Laser Welding Workpiece Clamping Unit for Automated Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing laser ablation and welding methods for workpieces, particularly metal sheets, are inefficient due to substantial handling efforts required for removal, insertion, and repositioning in different processing stations, which reduces processing efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A method and system where workpieces remain in a clamping unit throughout processing, with controlled repositioning and alignment, using a turntable with clamping units that move through various stations for ablation, cleaning, and welding, employing clamping magnets and laser heads that travel in a circumferential path to avoid direct interference and improve precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If workpieces are removed from one processing station and inserted into another processing station, then different processing operations (ablation, cleaning, welding) can be performed, but substantial handling effort is required which reduces processing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple processing stations (ablation station, cleaning station, welding station) into a single integrated processing station. The workpiece remains clamped in the same clamping unit throughout all processing steps, eliminating the need for removal and reinsertion between stations. This merging approach maintains versatility of processing operations while eliminating handling efforts that reduced productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamping unit is designed as a universal fixture that can hold and position workpieces for multiple different processing operations (ablation, cleaning, welding) within a single station. The processing station itself is multi-functional, accommodating different laser heads and processing modes without requiring workpiece removal, thus achieving both adaptability and high productivity.
2Manufacturing precision
If workpieces are repositioned and aligned in different processing stations, then precise positioning for each operation can be achieved, but the removal and reinsertion process reduces efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
By merging all processing operations into a single station with a common clamping unit, the system eliminates the need for workpiece removal and repositioning between stations. The clamping unit provides consistent positioning reference for all operations (ablation, cleaning, welding), maintaining manufacturing precision while dramatically improving processing efficiency by keeping the workpiece in place throughout the entire process.
3Reliability
If multiple clamping mechanisms are used to hold workpieces during processing, then workpieces remain secure throughout processing steps, but the complexity of switching and repositioning clamping mechanisms increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamically adjustable clamping mechanisms that can move and reposition themselves within the clamping unit to accommodate different workpiece sizes and positions required for various processing operations (ablation, cleaning, welding). This dynamic capability allows a single multi-functional clamping unit to provide reliable workpiece securing throughout all processing steps without requiring multiple separate clamping devices, thus maintaining reliability while managing complexity.
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 significantly reduces handling efforts, increases processing speed, and enhances efficiency by allowing continuous processing without the need for workpiece removal, improving the quality of joining edges through automated cleaning and precise alignment.
Implementation Method 1
laser ablation, also called laser vaporization, refers to the removal of material from a surface by bombardment using preferably pulsed laser radiation. The laser radiation having high power density which is used in this case results in rapid heating at the surface, whereby material is removed.
Implementation Method 2
Welding by means of laser is a welding method in which the required energy for connecting the workpieces is provided by means of a laser.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a laser ablation and welding method for workpieces, in particular, metal sheets, and an automatic laser ablation and welding system, where an ablation procedure and a welding procedure are executed in an automation line.