An apparatus for laser cutting diamonds.

Abstract

This utility model relates to the field of laser cutting technology, specifically to a device for diamond laser cutting, comprising a laser, a mirror assembly, a circular polarizer, a beam expander, and a cutting head; the laser is used to emit linearly polarized laser light; the mirror assembly is used to reflect the linearly polarized laser light emitted by the laser to the circular polarizer; the circular polarizer is fixedly installed and used to convert the incident linearly polarized laser light into circularly polarized laser light; the beam expander is installed on the output path of the circular polarizer and is used to expand the circularly polarized laser beam; the cutting head is installed on the output path of the beam expander, and its central axis forms an adjustable angle with the Z-axis. The cutting head focuses the laser light to form a light cone, which acts on the diamond to achieve cutting.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of laser cutting technology, and in particular to a device for laser cutting diamonds. Background Technology

[0002] Laser cutting of diamonds has mature technologies and products available. The commonly used technical approach is to use a transversely polarized green laser, which, after laser beam expansion and 45-degree reflection, enters the laser cutting head. The cutting head moves back and forth along the X or Y axis, vaporizing the diamond block by marking points along the line. Through appropriate programming, the Z-axis motion system of the fixed cutting head gradually moves downward, thus completing the process of the cutting line moving downward and cutting the diamond block to its facet.

[0003] Because the polarization plane of a polarized laser must be parallel to the cutting motion direction for proper processing, a common practice is to place a half-wavelength polarizer after laser beam expansion. The polarization plane of this half-wavelength polarizer is then rotated by a motor to ensure the polarization direction of the cutting head is parallel or tangential to the motion direction. Chinese patent application number CN202010681057.8, a special device for laser cutting diamond materials, also addresses this issue. This invention patent, due to the requirement that the polarization plane of a polarized laser must be parallel to the cutting motion direction for proper processing, typically involves placing a half-wavelength polarizer after laser beam expansion, and using a motor to rotate the polarization plane of this polarizer to ensure the polarization direction of the cutting head is parallel or tangential to the motion direction. This adjustment process is very cumbersome. When the cutting head performs curved cutting, the polarization direction of the laser emitted from the cutting head needs to constantly change, causing the rotating polarizer to rotate continuously, introducing uncertainties to the optical path stability. Furthermore, the laser beam emitted from the laser cutting head is conical in shape. Typically, the cutting head in the system is vertical, and the effective generatrix of the actual laser energy envelope has an angle with the vertically placed sample, resulting in unstable surface roughness of the cut diamond. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a device for diamond laser cutting, which solves the problems of cumbersome polarization direction adjustment, poor optical path stability and low cutting quality in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides an apparatus for diamond laser cutting, comprising a laser, a mirror assembly, a circular polarizer, a beam expander, and a cutting head; the laser is used to emit linearly polarized laser light; the mirror assembly is used to reflect the linearly polarized laser light emitted by the laser to the circular polarizer; the circular polarizer is fixedly disposed and used to convert the incident linearly polarized laser light into circularly polarized laser light; the beam expander is disposed on the light output path of the circular polarizer and used to expand the circularly polarized laser beam; the cutting head is disposed on the light output path of the beam expander, and its central axis forms an adjustable angle with the Z-axis; the cutting head focuses the laser light to form a light cone for cutting diamonds.

[0006] The device for diamond laser cutting also includes a cutting system, which includes a drive module, a sliding component, and a fixed adapter plate. The drive module is fixedly installed, the sliding component is located at one end of the drive module and can move up and down on one side of the drive module, and the fixed adapter plate is used to connect the sliding component and the cutting head.

[0007] The circular polarizer is a fixed reflective circular polarizer. The horizontally incident linearly polarized laser is reflected by the circular polarizer and the emitted laser is circularly polarized and propagates vertically downward. Any direction of movement of the circularly polarized laser in the XY plane is tangent to the direction of movement of the cutting head.

[0008] The beam expander has a magnification of 8× and is positioned in the optical path between the circular polarizer and the cutting head.

[0009] The cutting head includes a combination lens with an effective focal length of 50mm-150mm, which is used to focus the expanded circularly polarized laser beam into a light cone.

[0010] The angle between the central axis of the cutting head and the Z-axis is 0°-5°, and the generatrix of the light cone is collinear with the central axis of the cutting head.

[0011] Wherein, half of the included angle between the generatrices of the light cone is α, and the included angle between the central axis of the cutting head and the Z-axis is less than α. In this device, when α is 3°, the included angle is 1.3°.

[0012] The cutting head can move in a straight line or curve in the XY plane, the polarization direction of the circularly polarized laser is always tangent to the movement direction of the cutting head, and the effective generatrix of the light cone is perpendicular to the diamond cutting surface.

