Sheet metal welding method, machining program generation method, and machining program generation device

Abstract

To improve welding quality even when a plated steel sheet is cut and the cut section is welded.SOLUTION: This sheet metal welding method comprises: acquiring a machining program for cutting out and welding a sheet metal from a base material having a plating layer formed; acquiring a cutting position for cutting the sheet metal from the acquired machining program; identifying a welding cutting position which is a welding cutting position in the acquired cutting position; setting irradiation regions irradiated with laser beams from a laser beam machine 100 on both sides of the identified welding cutting position; irradiating the set irradiation regions with the laser beams to remove the plating layer; irradiating the cutting position with a laser beam to cut out the sheet metal from the base material; and welding the cut-out sheet metal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet metal welding method, a processing program creating method, and a processing program creating device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a laser cutting method for cutting a plated steel sheet with a laser beam. In the laser cutting method disclosed in Patent Document 1, a metal contained in a plating layer is melted by irradiation with a laser beam and made to flow into the cut surface of the plated steel sheet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-69457 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional laser cutting method described above, the molten plating layer-containing metal is caused to flow onto the cut surface. Therefore, when the cut surface into which the plating layer-containing metal has flowed is welded, the welding quality is degraded, and there is room for improvement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A first aspect of one or more embodiments is a method for welding sheet metal, comprising: acquiring a processing program for cutting out a sheet metal from a base material having a plating layer formed thereon and welding the sheet metal; acquiring a cutting position for cutting the sheet metal from the acquired processing program; identifying a welding cut position which is a cutting position for welding from among the acquired cutting positions; setting an irradiation area onto which a laser beam is irradiated from a laser processing machine on both sides of the identified welding cut position; irradiating the set irradiation area with a laser beam to remove the plating layer; irradiating the cutting position with a laser beam to cut out the sheet metal from the base material; and welding the cut-out sheet metal.

[0006] A second aspect of one or more embodiments is a method for creating a processing program, which includes obtaining design data for a product formed from sheet metal cut out from a base material on which a plating layer is formed, identifying a welding edge portion to be welded from among edge portions of the product based on the design data, setting a plating removal area for removing the plating layer adjacent to cut surfaces of multiple pieces of the sheet metal joined at the identified welding edge portion, generating an unfolded view of the sheet metal in which the plating removal area is set, and creating a processing program for cutting out the sheet metal from the base material and welding it based on the generated unfolded view.

[0007] A third aspect of one or more embodiments includes acquiring design data of a product formed of a metal sheet cut out from a base material on which a plating layer is formed, identifying a welding edge portion to be welded from among edge portions of the product based on the design data, setting a plating removal region in contact with cut surfaces of a plurality of the metal sheets joined at the identified welding edge portion to remove the plating layer, generating a development of the metal sheet in which the plating removal region is set, and creating a processing program for cutting out the metal sheet from the base material and welding it based on the generated development. This is a machining program creation device.

[0008] According to the sheet metal welding method of one or more embodiments, the plating layer on both sides of the cutting position to be welded is removed in advance, so that the metal components of the plating layer melted during cutting can be prevented from flowing into the cut surface, and therefore the welding quality can be improved even when cutting a plated steel sheet and welding the cut surface. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the sheet metal welding method of one or more embodiments, it is possible to improve welding quality even in the case of cutting a plated steel sheet and welding the cut surfaces. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a laser processing machine used in a sheet metal welding method according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration of a collimator unit and a processing head of a laser processing machine used in the sheet metal welding method according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the displacement of the irradiation position of the laser beam on the metal plate by the beam vibration mechanism. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the sheet metal welding processing according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method for removing a plating layer of a metal sheet by the method for welding metal sheets according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of welding of metal sheets by the metal sheet welding method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view from above of a welded portion of metal sheets produced by the metal sheet welding method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method for removing a plating layer of a metal sheet by the method for welding metal sheets according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a method of vibrating a laser beam of a laser processing machine used in the sheet metal welding method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method of vibrating a laser beam of a laser processing machine used in the sheet metal welding method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a method of aligning metal sheets in the metal sheet welding method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a laser processing machine used in the processing program creating method according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the machining program creation processing according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on the machining program creating device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the state of joining of metal sheets in the case of one-way pulling. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the joining state of metal sheets in the case of half-drawing. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a 3D model displayed on the machining program creating device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a 3D model displayed on the machining program creating device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a development generated by the machining program creating device according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] [First embodiment] Hereinafter, a method for welding sheet metal according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The method for welding sheet metal according to the first embodiment acquires a processing program for cutting out sheet metal from a base material on which a plating layer is formed and welding it, acquires cutting positions for cutting the sheet metal from the acquired processing program, identifies welding cutting positions that are cutting positions to be welded from among the acquired cutting positions, sets irradiation areas for irradiating a laser beam from a laser processing machine on both sides of the identified welding cutting position, irradiates the set irradiation areas with a laser beam to remove the plating layer, irradiates the cutting position with a laser beam to cut out the sheet metal from the base material, and welds the cut out sheet metal.

