts against the conical part 522, the cleaning part continuously cleans the conical part 522 during the rotation process, especially the area around the conical opening.

[0031] The cleaning unit 2 can be a brush 22, with bristles forming the cleaning part and abutting against the conical part 522. Considering the very high temperature of laser processing, the bristles of the brush 22 need to be made of high-temperature resistant materials, such as metal bristles. The cleaning unit 2 can also be a cleaning rod, with the end of the cleaning rod abutting against the conical part 522. When the conical part 522 rotates, the end of the cleaning rod acts as a scraper, scraping along the surface of the conical part 522.

[0032] Secondly, the upper end diameter of the sleeve 5 matches the lower end of the lens tube, and the lower end diameter of the sleeve 5 matches the upper end of the tapered part 522. When the outer diameter of the upper end of the tapered part 522 is small, an annular flange 513 can be provided at the lower end of the sleeve 5. The inner diameter of the flange 513 is equal to or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the upper end of the tapered part 522.

[0033] See Figure 2The rotating part 521 includes a rotating ring, and a plurality of blades 5211 are provided on the middle of the side of the rotating ring. The root of the blades 5211 is located on the side of the rotating ring. The blades 5211 extend inward. When the blades 5211 are planar, the normal direction of the blades 5211 intersects the airflow direction to form an angle, which is an acute angle or a right angle. When the blades 5211 are arc-shaped, the normal direction of each point on the blades 5211 intersects the airflow direction to form an angle, which is also an acute angle.

[0034] The rotating part 521 adopts a rotating ring structure. The center of the rotating ring is hollow to allow the laser to pass through. Blades 5211 are arranged on the center of the side of the rotating ring, so that when the airflow passes over the blades 5211, it generates a thrust on the blades 5211, causing the blades 5211 and the rotating ring to rotate. In this embodiment, all blades 5211 extend inward, forming airflow channels between them. The airflow enters the interior of the rotating ring through these channels and then flows out from the opening of the conical part 522. During the flow, because the airflow direction forms an angle with the normal direction of the point on the blade 5211, the impact force of the airflow on the blade 5211 is divided into two parts: one part is parallel to the tangent direction of the point on the blade 5211, and the other part is in the normal direction. The force in the normal direction will drive the rotating part 521 to rotate.

[0035] See Figure 3 , Figure 4 The axis of the air inlet 511 is offset from the axis of the cone head 5.

[0036] Currently, the axis of the air inlet 511 generally intersects with the axis of the cone 5, that is, the axis of the air inlet 511 passes through the center of the cone 5, which makes the airflow directly face the center of the cone 5. In this embodiment, a staggered setting is adopted, which will make the air inlet 511 eccentrically set. The airflow coming in from the air inlet 511 will impact one side of the center of the cone 5, or the amount from one side of the center of the cone 5 will be greater than the amount from the other side. The rotating part 521 is subjected to the impact force of the airflow, which forms an eccentric force, which will drive the rotating part 521 to rotate.

[0037] Preferably, the angle between the axis of the air inlet 511 and the surface of the blade 5211 is at most 90 degrees.

[0038] When the air inlet 511 is tilted, that is, not directly opposite the center of the cone 5, the airflow impacts the surface of the blade 5211. In order to obtain the maximum component force, the axis of the air inlet 511 can be directly perpendicular to the surface of the blade 5211.

[0039] See Figure 1 , Figure 2 The upper end of the sleeve 5 is sleeved with the lens barrel 3 and is connected by fitting or interference fit.

[0040] When the upper end of the sleeve 5 is connected to the lens barrel 3, it can be sleeved, with the sleeve fitted over the lower end of the lens barrel 3; and the connection can be either mating or interference fit.

