Gas supply device for laser welding device

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention is a gas supply device (12) for blowing away welding fume generated at a plurality of continuous welding points (W) in the longitudinal direction in a laser welding device for joining elongated members through the welding points. The gas supply device is provided with: a plurality of gas nozzles (26) each having at least one injection hole, the gas nozzles (26) being disposed such that the injection hole approaches any one of the plurality of welding processing points; a gas supply source (28) for supplying gas to the gas nozzle; and a gas supply path (30) connecting the gas supply source and the gas nozzle. The at least one injection hole of each gas nozzle is disposed in a flat shape and is disposed so as to be able to inject toward at least a plurality of welding processing points adjacent to each other among the plurality of welding processing points, and the plurality of gas nozzles are continuously disposed along the series of continuous plurality of welding processing points.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a gas supply device for a laser welding apparatus. More specifically, it relates to a gas supply device for dispersing welding fumes generated at the welding points in a laser welding apparatus where a long strip-shaped component is joined by a series of consecutive welding points along a long strip direction. Background Technology

[0002] In typical automobiles and other vehicles, a large number of sheet metal components are used as body structural members, often formed by welding these components together. For example, bumper reinforcements that make up the front and rear bumpers of a car are sometimes joined together by laser welding.

[0003] Laser welding is performed by irradiating the welding points of the workpieces to be joined with a laser. During the laser welding process, welding fumes are generated when the laser is irradiated onto the workpieces. Therefore, there is a problem that the welding fumes reduce the laser energy and decrease the quality of the weld.

[0004] As a countermeasure to this problem, in the past, air was blown from the laser irradiation device toward the welding point to suppress the degradation of the welding point quality. Summary of the Invention

[0005] When air is blown from a laser irradiation device toward the welding point, turbulence and fluctuations in airflow near the welding point can sometimes occur due to the presence of a fixture holding the workpiece in place, thus affecting the joint quality. In the laser welding apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-168318, the air nozzle is not mounted on the laser irradiation device, but rather on a pressure fixture that can move up and down independently of the laser irradiation device. Air is delivered from the air nozzle to guide the weld spatter toward the suction nozzle. When applying the technology of this publication to counteract welding fumes, it is difficult to accurately and efficiently disperse the welding fumes generated at the welding points when joining long, strip-shaped components such as bumper reinforcements through a series of consecutive laser welding points along the strip's length. In particular, it is unsuitable for laser welding the side surfaces along the strip's length of long, strip-shaped components such as bumper reinforcements. It is desirable to reliably, accurately, and efficiently disperse the welding fumes generated at the welding points during laser welding of long, strip-shaped components, thereby achieving laser welding with good joint quality.

[0006] One aspect of this technology is a gas supply device for dispersing welding fumes generated at welding points in a laser welding apparatus where a long strip-shaped component is joined by a series of consecutive welding points along a long strip direction. The device comprises: a plurality of gas nozzles, each having at least one blowhole, configured such that the blowhole is close to any one of the plurality of welding points; a gas supply source for supplying gas to the gas nozzles; and a gas supply path connecting the gas supply source and the gas nozzles. The at least one blowhole of each gas nozzle is configured in a flat shape and is capable of blowing towards at least a plurality of adjacent welding points. The plurality of gas nozzles are continuously arranged along the series of consecutive welding points.

[0007] According to the embodiment, the aforementioned series of consecutive welding points in the elongated direction are set on the side of the elongated component in the elongated direction.

[0008] According to the embodiment, the gas nozzle is formed into a shape that widens from the gas supply path toward the welding point, and the flat-shaped blow holes are arranged in a straight line, so that the gas is supplied uniformly toward the welding point.

[0009] According to the embodiment, a flow adjustment device is provided in the gas supply path.

[0010] According to the implementation method, the above-mentioned elongated component is a bumper reinforcement.

[0011] According to the implementation method, welding fumes generated at the welding point during laser welding of elongated components can be reliably, accurately, and efficiently dispersed, thereby enabling laser welding with good joint quality. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is an overall perspective view obtained by observing the air supply device of the laser welding apparatus used in the laser welding of the bumper reinforcement as one embodiment, viewed from above.