[0012] [Laser processing machine configuration] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a laser processing machine used in the sheet metal welding method according to the first embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the detailed configuration of a collimator unit and a processing head in the laser processing machine. In Fig. 1, the laser processing machine 100 includes a laser oscillator 10 that generates and emits a laser beam, a laser processing unit 20, and a process fiber 12 that transmits the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 10 to the laser processing unit 20. The process fiber 12 may be single-core or multi-clad, and an optical coupler may be provided on the transmission path to the laser processing unit 20.

[0013] The laser processing machine 100 includes an NC (numerical control) device 50, a processing program database 60, and an assist gas supply device 70. The NC device 50 is an example of a control device that controls each part of the laser processing machine 100. The processing program database 60 may be configured externally to the laser processing machine 100. In this case, the processing program database 60 may be connected to the laser processing machine 100 via a network.

[0014] A laser oscillator that amplifies pumping light emitted from a laser diode to emit a laser beam of a predetermined wavelength, or a laser oscillator that directly utilizes a laser beam emitted from a laser diode, is suitable as the laser oscillator 10. The laser oscillator 10 is, for example, a solid-state laser oscillator, a fiber laser oscillator, a disk laser oscillator, or a direct diode laser oscillator (DDL oscillator).

[0015] The laser processing unit 20 includes a processing table 21 on which the sheet metal W to be processed as the base material is placed, and a processing head 35 having a nozzle 36 attached to its tip for emitting a laser beam from a circular opening 36a to the sheet metal W. The laser processing unit 20 also includes a gate-shaped X-axis carriage 22 for moving the processing head 35 to a processing position, and a Y-axis carriage 23, and the processing head 35 is connected to a collimator unit 30 fixed to the Y-axis carriage 23.

[0016] The X-axis carriage 22 is configured to be movable in the X-axis direction on the processing table 21. The Y-axis carriage 23 is configured to be movable in the Y-axis direction perpendicular to the X-axis on the X-axis carriage 22. The X-axis carriage 22 and the Y-axis carriage 23 function as a moving mechanism that moves the collimator unit 30 and the processing head 35 along the surface of the sheet metal W in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, or any composite direction of the X-axis and the Y-axis.

[0017] Instead of moving the collimator unit 30 and the processing head 35 along the surface of the metal sheet W, the collimator unit 30 and the processing head 35 may be configured to be fixed in position and the metal sheet W may be moved. The laser processing machine 100 may be provided with a movement mechanism that moves the relative positions of the collimator unit 30 and the processing head 35 with respect to the surface of the metal sheet W.

[0018] The NC device 50 controls the X-axis carriage 22 and the Y-axis carriage 23 so that the processing head 35 moves along the surface of the sheet metal W, and can vibrate the laser beam in a predetermined direction on the surface of the sheet metal W. Furthermore, the NC device 50 can vibrate the laser beam to vibrate the beam spot formed on the surface of the sheet metal W. In this way, the NC device 50 controls the laser processing machine 100 to irradiate the sheet metal W with the laser beam to remove the plating layer formed on the sheet metal W and cut the sheet metal W.

[0019] The NC device 50 is configured by a computer having a memory, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and various interfaces. The memory and various interfaces are connected to the processor via a bus. The NC device 50 executes a process of irradiating a laser beam to remove a plating layer and cutting the sheet metal W by executing a program stored in the memory by the processor.

[0020] The processing program database 60 stores a processing program for cutting out and welding the sheet metal from the base material on which the plating layer is formed. The processing program database 60 also stores information for controlling the removal of the plating layer and the cutting of the sheet metal by the laser processing machine 100. The NC device 50 reads out the processing program from the processing program database 60, and executes control for vibrating the beam spot on the surface of the sheet metal W, and also executes control for moving the processing head 35 along the surface of the sheet metal W.

[0021] The assist gas supply device 70 supplies an assist gas to the processing head 35 when processing the metal sheet W. When the metal sheet W to be processed is an iron-based material, the assist gas supply device 70 can use oxygen, nitrogen, or air as the assist gas. The assist gas supplied to the processing head 35 is sprayed from the opening 36a in a direction perpendicular to the metal sheet W. The assist gas expels molten metal from the metal sheet W.

[0022] 2, the collimator unit 30 includes a collimation lens 31 that converts the divergent laser beam emitted from the process fiber 12 into parallel light (collimated light). The collimator unit 30 also includes a galvano scanner unit 32 and a bend mirror 33 that reflects the laser beam emitted from the galvano scanner unit 32 downward in the Z-axis direction perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis.

[0023] The processing head 35 is equipped with a focusing lens 34 that focuses the laser beam reflected by the bend mirror 33 and irradiates the laser beam onto the metal sheet W. The divergent laser beam emitted from the process fiber 12 advances so that the center of its optical axis is located at the center of the collimation lens 31.

[0024] The laser processing machine 100 is centered so that the laser beam emitted from the opening 36a of the nozzle 36 is located at the center of the opening 36a. In the reference state, the laser beam is emitted from the center of the opening 36a. The galvano scanner unit 32 functions as a beam vibration mechanism that vibrates the laser beam, which travels through the processing head 35 and is emitted from the opening 36a, within the opening 36a. How the galvano scanner unit 32 vibrates the laser beam will be described later.

[0025] The galvano scanner unit 32 has a scan mirror 321 that reflects the laser beam emitted from the collimation lens 31, and a drive unit 322 that rotates the scan mirror 321 to a predetermined angle. The galvano scanner unit 32 also has a scan mirror 323 that reflects the laser beam emitted from the scan mirror 321, and a drive unit 324 that rotates the scan mirror 323 to a predetermined angle. The scan mirrors 321 and 323 are installed so as to rotate in different directions.

