Laser Cutting Separation Cuts for Sheet Metal Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for separating good parts from residual skeletons during laser cutting often result in damage to the good parts due to manual handling limitations and quality issues, particularly when sheet metal exceeds manageable sizes, leading to costly reworking.
Innovation Solution
The method involves cutting the metal sheet into smaller parts using separating cuts that allow only the residual skeleton to be supported by workpiece support elements, preventing good parts from being scratched and minimizing waste, with the separating cuts designed to maintain distance from support elements and good parts, and optionally arranged in a zigzag or wavy pattern for stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual lifting and separation of good parts from the workpiece support is used, then the process is simple, but the sheet metal must not exceed certain area and weight limits and good parts can be scratched
Solution Approach 1:
The workpiece support is divided into multiple height-adjustable support elements that can be independently positioned. This segmentation allows different areas of the support to have different heights, creating zones for supporting residual skeleton versus zones for allowing good parts to rest without contact, thereby preventing scratches while maintaining manual handleability of separated parts
Solution Approach 2:
Different areas of the workpiece support are given different local properties through height adjustment of individual support elements. Areas beneath residual skeleton have support elements at one height to provide support, while areas where good parts will rest have support elements at a lower height to avoid contact and scratching, achieving localized functional differentiation
2Productivity
If the entire metal sheet is processed at once, then productivity is maintained, but the sheet metal exceeds manageable size and weight for manual handling
Solution Approach 1:
The metal sheet is processed as a whole but then divided into smaller manageable sections through strategic separating cuts. These cuts partition the large sheet into multiple smaller portions that can be individually handled, reducing weight and size while maintaining the productivity benefit of processing the entire sheet in one setup
Solution Approach 2:
Separating cuts are planned and executed in advance during the laser cutting process to pre-divide the metal sheet into manageable sections before manual handling is required. This preliminary segmentation ensures that when manual handling occurs, the parts are already divided into appropriate sizes and weights
3Stability of the object's composition
If support elements contact the good parts during processing, then stability is improved, but scratches are formed on the good parts
Solution Approach 1:
The support elements are selectively positioned at different heights in different local areas. In areas where good parts will rest, support elements are lowered below the good part surface level, providing stability through gravitational positioning without contact. In areas where residual skeleton needs support, elements remain at higher positions, creating localized functional zones that prevent scratching while maintaining overall stability
4Loss of substance
If separating cuts are made close to good parts to minimize waste, then material utilization is improved, but the risk of damaging good parts increases
Solution Approach 1:
A separating lane acts as an intermediary zone between the good parts and the separating cuts. This lane provides a safety buffer that physically separates the laser cutting path from the good parts, allowing cuts to be made close to good parts for minimal waste while the lane itself prevents direct contact and potential damage from the cutting process or support elements
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach ensures optimal support and minimizes damage to good parts, allowing for higher quality outputs while enabling handling of larger metal sheets by reducing the weight and size of individual parts, thus improving handling and reducing waste.
Implementation Method 1
after laser cutting, is manually lifted off the workpiece support together with the good parts still connected via microjoints
Implementation Method 2
The laser processing machine 1 includes a cutting device 3 with a laser device 4
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a
Figure 2b
AI summary
In a method for separating good parts (21) resulting from laser cutting of a sheet metal sheet (2) from a residual grid of the sheet metal sheet (2), wherein the sheet metal sheet (2) rests on a workpiece support formed by several support elements (11) and the laser-cut good parts (21) are still connected to the residual grid via microjoints (25), the invention provides that after laser cutting of the good parts (21), the sheet metal sheet (2) is cut into smaller sheet metal parts (2a-2d) by at least one separation cut (26a, 26b) extending at least partially into the residual grid, and that the separation cut (26a, 26b) is designed such that at least one of the residual grid parts (22a-22d) of the sheet metal parts (2a-2d) separated from each other by the separation cut (26a, 26b) remains supported on at least one support element (11) at its grid edge (27) on the separation cut side.