[0013] Beneficial effects;

[0014] This invention discloses a device for diamond laser cutting. It replaces the traditional half-wave polarizer with a fixed circular polarizer, eliminating the need for motor-driven rotation to adjust the polarization direction. This simplifies the device structure, reduces the number of drive modules, lowers uncertainties in the optical path, and improves optical path stability. It also eliminates the tedious step of adjusting the polarization plane to be parallel or tangent to the cutting direction. The central axis of the cutting head has an adjustable angle with the Z-axis, and this angle is less than half the angle between the generatrices of the laser focusing cone. This ensures that the effective generatrices of the laser energy envelope coincide with the plumb line, enabling the use of a short focal length focusing system. While maintaining a small focal spot, this results in better surface uniformity of the cut diamond, improving product quality. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the device for diamond laser cutting according to this utility model.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a front view of the device for diamond laser cutting according to this utility model.

[0018] 101-Laser, 102-Linearly polarized laser, 103-Reflector, 104-Circularly polarized mirror, 105-Circularly polarized laser, 106-Cutting head, 107-Combined lens, 108-Optical cone, 109-Drive module, 110-Sliding component, 111-Fixed adapter plate, 112-Beam expander. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Please see Figures 1 to 2 ,in, Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of the device for diamond laser cutting according to this utility model. Figure 2 This is a front view of the device for diamond laser cutting according to this utility model.

[0020] This invention provides a device for diamond laser cutting, comprising a laser 101, a set of reflectors 103, a circular polarizer 104, a beam expander 112, and a cutting head 106. The laser 101 emits linearly polarized laser 102. The reflector 103 is at a 45-degree angle to the linearly polarized laser 102, reflecting the linearly polarized laser 102 emitted by the laser 101 to the circular polarizer 104. The circular polarizer 104 is fixedly disposed and converts the incident linearly polarized laser 102 into a circularly polarized laser 105. The beam expander 112 is disposed on the light output path of the circular polarizer 104 and expands the circularly polarized laser 105. The cutting head 106 is disposed on the light output path of the beam expander 112, with its central axis at an adjustable angle to the Z-axis. The cutting head 106 focuses the laser to form a light cone 108 for cutting diamonds.

[0021] In this embodiment, when cutting a diamond using this invention, the diamond is fixed on the worktable, the laser 101 is activated, the laser 101 emits the linearly polarized laser 102, the linearly polarized laser 102 is reflected by the set of reflectors 103 and then incident on the fixed circularly polarized mirror 104, where it is converted into the circularly polarized laser 105 and propagates vertically downward. The circularly polarized laser 105 is expanded sequentially by the beam expander 112 at a magnification of 2×-15× as required, before entering the cutting head 106. The combined lens 107 within the cutting head 106, with an effective focal length of 50mm-150mm, focuses the circularly polarized laser 105 to form the light cone 108. The light cone 108 acts on the diamond facet to be cut, controlling the cutting head 106 to move linearly or curvilinearly in the XY plane. Simultaneously, the cutting system drives the diamond stage to move in coordination, ensuring that the polarization direction of the circularly polarized laser 105 is always tangent to the movement direction of the cutting head 106. The effective generatrix of the light cone 108 is perpendicular to the diamond cutting facet. According to the cutting requirements, the cutting system controls the cutting head 106 to gradually descend along the Z-axis, moving the cutting line downwards until the complete cutting of the diamond from block to facet is achieved. This solves the problems of cumbersome polarization direction adjustment, poor optical path stability, and low cutting quality in existing technologies.

[0022] Furthermore, the device for diamond laser cutting also includes a cutting system, which includes a drive module 109, a sliding component 110, and a fixed adapter plate 111. The drive module 109 is fixedly installed, the sliding component 110 is disposed at one end of the drive module 109, and the sliding component 110 can move up and down on one side of the drive module 109. The fixed adapter plate 111 is used to connect the sliding component 110 and the cutting head 106.

[0023] In this embodiment, the fixed adapter plate 111 is used to connect the cutting head 106 and the sliding component 110. The sliding component 110 is slidably connected to one end of the drive module 109. The drive module 109 is equipped with a motor and a synchronous belt linear module. The motor drives the synchronous belt pulley to rotate, and the synchronous belt moves accordingly. The sliding component 110 is fixed at a specific position on the synchronous belt. The linear movement of the synchronous belt will cause the sliding component 110 to move up and down, and drive the fixed adapter plate 111 and the cutting head 106 to move on the Z-axis.

