Gas supply device for laser welding device

Abstract

One embodiment is a gas supply device 12 for blowing off welding fumes generated at welding points W in a laser welding device that joins elongate components at a plurality of the welding points W that are continuous in a series in the longitudinal direction. The gas supply device comprises: a plurality of gas nozzles 26 each having at least one blowout hole and arranged such that the blowout hole is in close proximity to any of the plurality of welding points; a gas supply source 28 for supplying gas to the gas nozzles; and gas supply passages 30 connecting the gas supply source and the gas nozzles. The at least one blowout hole of each gas nozzle is disposed in a flat shape, and is disposed so as to be capable of blowing out gas toward at least a plurality of welding points that are adjacent to one other, among the plurality of welding points, and the plurality of gas nozzles are disposed continuously along the continuous series of the plurality of welding points.

Description

Gas supply device for laser welding equipment

[0001] The present invention relates to a gas supply device for a laser welding apparatus, and more particularly to a gas supply device for removing welding fumes generated at a series of multiple continuous welding points in a laser welding apparatus that joins long parts in the longitudinal direction.

[0002] In vehicles such as ordinary automobiles, many steel plate members are used as body components, and structural members are often formed by welding the steel plate members together. For example, bumper reinforcements that constitute the bumpers located at the front and rear of an automobile are sometimes formed by joining them together using laser welding.

[0003] Laser welding is performed by irradiating a laser onto the welding processing point of the workpieces to be joined. During the laser welding process, welding fumes are generated when the laser is irradiated onto the workpieces. This reduces the energy of the laser light, resulting in a problem of reduced welding quality.

[0004] As a countermeasure to this problem, a conventional method is to blow air from a laser irradiation device toward the welding point to prevent deterioration in the quality of the welding point.

[0005] When air is blown from a laser irradiation device toward a welding point, the presence of a jig that secures the workpiece can cause turbulence and variations in the air volume near the processing point, which can affect joint quality. The laser welding device disclosed in JP 2008-168318 A does not attach an air nozzle to the laser irradiation device, but rather to a pressure jig that can move up and down independently of the laser irradiation device. Air is blown from the air nozzle to guide welding spatter toward a suction nozzle. When the technology disclosed in this publication is applied to welding fumes, when joining long parts such as bumper reinforcements at a series of multiple continuous laser welding processing points in the longitudinal direction, it is difficult to accurately and efficiently remove welding fumes generated at the processing points. This is particularly unsuitable for laser welding the longitudinal side surfaces of long parts such as bumper reinforcements. It is desirable to reliably, accurately, and efficiently remove welding fumes generated at welding processing points during laser welding of long parts, thereby achieving high-quality laser welding.

[0006] One aspect of the present technology is a gas supply device for blowing away welding fumes generated at a series of multiple welding points in a laser welding device that joins long parts at the welding points in the longitudinal direction, the gas supply device comprising: a plurality of gas nozzles, each having at least one outlet hole, and arranged so that the outlet hole is close to one of the multiple welding points; a gas supply source that supplies gas to the gas nozzles; and a gas supply path that connects the gas supply source and the gas nozzles; the at least one outlet hole of each gas nozzle is arranged in a flat shape and is arranged so that gas can be blown toward at least multiple welding points adjacent to each other among the multiple welding points, and the multiple gas nozzles are arranged in a continuous manner along the series of multiple welding points.

[0007] In some embodiments, the longitudinal series of welding points is located on a longitudinal side of the elongate part.

[0008] In some embodiments, the gas nozzle is formed in a shape that widens from the gas supply path toward the welding point, and the flat-shaped outlet holes are arranged in a straight line so that the gas is supplied evenly toward the welding point.

[0009] In some embodiments, a flow regulator is installed in the gas supply line.

[0010] In some embodiments, the elongated part is a bumper reinforcement.

[0011] In some embodiments, welding fumes generated at the welding processing point during laser welding of long parts can be reliably, accurately, and efficiently dispersed, thereby enabling laser welding with good joint quality to be performed.

