Laser processing equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides a laser processing apparatus that allows for easy attachment and detachment of the laser light source from the optical path member while ensuring airtightness between the laser output section and the adjacent optical path member. [Solution] The laser marker 1 comprises a laser light source 10 connected to a processing laser oscillator 9 and a telescope 7 having a cylindrical portion 7A extending forward from the processing laser oscillator 9; a shutter unit 6 positioned adjacent to the laser light source 10 in the forward direction, opening in the rearward and upward directions, and having a recess 6A that receives the front end 7A1 of the cylindrical portion 7A of the telescope 7; a sealing member 30 having a through hole 30A through which the end 7A1 of the cylindrical portion 7A is inserted, and a sealing portion 30B that elastically deformably seals the joint between the telescope 7 and the shutter unit 6, and which can be housed in the recess 6A of the shutter unit 6, wherein the thickness D of the sealing member in the forward direction is greater than the distance d from the bottom surface 6A2 of the recess 6A to the retaining plate 12 in the forward direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to a laser processing apparatus for laser-processing an object.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a laser processing apparatus in which a sealing member made of resin or the like is provided at the opening edge of the housing of a laser output unit, and a lid portion is brought into close contact with the sealing member to seal the internal space of the housing of the laser output unit.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the laser processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the laser output unit is not configured to be detachable from the laser processing apparatus for replacement, so it is not possible to easily attach and detach the laser output unit while ensuring sealing with a member adjacent to the laser output unit such as a laser optical path guiding unit.

[0005] An object of this application is to provide a laser processing apparatus capable of easily detaching and separating a laser light source from an optical path member while ensuring sealing with the optical path member adjacent to the laser output unit.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the laser processing apparatus of the present invention comprises a laser light source connected to a processing laser oscillator that emits processing laser light and a first optical path member having a cylindrical portion extending from the processing laser oscillator in the direction of emission of processing laser light; a second optical path member arranged adjacent to the laser light source in the direction of emission, opening in a first direction opposite to the direction of emission and in a second direction intersecting the direction of emission, and having a recess for receiving the tip of the cylindrical portion of the first optical path member in the direction of emission; a sealing member having a through hole through which the tip of the cylindrical portion is inserted and a sealing portion that elastically deformably seals the joint between the first optical path member and the second optical path member, and which can be housed in the recess of the second optical path member; a retaining plate that covers the tip of the cylindrical portion and the opening of the second optical path member that houses the sealing member; and a main body housing that houses the laser light source, the second optical path member, the sealing member and the retaining plate, wherein the thickness of the sealing member in the direction of emission is greater than the distance from the bottom surface of the recess in the direction of emission to the retaining plate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the laser processing apparatus of the present invention, the thickness of the sealing member in the emission direction is made greater than the distance from the bottom surface of the recess in the emission direction to the retaining plate, so that the joint between the first optical path member and the second optical path member can be reliably sealed by the sealing portion. This makes it possible to ensure airtightness at the joint between the first optical path member and the second optical path member. Furthermore, since the second optical path member and the laser light source can be connected simply by covering the tip of the cylindrical portion and the opening of the second optical path member housing the sealing member with a retaining plate, the laser light source can be easily separated from the second optical path member and attached to and detached from the main housing. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the appearance of a laser marker according to one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the laser marker with its cover removed. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the laser light source unit. [Figure 4]Figure 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the shutter unit. [Figure 5] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the state after the retaining plate has been removed. [Figure 6] This is a plan view showing the state after removing the sealing member from Figure 5. [Figure 7] This is a perspective view showing a modified example in which a second pressing plate is inserted to hold down the entire sealing portion of the sealing member. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings used in the following description, some of the basic components may be omitted, and the dimensional ratios of the depicted parts are not necessarily accurate. In each figure, the front-to-back direction D1, the up-and-down direction D2, and the left-to-right direction D3 are as indicated in each figure.

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, a laser marker 1 according to one embodiment of the present application comprises a first body 2, a second body 3, and a third body 4. The laser marker 1 is an example of a laser processing apparatus. Processing laser light R for marking (printing) is emitted from the third body 4. The processing laser light R is oscillated by a processing laser oscillator 9 (see Figure 2) installed inside the first body 2, reflected by a reflective mirror (not shown) installed inside the second body 3, and scanned and focused by a galvanometer scanner and an fθ lens (neither shown) installed inside the third body 4.