[0026] The driving units 322 and 324 can set the scan mirrors 321 and 323 to predetermined angles, respectively, based on the control of the NC device 50. Furthermore, the driving units 322 and 324 can oscillate the scan mirrors 321 and 323 back and forth within a predetermined angle range.

[0027] The galvano scanner unit 32 can move the beam spot of the laser beam irradiated onto the metal sheet W by changing the angle of either or both of the scan mirror 321 and the scan mirror 323. Moreover, the galvano scanner unit 32 can vibrate the beam spot of the laser beam by reciprocatingly vibrating either or both of the scan mirror 321 and the scan mirror 323. Note that the galvano scanner unit 32 is an example of a beam vibration mechanism, and the beam vibration mechanism is not limited to the galvano scanner unit 32 having a pair of scan mirrors.

[0028] 3 is a diagram for explaining the displacement of the irradiation position of the laser beam on the metal sheet W by the galvano scanner unit 32. Here, a state is shown in which one or both of the scan mirrors 321 and 323 are tilted, displacing the position of the laser beam irradiated on the metal sheet W. In FIG. 3, the thin solid line that is bent by the bend mirror 33 and passes through the focusing lens 34 indicates the optical axis of the laser beam when the laser processing machine 100 is in the reference state.

[0029] In more detail, the angle of the optical axis of the laser beam incident on the bend mirror 33 changes due to the operation of the galvano scanner unit 32 located in front of the bend mirror 33, and the optical axis deviates from the center of the bend mirror 33. For simplification, in Fig. 3, the incident position of the laser beam on the bend mirror 33 is set to the same position before and after the operation of the galvano scanner unit 32.

[0030] Assume that the optical axis of the laser beam is displaced from the position indicated by the thin solid line to the position indicated by the thick solid line by the action of the galvanometer scanner unit 32. If the laser beam reflected by the bend mirror 33 is inclined at an angle θ, the irradiation position of the laser beam on the sheet metal W is displaced by a distance Δs. When the focal length of the focusing lens 34 is the EFL (Effective Focal Length), the distance Δs is calculated by EFL × sinθ.

[0031] If the galvanometer scanner unit 32 tilts the laser beam by an angle θ in the direction opposite to that shown in FIG. 3, the irradiation position of the laser beam on the sheet metal W is displaced by a distance Δs in the direction opposite to that shown in FIG. 3. The distance Δs is a distance less than the radius of the aperture 36a, and preferably is a distance less than or equal to the maximum distance when the maximum distance is the distance obtained by subtracting a predetermined margin length from the radius of the aperture 36a.

[0032] [Welding method for sheet metal] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4, a welding method for sheet metal according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the sheet metal welding process. As shown in FIG. 4, in step S101, the NC device 50 acquires a machining program from the machining program database 60. This machining program records the processing for cutting out and welding the sheet metal from the base material on which the plating layer is formed.

[0033] In step S103, the NC device 50 acquires the cutting position for cutting the sheet metal W from the machining program acquired in step S101. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when cutting out the sheet metal W1 from the sheet metal W serving as the base material, the NC device 50 acquires the positions of the four sides forming the outer periphery of the sheet metal W1 as the cutting positions P.

[0034] In step S105, the NC device 50 identifies the welding cutting position, which is the cutting position to be welded, from among the cutting positions P acquired in step S103. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the NC device 50 refers to the machining program and identifies the welding cutting position 51 as the cutting position to be welded from among the four cutting positions P forming the outer periphery of the cut-out sheet metal W1.

[0035] In step S107, the NC device 50 sets irradiation areas on both sides of the weld cutting position identified in step S105, where the laser beam is irradiated from the laser processing machine 100. For example, as shown in Fig. 6, a case will be described where the side of a box 80 is formed by one-way pull welding of a metal plate W1 and a metal plate W2. Fig. 7 shows an enlarged view of the welded portion in this case as viewed from above.

[0036] In FIG. 7, a space is provided between the cut surface X1 and the metal sheet W2 for ease of viewing, but as shown in FIG. 7, in the metal sheet W1, the cut surface X1 cut at the weld cutting position 51 is welded to the metal sheet W2. Therefore, in the metal sheet W1, it is necessary to prevent the metal components of the plating layer from flowing into the cut surface X1 at the weld cutting position 51. Therefore, the NC device 50 sets an irradiation area E1 of a predetermined width on both sides of the weld cutting position 51, as shown in FIG. 5. After this, the plating layer in the irradiation area E1 is removed, so that the metal components of the plating layer will not flow into the cut surface X1 even if the metal sheet W1 is cut at the weld cutting position 51.

[0037] At this time, the predetermined width of the irradiation area E1 is set to be equal to or larger than the beam diameter of the laser beam during laser cutting. For example, when the beam diameter correction amount is set to 0.08mm to 0.10mm in the cutting conditions for the thickness of the target base material, the beam diameter is expected to be a maximum of 0.20mm. Therefore, the predetermined width, which is the width of the irradiation area E1, is set to be equal to or larger than the beam diameter of 0.20mm.