[0012] 1 is a perspective view of an air supply device of a laser welding device used for laser welding a bumper reinforcement according to one embodiment, as viewed from above the bumper reinforcement. 2 is a perspective view of an air supply device of a laser welding device used for laser welding a bumper reinforcement according to one embodiment, as viewed from above the bumper reinforcement. 3 is a perspective view of an air supply device of a laser welding device used for laser welding a bumper reinforcement according to one embodiment, as viewed from above the bumper reinforcement. 4 is a perspective view of an air supply device of a laser welding device shown in FIG. 1, as viewed from above the bumper reinforcement. 5 is a diagram showing a series of welding processing points set on a side portion of a bumper reinforcement according to one embodiment, and a plurality of air nozzles arranged relative to the welding processing points. 6 is a diagram showing an air nozzle according to one embodiment, as viewed alone.

[0013] [Air Supply Device for Laser Welding Apparatus] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The air supply device 12 of the laser welding apparatus 10 can be applied to laser welding of elongated parts such as bumper reinforcements 14. In the description of the drawings, terms relating to directions such as up and down refer to directions in the drawings themselves unless otherwise specified.

[0014] Fig. 1 shows a state in which a bumper reinforcement 14 as a long part is fixed by a support jig 16, and Fig. 2 shows a state before the bumper reinforcement 14 is placed. Note that the laser irradiation device is omitted from Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. The laser irradiation device is positioned so as to irradiate the laser toward a welding processing point W shown in Fig. 3, which will be described later.

[0015] 1 and 2, the laser welding device 10 is installed on a base machine stand 18. Because the bumper reinforcement 14 is an elongated member, the base machine stand 18 is set to have an elongated shape large enough to accommodate the bumper reinforcement 14.

[0016] The support jig 16 may be composed of a plurality of supports 20, 22, 24 arranged in the longitudinal direction on a base machine frame 18 in order to fix the bumper reinforcement 14. First, at least one support 20 is placed at each end position in the longitudinal direction, thereby regulating the installation positions of both ends of the bumper reinforcement 14 in the longitudinal direction. As viewed in Figures 1 and 2, the position of the left end of the bumper reinforcement 14 is regulated by the support 20L placed at the left end, and the position of the right end of the bumper reinforcement 14 is regulated by the support 20R placed at the right end.

[0017] Furthermore, at least one support 22 is arranged to support both longitudinal sides of the bumper reinforcement 14, and the bumper reinforcement 14 can be supported by gripping the member from above and below in the plate thickness direction. As viewed in Figures 1 and 2, the left side of the bumper reinforcement 14 is supported by the support 22L arranged on the left side, and the right side of the bumper reinforcement 14 is supported by the support 22R arranged on the right side. The side support 22 can be composed of a support member U arranged above and a support member D arranged below, and the bumper reinforcement 14 is sandwiched and supported by both support members U and D.

[0018] Furthermore, at least one support 24 can be disposed to support the longitudinal center portion of the bumper reinforcement 14. For example, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, three supports 24A, 24B, and 24C can be disposed at equal intervals. Similar to the side supports 22 described above, each of these supports 24A, 24B, and 24C is composed of a support member U disposed above and a support member D disposed below, and can grip and support the longitudinal center portion of the bumper reinforcement 14 from above and below in the plate thickness direction.

[0019] [Location of Welding Points] As shown in Figure 3, in a specific embodiment, welding points W are set on the sides of the bumper reinforcement 14 (for example, at the positions indicated by circles). Although the figure shows only welding points W set on one side of the bumper reinforcement 14, welding points W can be similarly set on the opposite side. These welding points W can be set in a series of multiple welding points W at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction of the bumper reinforcement 14.

[0020] 1 and 2, the air supply device 12 is composed of an air nozzle 26, an air supply source 28, and an air supply path 30. A flow rate regulator 32 is installed in the air supply path 30.

[0021] [Air Nozzle] As shown in Figure 3, the air nozzle 26 is disposed in a position such that the air outlet holes 34 are close to the welding points W set on the bumper reinforcement 14. Figure 4 shows a diagram of an individual air nozzle 26. Each air nozzle 26 has a plurality of air outlet holes 34 arranged in a flat shape, and specifically, they can be arranged in a straight line. The air nozzle 26 is disposed in such a direction that the arrangement of the flat shapes of the air outlet holes 34 follows the arrangement of the welding points W.