[0011] The first main body 2 has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape that is elongated in the front-to-back direction D1, and includes a main body housing 23 and a cover 25. The cover 25 is composed of a top cover 25A, a left-side cover 25B, and a right-side cover 25C (see Figure 5). The main body housing 23 and the cover 25 are fixed together with a number of screws 27.

[0012] In the laser marker 1 of this embodiment, many of its components (for example, the cover 25, etc.) are fixed in place with screws, but a detailed explanation will be omitted. Note that there are several types of screws used for fixing.

[0013] Next, the first main body 2 will be described with reference to Figure 2, which shows the first main body 2 with the cover 25 completely removed. The main body housing 23 comprises a base plate 23A, a rear plate 23B, and a front plate 23C. The rear plate 23B is screwed in to stand upright from the rear end of the base plate 23A. The rear plate 23B is provided with terminals 21, etc., for connecting a control device (not shown) for controlling the laser marker 1 and a cable (not shown) connecting the laser marker 1. The front plate 23C is screwed in to stand upright from the front end of the base plate 23A. The second main body 3 (and the third main body 4) are connected to the front plate 23C. A cable 100 for the galvanometer scanner is stretched between the first main body 2 and the third main body 4. The cable 100 is routed through cable glands 11A and 11B to the front plate 23C of the first main body 2 and the rear of the third main body 4.

[0014] The processing laser oscillator 9 is positioned on the base plate 23A along the front-to-back direction D1. Figure 3 shows the external appearance of the laser light source 10, including the processing laser oscillator 9. The laser light source 10 is an integrated unit consisting of the processing laser oscillator 9, a periscope 8, a telescope 7, and a heat sink 5 as assembled components. The telescope 7 is an example of the first optical path member. If the processing laser oscillator 9 needs to be replaced, for example, due to its lifespan or malfunction, the laser light source 10, including the processing laser oscillator 9, is replaced.

[0015] The processing laser oscillator 9 has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the front-to-back direction D1, and emits processing laser light R in the forward direction from a predetermined position on its front surface 9A. The forward direction is an example of the direction in which the processing laser light R is emitted.

[0016] On a part of the front surface 9A, a periscope 8 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the left-right direction D3 is disposed. The periscope 8 includes a plurality of reflection mirrors (not shown), and by changing the arrangement angles of the respective reflection mirrors, the emission position and emission angle of the processing laser beam R emitted from the processing laser oscillator 9 are adjusted.

[0017] A telescope 7 is disposed on the periscope 8. The telescope 7 has a cylindrical portion 7A that extends forward, and the cylindrical portion 7A includes a lens group (not shown) that corrects (enlarges or reduces) the optical path diameter of the processing laser beam R emitted from the periscope 8. The telescope 7 is the same as a so-called beam expander. In the example of FIG. 3, a sealing member 30 is inserted through the tip 7A1 of the cylindrical portion 7A. The sealing member 30 is formed of, for example, a sponge obtained by foam molding a synthetic resin such as polyurethane. The sealing member 30 has a through-hole 30A that passes through the tip 7A1 of the cylindrical portion 7A of the telescope 7, and a sealing portion 30B that elastically deformably seals the joint between the telescope 7 and a shutter unit 6 described later, and is formed in a substantially donut shape.

[0018] On the bottom surface 9B of the processing laser oscillator 9, a heat sink plate 5 is attached facing downward. Downward is an example of the third direction. A plurality (two in the illustrated example) of heat sinks 5A each including a plurality of fins are arranged on the heat sink plate 5.

[0019] Returning to FIG. 2, a shutter unit 6 is disposed adjacent to the front direction of the laser light source 10, more specifically, the front direction of the telescope 7. The shutter unit 6 is an example of a second optical path member. The shutter unit 6 is a member capable of switching between blocking and passing the processing laser beam R to the subsequent stage emitted from the telescope 7. Specifically, it may be a mechanical shutter having a shielding plate (blade) movable between the optical path and outside the optical path of the processing laser beam R and having a configuration in which the position of the shielding plate is switched by an actuator. Alternatively, it may be an optical shutter that changes the transmittance using liquid crystal. The shutter unit 6 is attached to the inner surface 23C1 of the front plate 23C.