[0013] Figure 2 From Figure 1 The laser welding device shown is represented in a three-dimensional view, omitting the bumper reinforcement.

[0014] Figure 3 This diagram shows a series of welding points located on the side of a bumper reinforcement in one embodiment, and a plurality of air nozzles arranged accordingly.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an air nozzle as a single unit, representing one implementation method. Detailed Implementation

[0016] [Air supply system for laser welding equipment]

[0017] The embodiments will now be described based on the accompanying drawings. The air supply device 12 of the laser welding apparatus 10 can be applied, for example, to laser welding of long, strip-shaped components such as bumper reinforcements 14. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, terms referring to directions such as up and down in the illustrations refer to the directions within the figures themselves.

[0018] Figure 1 The bumper reinforcement 14, which is a long strip-shaped component, is shown being secured by the support clamp 16. Figure 2 This shows the state before the bumper reinforcement 14 is installed. Furthermore, in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The diagram of the laser irradiation equipment is omitted. The laser irradiation equipment is configured to face the direction described later. Figure 3 The welding point W shown is irradiated.

[0019] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the laser welding device 10 is mounted on the base machine 18. The bumper reinforcement 14 is an elongated component, therefore the base machine 18 is configured to be an elongated shape capable of accommodating the size of the bumper reinforcement 14.

[0020] To secure the bumper reinforcement 14, the support clamp 16 can be composed of multiple support members 20, 22, and 24 arranged along the longitudinal direction on the base machine 18. Firstly, at least one support member 20 can be positioned at both ends along the longitudinal direction to restrict the placement of the bumper reinforcement 14 at both ends along the longitudinal direction. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Upon observation, the position of the left end of the bumper reinforcement 14 is limited by the support member 20L located at the left end, and the position of the right end of the bumper reinforcement 14 is limited by the support member 20R located at the right end.

[0021] In addition, to support the two sides of the bumper reinforcement 14 along its long side, at least one support member 22 can be provided to hold the components of the bumper reinforcement 14 vertically in the thickness direction to support the sides. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Observation shows that the left side of the bumper reinforcement 14 is supported by the support member 22L located on the left side, and the right side of the bumper reinforcement 14 is supported by the support member 22R located on the right side. Furthermore, the side support member 22 can be composed of a support member U located above and a support member D located below, and the bumper reinforcement 14 is clamped and supported by the two support members U and D.

[0022] Furthermore, at least one support member 24 can be provided to support the central portion of the bumper reinforcement 14 along its long side. For example, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, three support members 24A, 24B, and 24C can be arranged at equal intervals. Similar to the side support member 22 described above, each of the support members 24A, 24B, and 24C can also be composed of a support member U arranged above and a support member D arranged below, which grips and supports the central part of the long side of the bumper reinforcement member 14 from above and below in the thickness direction.

[0023] [Location of welding points]

[0024] like Figure 3 As shown, in a specific embodiment, the welding point W is set on the side of the bumper reinforcement 14 (e.g., the position indicated by the circle). Only the welding point W set on one side of the bumper reinforcement 14 is shown in the figure, but the welding point W can also be set on the opposite side. Furthermore, a series of multiple welding points W can be continuously set at equal intervals along the elongated direction of the bumper reinforcement 14.

[0025] [Air supply device]

[0026] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the air supply device 12 consists of an air nozzle 26, an air supply source 28, and an air supply path 30. In addition, a flow rate adjustment device 32 is provided in the air supply path 30.

[0027] [Air nozzle]

[0028] like Figure 3 As shown, the air nozzle 26 is positioned near the air jet hole 34, close to the welding point W of the bumper reinforcement 14. Figure 4 A single-unit view of the air nozzle 26 is shown. Each air nozzle 26 has a plurality of air jet holes 34 configured in a flat shape, specifically arranged in a straight line. Moreover, the flat arrangement of the air nozzles 26 with the air jet holes 34 is aligned with the arrangement of the welding points W.

[0029] As one implementation method, such as Figure 4 As shown, the air nozzle 26 can be shaped as an approximate semicircle, trapezoid, or triangle that widens from the base 38 connected to the air supply path 30 (described later) toward the welding point W. That is, the overall three-dimensional shape of the air nozzle 26 is also shaped as a flat shape, similar to the configuration shape of the air jet hole 34.

