Laser processing auxiliary tool

Abstract

Provided is a laser processing auxiliary tool capable of efficiently performing surface treatment on a region which is not directly irradiated with laser light emitted from a laser irradiation unit in the surface treatment using the laser light. The laser processing auxiliary tool for assisting in the surface treatment using laser light comprises: a fixing unit attached to the laser irradiation unit included in a laser processing device; a mirror unit for reflecting the laser light emitted from the laser irradiation unit; and a connection unit for connecting the fixing unit and the mirror unit.

Description

Laser processing aids

[0001] The present invention relates to a laser processing aid. In particular, it relates to a laser processing aid that can efficiently perform surface treatment on areas that cannot be directly irradiated with laser light emitted from the laser irradiation unit during surface treatment using laser light.

[0002] Traditionally, anti-corrosion coatings have been applied to bridges, transmission towers, plants, tanks, and machine parts to prevent rust. When applying anti-corrosion coatings, for example, the surface (exposed surface) of the object to be painted is laser-cleaned before the anti-corrosion coating is applied in order to improve adhesion between the object to be painted and the anti-corrosion paint.

[0003] Here, laser cleaning of the object to be painted is performed by irradiating the object to be painted from above, for example, as shown in Figure 9. The laser light is irradiated onto the object to be painted from a laser processing device 100 for laser cleaning. At this time, it is common to scan the object to be painted with the laser light within a predetermined area, for example, as shown in Figures 10(a) to (c). By sequentially scanning the laser light within this predetermined area while changing the position, laser cleaning is performed on the entire area to be painted. Figure 10(a) is an explanatory diagram showing the case in which the laser light is scanned while moving in a zigzag pattern in the X-Y plane, and Figure 10(b) is an explanatory diagram showing the case in which the laser light is scanned in a spiral pattern. Figure 10(c) is an explanatory diagram showing the case in which the laser light is irradiated in a circular pattern, and the irradiation position of the laser light is changed in stages from the outer circumference of the bolt head toward the center.

[0004] Such surface treatment by laser cleaning is a very useful method because it is performed by the scanned laser beam, and thus the laser cleaning of the entire painting area can be carried out in an extremely short time. However, laser cleaning can only be performed on the surface irradiated by the laser beam emitted from the laser processing apparatus, and there is a problem that cleaning treatment cannot be performed on areas where the laser beam cannot be directly applied, for example, areas facing gaps such as those indicated by arrow Z in FIG. 9. In addition, for areas where the laser beam cannot be directly applied in this way, cleaning (surface treatment) is performed by polishing using a wire brush or the like to improve the adhesion to the rust preventive paint, or in fact, cleaning is not performed on such areas.

[0005] As described above, when cleaning (surface treatment) is performed by polishing using a wire brush or the like to improve the adhesion to the rust preventive paint, there is a problem that the cleaning (surface treatment) time is extremely long. In addition, the cleaned portion polished with a wire brush or the like has a worse surface cleaning condition compared to the cleaned portion performed using the laser beam, and thus there is a problem that the applied rust preventive paint is likely to peel off. In addition, when cleaning is not performed, the adhesion to the rust preventive paint is extremely poor, and thus the applied rust preventive paint is even more likely to peel off.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a laser processing auxiliary tool capable of efficiently performing surface treatment on an area where the laser beam emitted from the laser irradiation unit cannot be directly irradiated in surface treatment by laser beam.

[0007] The above object of the present invention is achieved by a laser processing auxiliary tool for assisting surface treatment by laser beam, the laser processing auxiliary tool including a fixing portion attached to a laser irradiation unit included in a laser processing apparatus, a mirror portion that reflects the laser beam emitted from the laser irradiation unit, and a connecting portion that connects the fixing portion and the mirror portion.

[0008] Furthermore, it is preferable that the fixing portion is configured to be detachably attached to the laser irradiation portion.

[0009] Furthermore, it is preferable that the fixing portion is configured to be fitted around the laser irradiation portion.

[0010] Furthermore, it is preferable that the mirror portion be configured to be able to swivel relative to the connection portion.

[0011] Furthermore, it is preferable that the connecting portion is formed in a rod shape.

[0012] Furthermore, it is preferable that the connecting portion be configured to be expandable and retractable.