[0020] Figure 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the shutter unit 6 in FIG. 2. And FIG. 5 shows a state where the pressing plate 12 screwed to the shutter unit 6 with two screws 13 is removed. As shown in FIG. 5, a U-shaped recess 6A that opens rearward and upward is formed on the surface of the shutter unit 6. The recess 6A can accommodate the sealing member 30 inserted through the tip 7A1 of the cylindrical portion 7A of the telescope 7. The pressing plate 12 covers the opening 6A1 of the recess 6A in a state where the sealing member 30 is accommodated in the recess 6A in this way. As shown in FIG. 4, the pressing plate 12 has screw holes for the screws 13, and is composed of a mounting piece 12A for screwing the pressing plate 12 to the shutter unit 6, and a pressing piece 12B that stands upright downward from the rear end of the mounting piece 12A, covers the opening 6A1 of the recess 6A, and presses the sealing member 30. And a U-shaped notch 12B1 is formed at the lower end of the pressing piece 12B. The reason for forming such a notch 12B1 in the pressing piece 12B is to prevent the pressing piece 12B from interfering with the cylindrical portion 7A of the telescope 7 when the pressing plate 12 is screwed to the shutter unit 6 with the sealing member 30 inserted through the tip 7A1 of the cylindrical portion 7A of the telescope 7 accommodated in the recess 6A.

[0021] Figure 6 shows a state where the sealing member 30 inserted through the tip 7A1 of the cylindrical portion 7A of the telescope 7 in FIG. 5 is removed. As shown in FIG. 6, the recess 6A receives the tip 7A1 of the cylindrical portion 7A of the telescope 7. And the relationship between the depth of the recess 6A, that is, the distance d from the bottom surface 6A2 of the recess 6A to the pressing plate 12 when the pressing plate 12 is attached to the shutter unit 6, and the thickness D (see FIG. 5) of the sealing member 30 is distance d < thickness D taken as follows.

[0022] This is because, as shown in Figure 5, when the sealing member 30, which is inserted through the tip 7A1 of the cylindrical portion 7A of the telescope 7, is housed in the recess 6A of the shutter unit 6, and the retaining plate 12 is screwed to the shutter unit 6, the sealing portion 30B of the sealing member 30 is compressed by the retaining plate 12, thereby ensuring airtightness at the joint between the recess 6A of the shutter unit 6 and the tip 7A1 of the cylindrical portion 7A of the telescope 7. This makes it possible to make the optical path at the joint between the shutter unit 6 and the telescope 7 dustproof and waterproof.

[0023] Next, we will explain an example of the procedure for removing the laser light source 10 from the main housing 23 of the laser marker 1 configured as described above, and for attaching the laser light source 10 to the main housing 23.

[0024] Assuming the laser marker 1 is in the state shown in Figure 1, remove the screws 27 on the cover 25 and remove the cover 25 from the main housing 23 as shown in Figure 2. Next, remove the screws 13 on the retaining plate 12 and remove the retaining plate 12 from the shutter unit 6 as shown in Figure 5. Furthermore, remove the unmarked screws that attach the processing laser oscillator 9 of the laser light source 10 to the base plate 23A, and lift the laser light source 10 upward to remove the laser light source 10 from the main housing 23 as shown in Figure 3.

[0025] Conversely, when attaching the laser light source 10 shown in Figure 3 to the main housing 23, the laser light source 10 is inserted into the main housing 10 from top to bottom, and as shown in Figure 5, the sealing member 30 inserted through the tip 7A1 of the cylindrical portion 7A of the telescope 7 is housed in the recess 6A of the shutter unit 6, and as shown in Figure 4, the retaining plate 12 is screwed to the shutter unit 6 with screws 13. Next, as shown in Figure 2, the processing laser oscillator 9 is screwed to the base plate 23A. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the cover 25 is screwed to the main housing 23 with screws 27. This completes the attachment of the laser light source 10 to the main housing 23.