[0030] As one implementation method, such as Figure 3As shown, the air nozzle 26 can be configured to cover three adjacent welding points W in a series of arranged welding points. For example, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, 11 air nozzles 26 can cover 33 welding points W on one side.

[0031] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the air nozzles 26 are supported on the base machine 18 by air nozzle support members 36. The air nozzles 26 at both ends of the long side are supported by one air nozzle support member 36A, and the other air nozzles 26 located in the central position are supported by one air nozzle support member 36B in units of three air nozzles 26.

[0032] [Air supply source and air supply path]

[0033] Next, based on Figure 1 and Figure 2 The air supply source 28 and the air supply path 30 will be described. The air supply source 28 is a storage container or generation source of air supplied to the welding point W, such as an air canister. As another embodiment, the gas supplied to the welding point W may be a gas other than air. In this case, the supply source is, for example, an air canister.

[0034] Air supply path 30 is an air distribution path that supplies air from air supply source 28 to blow air from air nozzles 26 to welding point W. This air distribution path is formed, for example, by a pipeline. The pipeline of air supply path 30 first branches from air supply source 28 into three pipelines 30A, 30B, and 30C. The three pipelines 30A, 30B, and 30C are respectively connected to a common distribution pipeline 30D. Then, air is supplied to each air nozzle 26 from the common distribution pipeline 30D through a distribution pipeline 30E. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the common distribution pipeline 30D is set up by dividing the three pipelines 30A, 30B, and 30C as units.

[0035] Furthermore, the three pipes 30A, 30B, and 30C in the air supply line 30, which are connected to the common piping line 30D, are arranged at appropriate intervals. As a result, the air pressure supplied from the air supply source 28 to the common piping line 30D becomes uniform.

[0036] In addition, in this embodiment, flow adjustment devices 32 are respectively provided in the three pipes 30A, 30B, and 30C in the air supply line 30. The flow adjustment devices 32 use screws or the like to make the cross-sectional area of ​​the air flow path variable, thereby adjusting the flow rate of the air supplied to the common piping line 30D.

[0037] [Laser welding process]

[0038] In order to perform laser welding on the bumper reinforcement 14, firstly, the bumper reinforcement 14 is placed on the support fixture 16 ( Figure 1 Specifically, the two ends, two sides, and the center of the bumper reinforcement 14 are supported in fixed positions by corresponding support members 24. In particular, the two sides and the center are supported by the support member U located in the upper position and the support member D located in the lower position clamping the bumper reinforcement 14.

[0039] With the bumper reinforcement 14 positioned in the support fixture 16, welding is performed by irradiating the welding points W of the bumper reinforcement 14 with a laser using a laser irradiation device (not shown). The welding points W are, for example,... Figure 3 The position indicated by the middle circle is the side position of the bumper reinforcement 14 along its long side. In this embodiment, the welding points W are set on both sides along the long side.

[0040] When a laser is irradiated onto the welding point W, welding fumes are generated. As described in the background art, the drawback of these welding fumes is that they reduce the laser energy and decrease the joint quality. However, in this embodiment, the blowhole 34 of the air nozzle 26 that blows air to the welding point W is positioned close to the welding point W, thus ensuring reliable and accurate air delivery to the welding point W and efficiently dispersing the welding fumes. As a result, good and stable welding quality is achieved.

[0041] Furthermore, by using the blow hole 34 of one air nozzle 26 to cover three welding points W, the number of air nozzles 26 can be reduced when a series of continuous welding points W are set in the long strip direction, such as in a long strip-shaped component, thereby simplifying the structure of the air supply device 12.

[0042] A flow adjustment device 32 is provided in the air supply path 30, so that the flow rate of the air supplied to each air nozzle 26 can be adjusted to an appropriate and uniform amount.

[0043] The air nozzle 26 is formed in a shape that widens in the direction from the air supply path 30 toward the welding point W, so that multiple nozzles (e.g., ...) can be covered by one air nozzle 26. Figure 3 The three welding points shown in the figure are used to disperse the welding fumes.

[0044] The air nozzles 26, configured in a flat shape, have blow holes 34 arranged in a straight line, thus enabling uniform air delivery to multiple welding points W. As a result, high-precision joints can be achieved.