[0041] Secondly, the sleeve 5 can be connected to the lower end of the lens barrel 3 by a threaded connection. The upper end of the sleeve 5 has an internal thread, and the lower end of the lens barrel 3 has an external thread. The lower end of the lens barrel 3 has an enlarged section with an increased inner diameter, forming a step with the upper end. The upper end of the enlarged section has an internal thread, and the condenser lens is threaded to the upper end of the enlarged section. The condenser lens includes an annular fixed shell and a lens in the middle. The annular fixed shell has an external thread. These are all existing technologies and will not be described in detail here.

[0042] See Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 as well as Figure 5 The lower side of the sleeve 5 is provided with multiple through holes 512, and the through holes 512 contain a ball 7 and a positioning rod 6. The upper end of the tapered part 522 is provided with an annular upper groove 5221, which is adapted to the ball 7. One end of the ball 7 enters the upper groove 5221 and abuts against the bottom surface of the upper groove 5221, while the other end of the ball 7 abuts against or is adjacent to the positioning rod 6.

[0043] To facilitate the rotation of the tapered portion 522 relative to the sleeve 5 while maintaining a constant relative height, this embodiment employs a ball bearing 7 snap-fit ​​connection. During installation, the tapered portion 522 is fitted onto the sleeve 5; then, the ball bearing 7 is inserted into the through hole 512, and under the push of the positioning rod 6, part of it enters the upper groove 5221, while the other part remains within the through hole 512. The positioning rod 6 and the sleeve 5 can be inserted and fitted together. The two ends of the ball bearing 7 are respectively located within the upper groove 5221 and the through hole 512, thus enabling the sleeve 5 to snap-fit ​​onto the tapered portion 522, while simultaneously allowing the tapered portion 522 to rotate relative to the sleeve 5.

[0044] To prevent the tapered part 522 from shaking during rotation, the upper groove 5221 is tightly fitted with the ball 7. The cross-section of the upper groove 5221 can be semi-circular or spherical. The side of the ball 7 fits against it. When the tapered part 522 rotates relative to it, the ball 7 rolls. The coefficient of friction between the tapered part 522 and the sleeve 5 is very small.

[0045] See Figure 5 The positioning rod 6 is provided with external threads, and the through hole 512 is provided with internal threads. The positioning rod 6 is threadedly connected to the sleeve 5.

[0046] In practical implementation, the positioning rod 6 is made of screws or bolts. The positioning rod 6 is screwed in or out by rotating the positioning rod 6. It can be understood that in order to facilitate the entry of the ball 7, the diameter of the through hole 512 can be slightly larger than the diameter of the ball 7, such as 0.1mm-1mm larger.

[0047] More preferably, a spring (not shown in the figure) is provided between the positioning rod 6 and the ball 7.

[0048] By incorporating a spring, the pressure between the ball bearing 7 and the bottom surface of the upper groove 5221 can be improved, thereby increasing the friction between the ball bearing 7 and the conical portion 522, and thus adjusting the rotational speed of the conical portion 522. The pressure and speed of the airflow vary depending on the intensity of the laser processing; therefore, under the same conditions, different airflows will cause different rotational speeds of the conical portion 522 of the cone head 5. Excessive rotational speed will accelerate the wear of the cleaning unit 2 and reduce its service life. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the rotational speed to reduce wear.

[0049] Secondly, to avoid friction between the spring and the ball 7 during operation, which could lead to spring wear and changes in spring force, a ball bearing seat can be provided between the spring and the ball 7. One side of the ball bearing seat has a recessed hole that mates with the ball 7. This recessed hole can mate with a groove to form a spherical hole that also mates with the ball 7. In practical applications, both the recessed hole and the groove can be hemispherical. During operation, the groove can be coated with lubricating oil to reduce the coefficient of friction and facilitate the rolling of the ball 7.

[0050] See Figure 1 , Figure 2 The cleaning unit 2 includes a connecting rod 21, with a brush 22 connected to the front end of the connecting rod 21. The connecting rod 21 is L-shaped. The lower end of the vertical base plate 1 is provided with an insertion hole that matches the connecting rod 21, and the upper end of the connecting rod 21 is inserted into the vertical base plate 1.