[0026] Figure 7 shows a modified version of the sealing member 30 in Figure 5 that improves the overall compressibility of the sealing portion 30B. The modified version in Figure 7 differs from Figure 5 in that a second pressing plate 31 is added to hold down the entire sealing portion 30B of the sealing member 30. The second pressing plate 31 is preferably made of a material with sufficiently higher compressive strength and rigidity than the sealing portion 30B. For example, it may be made of metal. In Figure 7, components similar to those in Figure 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are omitted as appropriate.

[0027] In Figure 7, the second retaining plate 31 has substantially the same shape as the sealing member 30 in a plan view. The second retaining plate 31 is also inserted through the tip 7A1 of the cylindrical portion 7A of the telescope 7. However, the second retaining plate 31 is inserted in the rearward direction of the sealing member 30 so that it is positioned between the sealing member 30 and the retaining plate 12.

[0028] The reason for adding this second retaining plate 31 is as follows. Specifically, the retaining plate 12 has a U-shaped notch 12A (see Figure 4) as described above, in order to improve ease of attachment to the shutter unit 6. When the retaining plate 12 is screwed to the shutter unit 6, it is conceivable that the pressure applied to a part 30B1 (see Figure 4) of the surface of the sealing portion 30B of the sealing member 30, where the notch 12A is located, will be weaker than the pressure applied to other parts. In other words, it is presumed that the pressure is not applied uniformly to the entire surface of the sealing portion 30B of the sealing member 30, which may cause localized variations in the airtightness of the joint between the telescope 7 and the shutter unit 6. To minimize this localized variation, a highly rigid second retaining plate 31 is placed between the sealing member 30 and the retaining plate 12, so that the pressure applied to the other parts is evenly distributed to a portion 30B1 of the surface of the sealing portion 30B of the sealing member 30 where the notch 12A is located, via the second retaining plate 31.

[0029] As described above, the laser marker 1 of this embodiment includes a laser light source 10 connected to a processing laser oscillator 9 that emits processing laser light R, and a telescope 7 having a cylindrical portion 7A extending forward from the processing laser oscillator 9, a shutter unit 6 positioned adjacent to the laser light source 10 in the forward direction, opening in the rearward and upward directions, and having a recess 6A that receives the front end 7A1 of the cylindrical portion 7A of the telescope 7, a through hole 30A through which the end 7A1 of the cylindrical portion 7A is inserted, and a connection between the telescope 7 and the shutter unit 6. The device comprises a sealing member 30 having a sealing portion 30B that elastically deforms to seal the eye, which can be housed in a recess 6A of the shutter unit 6; a retaining plate 12 that covers the opening of the shutter unit 6 housing the tip 7A1 of the cylindrical portion 7A and the sealing member 30; and a main body housing 23 that houses the laser light source 10, the shutter unit 6, the sealing member 30 and the retaining plate 12 inside, wherein the thickness D of the sealing member in the forward direction is greater than the distance d from the bottom surface 6A1 of the recess 6A to the retaining plate 12 in the forward direction.

[0030] Thus, in the laser marker 1 of this embodiment, the thickness D of the sealing member in the forward direction is made greater than the distance d from the bottom surface 6A1 of the recess 6A in the forward direction to the retaining plate 12, so that the joint between the telescope 7 and the shutter unit 6 can be reliably sealed by the sealing portion 30B. This ensures that the joint between the telescope 7 and the shutter unit 6 is airtight. Furthermore, the shutter unit 6 and the laser light source 10 can be connected simply by covering the tip 7A1 of the cylindrical portion 7A and the opening of the shutter unit 6 that houses the sealing member 30 with the retaining plate 12, so that the laser light source 10 can be easily attached to and detached from the shutter unit 6.

[0031] Furthermore, by replacing the laser light source 10, which is an integrated unit consisting of the processing laser oscillator 9, periscope 8, and telescope 7 as a set component, the positional accuracy of the optical paths between the telescope 7, periscope 8, and processing laser oscillator 9 can be separately guaranteed without having to worry about it during replacement.