[0038] On the other hand, in the case of the sheet metal W2 shown in Fig. 7, it is necessary not only to prevent the metal components of the plating layer from flowing into the cut surface X2 cut at the weld cutting position 53, but also to remove the plating layer in the welding range X3 of the sheet metal W2 where the cut surface X1 is welded. Therefore, a case where an irradiation area is set in such a sheet metal W2 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining a case where the sheet metal W2 is cut out from the sheet metal W as a base material.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 8, in the case of sheet metal W2, when the welding and cutting position 53 is specified, the NC device 50 acquires the position of the welding range X3 from the processing program. Here, the welding range X3 where the cut surface X1 shown in Fig. 7 is welded is adjacent to the welding and cutting position 53 as shown in Fig. 8. Therefore, the NC device 50 sets the welding range X3 adjacent to the welding and cutting position 53 in the irradiation area E2.

[0040] On the other hand, when it is cut at the welding and cutting position 53, it becomes a cut surface X2 in Fig. 7. Therefore, the NC device 50 sets an irradiation area E1 of a predetermined width on the opposite side to the welding range X3 of the welding and cutting position 53 as shown in Fig. 8.

[0041] Therefore, the NC device 50 obtains from the processing program a welding range X3 in which welding is performed on the surface of the metal sheet W2 adjacent to the welding cutting position 53, sets an irradiation area E2 in the obtained welding range X3, and sets an irradiation area E1 of a predetermined width on the opposite side to the welding range X3 of the welding cutting position 53. In this way, the NC device 50 sets the irradiation areas E1 and E2 in the case of the metal sheet W2.

[0042] In step S109, the NC device 50 irradiates the irradiation area set in step S107 with a laser beam to remove the plating layer. Specifically, in the case of the sheet metal W1 shown in Fig. 5, the NC device 50 irradiates the irradiation areas E1 on both sides of the welding cut position 51 with a laser beam to remove the plating layer. In the case of the sheet metal W2 shown in Fig. 8, the NC device 50 irradiates the irradiation areas E1 and E2 adjacent to the welding cut position 53 with a laser beam to remove the plating layer.

[0043] At this time, the NC device 50 acquires the processing conditions from the processing program database 60 and removes the plating layer under the acquired processing conditions. Generally, to remove a zinc plating layer, it is necessary to remove a maximum of 50 μm from the material surface, so the output must be higher than that of laser marking, etc., and the assist gas pressure must also be high.

[0044] For example, the processing conditions are set as follows: the laser beam moving speed is 5000 to 10000 mm / min, the output is 700 to 1600 W, the assist gas pressure is 0.5 to 0.8 MPa, and the gap between the metal plate W and the tip of the nozzle 36 is 5 mm or more. In addition, in order to prevent an oxide film from forming on the portion from which the plating layer has been removed, an inert gas is used as the assist gas.

[0045] These processing conditions are set according to the material of the metal sheet W. For example, when the metal sheet W is a highly corrosion-resistant plated steel sheet, the laser beam moving speed is set to 10,000 mm / min, the output is set to 700 W, and the assist gas pressure is set to 0.8 MPa in removing the plating layer of the metal sheet W1. Meanwhile, when removing the plating layer of the metal sheet W2, the laser beam moving speed is set to 5,000 mm / min, the output is set to 1,600 W, and the assist gas pressure is set to 0.8 MPa.

[0046] When removing the plating layer, the NC device 50 controls the driving parts 322, 324 of the galvano scanner unit 32 to vibrate the laser beam with a predetermined vibration amplitude, thereby vibrating the beam spot on the surface of the metal sheet W.

[0047] Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining a method of vibrating a laser beam. As shown in Fig. 9, the maximum vibration width of the laser beam is a width C1 obtained by subtracting a predetermined margin length (G1+G2) from the diameter of the opening 36a. Therefore, the NC device 50 vibrates the laser beam within a range not exceeding the maximum vibration width C1.

[0048] The NC device 50 also vibrates the laser beam in a direction D2 perpendicular to the laser beam traveling direction D1 to remove the plating layer. As a result, the metal components of the removed plating layer are blown away in the direction of F1. Thus, in the case of FIG. 9, the plating layer is removed by vibrating the laser beam with a predetermined vibration width and vibrating the beam spot formed on the surface of the sheet metal W in the direction D2 perpendicular to the laser beam traveling direction D1.

[0049] It is also possible to change the vibration direction of the laser beam. For example, as shown in Fig. 10, the beam spot may be vibrated so as to draw a semicircle C2 in the laser beam traveling direction D1. That is, in the case of Fig. 10, the laser beam is vibrated with a predetermined vibration width, and the beam spot formed on the surface of the sheet metal W is vibrated so as to draw a semicircle C2 in the laser beam traveling direction D1, thereby removing the plating layer.

[0050] In this case, the metal components of the removed plating layer are blown away in the direction of F2. Therefore, the metal components of the removed plating layer are blown away backward with respect to the laser beam traveling direction D1, so the amount of metal components attached can be reduced compared to the case of Fig. 9. For example, the adhesion rate of metal components to the sheet metal surface (volume of attached metal components / volume of removed metal components) is 20% in the case of Fig. 9, but is reduced to 14% in the case of Fig. 10.