[0022] 4, the air nozzle 26 may be formed in a generally semicircular, trapezoidal, or triangular shape that widens from a base 38 connected to an air supply path 30 (described later) toward the welding processing point W. In other words, the overall three-dimensional shape of the air nozzle 26 is also formed in a flat shape similar to the arrangement of the air outlet holes 34.

[0023] In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, the air outlet holes 34 of one air nozzle 26 can be arranged to cover three adjacent welding points W arranged in a series. For example, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, 11 air nozzles 26 can cover 33 welding points W on one side.

[0024] 1 and 2, the air nozzles 26 are supported on the base machine stand 18 by air nozzle supports 36. The air nozzles 26 at both ends in the longitudinal direction are supported by a single air nozzle support 36A, while the other air nozzles 26 arranged in the central position are supported by one air nozzle support 36B for every three air nozzles 26.

[0025] 1 and 2, the air supply source 28 and the air supply path 30 will be described. The air supply source 28 is a storage container or source of air to be supplied to the welding point W, and is, for example, an air tank. In another embodiment, a gas other than air may be supplied to the welding point W. In that case, the supply source is, for example, a gas tank.

[0026] The air supply path 30 is an air distribution path that supplies air from the air supply source 28 so that air can be blown from the air nozzles 26 to the welding processing point W. This air distribution path is formed, for example, by a pipe. The air supply path 30 first branches from the air supply source 28 into three pipes 30A, 30B, and 30C. The three pipes 30A, 30B, and 30C are each joined to a common pipe path 30D. The common pipe path 30D is then connected to each of the air nozzles 26 via distribution pipe paths 30E, and air is supplied to the air nozzles 26. In this embodiment, the common pipe path 30D is set up in sections for each of the three pipes 30A, 30B, and 30C.

[0027] The three pipes 30A, 30B, and 30C connected to the common pipe 30D in the air supply path 30 are arranged at appropriate intervals, so that the air pressure supplied from the air supply source 28 to the common pipe 30D is uniform.

[0028] In this embodiment, a flow rate adjusting device 32 is installed in each of the three pipes 30A, 30B, and 30C in the air supply path 30. The flow rate adjusting device 32 adjusts the flow rate of air supplied to the common pipe path 30D by varying the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path through which the air flows using a screw or the like.

[0029] [Laser Welding Process] To perform laser welding on the bumper reinforcement 14, first, the bumper reinforcement 14 is set on the support jig 16 ( FIG. 1 ). Specifically, both end portions, both side portions, and the center portion of the bumper reinforcement 14 are supported in fixed positions by the corresponding supports 24. In particular, the both side portions and the center portion are supported by sandwiching the bumper reinforcement 14 between a support member U arranged in an upper position and a support member D arranged in a lower position.

[0030] With the bumper reinforcement 14 set on the support jig 16, a laser is irradiated by a laser irradiation device (not shown) to welding points W of the bumper reinforcement 14 to weld the bumper reinforcement 14. The welding points W are, for example, positions indicated by circles in Fig. 3, and are positions on the sides in the longitudinal direction of the bumper reinforcement 14. In this embodiment, the welding points W are set on both sides in the longitudinal direction.

[0031] When a laser is irradiated onto the welding point W, welding fumes are generated. As described in the background art, these welding fumes reduce the energy of the laser light and have the adverse effect of degrading the joining quality. However, in this embodiment, the air nozzle 26 that blows air onto the welding point W has an outlet 34 disposed close to the welding point W. This allows the air to be reliably and accurately blown onto the welding point W, thereby efficiently blowing away the welding fumes. As a result, good and stable welding quality can be achieved.

[0032] Furthermore, since three welding processing points W are covered by the blowing hole 34 of one air nozzle 26, when a series of continuous welding processing points W are set in the longitudinal direction, such as in the case of a long part, the number of air nozzles 26 can be reduced, thereby simplifying the configuration of the air supply device 12.

[0033] A flow rate adjusting device 32 is installed in the air supply path 30, so that the flow rate of air supplied to each air nozzle 26 can be adjusted to an appropriate and uniform amount.

[0034] Since the air nozzle 26 is formed in a shape that spreads from the air supply path 30 toward the welding processing point W, one air nozzle 26 can cover multiple welding processing points W (for example, three points as shown in Figure 3) and blow away welding fumes.