[0051] In this embodiment, the cleaning unit 2 is set as the most basic brush 22 structure. During operation, the conical part 522 rotates, and the brush 22 abuts against the conical part 522, thereby achieving the purpose of cleaning the lower end of the conical part 522. The brush 22 is the cleaning part. Secondly, the brush 22 includes a central rod and bristles located on the side of the rod. The rod and the connecting rod 21 can be connected by a sleeve, such as: a connecting tube is provided between the connecting rod 21 and the rod, and both the connecting rod 21 and the rod are inserted into the connecting tube; or: the end of the connecting rod 21 or the end of the rod has an insertion hole, and the connecting rod 21 is inserted into the rod. The brush 22 is replaceable for convenient use.

[0052] Example 2: See Figure 6 A laser processing device includes an XY moving mechanism and an air compressor. The XY moving mechanism is connected to the laser processing head 10 described above, and the air compressor is connected to the air inlet pipe.

[0053] The XY moving mechanism is a horizontal and vertical moving mechanism, which can be existing technology, used to drive the laser processing head 10 to move horizontally and vertically. An air compressor supplies air to the intake pipe; if necessary, a control valve can be installed on the intake pipe to control the air intake volume. These are all existing technologies and will not be elaborated further.

[0054] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, there will be changes in the specific implementation and application scope based on the ideas of the present invention. The content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

Claims

1. A self-cleaning laser processing head, comprising: A vertical substrate is connected to a lens barrel via a connector. A cone is connected to the lower end of the lens barrel. An air inlet is provided on the side of the cone and an air inlet pipe is connected to it via a connector. Its features are: The cone head includes a sleeve connected to the lower end of the lens barrel, an air inlet is provided in the sleeve, and a rotating air guide is rotatably connected to the sleeve. The rotating air guide includes a cone-shaped part at the lower end and a rotating part at the upper end. The rotating part is provided with a wind-rotation structure. When airflow passes through the rotating part, the rotating part rotates relative to the sleeve. The lower end of the vertical substrate is connected to a cleaning unit, which has a cleaning part that abuts against the conical part.

2. The self-cleaning laser processing head according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating part includes a rotating ring, and multiple blades are provided in the middle of the side of the rotating ring. The root of the blade is located on the side of the rotating ring and the blade extends inward. When the blade is flat, the normal direction of the blade intersects with the airflow direction to form an angle, which is an acute angle or a right angle. When the blade is arc-shaped, the normal direction of each point on the blade intersects with the airflow direction to form an angle, which is an acute angle.

3. The self-cleaning laser processing head according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The axis of the air inlet is offset from the axis of the cone.

4. The self-cleaning laser processing head according to claim 3, characterized in that: The maximum angle between the axis of the air intake and the surface of the blade is 90 degrees.

5. The self-cleaning laser processing head according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper end of the sleeve is sleeved with the end of the endoscope tube and is either fitted or interference-fitted.

6. The self-cleaning laser processing head according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower side of the sleeve is provided with multiple through holes, and a ball and a positioning rod are placed inside the through holes. The upper end of the tapered part is provided with an annular upper groove, which is adapted to the ball. One end of the ball enters the upper groove and abuts against the bottom surface of the upper groove, while the other end of the ball abuts against or is adjacent to the positioning rod.

7. The self-cleaning laser processing head according to claim 6, characterized in that: The positioning rod has an external thread, the through hole has an internal thread, and the positioning rod is threadedly connected to the sleeve.

8. The self-cleaning laser processing head according to claim 7, characterized in that: A spring is provided between the positioning rod and the ball bearing.

9. The self-cleaning laser processing head according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning unit includes a connecting rod with a brush attached to its front end. The connecting rod is L-shaped. The lower end of the vertical base plate has an insertion hole that matches the connecting rod, and the upper end of the connecting rod is inserted into the vertical base plate.

10. A laser processing device, comprising an XY moving mechanism and an air compressor, characterized in that: The XY moving mechanism is connected to the laser processing head according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and the air compressor is connected to the air inlet pipe.

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