[0051] Furthermore, when performing the process of removing the plating layer, the NC device 50 first sets the vibration center. For example, in the case shown in FIG. 5, the NC device 50 sets the vibration center D at the same position as the weld cutting position 51. The NC device 50 then sets the laser beam to vibrate from the vibration center D by the same width as the irradiation area E1. As a result, the plating layer is removed in an area with a vibration width E (2×E1) centered on the vibration center D. For example, when the width of the irradiation area E1 is 0.20 mm, the vibration width E is 0.40 mm.

[0052] 8, the NC device 50 sets the vibration center D at a position that is a distance L from the weld cutting position 53. For example, if the width of the irradiation area E1 is 0.20 mm and the thickness of the metal sheet W1 is 2.30 mm, the width of the irradiation area E2 is 2.30 mm. In this case, the distance L can be calculated by the formula L=(E1+E2) / 2-E1=(E2-E1) / 2, so that L=1.05 mm.

[0053] When the vibration center D is set at the position of the calculated distance L, the NC device 50 sets the laser beam to vibrate at a width of (E1+E2) / 2 from the vibration center D. As a result, the plating layer is removed in an area of ​​vibration width E (E1+E2) centered on the vibration center D. For example, when the width of the irradiation area E1 is 0.20 mm and the width of the irradiation area E2 is 2.30 mm, the vibration width E is 2.50 mm. In this manner, the NC device 50 executes the process of removing the plating layer.

[0054] In step S111, the NC device 50 controls so that a laser beam is irradiated onto the cutting position P to cut out the metal sheets W1 and W2 from the metal sheet W serving as the base material. Specifically, in the case of Fig. 5, the NC device 50 irradiates the laser beam onto the cutting position P that forms the outer periphery of the metal sheet W1, cuts the metal sheet W1, and cuts out the metal sheet W1 from the metal sheet W. Similarly, in the case of Fig. 8, the NC device 50 irradiates the laser beam onto the cutting position P that forms the outer periphery of the metal sheet W2, cuts the metal sheet W2, and cuts out the metal sheet W2 from the metal sheet W.

[0055] In step S113, the metal sheets cut out in step S111 are welded. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, the cut metal sheets W1 and W2 are butted together and welded using a laser welder (not shown) to create a box 80. The laser welder that welds the metal sheets W1 and W2 may be any laser welder such as an existing robot type or handheld type.

[0056] 11, when the plating layer of the welding area 91 where the metal sheet W1 is to be welded is removed, protrusions 93 are formed by the metal components of the removed plating layer around the welding area 91. Since the protrusions 93 have a height of about 100 μm, they can be used for alignment when the metal sheets W1 and W2 are butted together.

[0057] Therefore, the laser processing machine 100 irradiates a laser beam onto the irradiation area set in the welding range 91 to remove the plating layer, and forms protrusions 93 around the welding range 91 with the metal components of the removed plating layer. Then, the alignment of the sheet metal W1 is performed with the formed protrusions 93, and the sheet metal W1 and the sheet metal W2 are welded. Thus, the welding process of the sheet metal according to this embodiment is completed.

[0058] [Effect of the First Embodiment] As described in detail above, in the sheet metal welding method according to the first embodiment, the cutting position for cutting the sheet metal is obtained from the processing program, and among the obtained cutting positions, the welding cutting position, which is the cutting position to be welded, is specified. On both sides of the specified welding cutting position, an irradiation area for irradiating a laser beam from the laser processing machine 100 is set, and the plating layer is removed by irradiating the set irradiation area with the laser beam. The sheet metal is cut out from the base material by irradiating the cutting position with the laser beam, and the cut-out sheet metal is welded. As a result, since the plating layers on both sides of the welding cutting position are removed in advance, it is possible to prevent the metal components of the melted plating layer from flowing into the cut surface during cutting. Therefore, even when cutting a plated steel sheet and welding the cut surface, the welding quality can be improved.

[0059] In particular, when welding a material with a thick plating layer such as zinc, the welding quality deteriorates due to the generation of pits, bit holes, etc. However, in this embodiment, since the plating layer is removed before welding, the welding quality can be improved. Furthermore, compared with the case where the metal components of the plating layer flowing into the cut surface are removed by a grinder or a laser cleaning device, the working time can be significantly shortened.

[0060] Also, in the sheet metal welding method according to the first embodiment, an irradiation area with a predetermined width is set on both sides of the welding cutting position. As a result, it is possible to remove the plating layers with a predetermined width on both sides of the welding cutting position, so that it is possible to prevent the metal components of the melted plating layer from flowing into the cut surface during cutting. Therefore, even when cutting a plated steel sheet and welding the cut surface, the welding quality can be improved.

[0061] Furthermore, in the sheet metal welding method according to the first embodiment, a welding range where welding is performed on the surface of the sheet metal adjacent to the weld cut position is obtained from the processing program, an irradiation area is set in the obtained welding range, and an irradiation area of ​​a predetermined width is set on the opposite side of the welding range of the weld cut position. This makes it possible to remove the plating layer in the welding range even when welding is performed on the surface of the sheet metal adjacent to the weld cut position, thereby improving the welding quality.