[0013] According to the present invention, in surface treatment using laser light, it is possible to provide a laser processing aid that enables efficient surface treatment of areas that are not directly irradiated by the laser light emitted from the laser irradiation unit.

[0014] This is a schematic front view of the laser processing aid of the present invention. This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the section A-A in Figure 1. This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the section B-B in Figure 1. This is an explanatory diagram showing the laser processing aid shown in Figure 1 attached to the laser irradiation section of a laser processing device. This is a schematic front view for explaining the function of the laser processing aid shown in Figure 1. This is a schematic front view for explaining the function of the laser processing aid shown in Figure 1. This is an explanatory diagram for explaining how to use the laser processing aid shown in Figure 1. This is an explanatory diagram for explaining how to use the laser processing aid shown in Figure 1. This is an explanatory diagram for explaining the laser cleaning method. This is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a scanning pattern of laser light irradiated from a laser processing device.

[0015] Hereinafter, a laser processing aid 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. The laser processing aid 1 according to the present invention is an instrument used to efficiently perform surface treatment (laser cleaning, etc.) on areas that cannot be directly irradiated with laser light emitted from a laser irradiation unit, and comprises a fixing part 2, a mirror part 3, and a connecting part 4, as shown in the schematic front view of Figure 1, the schematic cross-sectional view of Figure 2 showing the A-A section in Figure 1, and the schematic cross-sectional view of Figure 3 showing the B-B section in Figure 1.

[0016] As shown in the explanatory diagram of Figure 4, the fixing part 2 is a part that is attached to the laser irradiation unit 101 of the laser processing apparatus 100, and it is preferable that it be configured to be detachably attached to the laser irradiation unit 101. This fixing part 2 is configured, for example, as a cylindrical member or a ring-shaped member that fits onto the outer circumference of the laser irradiation unit 101, and can be configured to include a bolt member 21 that is screwed into the side wall of the cylindrical member (or ring-shaped member) from the outside to the inside of the side wall. The tip of the bolt member 21 screwed into the side wall of the fixing part 2 presses against the outer circumference of the laser irradiation unit 101, thereby fitting the fixing part 2 onto the outer circumference of the laser irradiation unit 101 and preventing the laser processing aid 1 from falling. It is more preferable that a hole with a female thread is formed at a predetermined position on the outer circumference of the laser irradiation unit 101, into which the tip of the bolt member 21 screwed into the side wall of the fixing part 2 is screwed.

[0017] The mirror section 3 is a component that reflects laser light emitted from the laser irradiation section, and is configured, for example, by installing a plate-shaped mirror body 32 on the upper surface of a rectangular plate-shaped base section 31 in plan view. The mirror body 32 is configured, for example, by applying a mirror coating to one side of a base plate made of quartz, glass, or the like.

[0018] The connecting portion 4 is a member that connects the fixing portion 2 and the mirror portion 3. It is preferable that the connecting portion 4 be configured as a rod-shaped body to which the fixing portion 2 is connected and fixed at one end and the mirror portion 3 is connected at the other end. Furthermore, it is preferable that the connecting portion 4 be configured to be extendable and retractable along its longitudinal direction, as shown in Figures 1 and 5. In Figures 1 and 5, the connecting portion 4 is configured as an extendable rod, but it is not particularly limited to such an extendable rod configuration as long as it is configured to be extendable and retractable along its longitudinal direction.

[0019] Furthermore, a mirror section 3 is connected to the other end of the connection section 4, and as shown in Figures 1 and 6, this mirror section 3 is configured to pivot relative to the connection section 4. The mirror section 3 is configured to pivot within a range in which it can reflect the laser light emitted from the laser irradiation section. The pivoting mechanism of the mirror section 3 is not particularly limited, but for example, a configuration in which the base section 31 of the mirror section 3 is rotatably connected to a rotating shaft section 41 provided on the other end of the connection section 4 can be exemplified. The rotating shaft section 41 is installed so that its axis is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the connection section 4.