[0032] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0033] (1) In the above embodiment, the cover 25 consists of a ceiling cover 25A, a left-side cover 25B, and a right-side cover 25C, and each cover 25A to 25C is configured to be independently removable. However, the invention is not limited to this configuration, and covers 25A to 25C may be integrated and not independently removable.

[0034] (2) In the above embodiment, a heat sink 5A having multiple plate-shaped fins was used for the processing laser oscillator 9, but instead, for example, a heat sink 5A having pincushion-shaped or bellows-shaped fins may be used. Also, in the processing laser oscillator 9, the heat sink 5A was mounted facing downwards, but instead, the heat sink 5A may be mounted facing upwards, to the left, or to the right. Furthermore, the number of heat sinks 5A may be less than or more than two.

[0035] (3) In the above embodiment, the periscope 8 was integrated with the processing laser oscillator 9 as a component of the laser light source 10, but the configuration may not include the periscope 8, or the periscope 8 may be provided separately and replaceably from the laser marker 1. Also, although the telescope 7 and the processing laser oscillator 9 are attached to and detached from the laser marker 1 as a component, the telescope 7 and the processing laser oscillator 9 may be connected in a way that allows them to be separated.

[0036] (4) In the above embodiment, a telescope 7 was used as an example of the first optical path member, but it is not limited to a telescope 7 as long as it has a cylindrical portion extending in the direction of emission of the processing laser light, and there are no limitations on the type or number of lenses that can be provided. Similarly, a shutter unit 6 was used as an example of the second optical path member, but it is not limited to this, and there are no limitations on the type or number of lenses that can be provided, or on the presence or absence of light-shielding members or mirrors.

[0037] (5) Depending on the installation and usage environment of the laser marker 1, the front-to-back direction D1, the up-and-down direction D2, and the left-to-right direction D3 may be reversed. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0038] 1...Laser marker, 2...First main body, 3...Second main body, 4...Third main body, 5...Heat sink, 6...Shutter unit, 6A...Recess, 6A1...Opening, 6A2...Bottom surface, 7...Telescope, 8...Periscope, 9...Processing laser oscillator, 10...Laser light source, 23...Main body housing, 23A...Base plate, 23B...Rear plate, 23C...Front plate, 25...Cover, 25A...Ceiling cover, 25B...Left side cover, 25C...Right side cover, 30...Sealing member, 30A...Through hole, 30B...Sealing part, 31...Second retaining plate, R...Processing laser beam.

Claims

1. A laser light source connected to a processing laser oscillator that emits processing laser light, and a first optical path member having a cylindrical portion extending from the processing laser oscillator in the direction of emission of the processing laser light, A second optical path member is positioned adjacent to the laser light source in the emission direction, opening in a first direction opposite to the emission direction and a second direction intersecting the emission direction, and having a recess for receiving the tip of the cylindrical portion of the first optical path member in the emission direction, A sealing member having a through hole through which the tip of the cylindrical portion is inserted, and a sealing portion that elastically deforms to seal the joint between the first optical path member and the second optical path member, and which can be housed in the recess of the second optical path member, A retaining plate that covers the opening of the second optical path member housing the tip of the cylindrical portion and the sealing member, The system comprises a main body housing that houses the laser light source, the second optical path member, the sealing member, and the retaining plate inside, A laser processing apparatus characterized in that the thickness of the sealing member in the ejection direction is greater than the distance from the bottom surface of the recess to the retaining plate in the ejection direction.

2. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the first optical path member includes an optical component consisting of a lens assembly for correcting the beam diameter of the processing laser light.

3. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the second optical path member is a shutter unit capable of switching between blocking and passing the processing laser light emitted from the laser light source.

4. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the retaining plate is screwed to the second optical path member.

5. The aforementioned main body housing is A base plate on which the laser light source is fixed, A rear plate erected upstream of the laser light source in the emission direction, A front plate erected downstream of the laser light source and the second optical path member in the direction of emission, The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cover provided between the rear plate and the front plate.

6. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the second optical path member is attached to the inner surface of the front plate.

7. The laser light source has a heat sink on a heat dissipation plate, The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat sink is mounted facing a third direction opposite to the second direction of the laser light source.

Images