[0062] In the sheet metal welding method according to the first embodiment, the predetermined width of the irradiation region is set to be equal to or larger than the beam diameter of the laser beam during laser cutting. This allows the plating layer to be removed from the cutting position to be welded by a width equal to or larger than the beam diameter during laser cutting, thereby preventing the metal components of the plating layer melted during cutting from flowing into the cut surface. Therefore, even when cutting a plated steel sheet and welding the cut surface, the welding quality can be improved.

[0063] Furthermore, in the sheet metal welding method according to the first embodiment, the plating layer is removed by vibrating the laser beam with a predetermined vibration amplitude and vibrating the beam spot formed on the surface of the sheet metal W in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the laser beam. This allows the plating layer to be easily removed using the galvano scanner unit 32, thereby shortening the work time.

[0064] In the sheet metal welding method according to the first embodiment, the laser beam is vibrated at a predetermined vibration amplitude, and the beam spot formed on the surface of the sheet metal W is vibrated so as to draw a semicircle in the laser beam traveling direction, thereby removing the plating layer. This makes it possible to blow away the metal components of the removed plating layer backward with respect to the laser beam traveling direction D1, thereby reducing the amount of metal components adhering to the sheet metal.

[0065] Furthermore, in the sheet metal welding method according to the first embodiment, a laser beam is irradiated onto an irradiation region set in a welding range 91 to remove the plating layer, protrusions 93 are formed around the welding range 91 using the metal components of the removed plating layer, and the sheet metal W1 is aligned using the formed protrusions 93 to weld the sheet metal W1 and the sheet metal W2. This allows the sheet metal W1 to be aligned using the metal components removed from the plating layer, so that accurate alignment can be achieved even for joints where alignment is difficult, such as half-draw welding.

[0066] [Second embodiment] Hereinafter, a method for creating a processing program according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are given the same reference numerals and detailed description will be omitted. In the second embodiment, a processing program used in the laser processing machine 100 described in the first embodiment is created.

[0067] [Laser processing machine configuration] 12 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a laser processing machine used in a processing program creation method according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the laser processing machine 100 is different from the laser processing machine 100 of the first embodiment in that it further includes a CAD / CAM (Computer Aided Design / Computer Aided Manufacturing) device 120. The CAD / CAM device 120 may be configured external to the laser processing machine 100. In this case, the CAD / CAM device 120 may be connected to the laser processing machine 100 via a network.

[0068] The CAD / CAM device 120 is a device that imports CAD data of the sheet metal to be laser processed and creates a development drawing and a processing program required to execute the laser processing. In particular, in this embodiment, the CAD / CAM device 120 functions as a processing program creation device 121 that creates a processing program. The processing program creation device 121 is a device that creates a processing program for cutting out the sheet metal from a base material on which a plating layer is formed and welding it, and includes a control unit 123 and a storage unit 125.

[0069] The control unit 123 executes a process of creating a processing program from three-dimensional CAD data. Specifically, the control unit 123 acquires design data of a product formed of a metal sheet cut out from a base material on which a plating layer is formed, and identifies a welding edge portion to be welded from among the edge portions of the product based on the acquired design data. The control unit 123 then sets a plating removal region in which the plating layer is removed in contact with the cut surfaces of the multiple metal sheets joined at the identified welding edge portion, generates a development of the metal sheet in which the plating removal region is set, and creates a processing program based on the generated development.

[0070] The storage unit 125 is a memory or database that stores data necessary to execute the process of creating a machining program, and stores, for example, three-dimensional CAD data imported from outside, generated development drawings, created machining programs, etc.

[0071] The machining program creating device 121 is configured by a computer having a memory, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and various interfaces. The memory and various interfaces are connected to the processor via a bus. The machining program creating device 121 executes a process of creating a machining program by executing a program stored in the memory by the processor.

[0072] [How to create a machining program] Hereinafter, a method for creating a machining program according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a machining program creation process. As shown in Fig. 13, in step S201, the control unit 123 acquires three-dimensional CAD data as design data of a product formed of a metal sheet cut out from a base material on which a plating layer is formed. For example, the control unit 123 acquires three-dimensional CAD data of the box 80 in Fig. 6 described in the first embodiment.

[0073] In step S203, the control unit 123 activates a "welding setting" command. For example, as shown in Fig. 14, when the user presses the "welding setting" command button 140 on the screen of the CAD / CAM device 120, the control unit 123 displays an operation screen 141 for "welding setting." When the user selects "welding 1" from the welding attributes on the operation screen 141, an edge portion where a weld line L1 is set is enlarged and displayed. Flanges 142, 143 joined at this edge portion are parts of the sheet metal.

[0074] The control unit 123 determines that the portion where the flanges 142 and 143 are joined is a welded portion based on the joining state of the flanges 142 and 143 recorded in the 3D CAD data acquired in step S201. That is, the control unit 123 identifies the edge portion to be welded as the weld edge portion from among the edge portions of the product based on the design data. As a result, the control unit 123 displays the weld line L1 at the identified weld edge portion.

[0075] In step S205, the control unit 123 executes the processing instruction input by the user. For example, when the user selects "welding 1" on the operation screen 141, the user can specify parameters of the weld line L1 from the operation screen 141. As the parameters, for example, in addition to the offset amount of the start point or end point and the type of joint, continuous welding or intermittent welding can be specified as the welding method. Furthermore, fiber laser welding, arc welding, etc. can be specified as the welding type.

