Laser device

Abstract

This technology provides a way to quickly recover harmful fumes generated when processing objects with a laser, and to suppress the attenuation of the laser irradiation effect. [Solution] The laser device 10 comprises a laser irradiation unit 110 for cutting an object 40 and a suction nozzle 120 for sucking up fumes 100 generated when the object is cut, wherein the suction port 30 of the suction nozzle is positioned near the irradiation port 20 of the laser irradiation unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a laser device and a suction nozzle.

Background Art

[0002] When performing processing using a laser device, harmful fumes (smoke), such as hydrogen chloride and hydrogen cyanide, may be generated. Also, the laser light may be scattered by the fumes, resulting in attenuation. Further, when cutting a film attached to the surface of an object with a laser, the heat of the fumes may affect positions on the film different from the cutting position (for example, burning the film surface). Therefore, it is desired to quickly collect the fumes before they affect the surroundings.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a thermal processing device for collecting products (dust) accompanying thermal processing.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the laser head 11 and the exhaust unit 13 are located at a distance from each other, it is difficult to quickly collect harmful fumes generated when processing an object with a laser, and in some cases, it may not be possible to collect them all. Therefore, there is a problem that the attenuation of the laser irradiation effect may occur due to the fumes remaining in the laser irradiation direction.

[0006] The present invention was made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a technology that allows for the early recovery of harmful fumes generated when processing an object with a laser, and suppresses the attenuation of the laser irradiation effect. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A laser apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention that achieves the above objective is: A laser irradiation unit for cutting the target object, It comprises a suction nozzle for sucking up fumes generated when the object is cut, The suction port of the suction nozzle is characterized by being positioned near the irradiation port of the laser irradiation unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to recover harmful fumes generated when processing an object with a laser at an early stage, and to suppress the attenuation of the laser irradiation effect. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example configuration of a laser device according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the external appearance of a part of a blowing nozzle according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram of a suction port according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing the configuration of a modified discharge nozzle. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be combined in any way. Furthermore, identical or similar configurations will be given the same reference numeral, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.

[0011] Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of a laser device according to one embodiment. Figure 2 shows an example of the appearance of a part of a blowing nozzle according to one embodiment. The laser device 10 is a device for trimming by irradiating an object 40 with a laser 111. The object 40 is, for example, an automobile part 41 with a decorative film 42 attached to it. The laser device 10 can be used to cut and remove unwanted decorative film 42.

[0012] The laser device 10 comprises a laser irradiation unit 110 for cutting an object 40 and a suction nozzle 120 for sucking up fumes 100 generated when the object 40 is cut. The laser device 10 also comprises an attachment 130 for mounting the suction nozzle 120 and the laser irradiation unit 110, and a support member 140 for supporting the attachment 130. The suction nozzle 120 may be made of metal and may have an anti-corrosion coating. The suction port 30 of the suction nozzle 120 is positioned near the irradiation port 20 of the laser irradiation unit 110. In other words, the suction port 30 is positioned around the irradiation port 20. The support member 140 has its end connected to another control device (not shown) and is movable in any direction within a plane intersecting vertically, specifically within a horizontal plane, under the control of the other control device. By moving this support member 140, the laser irradiation unit 110 moves, allowing the desired trimming to be performed.

[0013] The laser irradiation unit 110 irradiates the laser 111 through the space 200 inside the first cylindrical portion 122. In the illustrated example, the direction of irradiation of the laser 111 is vertically downward. The laser irradiation unit 110 irradiates the object 40 with the laser 111 at a predetermined distance (e.g., about 40 mm). L2 is the focal length of the laser 111 irradiated from the laser irradiation unit 111 (e.g., about 120 mm to 130 mm).

[0014] The suction nozzle 120 comprises a first cylindrical portion 122 centered on the laser irradiation axis (the axis extending in the direction from which the laser 111 is irradiated) and a second cylindrical portion 121 centered on the laser irradiation axis. The suction nozzle 120 can suck up the fume 100 through the space 300 outside the first cylindrical portion 122 and inside the second cylindrical portion 121. L1 is the vertical length of the first cylindrical portion 122, which can be, for example, about 80 mm. The fume 100 is sucked up along the arrow 150 and guided through the inside of a conduit 160 connected to or extending from the side of the second cylindrical portion 121.

[0015] Thus, the suction nozzle 120 is equipped with a conduit 160 extending from a part of the second cylindrical portion 121 toward the outside of the suction nozzle 120, and the space 300 outside the first cylindrical portion 122 and inside the second cylindrical portion 121 is in fluid communication with the space 400 in the conduit 160. Part of the conduit 160 may be made of a flexible member (for example, an elastic hose) to guide the sucked fume 100 away from the working environment. The suction nozzle 120 may be detachable. Specifically, the attachment 130 and the laser irradiation unit 110 may remain fixed, and the suction nozzle 120 may be detachable from them. Alternatively, the suction nozzle 120 and the laser irradiation unit 110 may be integrally configured, and the entire assembly may be detachable from the attachment 130. For example, the suction nozzle 120 and the laser irradiation unit 110 may be configured to be attachable to the attachment 130 via a screw portion 125. Making it detachable allows for quick replacement of maintenance parts or robot teaching parts.

[0016] Here, Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram of a suction port according to one embodiment. Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view AA of Figure 1. The cross-sectional area of ​​the suction port 30 (the area capable of sucking up the fume 100) corresponds to the area of ​​the shaded portion. The cross-sectional area of ​​the suction port 30 can be the difference between the cross-sectional areas of the second cylindrical portion 121 and the first cylindrical portion 122. More specifically, it can be the difference between the area of ​​the circle corresponding to the inner wall portion of the second cylindrical portion 121 and the area of ​​the circle corresponding to the outer wall portion of the first cylindrical portion 122. That is, the suction port 30 is an opening having an area that is the difference between the area of ​​the circle corresponding to the inner wall portion of the second cylindrical portion 121 and the area of ​​the circle corresponding to the outer wall portion of the first cylindrical portion 122. This difference is 1000 mm 2 ~1500mm 2 It can be any value between these, and in particular, 1250mm 2 That's fine.