[0045] The air nozzle 26 is shaped like an approximate triangle that widens toward the welding point W, thus allowing air to be smoothly supplied to the blow hole 34 of the air nozzle 26 and reliably dispersing the welding fumes generated at the welding point W.

[0046] [Other implementation methods]

[0047] In the above embodiment, a flow adjustment device 32 is provided in the air supply path 30 connecting the air supply source 28 and the air nozzle 26, but it is not necessary to provide a flow adjustment device 32.

[0048] In addition, in the above embodiment, the number of welding points W covered by one air nozzle 26 is 3, but in other embodiments, multiple welding points W (e.g., 2 or 4) may be covered.

[0049] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the welding point W is located on the side of the bumper reinforcement 14 along its long side. However, in other embodiments, it can be located at other positions. For example, it can be located on the upper or lower surface of the bumper reinforcement 14.

[0050] In addition, in the above embodiment, the long strip component is the bumper reinforcement 14, but in other embodiments, it may be other long strip-shaped steel plate components.

[0051] [Beneficial Effects]

[0052] Finally, the advantages of the above-described implementation methods are summarized.

[0053] In the case of elongated components, a large number of continuous welding points are arranged along the length of the component. Therefore, the air supply device for dispersing the welding fumes generated at the welding points during laser welding is usually a complex structure. However, in the above embodiment, an air nozzle with a flat air nozzle is used to blow air towards at least a plurality of adjacent welding points. Therefore, the number of air nozzles can be reduced compared to the number of welding points. Thus, even with a large number of welding points, the air supply device can be simplified.

[0054] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the air nozzle's blowhole is positioned close to the welding point, thus accurately and efficiently dispersing the welding fumes generated at the laser welding point. As a result, laser welding with good joint quality can be performed on long, strip-shaped components that were previously difficult to weld.

[0055] According to the embodiment, a series of consecutive welding points are set on the side of the elongated member in the elongated direction. This ensures a strong bond between the elongated members. In particular, when the welding points are set on both sides of the elongated member, the bond strength is further strengthened.

[0056] According to the embodiment, the air nozzle is formed into a shape that widens from the air supply path toward the welding point. This allows it to cover a large number of welding points and disperse welding fumes.

[0057] According to the embodiment, the blow holes of the flat-shaped air nozzle are arranged in a straight line. This allows for uniform air delivery to multiple welding points. As a result, high-precision joints can be achieved.

[0058] According to the embodiment, a flow rate adjustment device is provided in the air supply path. This allows the flow rate of the air supplied to the air nozzle to be adjusted to an appropriate amount.

[0059] According to the embodiment, the elongated component is a bumper reinforcement. This allows for laser welding of the bumper reinforcement with high precision.

[0060] The above describes specific implementation methods, but the technology is not limited to these implementation methods. Those skilled in the art can implement various changes, substitutions, and improvements.

Claims

1. A gas supply device for a laser welding apparatus, comprising a gas supply device for dispersing welding fumes generated at the welding points of a laser welding apparatus in which a long strip-shaped component is joined by a series of consecutive welding points along a longitudinal direction, characterized in that, have: Multiple gas nozzles, each having at least one blow hole, are configured such that the blow hole is close to any one of the multiple welding points; A gas supply source supplies gas to the gas nozzle; as well as A gas supply path connects the gas supply source and the gas nozzle. The at least one blow hole of each gas nozzle is configured in a flat shape and is configured to blow towards at least a plurality of adjacent welding points among the plurality of welding points, the plurality of gas nozzles being continuously arranged along the series of consecutive plurality of welding points.

2. The gas supply device of the laser welding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The series of multiple welding points along the elongated direction are set on the side of the elongated component along the elongated direction.

3. The gas supply device of the laser welding apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The gas nozzle is formed in a shape that widens from the gas supply path toward the welding point, and the flat-shaped blow holes are arranged in a straight line so that the gas is supplied evenly toward the welding point.

4. The gas supply device of the laser welding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, A flow adjustment device is provided in the gas supply line.

5. The gas supply device of the laser welding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The elongated component is a bumper reinforcement.

Images