[0076] Furthermore, the user selects a check box 144 for "Joint plating removal" and a check box 145 for "Cut plating removal" from the "Processing technique method" field on the operation screen 141. This causes the control unit 123 to set a plating removal area on the sheet metal. The plating removal area is an area where the plating layer formed on the sheet metal is removed. The plating removal area includes a cut plating removal area that is set so that the metal component of the molten plating layer does not flow into the cut surface when the sheet metal is cut out, and a joint plating removal area that is set on the surface portion of the sheet metal where the cut surface of the sheet metal is joined.

[0077] First, the control unit 123 determines the type of joint between the flanges 142 and 143 based on the 3D CAD data acquired in step S201. For example, Fig. 15 is a top view of the welded portion between the flanges 142 and 143 shown in Fig. 14. As shown in Fig. 15, the entire cut surface 151 of the flange 143 is joined to the flange 142, so the control unit 123 determines the type of joint to be a flush corner joint.

[0078] When the type of joint is determined, the control unit 123 sets a plating removal region in contact with the cut surfaces of the flanges 142 and 143 joined at the identified welding edge portion. At this time, the control unit 123 sets a cut portion plating removal region and a joint portion plating removal region based on the joining state of the flanges 142 and 143 joined at the welding edge portion.

[0079] For example, as shown in FIG. 15, a cut surface 151 of a flange 143 is joined to the surface of a flange 142, and based on this joining state, the control unit 123 sets a cut portion plating removal area 152 and a joint portion plating removal area 153.

[0080] As a result, the cut portion plating removal region 152 is set in contact with the cut surface 151 so that a metal component of the molten plating layer does not flow into the cut surface 151 when the sheet metal is cut out. The cut portion plating removal region 152 corresponds to the irradiation region E1 shown in FIG. 5 of the first embodiment.

[0081] Further, the joint plating removal region 153 is set in contact with the cut surface 154 on the surface portion of the flange 142 to which the cut surface 151 of the flange 143 is joined. This joint plating removal region 153 corresponds to the irradiation region E2 shown in FIG. 8 of the first embodiment.

[0082] Incidentally, the joint may be a flush corner joint in which half of a cut surface 151 of a flange 143 is joined to a flange 142, as shown in Fig. 16. In this case, a cut portion plating removal region 152 and a joint portion plating removal region 153 are set, as shown in Fig. 16. However, the width of the joint portion plating removal region 153 may be narrower than that of a single pull corner joint.

[0083] In step S207, the control unit 123 displays a 3D model reflecting the processing instructions executed in step S205. For example, as shown in Fig. 17, in the product shape of the 3D model, a cut portion plating removal region 152 is set to a flange 143 and displayed, and as shown in Fig. 18, a joint portion plating removal region 153 is set to a flange 142 and displayed. At this time, if parameters are specified on the operation screen 141, the 3D model is displayed according to the specified parameters.

[0084] In step S209, when a development drawing creation instruction is input from the user who has confirmed the 3D model displayed in step S207, the control unit 123 generates a development drawing. For example, the development drawing shown in Fig. 19 is generated from the 3D models shown in Figs. 17 and 18. In Fig. 19, a cut plating removal area 152 is set along a cut surface 151 of the flange 143, a joint plating removal area 153 is set along a cut surface 154 of the flange 142, and bending lines 156 and 157 for bending in the bending process are also set. In this way, the processing instruction is reflected and a development drawing of the sheet metal in which the plating removal area is set is generated.

[0085] In step S211, the control unit 123 creates a processing program for cutting out and welding the sheet metal from the base material on which the plating layer is formed, based on the development view created in step S209, and ends the processing program creation process according to this embodiment. The created processing program is output to the processing program database 60, and the NC device 50 reads out the processing program and performs the sheet metal welding process described in the first embodiment.

[0086] [Effects of the second embodiment] As described above in detail, the method for creating a processing program according to the second embodiment acquires design data of a product formed of a metal sheet cut out from a base material on which a plating layer is formed, identifies a welding edge portion from among the edges of the product based on the design data, sets a plating removal area adjacent to the cut surfaces of multiple metal sheets joined at the welding edge portion, generates a development of the metal sheet in which the plating removal area is set, and creates a processing program for cutting the metal sheet out of the base material and welding it based on the development. This makes it possible to create a processing program in which the plating removal area is set without the user having to manually specify the area in which the plating layer is to be removed, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0087] In particular, in the past, the user had to imagine the three-dimensional shape of the product from the development view and calculate the coordinates taking into account the positions of other related parts in order to specify the area where the plating layer is to be removed. However, in the method for creating a processing program according to the second embodiment, the edge parts to be welded are identified from among the edge parts of the product based on 3D CAD data, and the plating removal area is set adjacent to multiple cut surfaces joined by the edge parts to be welded. Therefore, the processing program in which the area where the plating layer is to be removed is set is created without the user having to perform troublesome work, improving work efficiency.

[0088] In addition, in the method for creating a machining program according to the second embodiment, the plating removal regions include a cut portion plating removal region 152 that is set so that the metal components of the molten plating layer do not flow into the cut surface when the sheet metal is cut out, and a joint portion plating removal region 153 that is set in the surface portion of the sheet metal where the cut surfaces of the sheet metal are joined. Then, the cut portion plating removal region 152 and the joint portion plating removal region 153 are set based on the joining state of multiple sheet metals joined at the weld edge portion. This makes it possible to easily create a machining program that can prevent the metal components of the plating layer from flowing into the cut surface and can also remove the plating layer from the portion where the cut surfaces of the sheet metal are joined.