[0020] As shown in Figure 4, the laser processing aid 1 according to the present invention is used by fitting the fixing part 2 around the laser irradiation part 101 of the laser processing apparatus 100. Here, it is preferable that the laser processing apparatus 100 is configured so that the laser light irradiated from the laser irradiation part 101 can scan within a predetermined area, as shown in Figure 9. The laser processing aid 1 installed on the laser irradiation part 101 is set by inserting the mirror part 3 into the gap area facing the surface treatment difficult area Z, which is difficult to irradiate directly with the laser light emitted from the laser irradiation part 101, or by positioning the mirror part 3 above the surface treatment difficult area Z, as shown in Figures 7 and 8. Then, by irradiating the mirror part 3 with laser light from the laser irradiation part 101, the laser light reflected by the mirror part 3 reaches the surface treatment difficult area Z, and surface treatment (laser cleaning) can be performed on that area. In other words, the laser processing aid 1 according to the present invention makes it possible to efficiently perform surface treatment even on areas where it is difficult to irradiate directly with laser light.

[0021] Furthermore, since the connecting portion 4 is configured to be expandable and contractible along its longitudinal direction, the distance between the fixing portion 2 and the mirror portion 3 can be changed. This makes it possible to easily change the distance between the focal position of the laser beam emitted from the laser beam irradiation portion 101 of the laser processing apparatus 100 and the mirror body 32. As a result, the laser energy applied to the workpiece can be easily changed, and it becomes possible to find the optimal distance between the laser irradiation portion 101 and the mirror body 32 to achieve the optimal surface treatment state and perform surface treatment.

[0022] Furthermore, since the mirror section 3 is configured to pivot relative to the connection section 4, it is possible to change the reflection angle of the laser light emitted from the laser irradiation section. By appropriately changing the angle of the mirror section 3 relative to the connection section 4 according to the location and range of the difficult-to-treat surface area Z on the workpiece, it becomes possible to perform surface treatment over a wide range of areas.

[0023] Furthermore, by configuring the connecting portion 4 in a rod shape, it becomes easier to insert the mirror portion 3 into a narrow space, thereby improving the work efficiency of the surface treatment worker and enabling surface treatment to be performed on the hard-to-reach area Z of the workpiece.

[0024] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. In the above embodiment, the fixing part 2 is configured to be detachably attached to the laser irradiation part 101 of the laser processing apparatus 100, but the present invention is not particularly limited to this configuration, and a configuration in which it is integrally fixed to the laser irradiation part 101 in a manner in which it is not detachably attached may be adopted.

[0025] Furthermore, although the fixing part 2 is configured as a cylindrical or ring-shaped member so as to be fitted around the laser irradiation part 101, it is not necessary to configure it as such a cylindrical or ring-shaped member if it has a structure that can be stably connected and fixed to the laser irradiation part 101.

[0026] Furthermore, although the above embodiment provides a configuration in which the connecting portion 4 is extendable and retractable, such an extendable and retractable configuration is not essential, and the connecting portion 4 may be configured not to be extendable and retractable. Also, although the mirror portion 3 is configured to be able to swivel relative to the connecting portion 4, allowing the reflection angle of the laser light emitted from the laser irradiation portion 101 to be changed, the mirror portion 3 may be connected and fixed to the connecting portion 4 at a specific angle, preventing it from swiveling.

[0027] Furthermore, while the above description of the embodiment mainly describes laser cleaning as the content of surface treatment using laser light with the laser processing aid 1, the specific content of the surface treatment is not particularly limited to cleaning, and the laser processing aid 1 according to the present invention can also be used for laser marking and surface alteration.

[0028] 1 Laser processing aid 2 Fixing part 21 Bolt member 3 Mirror part 31 Base part 32 Mirror body 4 Connecting part 100 Laser processing device 101 Laser irradiation part Z Difficult surface treatment area

Claims

1. A laser processing aid for assisting surface treatment with laser light, comprising: a fixing part attached to the laser irradiation part of a laser processing device; a mirror part that reflects the laser light irradiated from the laser irradiation part; and a connecting part that connects the fixing part and the mirror part.

2. The laser processing aid according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing part is detachably attached to the laser irradiation part.

3. The laser processing aid according to claim 2, characterized in that the fixing portion is configured to be fitted around the laser irradiation portion.

4. The laser processing aid according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the mirror portion is configured to be swivelable relative to the connecting portion.

5. The laser processing aid according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the connecting portion is formed in the shape of a rod.

6. The laser processing aid according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the connecting portion is configured to be extendable and retractable.

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