[0017] Furthermore, suction from the suction port 30 can be performed by operating a suction device (not shown). A control device may be provided to control the suction operation of the suction device (not shown), the irradiation operation of the laser 111, and the horizontal and vertical movement of the laser device 10. The laser device 10 may have the control device, or the control device may be separate from the laser device 10. Under the control of the control device, the suction by the suction device and the irradiation operation of the laser 111 may be synchronized. For example, while the laser 111 is irradiating, the suction by the suction device may be controlled to be performed simultaneously. This ensures that suction is performed when the laser is irradiating and there is a possibility of fume generation, thus suppressing any leakage of fume. Alternatively, considering the time lag between the start of operation of the suction device and the actual start of suction, the suction device may be controlled to start operating a predetermined time before the start of laser irradiation. The operation of the control device can be achieved by a computer reading and executing a program stored in memory.

[0018] As described above, according to the present embodiment, harmful fumes generated when processing an object with a laser can be quickly sucked and collected near the processing position. Therefore, it is possible to suppress attenuation or divergence of the laser beam caused by the remaining fumes, and it is possible to maintain an effective laser output.

[0019] Further, by providing the suction port 30 of the suction nozzle 120 so as to surround the periphery of the irradiation port 20 of the laser irradiation unit 110, suction of the fumes can be performed so as to cover the irradiation position of the laser 111, that is, the fume generation position. Therefore, the fumes can be efficiently collected, and the occurrence of collection leakage can be suppressed.

[0020] In addition, in order to trim an object such as an automotive part, which often has a complex three-dimensional shape, with a laser, it is necessary to move the laser irradiation unit 110 according to the shape of the object. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, since the laser irradiation unit 110 and the suction nozzle 120 move integrally, even when the laser device 10 is moved, the suction nozzle 120 is always positioned near the laser irradiation unit 110, and the fumes can be efficiently collected.

[0021] [Modification Example] In the present embodiment, an example in which the first cylindrical portion 122 and the second cylindrical portion 121 are coaxial has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and they may be substantially coaxial or non-coaxial. Further, the present invention is not limited to the anticorrosion coating, and the suction nozzle 120 may be coated with a coating to which a film is difficult to adhere. In the illustrated example, the pipeline 160 extends from the side portion of the second cylindrical portion 121 toward the outside of the suction nozzle 120, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, it may be configured to extend from the upper portion contacting the attachment 130 of the second cylindrical portion 121 toward the outside of the suction nozzle 120. In that case, the pipeline 160 may extend to the collection position through the inside of the attachment 130 and the inside of the support member 140.

[0022] Furthermore, the configuration of the suction nozzle 120 is not limited to the form shown in Figure 1. Here, Figure 4 is a configuration diagram of a modified blowing nozzle. The end of the first cylindrical portion 122 may protrude more than the end of the second cylindrical portion 121. That is, the end face of the irradiation port 20 may protrude more than the end face of the suction port 30. As a result, the distance between the irradiation port of the laser 111 (i.e., the end of the first cylindrical portion 122) and the object 40 becomes closer, thus shortening the distance affected by fumes. Therefore, scattering of laser light by fumes can be suppressed.

[0023] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0024] 10: Laser device, 20: Irradiation port, 30: Suction port, 40: Object, 100: Fume, 110: Laser irradiation section, 120: Suction nozzle, 121: Second cylindrical section, 122: First cylindrical section, 160: Pipeline

Claims

1. A laser device, A laser irradiation unit for cutting the target object, It comprises a suction nozzle for sucking up fumes generated when the object is cut, A laser apparatus characterized in that the suction port of the suction nozzle is positioned near the irradiation port of the laser irradiation unit.

2. The laser apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the suction port is arranged around the irradiation port.

3. The aforementioned suction nozzle is A first cylindrical section centered on the laser irradiation axis, A second cylindrical portion is arranged around the first cylindrical portion, Equipped with, The laser apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the fume is drawn in through the space outside the first cylindrical portion and inside the second cylindrical portion.

4. The laser apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the laser irradiation unit irradiates a laser through the space inside the first cylindrical portion.

5. The laser apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the laser irradiation unit irradiates the object with a laser at a predetermined distance.

6. The laser apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the end face of the first cylindrical portion protrudes more than the end face of the second cylindrical portion.

7. The suction nozzle is provided with a conduit extending from a part of the second cylindrical portion toward the outside of the suction nozzle, The laser apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the space outside the first cylindrical portion and inside the second cylindrical portion is in fluid communication with the space inside the pipeline.

8. The cross-sectional area of ​​the space outside the first cylindrical portion and inside the second cylindrical portion is 1000 mm². ２ ~1500mm ２ The laser apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that it is any value between the ranges.

9. The aforementioned cross-sectional area is 1250 mm². ２ The laser apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that it is the same as the laser apparatus according to claim 8.

10. The laser apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the suction nozzle is made of metal and has a corrosion-resistant coating.

11. The laser apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the suction nozzle is detachable from the laser irradiation unit.

12. A suction nozzle for aspirating fumes generated when a laser is irradiated onto an object, Centered on the laser irradiation axis, a first cylindrical portion through which the laser passes, A second cylindrical portion is arranged around the first cylindrical portion, A suction port for sucking up the fume through the space outside the first cylindrical portion and inside the second cylindrical portion, A suction nozzle characterized by comprising the following features.

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