[0035] Since the blowing holes 34 of the flat-shaped air nozzle 26 are arranged in a straight line, air can be blown evenly onto the plurality of welding processing points W. As a result, welding can be performed with high precision.

[0036] The air nozzle 26 is shaped like a triangle that widens toward the welding processing point W, so that air can be smoothly supplied to the blowing holes 34 of the air nozzle 26, and welding fumes generated at the welding processing point W can be blown away reliably.

[0037] Other Embodiments In the above-described embodiment, the flow rate regulator 32 is provided in the air supply path 30 connecting the air supply source 28 and the air nozzle 26, but the flow rate regulator 32 does not necessarily have to be provided.

[0038] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, one air nozzle 26 covers three welding processing points W, but in another embodiment, it may cover a number of welding processing points W other than three (for example, two or four).

[0039] In the above-described embodiment, the welding points W are set on the sides of the bumper reinforcement 14 in the longitudinal direction, but in another embodiment, they may be set at other positions. For example, they may be set on the upper or lower surface of the bumper reinforcement 14.

[0040] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the long part is the bumper reinforcement 14, but in another embodiment, it may be any other long steel plate part.

[0041] [Advantageous Effects] Finally, the advantageous effects of the above-described embodiment will be summarized.

[0042] In the case of long parts, a large number of continuous welding points are set in the longitudinal direction, so the air supply device for blowing away welding fumes generated at the welding points during laser welding usually has a complex configuration. However, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the arrangement of the blowing holes is a single flat air nozzle that blows air toward at least multiple adjacent welding points, so the number of air nozzles can be reduced compared to the number of welding points. This allows the air supply device to have a simple configuration even when there are a large number of welding points.

[0043] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the air nozzle outlet is disposed close to the welding point, so welding fumes generated at the welding point of laser welding can be blown away accurately and efficiently. As a result, laser welding of long parts, which has been considered difficult in the past, can be performed with good joint quality.

[0044] In some embodiments, a series of multiple welding points are provided on the sides of the elongated parts in the longitudinal direction, thereby increasing the joining strength of the elongated parts, especially when the welding points are provided on both sides of the elongated parts.

[0045] In some embodiments, the air nozzle is formed in a shape that widens from the air supply passage toward the welding point, thereby making it possible to blow welding fumes over a large number of welding points.

[0046] In some embodiments, the nozzle holes of the flat air nozzle are arranged in a straight line, which allows the air to be blown evenly onto the multiple welding points, resulting in highly accurate welding.

[0047] In some embodiments, a flow rate regulator is installed in the air supply passage, which allows the flow rate of air supplied to the air nozzle to be adjusted to an appropriate amount.

[0048] In some embodiments, the elongated part is a bumper reinforcement, which allows the bumper reinforcement to be laser welded with high precision.

[0049] Although specific embodiments have been described above, the present technology is not limited to these embodiments, and various changes, substitutions, and improvements can be made by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A gas supply device for laser welding equipment that joins long parts at a series of consecutive welding points in the longitudinal direction, for blowing off welding fumes generated at the welding points, the gas supply device comprising: a plurality of gas nozzles, each having at least one blowing hole, and arranged so that the blowing hole is close to one of the welding points; a gas supply source that supplies gas to the gas nozzles; and a gas supply path that connects the gas supply source and the gas nozzles, the at least one blowing hole of each gas nozzle is arranged in a flat shape and is arranged so that it can blow gas toward at least a plurality of mutually adjacent welding points among the plurality of welding points, and the plurality of gas nozzles are arranged in succession along the series of consecutive welding points.

2. A gas supply device for a laser welding device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of welding processing points arranged consecutively in the longitudinal direction are set on the side of the long-shaped part in the longitudinal direction.

3. A gas supply device for a laser welding device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the gas nozzle is formed in a shape that spreads out from the gas supply path toward the welding processing point, and the flat-shaped blowing holes are arranged in a straight line, so that gas is supplied evenly toward the welding processing point.

4. A gas supply device for a laser welding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a flow rate regulator is provided in the gas supply path.

5. A gas supply device for a laser welding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the long part is a bumper reinforcement.

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