[0089] As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described, but the description and drawings forming a part of this disclosure should not be understood as limiting this invention. From this disclosure, various alternative embodiments, examples and operating techniques will become apparent to those skilled in the art. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 10 Laser Oscillator 12 Process Fiber 20 Laser Processing Unit 21 Processing table 22 X-axis carriage 23 Y-axis carriage 30 Collimator unit 31 Collimation Lens 32 Galvano scanner unit 33 Bend Mirror 34 Focusing Lens 35 Processing head 36 Nozzles 36a aperture 50 NC device 51, 53 Welding cut position 60 Machining program database 70 Assist gas supply device 80 boxes 91, X3 welding range 93 Protrusion 100 Laser processing machine 120 CAD / CAM equipment 121 Machining program creation device 123 Control Unit 125 Storage section 140 Command Button 141 Operation screen 142, 143 Flanges 144, 145 Checkbox 151, 154 Cut surface 152 Cutting section plating removal area 153 Joint plating removal area 156, 157 Bending lines 321, 323 Scan Mirror 322, 324 Drive unit C1 Maximum vibration width C2 Semicircle D Vibration center D1 Laser beam direction D2 Perpendicular to the laser beam direction E Vibration Amplitude E1, E2 irradiation area F1, F2 direction G1, G2 allowance length L distance L1 weld line P cutting position W, W1, W2 sheet metal X1, X2 cutting plane

Claims

1. Obtain a processing program for cutting and welding sheet metal from the base material on which the plating layer has been formed, Acquire a cutting position for cutting the metal plate from the acquired machining program; Identifying a welding cut position, which is a cut position to be welded, from the acquired cut positions; An irradiation area in which a laser beam is irradiated from a laser processing machine is set on both sides of the specified welding and cutting position; irradiating the set irradiation area with a laser beam to remove the plating layer; A laser beam is irradiated to the cutting position to cut out the metal sheet from the base material; The cut out metal sheets are welded together. How to weld sheet metal.

2. The irradiation area is set to a predetermined width on both sides of the welding cutting position. The method of welding sheet metal according to claim 1.

3. A welding range in which welding is performed on the surface of the metal plate adjacent to the weld cutting position is obtained from the processing program; The irradiation area is set to the acquired welding range, The irradiation area having a predetermined width is set on the opposite side of the welding range of the welding cut position. The method of welding sheet metal according to claim 1.

4. The predetermined width is set to be equal to or larger than the beam diameter of the laser beam during laser cutting. The method for welding metal sheets according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The plating layer is removed by vibrating the laser beam with a predetermined vibration amplitude and vibrating the beam spot formed on the surface of the sheet metal in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the laser beam. The method for welding sheet metal according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. The plating layer is removed by vibrating the laser beam with a predetermined vibration amplitude and vibrating the beam spot formed on the surface of the sheet metal so as to draw a semicircle in the traveling direction of the laser beam. The method for welding metal sheets according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

7. The laser beam is irradiated onto the irradiation area set in the welding range to remove the plating layer; forming protrusions around the welding area with the metal components of the removed plating layer; The metal plate is aligned with the formed projection and then welded to the metal plate. The method for welding sheet metal according to claim 3.

8. Obtaining design data for a product formed from sheet metal cut out from a base material on which a plating layer is formed, Identifying a welding edge portion to be welded from among edge portions of the product based on the design data; A plating removal region is set in contact with the cut surfaces of the plurality of metal plates joined at the identified welding edge portion, and the plating layer is removed; generating a development view of the sheet metal in which the plating removal area is set; Based on the developed view, a processing program is created for cutting out the metal plate from the base material and welding the metal plate. How to create a machining program.

9. The plating removal region includes a cut portion plating removal region that is set so that a metal component of the plating layer that melts when the sheet metal is cut does not flow into a cut surface, and a joint portion plating removal region that is set in a surface portion of the sheet metal where the cut surface of the sheet metal is joined, The method for creating a processing program according to claim 8 , further comprising the steps of: setting the cut portion plating removal area and the joint portion plating removal area based on a joining state of the plurality of metal plates joined at the weld edge portion.

10. Obtaining design data for a product formed from sheet metal cut out from a base material on which a plating layer is formed, Identifying a welding edge portion to be welded from among edge portions of the product based on the design data; A plating removal region is set in contact with the cut surfaces of the plurality of metal plates joined at the identified welding edge portion, and the plating layer is removed; generating a development view of the sheet metal in which the plating removal area is set; Based on the developed view, a processing program is created for cutting out the metal plate from the base material and welding the metal plate. Machining program creation device.

11. The plating removal region includes a cut portion plating removal region that is set so that a metal component of the plating layer that melts when the sheet metal is cut does not flow into a cut surface, and a joint portion plating removal region that is set in a surface portion of the sheet metal where the cut surface of the sheet metal is joined, The processing program creating device according to claim 10 , wherein the cut portion plating removal region and the joint portion plating removal region are set based on a joining state of the plurality of metal plates joined at the weld edge portion.

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