[0024] Furthermore, the circular polarizer 104 is a fixed reflective circular polarizer 104. After the horizontally incident linearly polarized laser 102 is refracted and reflected by the circular polarizer 104, the emitted laser is a circularly polarized laser 105 with a propagation direction that is vertically downward. Any movement direction of the circularly polarized laser 105 in the XY plane is tangent to the movement direction of the cutting head 106.

[0025] In this embodiment, the circularly polarized laser 105 is tangent to the movement direction of the cutting head 106 in any direction within the XY plane, ensuring that the optical cone 108 can perform the cutting operation normally and effectively when the cutting head 106 moves in a straight line or curve.

[0026] Furthermore, the beam expander 112 has a beam magnification of 8×, and the beam expander 112 is disposed in the optical path between the circular polarizer 104 and the cutting head 106.

[0027] Furthermore, the cutting head 106 includes a combined lens 107, the combined lens 107 having an effective focal length of 50mm-150mm, used to focus the expanded circularly polarized laser 105 to form a light cone 108.

[0028] In this embodiment, the circularly polarized laser 105 enters the beam expander 112 after being emitted. The beam expander 112 has a magnification of 8× to expand the circularly polarized laser 105 and improve the parallelism of the laser beam.

[0029] Furthermore, the angle between the central axis of the cutting head 106 and the Z-axis is 0°-5°, and the generatrix of the light cone 108 is collinear with the central axis of the cutting head 106.

[0030] Furthermore, half of the included angle between the generatrices of the light cone 108 is α, and the included angle between the central axis of the cutting head 106 and the Z-axis is less than α. In this device, when α is 3°, the included angle is 1.3°.

[0031] Furthermore, the cutting head 106 can move in a straight line or curve in the XY plane, the polarization direction of the circularly polarized laser 105 is always tangent to the movement direction of the cutting head 106, and the effective generatrix of the light cone 108 is perpendicular to the diamond cutting surface.

[0032] In this embodiment, the central axis of the cutting head 106 is set with an adjustable angle to the Z-axis, and the angle is less than half of the angle between the generatrices of the laser focusing cone 108. This makes the effective generatrices of the laser energy envelope coincide with the direction of the plumb bob, enabling the use of a short focal length focusing system. While ensuring a small focal spot, this also makes the cut diamond surface have better surface uniformity, thus improving product quality.

[0033] The above-disclosed embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of this application and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application. Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the processes for implementing the above embodiments, and equivalent variations made in accordance with the claims of this application, still fall within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. An apparatus for laser cutting diamonds, characterized in that, The device includes a laser, a mirror assembly, a circular polarizer, a beam expander, and a cutting head. The laser emits linearly polarized laser light. The mirror assembly reflects the linearly polarized laser light emitted by the laser back to the circular polarizer. The circular polarizer is fixedly mounted and converts the incident linearly polarized laser light into circularly polarized laser light. The beam expander is positioned in the output path of the circular polarizer and expands the circularly polarized laser beam. The cutting head is positioned in the output path of the beam expander, with its central axis forming an adjustable angle with the Z-axis. The cutting head focuses the laser light to form a cone for cutting diamonds.

2. The apparatus for diamond laser cutting as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The device for diamond laser cutting also includes a cutting system, which includes a drive module, a sliding component, and a fixed adapter plate. The drive module is fixedly installed, the sliding component is located at one end of the drive module, and the sliding component can move up and down on one side of the drive module. The fixed adapter plate is used to connect the sliding component and the cutting head.

3. The apparatus for diamond laser cutting as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The circular polarizer is a fixed reflective circular polarizer. The horizontally incident linearly polarized laser is reflected by the circular polarizer, and the emitted laser is a circularly polarized laser with a vertical downward propagation direction. Any direction of movement of the circularly polarized laser in the XY plane is tangent to the direction of movement of the cutting head.

4. The apparatus for diamond laser cutting as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The beam expander has a magnification of 8× and is positioned in the optical path between the circular polarizer and the cutting head.

5. The apparatus for diamond laser cutting as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The cutting head includes a combination lens with an effective focal length of 50mm-150mm, used to focus the expanded circularly polarized laser beam into a light cone.

6. The apparatus for diamond laser cutting as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The angle between the central axis of the cutting head and the Z-axis is 0°-5°, and the generatrix of the light cone is collinear with the central axis of the cutting head.

7. The apparatus for diamond laser cutting as described in claim 6, characterized in that, Half of the angle between the generatrices of the light cone is α. The angle between the central axis of the cutting head and the Z-axis is less than α. In this device, when α is 3°, the angle is 1.3°.

8. The apparatus for diamond laser cutting as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The cutting head can move in a straight line or curve in the XY plane, the polarization direction of the circularly polarized laser is always tangent to the movement direction of the cutting head, and the effective generatrix of the light cone is perpendicular to the diamond cutting surface.

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